Money

The proposals are expected to include the green light to build a nuclear plant at Sizewell C in Suffolk and the next stage in a programme that would lead to a production line of rapidly and more cheaply produced small modular reactors within a decade, The Mail on Sunday understands. The Government is considering a 'Made in Britain' solution that may include a taxpayer-backed injection from an infrastructure growth fund - a plan that would need rubber stamping by the Treasury. Funding could also include backing from British pension funds.

Savers were spared the pain of negative interest rates by the Bank of England today, but it will ramp up quantitative easing by buying a further £150billion of UK government bonds. We round-up what you need to know from the interest rate announcement and what the Bank's report tell us about the UK economy and its hopes of recovery.

The number of 55 to 64 year-olds renting has risen by 118% since the turn of the last decade, and those 65+ doing the same are up 93% according to data from Paragon Bank. It comes as pension incomes wane and later life divorce becomes more common.

When the Government issues advice not to travel to a country, leaving those who go breaking official guidelines and travelling uninsured, is it reasonable to claim they can still fly? This was Ryanair's tactic for passengers like me over the summer - and it refused a refund even in vouchers when the FCO said don't go to France. Now it has stepped up the rhetoric again.

Skoda's patent submission comes as latest figures show that almost a third of the people who died in car crashes on Britain's roads in 2018 were not wearing a seat belt. We take a look at some of the other crazy patent ideas submitted by motor brands, including Toyota's tear gas dispenser to prevent thefts and Google's adhesive car bonnets that would stick pedestrians and cyclists to the front of its autonomous vehicles.

The hyper-fast broadband will serve nearly three million households, with speeds 17 times faster than the national average of 1,104Mbps. This means households will now be able to download 4K films near instantaneously as many continue to work from home. Initially launched in September last year, Virgin Media's gigabit network has already launched in Southampton, Manchester, Reading, Birmingham, Coventry, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Leeds, Bradford and Glasgow.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced an extension to the government's furlough scheme which to coincide with tomorrow's English lockdown. Couples will still be able to move home despite the restrictions and some financial institutions are offering payment breaks for those struggling with their loans. However, banks are cutting back on their hours. The new lockdown has forced some couples to scale back or cancel their weddings, while canny investors are putting their money into gold.

I worked for Tetley (of tea bags fame) in the late 1960s and early 1970s. When I left I withdrew my pension fund, amounting to some £300 or so. A few weeks ago I got a letter, supposedly from Legal & General, regarding some possible accrued pension. I followed this up using the phone number suggested, but this did not go through to L&G;'s switchboard.

As the race to the White House between current president Donald Trump and rival Joe Biden continues following a record amount of postal votes and therefore longer verification process, investment experts share their thoughts on the dos and don'ts for investors and what markets really care about.

Rebecca Stevenson and her partner Tom Molyneux spent £2,056 on British Airways flights to the Maldives for an eight-night trip at the end of this month. The London couple, both 33, had booked the flights less than 24 hours before the lockdown announcement was made. But while their resort allowed them to reschedule, tickets for the same journey the following week would cost £650 more.

'In Drift profile, the parameters for the Electronic Stability Control and the distribution of power via the all-wheel drive system enable the Golf R to drift on private tracks,' VW says. It adds that the mode 'opens up a whole new level of driving dynamics away from public roads and makes the experience behind the wheel even more fun'. However, perhaps mindful that not all maverick drifters always stick to the rules - or to the track - and no doubt advised by their lawyers, VW notes: 'To ensure the profile is only selected on private roads, the infotainment system always displays a confirmation prompt before it is activated.' While it recommends the mode should not be used on private roads, this statement suggests drivers can simply ignore the prompt and activate the setting on public highways.

One in three over-55s would retire early if made redundant during the Covid-19 crisis, amid signs the pandemic is making people reassess their health and working life. The findings of the poll of 1,000 over-55s carried out by Standard Life came as a separate study revealed Covid-19 could be encouraging millions to consider retiring sooner than planned.

Over the past three years Charita Jones, 65, (right) has uploaded 526 cooking videos on her YouTube channel Momma Cherri. She makes between £200 and £250 a month in advertising revenue. Charles Dowding, 61, (left) has earned more than £68,000 since he set up his gardening YouTube channel seven years ago. He has 148 videos including 'making compost from the garden and other waste', which has been watched 878,000 times.

Whilst many of us will turn to online giants such as Amazon during this time, small businesses will need your support more than ever. There are still ways customers can support independent booksellers without leaving their house - and at a reasonable price. Hive is one such site that can help consumers get all the books they desire from their local bookstore.

Sellers of Scotch Whisky, West Country cheddar and Stoke-on-Trent ceramics are those who potentially have a surprising vested interest in who wins the US presidential election. The Government has made much of striking a trade deal with the US after Brexit, but the speed at which it happens could hinge on who ends up in the White House.

Whenever you purchase an item, whether that be online or in store, you will automatically be protected by consumer rights. Many customers may have misconceptions about what is and isn't the law whilst consumer rights have also changed dramatically over the years. To help consumers know their rights, This is Money reveals some of the biggest misconceptions about returns, refunds and guarantees.

