3 d. ago US tariffs are having an uneven effect on holiday prices and purchases

Many U.S. consumers say they’ve noticed higher than usual prices for holiday gifts in recent months, according to a a December poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research

Economics

7 d. ago Shoppers forecast to embark on £24.6billion Christmas spending frenzy

Despite the ongoing cost of living crisis and Budget blues, a report predicts many people will splash out more on Christmas this year

Economics

8 d. ago Ella McCay review – James L Brooks returns with a sorry mess of a movie

Emma Mackey, Jamie Lee Curtis, Albert Brooks, Rebecca Hall and Woody Harrelson are among the stars lost in the writer-director’s baffling misfireElla McCay, a new comedy drama written and directed by James L Brooks, feels like a relic, and not just because it’s set, seemingly arbitrarily, in 2008. Broadly appealing, well cast, neither strictly comic nor melodramatic, concerning ordinary people in non-IP circumstances, it’s the type of mid-budget adult film that used to appear regularly in cinemas in the 90s and aughts, before the streaming wars devoured the market. Even its lead promotional image, turned into a life-size cardboard cut-out at the theater – Emma Mackey’s titular Ella in a sensible trench coat, balancing on one foot as she fixes a broken block heel – recalls a bygone era of films like Confessions of a Shopaholic, Miss Congeniality or Little Miss Sunshine, that would now go straight to streaming.To be clear, I miss these types of movies, and want to see more of them. I ...

Politics

9 d. ago POLL OF THE DAY: Should face masks be mandatory in indoor public spaces during 'superflu' outbreak?

Britons should wear a face mask on public transport if they are coughing and sneezing but are still well enough to go to work, NHS Providers boss Daniel Elkeles said today.

Science

1 week ago The reckless mistake Rachel Reeves made with savers' pensions

Evidence has been stacking up confirming the damage that the Chancellor inflicted on the long-term savings plans of hard-working people in the run-up to last month's Budget.

Politics

2 w. ago New Martin Lewis update for people on State Pension with additional income

The consumer champion addressed the issue of State Pension and tax with Chancellor Rachel Reeves to help people understand the announcement in the Budget.

Politics

2 w. ago Bulgaria's government withdraws controversial budget after major protests

Bulgaria’s government said Tuesday it is withdrawing a controversial budget proposal after protests against it drew tens of thousands of people and saw clashes between police and protesters

Politics

2 w. ago Aldi could cover your Christmas food shop if you do one simple thing

People will want to hang onto something after shopping at the budget supermarket

Politics

2 w. ago 'They're taking everything from us and giving it to these people': Budget anger on the streets of Britain's Universal Credit capital

The Budget has divided public opinion but there is nowhere the split is more evident than in the Universal Credit capital of the UK.

Politics

2 w. ago What to do with a sparse tree? Or a wonky angel? Shop window

There’s a lot of pressure to make a splash, but you can create beautiful festive decor on a budget – just ask the people who do it all year roundIt has been Christmas in the retail world for weeks but most of us are only now getting the decorations out at home. How can you reuse and recycle what you already have to create the perfect festive feel? Shop window-dressers – or visual merchandisers, as they are also known – share their tips for capturing the magic of the most wonderful time of the year. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Reeves defends Budget tax and spending choices as ‘fair and necessary’

The Chancellor she had made choices to increase taxes and improve public infrastructure, and had ‘chosen to protect public spending’.

Economics

2 w. ago Congratulations everyone! Starmer survives another week, and it’s only cost us £26bn | Marina Hyde

Labour can proudly say this was a budget for working people – that is, if your job happens to be prime ministerThanks to Labour’s incredible Black Friday deal, breaking manifesto policies is buy-one-get-one-free. As part of its all-promises-must-go drive, it’s ditching its flagship policy giving the right to claim unfair dismissal from day one of employment. Employers will now have up to six months to summarily sack workers who don’t pan out – unless they’re the government, in which case people have to wait till 2029.The employment rights bill was drawn up and championed by Angela Rayner, who resigned in September following a series of discoveries about her tax affairs. Weird to think that Rayner could easily have been in the I’m a Celebrity camp right now. The former deputy PM reportedly got pretty far along in her discussions with ITV in terms of booking a spot on the current series of the fauna-testicle-based format, and could at this very moment have been giving us her Queen Ove...

Economics

2 w. ago Labour has trapped the British economy in a web of ‘doublespeak’

Reeves’ Budget shows she’s serious about spending other people’s money — but not about growth or jobs

Politics

2 w. ago Major UK airport operator hits out at Rachel Reeves' Budget 'impacting hard

The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a business rate increase in her recent Budget. It will see major airports across the country hit with huge increases in their rate bills.

Events

2 w. ago Working people DON'T like the Budget! Poll finds public think Labour's package is unaffordable and unfair

Chancellor Rachel Reeves' Budget package was widely regarded as unfair and unaffordable, according to a poll.

Economics

2 w. ago Voices: ‘We used to be working people’: Pensioners defend triple lock after Reeves’ Budget

Our community reacted with outrage to James Moore’s column suggesting pensioners are being ‘mollycoddled’ by Rachel Reeves’s Budget

Economics

2 w. ago Starmer faces Labour revolt over axing ‘day one’ workers’ rights reforms in manifesto breach

Fury among Labour backbenchersas announcement comes day after Government accused of another manifesto breach over Budget tax rises for working people

Politics

3 w. ago Rachel Reeves is my niece. She's totally out of her depth, penalises hard workers and blames everyone else: Chancellor's uncle Terry says the UK is a 'bloody disgrace'...and Farage should take over

Rachel Reeves' Tory-supporting uncle Terry Smith, 73, has attacked his niece's Budget for 'benefits people' -declaring: 'I feel she and the government are totally out of their depth'.

Events

3 w. ago 'Ordinary people are paying the price for Rachel Reeves' budget'

In this opinion piece for WalesOnline, Plaid leader Rhun ap Iorwerth argues that Labour has given up on Wales

Economics

3 w. ago By ending a cruel Tory social experiment, this budget clearly set out how Labour will fight the battle to renew Britain | Lucy Powell

The two-child benefit cap was a totem of 14 years of failed ideology. Now it is goneLucy Powell is deputy leader of the Labour partyYesterday the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, delivered a Labour budget. People have been asking for Labour’s purpose and values to be more clearly expressed. Through the choices made – a shift to a fairer tax system, targeting wealth to pay for tackling child poverty, good public services and the cost of living – we have clearly set out what we stand for.That’s why Labour MPs cheered in the Commons, and it’s why we are up for the fights to come. And it’s why the cries from the right began immediately.Lucy Powell is MP for Manchester Central and deputy leader of the Labour partyDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

Events