Purchasers racing to beat the stamp duty holiday deadline put the housing market into overdrive, with more than 820,000 mortgages approved in 2020. The final months of the year added an extra boost to an already-frenzied market and, according to the Bank of England, an extra 103,381 loan applications were...
Covid lifeline for businesses
Following a landmark court ruling hundreds of thousands of businesses hit by coronavirus restrictions could be entitled to an insurance pay-out. In a £1.2bn legal battle that began last year, companies with business interruption insurance policies have been demanding pay-outs for losses suffered when they were forced to shut during...
Corruption laws to be revamped
A new criminal offence of corruption in a public office has been proposed by the legal watchdog to replace the current “outdated” and “unclear” laws that are open to abuse. Prosecutions for misconduct in public office have risen to an average of 80 a year in recent years. The sharp...
Parents urged not to remove Children from School over Christmas
Minsters are urging parents not to remove their children from school before the start of the Christmas holidays. After ministers agreed a plan that would allow up to four households to mix for five days the government said families would be able to enjoy Christmas together across the whole of...
Jeweller ordered to pay £30,000 when customer lost her diamond
A rare diamond lost from a ring has resulted in a £30,000 compensation order. In 2017 Mark Hare bought his partner Olivia Caffey the 3.1-carat yellow diamond ring which she called, “the most beautiful and significant thing I’d ever been given”. The £29,000 stone was lost in Victoria Station, London,...