Cost of Living

Cost of Living

Britain has been hit by a cost of living crisis which has seen the costs of everyday essentials such as energy, transport and food rise faster than household incomes.

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Latest Cost of Living News

The chancellor seems likely to freeze fuel duty once again in the autumn Budget, easing a burden on thousands of households amid an ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

Major cost of living boost as fuel duty to be frozen once again

Shopper holding shopping basket in supermarket vegetable and fruit section

Why has inflation risen unexpectedly and what does it mean for households?

UK inflation unexpectedly jumped to 3.6% in June - up from 3.4% in May

Inflation hit 18-month high in June as food prices surged for third month in a row

Rachel Reeves

Reeves hails ‘instant impact’ for aspiring homeowners as red tape is cut

Grants for new electric cars are being reintroduced after being scrapped in June 2022, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced.

Grants for new electric cars to be brought back as drivers could claim thousands in discounts

Models of people on coins

Perceptions around banks have improved since launch of Consumer Duty, poll finds

A piggy bank with a £20 note sticking out of it

Cash Isa limits set to be left untouched at next week’s Mansion House speech

The UK economy contracted by 0.1% in May, according to the Office for National Statistics.

UK economy shrinks for second month in a row - in blow to Rachel Reeves

Nearly nine in 10 surveyed families (88%) reported going without daily essentials, compared with 82% of households with fewer children.

'Story of enduring hardship': Survey finds larger lower-income families most likely to borrow for essentials

The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) has estimated that 378 pubs will close this year.

Britain to lose a pub a day this year, warns industry watchdog

A person holding a shopping basket in a supermarket

Half of Britons oppose fining supermarkets failing healthy food targets

Christmas 2023

Oasis, Wimbledon and hotter weather help spark rise in footfall

Grandparents will spend more than £21 per day on each child on average as they help out with childcare during school holidays

Grandparents ‘feeling the pinch' from helping out with childcare this summer

Scottish banknotes, with coins and a Saltire purse on top of them

Economic slowdown linked to global uncertainty amid Trump tariffs – think tank

A range of banknotes

Self-made people ‘holding estimated £40.7bn in under-utilised cash savings’

Tensions in the Middle East are leading to more expensive crude oil, but retailers are also still charging higher fuel margins, leading to a rise in petrol prices.

Middle East tensions or high profit margins? A combination of both blamed for rise in petrol prices

Halifax stopped the £5 cash in mid June

No more £5 cash for Halifax Reward customers

Sainsbury's will be the latest supermarket to shed light on how its sales have fared in recent months as grocers battle to lure in squeezed shoppers amid rising food inflation.

Investors eye Sainsbury’s sales as grocers battle to lure in squeezed shoppers amid food inflation

Apartments silhouetted against the sunrise

Home sales jump by a quarter month-on-month in May following April slump

Some parents are working extra hours or selling possessions to fund school trips,

Parents ‘working extra hours and selling possessions' to pay for school trips

English sterling money on a laptop keyboard.

Households will continue to face ‘bleak’ living standards for remainder of 2020s in ‘worst decade since 1950s, report says
The countdown to retirement!

Work until you are 68 - or even older? State pension changes ‘could be brought forward’

A British Gas smart energy meter displaying the current energy usage of gas and electricity in a home.

Energy market needs more time-based tariffs to ‘dramatically reduce bills’, regulator says

Heat Pump Replacing by Professional Caucasian Heating Technician. Industrial Theme.

Make electricity cheaper so households benefit from heat pumps, advisers urge

North Sea oil and gas production.

Government plans to cut energy bills for thousands of businesses, but industry boss warns plans are ‘short-term fix’

Confidence in the general economy over the coming year rose five points, driving the improvement.

Consumer confidence up in June amid ‘dark shadow’ of inflation and war in Middle East

Busy Oxford Street in London England

Londoners hit with council tax hikes over 5% as £2bn funding redirected to North and Midlands

Council Tax bill in the UK

Council tax bills in England could be split into 12 instalments by default

A woman shopping in a supermarket

UK retail sales slump in May after ‘dismal’ month for supermarkets

The Bank of England in the City of London.

Consumer confidence remains ‘firmly in negative’ despite slight improvement amid ‘dark shadow of inflation’

Energy bill discounts of £150 will be extended to another 2.7 million households to help with fuel costs next winter.

Millions more households to get £150 energy bill discounts as government extends scheme to help with fuel costs

A man walks past empty shelves in a branch of the Co-op in Manchester following the major cyber attack.

Major UK supermarket offering 25% off £40 shops in ‘thank you’ to members after cyber attack

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Distressing footage Body worn footage shows PC Lydia Ward being comforted by colleagues as she is bleeding from the nose after she tried to arrest an assault suspect at Manchester Airport.

Student tells court he 'did not know' police officers he hit at Manchester Airport were women

Sandie Peggie is the claimant in the tribunal case against NHS Fife.

NHS Fife calls in cops over threats to staff in controversial tribunal case

Arsenal unveil new signing Noni Madueke at Sobha Realty Training Centre on July 18, 2025 in London Colney, England.

Arsenal complete £50m transfer of Chelsea forward amid ‘bullying’ by section of fans

Appearing in Woolwich Crown Court, each member of the group of eight were jailed for their involvement in supplying nearly a tonne of cocaine over seven months.

Drug dealing ‘gangster granny’ who led family in lucrative £1k-a-day cocaine operation jailed for 20 years

Patrick Howlett, 58

Man who sent £56,000 to Philippines for livestreamed sexual abuse of children jailed for 30 years

The explosion happened at Biscailuz Center Academy Training.

