Hybrid BMWs can automatically switch to full electric mode in low emission zones

Prices saw an uptick for the first time since the lockdown began, according to the latest Halifax house price index, growing on average 1.6 per cent after months of decline and stagnation.

Has the Land Registry stopped providing sold prices data since lockdown started? Will it provide this data again soon and could we expect a flood of information on sold prices through at some point?

In a world first, London and Birmingham are among the cities chosen to pioneer the new zero-emissions technology which is now being fitted to BMW’s most popular plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Ofgem has dropped the price cap limit by £84 for standard variable tariff customers and £95 for prepayment customers, it was revealed today.

LV= has launched Flow, a ‘fuss free’ monthly car insurance subscription that gives drivers flexible car cover with tailored monthly pricing, based on individual circumstances with no admin fees.

With furlough coming to an end and many worried about their jobs, homeowners may be looking to cut down their monthly mortgage bill.

Andrew J, from Swindon, has voiced his frustration at the energy firm, after it has continually sent estimated bills to his mother, who lives in an assisted living building.

The group said it would consider any and all options if a second wave of coronavirus triggered the same shutdown of global air travel as earlier this year.

Last week, I saw a quote suggesting Britain is seeing a ‘polo mint’ effect – that is, city centres hollowing out and periphery towns buzzing with activity.

In a move welcomed by investors, new chief executive Amanda Blanc (pictured) said the insurer would be focusing on its ‘core operations’ in the UK as well as in Ireland and Canada.

The e-commerce titan’s 56-year-old boss sold 1m shares in his company in a series of transactions as part of an arranged trading plan on Monday and Tuesday, newly released filings show.

Maybe it will come as a huge relief to learn that the Bank of England is no longer forecasting the worst downturn in 300 years and only the biggest for a century but then again maybe not.

The decision to scrap the dividend will cost the 63-year-old tycoon (pictured) and the rest of the company’s so-called ‘billionaire boys’ club’ of current and former top dogs more than £400m.

A string of big names – including Carluccio’s, Cafe Rouge and menswear retailer TM Lewin – have already collapsed into administration as the pandemic wreaks havoc on the High Street.

Summer getaways abroad have been all but cancelled. The decision to pull Spain off the quarantine-free list prompted many Brits to set their sights on escapes closer to home.

The broadcaster, behind including hit Jane Austen adaptation Sanditon (pictured), said profits fell from £222m to £15m in the first six months of the year, even as its viewing figures rose during the lockdown.

Britain’s biggest car maker has created a rating system for driverless technology – called a ‘wellness score’ – that designers claim can reduce the impact of travel sickness by up to 60%.

London markets tumbled today, with the FTSE 100 closing 1.3 per cent lower at 6,026 and the FTSE 250 falling 0.9 per cent to 17,479.

Investors seeking a haven from stock market turmoil caused by the coronavirus pandemic have piled into the precious metal this year. It has now rallied by 35 per cent since the start of 2020.

Hundreds of thousands of households will be eligible for £5,000 vouchers under the Government’s new home improvement scheme, new details have revealed.

Mike has a mortgage of £94k on his London flat and an investment portfolio worth £80k. We ask an expert if there is anything he can do to make his money go further and if so, what and how.

Finnish financial conglomerate Sampo and South African investment firm Rand Merchant Investment Holdings have launched a £1.7bn bid for the motor insurer, which has the board’s approval.

Charity and think tank Future Care Capital has teamed up with RYSE Asset Management to launch a fund investing in innovative early-stage healthcare companies.

Savers have been handed some rare good news as smaller challenger banks have raised the rates they pay on fixed-term deposits over the last few weeks.

I have recently bought a short charger that seems to charge my phone much quicker than other cables. Do short cables charge devices quicker? If so, why? Can quick chargers ruin your batteries?

The hurt will linger from the UK’s income-paying companies cutting 57 per cent off total dividends, for investors it’s often better to look to the future rather than the past.

Statistics on the economy are, to most people, just a remote and abstract jumble of numbers – right until the moment they are the one to have lost their job. It happened to my father in the 1980s.

