Latest from Emily White
Royal Mail waives £5 penalties for some amid crackdown on fake stamps – here's what to watch out for
Royal Mail is temporarily waiving its £5 penalty fee for anyone who receives a letter with a fake stamp on it while it takes fresh action against counterfeits. It's also developing a new tool that will help people to check whether a stamp they've bought is legitimate before using it.
30 April 2024
Energy minister urges regulator to act on high standing charges following calls from Martin Lewis and MSE to lower them
The Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho has written to the regulator Ofgem asking it to tackle the issue of high standing charges, which make up around £334 of most people's annual bill.
2 April 2024
Energy minister responds to Martin Lewis' call to address 'extraordinary gap' in protection for customers of bust energy firms
Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho has confirmed the Government will look for solutions to help people being chased for debts owed to defunct energy firms, who currently have no viable way to escalate complaints.
26 March 2024
Help 80,000 vulnerable teens unlock much-needed Child Trust Fund cash, MPs urge Government
Tens of thousands of young people with special educational needs and disabilities remain locked out of their savings held in Child Trust Funds – and the Government must do more to help them, a cross-party group of MPs have said.
20 March 2024
HMRC to close self-assessment helpline from April to October each year – here's how to get help when you need it
If you need to contact HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) for help with your tax return, you'll soon only be able to do this online in most cases. Starting from next month, HMRC will be closing its self-assessment telephone helpline for half the year – and will only open it for "priority calls" the rest of the time.
20 March 2024
He's bad! 'Michael Jackson' chases former Igloo Energy and Together Energy customers for debts – do you need to respond?
Unbelievably, a debt collection firm has been sending emails that appear to be signed by the late pop star Michael Jackson asking for repayments owed to energy firms that have gone bust.
12 March 2024
Spring Budget 2024: Child Benefit shake-up confirmed to fix 'unfairness' in system – a major campaign win for Martin Lewis and MSE
The Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has revealed plans to address the "unfairness" in the current Child Benefit system. This follows extensive campaigning on the issue by MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE) and its founder Martin Lewis.
6 March 2024
Martin Lewis: What the Spring Budget 2024 means for your pocket – national insurance cut, frozen tax rates, Child Benefit boost, no LISA change & more
The Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has today announced a range of new tax, benefits and savings measures in his Spring Budget. MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis has shared his instant reaction and explained what the changes mean for you, and we've added more detail on them below.
6 March 2024
Exclusive: Almost one million people in England overpaid for NHS prescriptions in 2022/23 – are you one of them? Here's how to cut your costs
If you get more than one prescription a month on average, you could save with a prescriptions 'season ticket' – here's how.
20 February 2024
Barclays to shut at least 99 bank branches in 2024/2025 – here's the full list, plus alternatives
Barclays will shut at least another 99 bank branches throughout 2024 and 2025 after announcing 22 more closures. This is in addition to the 177 branches it closed in 2023. We list the branches disappearing and what the alternatives are if you still want face-to-face banking.
13 February 2024
Boost for Scottish students as they're to get extra living costs support
Scottish students are to receive a £2,400 boost to help with their living costs from this September in the form of a new "special support" loan.
7 February 2024
English student living loans to rise by 2.5% in September – a real-terms CUT that will leave many struggling, warns Martin Lewis
English student living loans will once again rise by less than the rate of inflation, the Government has announced.
5 February 2024
Co-op axes major loyalty perk for shoppers – here's what you need to know
If you shop at the Co-op you'll no longer be able to earn points on your spending under its loyalty scheme.
24 January 2024
Millions of BT landline customers could be in line for up to £500 if a new class action case is successful
BT is facing a £600 million class action case amid claims some 2.3 million customers have been overcharged for their landline since October 2015.
16 January 2024
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt admits Child Benefit 'unfairness' during Martin Lewis grilling
The Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has admitted that there is an "unfairness" in the current Child Benefit system, which means some families get less (or no) support as a result of "overcomplicated" tax rules. Mr Hunt made the comments during a grilling from MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis.
10 January 2024
Millions of water and sewerage bill payers could get payouts if new legal claims succeed – here's what you need to know
Millions of water and sewerage bill payers could be due compensation payouts of up to £109 each if a new set of group legal claims against several big water firms succeeds.
3 January 2024