At least three people killed in 'horrific incident' at Los Angeles sheriff training facility

Jess Glynne usually closes her shows with Hold My Hand, which has become her signature song

Fans chant 'nothing beats a Jet2 holiday' at Jess Glynne concert

Farzana Kauser, 54,

Bradford mum was family crime group boss who used her children in international cocaine plots

Jayden, who was a passenger on the bus and was treated for a suspected broken collarbone, with his mum, Kim outside Minehead Middle Schoo

'I remember climbing out': Pupil opens up about horror Somerset coach crash as boy, 10, dead

Isa Giga

Man who travelled to Syria to 'fight for Jihad’ convicted of terrorism offence

The collection is called Let the Light In and features a painting of a rose for his daughter, the Nosferatu actress Lily-Rose Depp.

Johnny Depp self-portrait to go on sale alongside artwork dedicated to his daughter Lily-Rose Depp

LBC spent time with the team keeping motorists safe on the M6

Keeping the motorways moving: Behind the scenes with National Highways’ traffic officers

The first needle-free emergency treatment for anaphylaxis - in the form of a nasal spray, which has been approved for emergency treatment

First emergency nasal spray for anaphylaxis approved for use

People cross the street near billboards advertising the new "Superman" film in Times Square

Superman faces fight for box office

Police failed to apprehend Williams after his "frenzied" attack, with the killer managing to escape their grasp for over a month.

Killer who knifed ex-girlfriend's dad to death jailed for life after being caught by police at Notting Hill Carnival

Attiya Sheikh (right) and her husband Omer Sheikh arrive at Paisley Sheriff Court for sentencing after pleading guilty in May to resetting PPE during the pandemic and selling it on eBay.

Doctor and husband who sold PPE stolen from NHS during pandemic jailed

Latest News

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A mural of former England football manager Sam Allardyce

Mystery artwork of former England boss eating chips appears in town centre

Memorial Service Is Held For Former Commons Speaker Betty Boothroyd

Britain and its people are not safe, former Nato chief warns Parliament

Moment man, 21, arrested after confessing to murder of family friend at bus stop before sexually abusing her corpse

Moment man, 21, arrested after admitting friend's murder at bus stop before confessing to sexually abusing her corpse
Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo.

Manchester United reach agreement to sign Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo in £71m transfer

Mo Chara, DJ Provaí and Móglaí Bap of Kneecap at Glastonbury Festival 2025

Police to take no further action over Kneecap's Glastonbury performance

Russian President Vladimir Putin

UK sanctions Russian spies at heart of Putin's regime over ‘campaign to destabilise Europe’
Far-right anti-immigration protestors scuffle with a cordon of riot police which prevented them from approaching a smaller group of anti-hate counter-protestors.

Two arrested and eight officers assaulted as clashes erupt after anti-immigrant mob descends on Epping asylum hotel
Shocking footage of a brawl at Highbury and Islington Tube station has gone viral.

Police probe disturbing viral phone footage of brawl at London Tube station with baby stranded on floor
An aircraft covered in red paint

Four face 2027 trial over alleged Palestine Action aircraft damage

The Old Bailey

Teenager admits plotting terror attack with gun

The News Explained

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Crowded Piccadilly Line train at station on London Underground

Piccadilly Line to part-close this weekend for two weeks: Here's what you need to know

Rishi Sunak outside 10 Downing Street

Rishi Sunak facts: Height, wife, children and policies revealed

Big Freeze

Arctic blast sets off government's Cold Weather Payment - but are you eligible for the £25 off energy bills?

Royals

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Thomas T Docherty, who designed the coin, said it reflected the princess's "strength of character" and "understated elegance".

First ever Royal Mint coin celebrating Anne goes on sale for Princess Royal’s 75th birthday
A new photograph of the Queen has been released to celebrate her 78th birthday, as Camilla is made vice admiral of the navy.

New photo of Camilla released as Queen becomes vice admiral to Navy on 78th birthday

Queen Camilla during a garden party for the HMS Astute Ship's Company and their families at HMS Drake, HMNB Devonport in Plymouth, Devon.

Camilla given 'wonderful' household item as birthday gift during visit to submarine

Highlights & Opinion

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c

The last minute rescue of British Steel is not a win. It demonstrates how uncompetitive our nation has become
Cedric Neal, Desmonda Cathabel, Victoria Hamilton-Barritt, Femi Akinfolarin and Laura Delany, in the Hadestown.

Hadestown: A wonderful West End spectacle with memorable music

President Zelenskyy

Defiant and unrepentant: My meeting with Zelenskyy, writes Andrew Marr

The UK is stuck in a morass of mediocrity triggered by indecisive action over two decades.

The UK is stuck in a morass of mediocrity triggered by indecisive action over two decades

Kanye West recently went on an "antisemitic rampage" on X.

There can be no debate about Kanye West - he clearly hates Jewish people and should be challenged on it
My apprenticeship took me from school leaver to radio producer at 19 - here’s why it’s a path worth exploring

My apprenticeship took me from school leaver to radio producer at 19 - here’s why it’s a path worth exploring
David Lammy and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

China is targeting critics on British soil - so why is David Lammy rolling out the red carpet?
Now that Trump has released the classified files on JFK when is the UK going to do the same with Diana and David Kelly?

Now that Trump has released the classified files on JFK when is the UK going to do the same with Diana and David Kelly?
Kim Leadbeater’s Assisted Dying Commission makes a safe Bill even safer.

Kim Leadbeater’s Assisted Dying Commission makes a safe Bill even safer

Why should alcohol be allowed at the World Cup in Saudi Arabia?

Why should alcohol be allowed at the World Cup in Saudi Arabia?

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War in Ukraine

Cost of Living Crisis

UK Strikes

Immigration

Crime & Police

London

NHS

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