London’s FTSE 100 stock index set a record closing high on Friday (Feb 3) finishing up more than 1% at 7,901.8 points – beating the previous record set in May, 2018 when the FTSE 100 closed at 7,877.45. Investors are reportedly backing the UK’s blue chip firms to benefit from the weak pound combined with […]
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Hundreds of thousands of public sector workers have vowed to continue their strikes until the government improves its pay settlements. Half-a-million workers took part in “Walkout Wednesday” with teachers, civil servants, university lecturers, bus drivers, railway staff and security guards staging the biggest strike in the UK for more than a decade. Schools were closed, […]
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Almost 100 charities have sent a letter to Jeremy Hunt urging him to introduce a social energy tariff to protect low-income households. In an open letter to the Chancellor, they warn that the end of the universal energy support scheduled for April “will leave many older and disabled people in increasingly desperate situations”. 95 charities […]
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Former chancellor Nadhim Zahawi must be sacked from the cabinet say Labour after further revelations about his tax affairs. Conservative MPs have joined calls for Zahawi to step down after it was revealed he paid a £1 million-plus penalty to settle an investigation by HMRC over non-payment of tax due. Senior Tories have called his […]
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The World Cup gave the UK economy an unexpected boost that increased GDP by 0.1% between October and November. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast a 0.2% contraction for the period but the rise “is likely to increase pressure on the Bank of England to raise interest rates,” reports the Financial Times. Cost of living […]
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Commuters and other passengers have been urged to avoid using trains during this week’s rail strikes. Eight-in-ten trains were cancelled on Tuesday (Jan 3) as RMT members continued their long running strike for better pay and conditions, marking the worst disruption seen on Britain’s railways for 30 years. Network Rail and the Rail Delivery Group […]
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A YouGov survey on behalf of Warm This Winter has revealed that 9 million Britons spent Christmas in damp and cold homes. UK poverty remains a major issue, as more than one-quarter of the most vulnerable are unable to heat their homes to a temperature considered healthy. More than 25 per cent of people with […]
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The government is holding a Cobra emergency meeting to deal with the wave of strikes hitting Britain across multiple sectors. Ministers will discuss deploying the military to drive ambulances and civil servants to cover Border Force staff as strikes escalate. Nurses, rail and postal staff are also among workers taking industrial action this month in […]
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With industrial action from one sector or another pencilled in for every day right up until Christmas, the PM is likely to press ahead with the introduction of tough new anti-strike laws. From rail workers to teachers and right through to a medley of NHS worker groups, it seems everyone is going on strike. Rishi […]
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Union leader Mick Lynch is blaming the government for a new round of 48 hour rail strikes that will paralyse the network in the run-up to Christmas and after the New Year. Millions of passengers will face severe disruption when thousands of members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport workers union (RMT) strike in December […]
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