Having signed the trade deal with Australia, Global Britain is just getting started
Tonight, Australian Trade Minister Dan Tehan and I have signed the trade deal between the United Kingdom and Australia — the first comprehensive Free Trade Agreement that…
The era of cheap money is coming to an end
With inflation surging out of control, the Bank of England had little choice but to raise interest rates. The scale of the increase is trivial at 0.15…
Is the extraterrestrial Chris Whitty writing his own policy on omicron? The truth is out there…
It’s beginning to look a lot like the “new normal”. Certainly in Portcullis House, anyway, where no fewer than three public health experts were dialling in virtually…
Boris Johnson’s embrace of the Big Brother state goes well beyond Covid
My eldest son turns 14 this month, approaching the troublesome part of his teens. He’d best watch his step. If he performs a drunken prank that sufficiently…
Thursday evening UK news briefing: How to profit from the interest rate rise
Sam Peckinpah’s most controversial film took his obsession with toxic masculinity to extremes. Alexander Larman reveals how it pushed his stars to breaking point Read the full…
Rishi Sunak cuts short California trip amid criticism over lack of support for omicron-hit firms
Mr Sunak is due to arrive back in the UK on Friday. Small firms ‘facing the disruption of a tidal wave of omicron’ Pub and restaurant bosses…
Police launch investigation into Tory HQ Christmas party attended by Shaun Bailey
The Metropolitan Police will make contact with two people who attended a gathering at the Conservative Party HQ in London on December 14 2020 in relation to…
Chris Whitty is ‘running the show’ on Covid policy, complain Tory MPs
CMO put Britain ‘into effective lockdown’ A series of angry interventions by Tory MPs followed in the Commons. Steve Brine, a former health minister, said: “At a…
Planet Normal: We’re seeing lockdown by stealth
The country is not in lockdown by name, but according to Telegraph columnist Liam Halligan, it’s not far off lockdown by nature. “To call these restrictions as…
Letters: Are Conservatives starting to take back control of their party from the Prime Minister?
Undelivered post SIR – My area of Surrey has received no post for nearly three weeks because our postman is off sick and there is no replacement….
Professor Chris Whitty: You can go to a party… if that is your priority this Christmas
Prof Whitty also said that ministers were attempting to balance the economic, social and health impacts of restrictions, and that the Government may change their advice if…
‘I’m investing my grandchildren’s Isas badly – how do I rescue them?’
Starting a savings account for a child and contributing regularly is one of the most powerful financial gifts someone can give. The magic of compounding returns means…
Five ways to turbocharge your pension in your 60s
Life can often shift gears when people enter their 60s, whether it slows down in retirement or speeds up with grand plans for travel. Those nearing 65…
Interest rate rises will be worst blow to first-time buyers since financial crisis
Existing homeowners will also be shielded from hikes because they have gained equity. A buyer who purchased in 2016 has increased their equity from £21,780 to £83,060,…
Millions missing out on working from home tax relief – here’s how to claim
Millions of workers have failed to claim work from home tax breaks introduced during the pandemic, in spite of new guidance to avoid offices as omicron spreads. …
Questor: a top team, booming sector and 8pc discount – this rare opportunity won’t last long
“The potential for the technology sector is huge. It continues to reshape established industries and in many cases it is a ‘winner takes all’ scenario, resulting in…
The nine places the property market boom completely missed
The markets are an example of what happens to property values when an economy is hammered and does not receive the kind of financial support, such as…
‘Age doesn’t matter unless you’re a cheese’: meet the 70-somethings who refuse to retire
Cornwall resident Derek Myers, 70, is also feeling more energetic that he expected to at retirement age. He planned to wind down at 60 after a career…
What the increase in interest rates means for house prices and mortgages
As inflation continues well above the Bank’s target rate of 2pc, the Office for Budget Responsibility, the Treasury’s official forecaster, expects that the Bank Rate will rise…
How savers can profit from the interest rate rise
Savers hoping for a substantial jump in the rates paid by easy-access and fixed-rate accounts or cash Isas after today’s Bank Rate rise will be disappointed –…
Millions of homeowners face mortgage rate rises
Nationwide, Britain’s biggest building society, also said tracker mortgages would rise from February but said it was “considering what impact this announcement would mean for savers” and…
Why the Jaguar S-Type is a guaranteed future classic
It’s a car that may seem easy to dismiss today. One that seems little more than an anachronistic blip on Jaguar’s CV, but don’t be too hasty…
The UK’s most reliable cars revealed – and the least reliable
Each car is given a reliability score ranging from minus 100 for the highly unreliable motor from hell, to 100 for a dream car that never goes…
Dear Prue: ‘How can I reverse the gentle decline in quality of my husband’s presents?’
Dear Prue, Over the past few years I have noticed that each Christmas my husband’s gift to me has been more and more modest. When the children…
7 Covid Christmas dilemmas – and how we hope to get through them
There’s a great new addition to the daily routine this Christmas. As well as the usual – get up, switch the tree lights on, draw the curtains,…