Finanse

With constant headlines about rising house prices, interest rates and rents, it can be disheartening being a first-time buyer in London. But new research has uncovered areas in and around the capital with a greater choice of affordable first homes.more

Any child in England whose parents receive Universal Credit will be able to claim free school meals from September 2026, the government has said. Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the move as "a down payment on child poverty", along with other measures that have already been rolled out. more

There are a number of changes and deadlines that could affect your finances this month - including a major energy deadline, writes MyLondon.news.more

The UK will be forced to agree, at the Nato summit in The Hague in June, to increase defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP by 2035. - Sky News reported yesterday, citing sources in the defence sector. Current UK defence spending stands at 2.3 per cent.more

Five London banks are among more than 80 due to shut in June as the UK is hit by a wave of summer closures. During May, 69 banks have either already closed or will have shuttered by the end of the month. more

Pizza Express, British Airways and the outsourcing firmgroup Capita are among leading businesses named by the government for failing to pay some of their staff the minimum wage.more

Tens of thousands of energy customers are set to receive payouts of up to £1,000 each, and could see debts written off, in response to the scandal over the forced fitting of prepayment meters. Energy companies are paying out more than £70m in compensation and financial support to customers.more

Food inflation rose for the fourth consecutive month in May, with wholesale meat prices increasing the cost of steak on supermarket shelves, latest figures show. Shop prices overall remained in deflation, at 0.1% cheaper than a year ago and unchanged from April, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC)-NIQ Shop Price Index.more

Full-time workers are claiming thousands of pounds in benefits by exploiting a legal loophole, The Telegraph can reveal.more

For coupled up Londoners, the old adage of “first comes love, then comes marriage” has been turned on its head thanks to rising rents, stricter mortgage affordability tests and the financial pressures of saving for a home.more

Higher-than-expected government borrowing figures have increased the prospect of Chancellor Rachel Reeves raising taxes in the autumn, experts say. Borrowing - the difference between spending and tax income - was £20.2bn in April, up £1bn from the same month last year, official figures showed.more

Ministers are bracing themselves for a potential wave of NHS strikes in England after doctors denounced pay rises of up to 5.4% this year as “derisory” and threatened to take action in protest.more

Millions of shoppers could get up to £70 each after a tribunal approved a settlement in a lawsuit against Mastercard which stemmed from historic fees levied on businesses by the card provider.more

Edinburgh has been crowned the most expensive city break destination in western Europe, according to a new report. Analysis by Post Office Travel Money reveals that the combined cost of accommodation and other typical tourist expenses is higher in the Scottish capital than in any other major city in the region.more

A rise in the cost of household bills has pushed UK inflation to its highest rate in more than a year. Inflation was 3.5% in April, up from 2.6% in March, according to official data.more

Household energy bills are projected to decrease by approximately 7 per cent this July, offering some relief to consumers facing the burden of rising living costs. Industry analysts Cornwall Insight predict the typical annual household energy bill will fall by £129, settling at around £1,720 when Ofgem's revised price cap takes effect.more

A popular UK city has been named as having the highest amount of disposable income and it’s a place that might not come as a surprise to some. People living in Brighton have an average of £1,315 spare cash per month - more than any other city in the UK, data by This is Money shows.more

Ryanair has seen annual earnings tumble 16% after slashing air fares to help boost demand, but revealed prices are to rise as it seeks to return to growth. The budget carrier reported pre-tax profits of 1.78 billion euros (£1.5 billion) for the year to March 31, down from 2.13 billion euros (£1.79 billion) after average fares fell 7%.more

The government has announced new rules aiming to protect shoppers using buy now, pay later services, saying it wants to end the "wild west" of unregulated borrowing. Under the legislation, lenders will have to carry out affordability checks to stop people taking on too much debt and shoppers will have faster access to refunds.more

Millions of people are walking a financial tightrope, with one in 10 UK adults saving no money at all, a major report has concluded. This leaves many exposed to economic shocks and vulnerable to rising bills, according to the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) Financial Lives survey.more

According to Goldman Sachs economists, a victory by KO presidential candidate Rafał Trzaskowski would strengthen the Polish currency and favour a ‘dovish attitude’ of the central bank. This is in contrast to a win by PiS candidate Karol Nawrocki, which would weaken the zloty and favour ‘hawkish sentiment’.more

Millions of Britons will be better off as the economy picks up, says the Government after GDP growth hit 0.7% in the first three months of the year. Welcoming the figures, Sir Keir Starmer stressed: "The UK now has the fastest growth in the G7.more

The cost of sending a child to a state school in the UK has “significantly increased” since 2022, outstripping both inflation and earnings growth, a new report has found.more

Hospitals in England are cutting staff, closing services and planning to ration care in order to make “eye-watering” savings demanded by NHS bosses. Rehabilitation centres face being shut, talking therapies services cut and beds for end-of-life care reduced as part of efforts by England’s 215 NHS trusts to comply with a “financial reset”.more

Bank of England policymakers have cut interest rates by a quarter point to 4.25% to cushion the UK economy against the impact of rising economic uncertainty.more