60 m. ago Mutant ‘superflu’ collides with 2 horror winter bugs in ‘triple whammy’ surge – as schools shut and NHS swamped

SCHOOLS are shutting and hospitals are reinstating Covid-style measures as 'superflu' and two other winter bugs tear through communities, leaving hundreds of pupils off sick. Headteachers across the UK warn soaring sickness rates feel like “being back in Covid times”, with some even cutting singing in assemblies to curb the spread of illness. It comes...

Events

69 m. ago Vicars in London to be hit by 'mansion tax,' warns Bishop with parishes unable to pay new levy

Parliament told that vicarages in the capital which are not ‘large and luxurious’ will be caught by new tax on properties worth over £2 million

Events

78 m. ago Canada’s environmental ‘realism’ looks more like surrender | Tzeporah Berman

At a time when the UK and other countries are finally taking bold steps for climate, Canada is preparing a new oil pipelineLast week, the United Kingdom did something all too rare: it chose leadership by backing science and prioritizing public safety. The Labour government announced it would ban new oil and gas licences in the North Sea, strengthen a windfall tax and accelerate phasing out of fossil-fuel subsidies.These are not symbolic gestures. They are an acknowledgment that the global energy system is shifting and that mature economies must shift with it.Tzeporah Berman is a Canadian environmental activist, campaigner and writer Continue reading...

Politics

87 m. ago What is an offset mortgage and how much money could it save me in tax?

A rarely used tax-efficient tool might benefit you if you have a fair amount of cash savings

Economics

1 hour ago Full list of car tax exemptions as bill reduced to £0 for these drivers

Certain drivers are exempt from paying any car tax - full list

Economics

2 h. ago People taking money out of pension pots could be due tax refund of nearly £4,000

More than 13,000 tax refund forms were processed earlier this year.

Economics

2 h. ago What it’s really like to have a tattoo burnt off you – and how much it will cost

Colin Farrell’s had it done — many times. But what is tattoo removal really like?

Events

2 h. ago POLL OF THE DAY: Would Angela Rayner be a better prime minister than Sir Keir Starmer?

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has praised the 'hugely talented' Angela Rayner - who is popular with the Labour Left - and explicitly said he expects her to return to his Cabinet.

Politics

2 h. ago Kemi Badenoch accuses Labour of lacking 'political courage' to carry out grooming gangs probe that looks at role of 'Asian and Pakistani' men in crimes

The Tory leader called for the inquiry to examine the ethnicity and religion of offenders who targeted mainly teenage girls in English towns.

Events

2 h. ago Government issues update to young people at risk of having benefits cut under new scheme

A six-month paid work placement is guaranteed for every eligible 18- to 21-year-old who has been on Universal Credit and looking for work for 18 months under the new scheme

Politics

3 h. ago SNP leader John Swinney pounces on Keir Starmer's shambolic Labour Government in bid to revive push to split the UK

The Scottish First Minister, at an SNP campaign event on Monday morning, will attempt to revitalise his party's long-running push to break up the United Kingdom.

Politics

3 h. ago My dream of jet set glamour has died – in a pleather chair full of other people's crumbs | Emma Beddington

The use of airport lounges is soaring, born of a desire to feel a bit special. The reality is we’re all going to end up crammed into the same awful, environmentally disastrous metal tubeThe New Yorker has published a deliciously fact-stuffed long read on the airport lounge: there are more than 3,500 worldwide, of which 37 are in Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok. American Airlines opened the first in 1939 and called its VIP members “admirals”.There are almost more admirals than ordinary seamen now (a weird metaphor in an air travel context, yes; blame American Airlines). The “mostly low- and mid-tier” lounge network Priority Pass saw a 31% increase in usage last year, including me: my credit card came with this seemingly seductive perk. I was thrilled to join the global elite in what I imagined would be a cashmere and champagne cocoon, saved from the usual three hours (my husband is one of those travellers) crouched by a bin in the purgatorial wasteland of Manchester Terminal 3, nursi...

Events

3 h. ago Anyone who has parcels left at their front door issued with December warning

December is set to be the worst month for a new problem facing households across the UK

Events

3 h. ago Exclusive: Londoners face 5.8% rise in Tube fares despite national rail tickets price freeze

Mayor says it is ‘fair’ that TfL fares increase above inflation in return for £2.2bn of Government investment

Economics

3 h. ago UK’s biggest concert arenas face huge tax hikes sparking ticket price fears

London’s O2 Arena and the Co-op Live in Manchester are among the venues facing substantial increases

Economics

3 h. ago Labour think tank that supported Starmer asks members who they would back in leadership challenge

It comes amid growing concern of the direction of the government and devastating approval ratings less than two years after Labour’s historic landslide election victory

Politics

4 h. ago Labour under pressure to delay 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars with EU primed to push back its deadline

Brussels is reportedly preparing to announce that its ban will be delayed by five years to 2040 - a decade later than Britain's plan to outlaw sales of combustion engine models.

Events

4 h. ago Supermarket cheapest of all for shopping essentials after price drop

It's the first time the retailer has been cheapest for these basic items since mid October

Economics

4 h. ago New calls to increase State Pension for over 400,000 people next year

Campaigners say it would cost the UK Government just £63 million to unfreeze State Pension payments.

Politics

4 h. ago Why isn't there a special allowance so pensioners on low incomes don't pay tax? STEVE WEBB replies

I'm confused over what is going on with the state pension and tax once it goes through the tax-free personal allowance.

Economics