Alison Levitt QC, the barrister leading an independent review into allegations of modern slavery which have rocked the fast fashion brand, has issued a public call for evidence.

Hipgnosis said Blondie co-founders Debbie Harry (pictured) and Chris Stein had sold the rights to the royalties of 197 songs such as Call Me, Heart of Glass and Rapture.

Bosses cited the impact of coronavirus on passenger numbers at stations and airports and fewer shoppers on UK high streets as they cut headcount to slash costs.

The property firm has come into its own as parcel delivery groups and traditional retailers have been, as chief exec David Sleath put it, ‘scrambling for space’ as they adapt to the Covid-19 world.

The investment firm, which manages £1.2trillion of savers’ and pensioners’ cash, is still handing out a dividend of 4.93p per share which is flat on the same time last year.

Just a day after Treasury figures showed the cost of the scheme had spiralled to nearly £34bn, the gambling giant said it would repay £24.5m it had received. Shares surged 8.9 per cent.

The internet shopping giant, which made a £4bn profit in the second quarter alone, will raise fees by 2 per cent from September 1. It said the decision was prompted by the UK’s 2 per cent digital sales tax.

Ageing boy racers have moved from the McDonalds car parks of their heyday to auction houses to get their hands on hot hatches that take them back to their youth.

The best electrified models have been chosen by What Car? as part of its unique honours list. Here are the 16 winners…

The FTSE 100 closed up 1.14 per cent or 68.72 points at 6,104.72 and the pound was at $1.31 against the dollar.

Prices have been driven higher by the weak dollar, depressed bond yields and fears about the economic impact of the Covid crisis. Market turmoil tends to push investors towards so-called ‘safe haven’ assets.

Anne Psaros, 79, was delighted to be handed £11,600 after realising that the DWP had failed to upgrade her pension to the married woman’s rate.

The Government is exploring new standards for efficiency in electrical and gas products, it said, with the aim of helping the environment and saving households money.

BP is the latest FTSE 100 giant to cut its dividend – the first time in a decade – as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. With payouts significantly slashed, where can income investors go next?

After months stuck at home, many parents are running out of ideas to keep the kids entertained. With budgets tight, here we have rounded up 15 tips for free (or almost free) family fun.

Finnish insurer Sampo Oyj and South Africa’s Rand Merchant Investment, which already own a 29.7 per cent stake in Hastings, have offered 250p per share in cash for the company.

The decade-old business said Covid-19 had cost it around £109 million as it reported a pre-tax loss of £240.6 million in the first six months of the year.

After 18 years, This is Money’s Power Portfolio is still the best, easiest to use and completely free. But along with our market data it’s being upgraded and will be unavailable for a few days

Middle-class millennials who have fled their flat-shares to return chez mum and dad in the shires are bleating in lifestyle articles that they don’t want to go back to Stoke Newington.

Unmarried parents denied crucial benefits after losing their partner have been given new hope the injustice will soon end. The benefit is £3,500, followed by £350 a month for up to 18 months.

The closures will leave the betting firm with 1,414 stores across the UK. William Hill has not yet revealed the location of the 119 sites staying shut.

I was recently made aware that I had paid £35 to online fashion store JustFab after receiving emails from the company saying I had credit to spend. I called to cancel this.

UK Finance insists ‘all customers’ can put off mortgage payments if they ask. But brokers say those in need are increasingly being denied – especially if they are requesting their second mortgage holiday.

Re-entering the jobs market can be a bewildering experience at the best of times, let alone during a global pandemic. We have spoken to market experts to help you get back on the ladder.

BP investors will now receive just 4p per share, compared with 7.8p last time around, as the oil crash hammers its payout.

When chancellor Rishi Sunak pledged mortgage support in March, ministers took great pains to reassure borrowers that their credit scores would not be affected if they took a payment break.

Many branches restricted services during lockdown as they battled staff shortages, with some closing doors altogether. It has meant customers have been forced to queue around the block.

