6:57 am, March 12, 2023
Budget to encourage over-50s, disabled and benefits claimants back into work
Measures to boost workforce participation will target the over-50s, the long-term sick and disabled, and benefits claimants in the Chancellor’s upcoming Budget.
Tackling economic inactivity is a key component of Jeremy Hunt’s plans, as employment numbers have languished far below their pre-pandemic levels, harming the UK’s already-struggling economy.
As part of what he is billing his ‘back-to-work Budget’, Hunt will on Wednesday announce the axing of the system used to assess eligibility for sickness benefits.
The biggest reform to the welfare system in a decade will mean claimants can continue to receive the payments after they return to employment, according to the Treasury.
Gary Lineker will not ‘back down on his word’
Gary Lineker’s son has said he thinks the sports presenter will return to Match Of The Day – but that he would not ‘back down on his word’, according to reports.
In an interview with The Sunday Mirror, the former England player’s eldest son George claimed his father had been ‘a bit disappointed’ by the BBC asking him to step back from hosting Saturday’s Match Of The Day after he compared the language used to launch a new Government asylum seeker policy with 1930s Germany in a tweet.
However, he said Lineker had been ‘overwhelmed by the support’ of fellow pundits who had withdrawn from various BBC sports shows in solidarity with him, particularly his MOTD co-presenters Ian Wright and Alan Shearer.
Sunak hails UK global alliance
Rishi Sunak has hailed the UK’s global alliances as its ‘greatest source of strength and security’ as he prepared to meet US President Joe Biden to flesh out a major defence deal.
The Prime Minister is flying to San Diego on Sunday to discuss the procurement of nuclear-powered submarines under the Aukus pact between the UK, US and Australia.
Australian premier Anthony Albanese will join the pair for the summit, with UK ministers’ hopes high that he will announce the purchase of a British-designed fleet.
Bank of England says SVB UK’s assets will be sold to pay creditors
Start-up companies woke up Saturday to find Silicon Valley Bank’s UK business will stop making payments or accepting deposits.
The Bank of England said SVB UK’s assets would be sold to pay creditors.
It announced late on Friday that it will put Silicon Valley Bank UK in its insolvency procedure, which will pay out eligible depositors up to £170,000 (204,544 US dollars) for joint accounts ‘as quickly as possible’.
‘We know that there are a large number of start-ups and investors in the ecosystem who have significant exposure to SVB UK and will be very concerned,’ Dom Hallas, executive director of Coadec, which represents British start-ups, said on Twitter.
He cited ‘concern and panic’.
Chancellor to cut extra costs paid by prepayment meter customers
Prepayment meter customers will no longer be charged more to receive their energy under reforms to be announced in the Chancellor’s Budget.
Jeremy Hunt is to end the “prepayment premium” from July, saving more than four million households £45 a year on their energy bills, according to the Treasury.
Households on the pay-as-you-go meters, who are typically low income, currently pay more on average than direct debit customers because of firms managing the meters passing on costs to users.
Aldi to lift restrictions on fresh produce
Aldi said it will remove all customer limits on buying fresh produce as supply issues which led to widespread shortages begin to ease.
The supermarket joins Lidl and Asda in lifting restrictions.
Aldi said in a statement on Saturday: “From Monday (March 13), Aldi will remove all purchasing restrictions on fresh produce – including limits on tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers.”
Lidl will also lift all restrictions on fruit and veg by Monday.
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Astronauts return to Earth after five months at space station
Four space station astronauts returned to Earth after a quick SpaceX flight home.
Their capsule splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico just off the Florida coast near Tampa.
The US-Russian-Japanese crew spent five months at the International Space Station, arriving last October.
Besides dodging space junk, the astronauts had to deal with a pair of leaking Russian capsules docked to the orbiting outpost and the urgent delivery of a replacement craft for the station’s other crew members.
Arctic temperatures to briefly relent
Britain’s Arctic temperatures of recent days will briefly grow more mild, however the Met Office has warned that winds are set to strengthen.
After a dry start to Sunday, forecasts indicated rain will spread across most parts of the UK.
The Met Office issued a yellow warning for snow and ice across parts of central and northeast Scotland until 9am on Sunday.
