Party wants to fully nationalise train network within five years of coming to power, in ‘biggest rail reform for a generation’ Labour has made one of its most radical proposals yet in the run-up to an election campaign: to fully nationalise the train network within five years of coming to power. The party has pledged to guarantee the cheapest fares as part of “the biggest reform of our railways for a generation”, bringing all passenger rail into national ownership under the Great British Railways (GBR) body ..read more

Family lists property where war veteran raised funds during Covid – minus unauthorised spa pool The listed family home where Captain Sir Tom Moore walked laps of his garden to raise millions of pounds for the NHS during the Covid pandemic has gone on sale for £2.25m. The sight of the 99-year-old war veteran walking lengths of his garden, aided by a walking frame, charmed Britain in lockdown and raised £38.9m for health service charities ..read more

Scheme for plastic bottles and cans put back to 2027 while environment minister says glass recycling ‘unduly’ complex A UK deposit return scheme for recycling drinks bottles has been delayed to 2027, meaning it will not be in place until almost a decade after it was proposed. Campaigners say the delay is a “huge disappointment”, adding they are doubly dismayed that the plan will not include glass bottles ..read more

Nothing had changed for contents insurance on my London flat but it raised the renewal from £78 to £251 I am 92 and live in a fifth-floor flat. The block is very secure, with a concierge and fobs for access to each floor. Last year I insured the contents of my home against fire and flood only, with Saga, for £78 (the building is insured by Islington council for £10 a month). Nothing has changed; but this year my renewal quote is £251. I’m trying to get to the bottom of this huge rise. I thought Saga was an organisation that cared for elderly people. Apparently not ..read more

UK insurers say they will aim to stop monthly payments falling hardest on those who can least afford it Insurers have promised to clean up their act after coming under fire over the “poverty premium”, whereby customers who cannot afford to pay for car insurance in one go are charged punitive interest to spread the cost. The Association of British Insurers (ABI) said its members had agreed to an action plan aimed at managing the cost of paying monthly for motor insurance. The pledges include companies giving customers clear cost comparisons between the two payment options and publishing the ave ..read more

Shares jump after carmaker says it is looking to accelerate production of lower-price EVs Tesla sees biggest revenue drop since 2012 but shares still surge Electric and hybrid car sales to rise to new global record in 2024 Tesla’s plans to bring a more affordable electric vehicle to the market appear to have moved a step closer. On Tuesday, the company’s share price shot up by 12% after an update revealed the carmaker was hoping to accelerate the production of lower-priced EVs, with production of the first cars beginning as early as this year ..read more

I returned two coats and the parcel was lost and then it went into administration At the end of January I bought two coats from Matchesfashion for £902. I returned them, but the parcel has been lost and now Matches has gone into administration and I don’t have the coats or the money. I used the DHL labels provided to send them back on 27 February, and followed up a week later as I had not received a refund. I was told my package was still in transit, so I returned to the drop-off point, where staff said it would have been collected that day ..read more

Watchdog says only a third of local authorities are confident they will have enough places for September The deployment of the government’s childcare scheme to tens of thousands more families is facing “significant uncertainties” and may struggle to meet its own targets, according to a report by Whitehall’s spending watchdog. The National Audit Office revealed the Department for Education (DfE) had assessed the likelihood of being able to deliver the funded childcare places it promised for September 2024 and 2025 as “amber/red problematic ..read more

Borrowers urged not to panic as banks including Barclays, NatWest and HSBC readjust cost of loans At least five leading lenders increased rates on their fixed mortgage deals on Tuesday in response to “market uncertainty”, adding to pressure on homebuyers and those looking to remortgage. Barclays, HSBC, NatWest, Accord Mortgages (part of Yorkshire building society) and Leeds building society have all upped the cost of some fixed-rate deals. In some cases these have risen by up to 0.4 percentage points ..read more

On a visit to a combined nursery and primary school, I saw how early years provision can really be transformed Panic and a screeching U-turn. The prime minister dismissed claims there were too few nursery places for every two-year-old in England (with working parents) on 1 April, the day that entitlement to 15 hours a week began. He even said: “Staffing levels have increased and more people are at work in the sector and the number of places has also increased over the past year.” Outside the Commons, you might call that an untruth. Ofsted’s registers show a fall in early years places every yea ..read more