Hunt calls for social care premium

Hunt’s premium

Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt says taxpayers should pay more to fund social care - he thinks the best way is with a "health and care premium". In his opinion piece in the Telegraph*, he reasons that "a rise in income tax feels very unconservative”. Newspaper reports suggest the government is considering raising national insurance rates - but Mr Hunt thinks this “disproportionately targets the young”.

Paying later

One in ten shoppers who use Buy Now Pay Later get chased by debt collectors, according to Citizens Advice. These options often appear at retailers’ checkouts, offering to spread the cost of purchases, interest-free. Those referred to debt collectors report sleepless nights, being scared to answer the door, and borrowing money to repay the debt.

Exports to Europe rise

UK financial service exports to the EU rose in the months after Brexit, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Despite warnings that the City would be hit by a collapse in trade, the bloc imported 1.4% more from UK banks, insurers, and other firms in the first three months of the year compared with the same period of 2019.

Exports to Europe drop

UK food and drink exports to the EU plummeted, according to the Food and Drink Federation. Brexit triggered a sharp drop in trade - a 25% contraction in sales - that saw food and drink exports reduce by £2bn in the first half of this year.