The former artist's studio is in the capital's wealthy borough of Kensington & Chelsea, and is for sale with a guide price of £2.15million. It boasts a 14 ft high ceiling, a mezzanine used as the bedroom, along with pillars and a brightly-coloured ceiling in the hallway.

The 'size inclusive' clothier said the new environment is better suited for its current market capitalisation, which is now sitting at £158million after a 90 per cent share price tank in the past six years. Turning to the wider market, the AIM-All Share rose 3 per cent over the week to 976, but couldn't close the gap on the FTSE 100, which rose 5 per cent to 5,862.

Nio surpassed Amazon, Facebook, and even its more prestigious rival Tesla to become the most popular stock among retail investors in October, according to the social trading platform eToro. It found that the Chinese electric vehicle maker has leapfrogged Tesla and Apple to take the top spot after 50 per cent more of its customers bought shares in the firm last month compared to September.

We have been told that because my pension is £178.64 weekly and my wife's jobseeker's allowance is £74.35 we cannot claim universal credit as the monthly income is too high. I'm stating the obvious by saying that we cannot survive on £1,000 per month. Our mortgage is £200 monthly, council tax £126 monthly, plus all the normal expenses, insurances, heating and so on. I have asked for a mandatory reconsideration of the decision but have heard nothing yet. Is there any advice you can offer?

Homeowners dream of the day they finally become mortgage free - but should you bring that happy day forward by overpaying your mortgage with savings? Millions of households are presented with this dilemma as lockdowns leave those with unreduced incomes able to save more than they have been able to for decades. Households saved 29p in every £1 between April and June this year, according to official data.

Could this three-wheel scooter be your answer to commuting during the pandemic? You won't need to sit a bike test, can skip past traffic and keep yourself isolated at all times. Here's our review of the Covid-friendly Yamaha Tricity 300.

The Prime Minister has said that wind turbines will power every home in a decade. Yet experts are divided over whether he is genuinely heralding a brave new ecofriendly world or spouting hot air. Nonetheless I am keen to summon the forces of nature to see how easy it would be to install a wind turbine in my back garden. Already, my ambition to plug into the National Grid to earn myself money from 'free' wind is being challenged from all sides. Apparently, I need an open field - not just a garden - to make it worthwhile generating electricity.

None of Holly Smith's wealth has been inherited nor, because of lifelong serious health problems including crippling bone tumours in her leg, has it been earned doing a high-paid job. Instead, it is the result of Holly's obsessive bargain-hunting and money-saving, a hobby she has turned into a flourishing online career. She reckons it would just take her just a few seconds to save the average family £20 to £30 on their weekly shop. Here she tells readers how to do it:

I placed my classic Porsche in the hands of a broker, Williams Crawford Ltd, which now claims I sold the car to it, and it sold the car on to a new owner. This is verifiably untrue. It could have sold the car for far more than it has told me, and I have no way of checking because it refuses to provide details. If there is nothing to hide, then why not provide details of the sale? There is a bad taste here.

This weekend marks ten years since Fundsmith Equity was launched and it has delivered a whopping 440 per cent return for its day one investors. But some experts feel it may have grown too big and that its best days may well be behind it. Are they right or are their concerns mis-placed considering the major and robust global businesses it holds?

One way to keep costs down is by saving money on your water bills with experts, Harvey Water Softeners, claiming that by making six small changes to home habits, households could save around £30 a year. We put to the test how useful the six tips were - and reveals how households can save even more money on their water bill through other methods.

With 31.9 per cent of all cars sold last month having some form of electrification in them, the electric car revolution is well underway. Sales figures show that the number of orders placed for electric cars ahead of the new '70' plate in September have increased, with petrol and diesel orders slumping. Now Weekend Magazine has put together a guide to help you better understand electric cars.

The British want to move house again. But worsening delays in conveyancing, surveying and search services mean that some may miss out on the current stamp duty holiday. Meanwhile, more and more first-time buyers are being shut out as interest rates rise and loans of 90 per cent or more are withdrawn. Is your or your children's route to the property ladder barred if you have only a small deposit saved? Or can you still realise the dream of a home of your own?

You may have previously discounted a static caravan or holiday lodge. But their easy accessibility amid the pandemic mean they may now fit the bill. Prices range between £114,995 and £249,995 for one of the new holiday lodges on Green Hill Farm, which is on the boundary of the New Forest - but site fees start from more than £3,000 a year. We take a look at the developments to open to see what is on offer and how much it will cost.

Consumers can get an idea of how economical a car is by the 'official' mpg figures published by manufacturers, though most buyers know that these claims need to be taken with a pinch of salt. What Car? conducts its own True MPG test to tell drivers which models really are frugal - and which aren't. Among the best performers are (inset from top to bottom) the Skoda Citigo, Suzuki Ignis and Vauxhall Astra,

The amount you can save into a pension ultimately depends on what you can afford - but the longer you leave it the more you will need to save. We tend to put ambitious targets on our hoped-for income in retirement and then underestimate how much we will need to set aside to achieve that. So how much should you save?