Wednesday evening UK news briefing: Covid testing victory for holidaymakers
Meanwhile, asymptomatic people in England who test positive for Covid-19 on a lateral flow device will no longer need confirmatory PCR tests from next Tuesday. The UK…
Michael Gove’s ‘only mistress was politics’, says estranged wife Sarah Vine
Michael Gove’s “only mistress was politics”, his estranged wife has said, as she addressed speculation about why their marriage ended. Sarah Vine set out why the couple…
Jacob Rees-Mogg tells Chancellor to abandon rise in National Insurance amid cost of living crunch
The 1.25 percentage point increase in National Insurance will cost middle-earning households around £300 a year and much more for richer households, according to analysis by the…
Discount plan for millions of ‘fuel poor’ households struggling with energy bills
A series of senior Tory MPs have voiced concerns about a cost of living squeeze coming in April, when energy bills are set to soar just as…
Boris’s total conversion to Brownism on tax is a betrayal of Middle England
If Boris Johnson, king of the Brexiteers, slayer of the Red Wall and supposed neo-populist extraordinaire, can’t even cut VAT on fuel, what hope is there for…
How to get a Government-approved day two test
Regardless of their vaccination status, all travellers entering the UK must take a day 2 test. From 4am on January 9, this can be a lateral flow…
Swabbing nose and throat for lateral flow tests more accurate than nose-only samples
Lateral flows tests are poorer at detecting coronavirus if users only swab their nose, results show. Since last summer, the Government has been providing test kits that…
PCR vs LFT: Lateral flows can cut Covid isolation but could leave one in 10 with false positive
The move to scrap confirmatory PCR checks for people who test positive for Covid with a lateral flow has reignited the debate about which test is best….
Holiday bookings bonanza beckons as Covid day two PCR tests scrapped
Travel firms prepared for a surge in demand for winter sun and ski holidays on Wednesday as Boris Johnson scrapped PCR and pre-departure tests in a move…
Encore performance of PMQs panto was the perfect remedy for post-Christmas hangover
Past Covid outbreaks may have dimmed the panto lights across Britain over Christmas, but PMQs provided some consolation for those of us who were still feeling the…
Hundreds of care homes not accepting new residents amid omicron variant fears
Sam Monaghan, the chief executive of MHA, which has closed 62 of its 89 homes to new admissions because of Department of Health and Social Care guidelines…
Strikes threatened over Priti Patel’s plan to use jet skis to push migrant boats back to France
The PCS, which represents around 80 per cent of Border Force officials, and Care4Calais, a refugee charity, announced on Wednesday that they were taking the Home Office…
Supermarkets face uncertain year after a bumper Christmas
Separately, analysts have questioned the likelihood of speedy grocery delivery apps providing huge competition ahead, despite securing hundreds of millions of pounds to aggressively expand internationally in…
Strict Covid curbs ‘less effective’, admits Nicola Sturgeon as Scotland’s isolation rules relaxed
Strict limits on attendance at large events in Scotland, including football matches, were imposed on Boxing Day. Theatres across the country have also had to close their…
Questor: a recovering company in an unwisely shunned sector is our stock tip of the year
Medtronic, listed in America but legally based in Ireland, may not be a household name but its products play a big part in the lives of those…
Nationwide customers face payment delays for third time in a fortnight
Nationwide customers face a fresh round of payment delays just two weeks after being blocked from transferring money over Christmas. Yesterday payments to customer bank accounts were…
Easy ways to save money in 2022: top tips to improve your finances
5) Don’t forget to haggle Even once you’ve been given an offer by a company for goods or services, that may not be their cheapest price. If…
‘I can’t afford to send both kids to university – can I ask my son to pay for his sister?’
Dear Moral Money, We have two children who are now young adults. We wanted to avoid them being burdened by the repayment costs of student loans. We…
Thousands risk losing their homes as bank repossession ban ends
Tens of thousands of homeowners face eviction after banks ended a Christmas ban on repossessions. Mortgage lenders had collectively agreed not to repossess any homes over the…
First-time buyers now face some uncomfortable home truths
“At the top end of the market, we have seen more people looking to miss out a rung of the ladder and move into larger properties than…
Sony confirms its drive to join the electric car business
Sony has revealed its second electric car at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas and confirmed that it intends to get into the transportation business…
The 5 best classic cars to buy in 2022 for less than £2,000
Prices of the classic Volvo 240 are now well and truly on the rise, but buyers haven’t cottoned on to its successor, the 740, in quite the…
Inside the battle for the most desirable beach huts in Britain
The picnics may be a little better – back then he says you were lucky to get a ham and pickle sandwich – but otherwise the pleasures…
How households can help protect the environment in 2022
Use refillable containers Single-use plastic is an ever-growing problem – 700,000 plastic bottles are littered every day in the UK. One commercial response is to sell water…
‘Healthy’ mushroom beer – a craft beer too far?
Mushroom beer might sound crazy if you start from a position of “I brew beer. What new ingredient can I throw in the mash tun today?” But…