Author: Fatimah Idera

Hundreds of low-paid NHS hospital workers at St George’s, Epsom and St Helier Hospital Group (GESH) have voted to strike over claims that they have lost more than £36 million in pay and pension contributions over the past four years. More than 330 facilities staff including cleaners, caterers and porters are preparing to walk out, accusing the trust of institutional racism and unfair treatment. Their union, United Voices of the World (UVW), alleges that the mainly minority ethnic workforce has been systematically denied equal pay and conditions under the NHS’s Agenda for Change (AfC) scheme. According to a UVW report,…

Lloyds Banking Group has warned that it faces a bigger financial hit than expected from the UK’s car finance mis-selling scandal, with total costs set to exceed the £1.2 billion already earmarked for compensation. The bank said on Thursday that “an additional provision is likely to be required which may be material,” following the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) proposal for a compensation scheme covering millions of drivers who were charged inflated interest rates on car loans. Lloyds added that uncertainty remained over how the scheme would be interpreted and implemented. Close Brothers, another major car loan provider, also admitted the…

Millions of households across England will face higher water bills after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) approved further price rises for five major suppliers. The CMA on Thursday said an independent expert panel had provisionally allowed Anglian, Northumbrian, Southern, Wessex, and South East Water to collectively charge customers an extra £556 million over five years, only 21% of the £2.7 billion the firms had requested. The decision means average household bills will rise by about 3%, on top of the 24% increase previously approved by industry regulator Ofwat. The five firms, which serve 14.7 million people, had appealed to…

The Conservative Party’s proposal to abolish stamp duty on primary home sales will largely benefit London and the wealthiest homeowners, according to the Social Market Foundation (SMF). Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader, announced at the party’s annual conference that a future Conservative government would scrap stamp duty on residential property purchases above £125,000 in England and Northern Ireland, a policy estimated to cost £9 billion annually. She argued the move would stimulate home ownership and revive the housing market. However, SMF director, Theo Bertram warned that while the plan could remove barriers to mobility and downsizing, it would disproportionately benefit…

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has outlined a new golden economic rule aimed at tackling Britain’s £50bn financial black hole through sweeping spending cuts and targeted investment in growth. Speaking on the final day of the Tory conference in Manchester, Badenoch said a future Conservative government would implement £47bn in spending cuts, pledging that every pound saved will be put to work, with half going toward deficit reduction and the rest funding tax cuts and economic growth. “It starts with fiscal responsibility,we must get the deficit down. Living within our means is our first priority and with the rest, we’re going…

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called for the rapid implementation of the UK’s landmark trade deal with India, saying it should take effect as soon as humanly possible. The Labour leader made the remarks on Wednesday as he began a two-day visit to India, accompanied by more than 100 business, culture, and university leaders. The free trade agreement, signed in July during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to London, is the largest post-Brexit trade pact secured by Britain. It aims to cut tariffs on key goods such as whisky, textiles, and cars, while expanding market access for both…

Millions of UK motorists could receive average compensation of about £700 each after the financial regulator unveiled details of a redress scheme for victims of car finance mis-selling. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said the payouts could apply to 14 million motor finance agreements signed between April 2007 and November 2024, potentially costing lenders up to £8.2bn. The regulator had earlier estimated average payouts would be below £950 per deal. The compensation relates to unfair commission arrangements, misleading sales practices, and inaccurate information provided by car dealers and lenders. Under now-banned discretionary commission arrangements (DCAs), dealers could raise interest rates…

Metro Bank customers have expressed outrage after a major IT glitch left many unable to make payments, access funds, or facing unexpected negative balances. The disruption, which began early Tuesday morning, affected both inbound and outbound payments, with customers reporting duplicate charges and incorrect account balances. Although the bank announced that the issue had been resolved, users continued to experience problems hours later. Several customers took to social media to voice their frustration. One user on X, Colleen, wrote that people were “missing work and going without food” due to the outage, demanding compensation. Another, Emily Gregory, said charges for…

The conservative proposal to abolish the independent, judge-led Sentencing Council and transfer its powers to the Ministry of Justice has drawn fierce criticism from across the political spectrum, with former Tory ministers describing it as bonkers, unwise, and potentially dangerous. Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick is expected to announce the plan at the Conservative Party conference, arguing that the Sentencing Council is not fit for purpose and accusing it of undermining parliamentary intent by softening sentences for serious crimes. He said that a future Conservative government would allow lord chancellors to set sentencing policy directly, claiming this would restore public…

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has criticised plans by students to hold pro-Palestine demonstrations on the second anniversary of the Hamas-led 7 October attacks on Israel, describing them as “un-British” and disrespectful. Starmer said protests planned at universities on Tuesday showed so little respect for others, accusing some demonstrators of using the movement as a despicable excuse to attack British Jews. Today, on the anniversary of the atrocities of October 7, students are once again planning protests, he wrote. “This is not who we are as a country. It’s un-British to have so little respect for others. And that’s before some…