[ Many graduates will see the entire financial benefit of Jeremy Hunt’s cuts to national insurance (NI) wiped out by a higher student loan payments, tax threshold freezes and other tax changes, analysis for i has shown. In the Budget, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced a 2p cut to the rate of NI, following a similar … Read more
[ Welcome to Monday’s Early Edition from i. It’s a word that conjures up images of wars fought a century ago. But the concept of conscription has made headlines in recent weeks, after Britain’s outgoing head of the Army General Sir Patrick Sanders said the UK should “train and equip” a “citizen army” to stand … Read more
[ Half of the major banks and building societies in the country have dropped their rates by as much as 1 percentage point this week, with more expected soon. HSBC, Lloyds, TSB, Halifax and Natwest have all reduced their costs in recent days in a “frenzied” series of rate cuts. All members of the “Big … Read more
[ HSBC has become the second major mortgage lender to slash rates this year in a further boost for households. The bank has announced a slew of cuts to its products that will come into effect from tomorrow (Thursday 4 January). It is launching a five-year fixed mortgage at 3.94 per cent, for those with … Read more
[ The number of so-called “ghost patients” – who might not exist but are registered with GPs – has risen by almost two thirds over the last five years. Ghost patients as a term is given when more people are registered with GP practices than are in the population – perhaps those who have signed … Read more
[ Labour’s bold plans to create a new generation of new towns will focus heavily on expanding existing ones and settlements, i understands. Sir Keir Starmer has placed housing at the heart of his party’s policy agenda, declaring himself to be a “Yimby” (yes, in my backyard) as he vowed to “bulldoze” through local planning … Read more
[ Two teenagers have died and two more people remain in hospital after three vehicles collided in Northumberland. Connor Lapworth, 18, and 15-year-old Corey Mavin, both from Blyth, have been confirmed dead after the three-car crash. The pair were in a Suzuki Vitara when it collided with two other cars – a Range Rover Evoque … Read more
[ Homeowners with large amounts of equity in their houses are seeing the biggest benefit from falling mortgage rates – with the deals available to them being slashed more quickly than those available to cash-strapped first-time buyers with small deposits, data shared with i show. Average mortgage rates have tumbled over the past four months, … Read more
