International News

The UK economy grew 0.8% month-on-month in January as the disruption caused from the Omicron wave of coronavirus started to fade. This was a sharper rebound than expected, meaning the economy is now 0.8% bigger than its pre-pandemic peak. It comes after output fell by 0.2% in December when Plan B restrictions were introduced to control the spread of the new variant. The Office for National Statistics (ONS), which compiled the data, said on Friday that economic growth was felt across all...

Fuel price jump will hit food bills, distributors warn Increased fuel prices will lead to people paying more for food in shops and restaurants, an industry trade body has said. The high cost of diesel will end up being passed on to customers, the Federation of Wholesale Distributors said. Surging fuel prices come on top of other pressures on shops including labour shortages, retailers said. Households are facing a cost of living crisis as inflation soars. With fuel prices hitting ...

The Queen has reportedly made Windsor Castle her permanent home and will "never live at Buckingham Palace again." Her Majesty, who usually resides in London, has been working from home at Windsor Castle for the last two years since the pandemic began. And now with more health concerns having recently caught Covid-19 and suffering from more mobility issues, the 95-year-old is said to have decided to make Windsor her official residence. Buckingham Palace, which has been the official royal...

One of London’s biggest problems is its lack of affordable housing, which is leaving first-time buyers with no other choice than to seek out cheaper properties outside the M25. Even homeowners who were lucky enough to get on the property ladder when prices were more reasonable are looking beyond the capital for their second homes. Mortgage lenders typically look at income when deciding how big a mortgage they can offer to those looking to get their first property. The most obvious thing...

All remaining legal Covid restrictions have been removed in England, nearly two years after the first rules were introduced. It means people are no longer legally required to self-isolate if they test positive for Covid - although they are still advised to do so. The changes are part of the prime minister's Living with Covid plan, to "transition back to normality". Some critics say the plan fails to protect the most vulnerable. All legal restrictions have already been lifted in N...

The new-build housing market is booming. From Covid secure homes to Help-to-Buy schemes to stamp duty holiday - multiple things contributed towards raising the appeal of new-build homes during the pandemic. As the property market continues to flourish, a recent study has revealed that the appeal and the subsequent demand for new-builds is here to stay. An independent survey commissioned by the investment firm FJP Investment found that over a quarter of homeowners (26%) are more likely to c...

Asking prices for homes coming on to the market in Britain rose by a record 2.3% in February, according to the property website Rightmove. The listing site said it was the biggest monthly increase in the 20 years it has kept records and meant the average advertised cost of a home was up by £7,785, to £348,804. Over the past 12 months, asking prices have gone up by 9.5%. While the number of new property listings increased by 11% during the month, the number of people looking to ...

January was the busiest-ever start to a new year for the housing market, and this month has been even busier, with a huge number of people determined to move as we head into spring. We normally see a rise in asking prices from January to February, but this month we’ve seen the biggest jump in more than 20 years. The average price of homes coming to market in Britain has risen by £7,785, hitting a record high of £348,804. This new record means that average asking prices ha...