Those who earn hundreds of pounds from regularly switching accounts will hope the move from one of Britain’s biggest banks will spur others into action and lead to a resurgence in welcome bonuses.

Lick Home aims to cash in as people working from home look to spend money – which may previously have been earmarked for holidays or going out on the town – on redecorating.

This country has faced mass job losses before but rarely on this scale. The latest predictions say unemployment could rise to 10 per cent by the end of the year.

Travel shares took off after a buoyant update from budget airline easyJet. Demand for last-minute summer holidays has been so much better than expected that the company expanded its schedule.

Companies will hand back £60.5bn to shareholders in 2020, according to financial administration firm Link Group. This is down a whopping 39 per cent from £98.5bn last year.

The energy giant was hammered by a sharp drop in oil prices, triggered by the pandemic. But shares jumped after chief exec Bernard Looney (pictured) unveiled some details of its new green strategy.

The breakdown firm said Centerbridge Partners and Towerbrook Capital were launching a potential offer, rivalled by potential bids from their peers Platinum Equity Advisors and Warburg Pincus.

TikTok has grown into one of the world’s most popular social networks. But the Chinese-owned service is now at the centre of a struggle involving Beijing, Washington and London.

Tim Steiner, 50, took home £58.7m in 2019, one of six blue-chip chief executives to earn more than £10m. Most of it was a £54m bonus, from a five-year scheme linked to Ocado’s share price.

The new 3-seat hyperrcar is the culmination of a life’s work for legendary car and F1 designer Professor Gordon Murray who says the new ‘spiritual successor’ to his ground-breaking McLaren F1.

Cleo Rocos, who famously starred alongside Kenny Everett in the Kenny Everett TV show in the 1980s, also reveals she had to go on Celebrity Big Brother in order to pay an unexpectedly large tax bill.

Barclays has launched digital advice service ‘Plan & Invest’ to help people with a minimum of £5,000 to get into investing with a tailor-made plan to reach their personal goals. This is Money takes a look.

The Footsie closed flat after a day of mixed results from some heavyweight companies. The FTSE 100 closed just 3 points higher at 6,036, while the FTSE 250 ended the day 149 points higher at 17,307.

The CMA said the deal, which will see Amazon buy a 16 per cent stake in Deliveroo for around ££442million, ‘will not substantially lessen competition’ in the food delivery market.

Vertical farming works by growing fruits and vegetables in vertically stacked layers that takes place in a controlled environment, often without the use of soil and instead the use of light energy.

Claiming to be the first of its kind, the Home and Smart EV bundle also gives new electric vehicle owners the UK’s lowest priced overnight fixed rate, according to Tonik.

The DVLA reported a 4.6% decline in enforcement action against keepers of untaxed vehicles in 2019 – but some locations are still much worse than others.

The scandal-hit hospitals provider was forced into administration in April after a series of revelations about its finances, including that it had billions of pounds in secret debt.

Talks between Make UK and the Government are ongoing about setting up a national task force. It’s an excellent idea, and you have to ask why it is not up and running already.

Coronavirus has given many people a reason to talk about passing down wealth. Here are some practical tips to ensure you aren’t left short if gifting money to your children or grandchildren.

Audrey Watson, pictured with husband Brian, who received a 12-month backpayment of £1,500 despite being underpaid for 13 years, is protesting to the Parliamentary Ombudsman.

Shaun Millward, from Leeds, had his Amazon account hacked during the coronavirus lockdown with his bank account emptied after the hacker made several purchases.

The agent, which today posted a £9.4million operating loss, announced plans for a pilot to test a ‘hybrid system’ of a reduced flat fee plus commission.

It is not a case, as it is sometimes portrayed, of a crude choice between the economy and protecting the populace against the virus. The health of the nation and its wealth are in lockstep.

I am due to go away in the UK in a couple of weeks time for a staycation but am worried about local lockdowns. Will I be able to claim on my travel insurance if I cancel?

The Transport Committee will host a call for evidence on 2 September where road safety groups will provide information on how to cut the number of road deaths involving new drivers on Britain’s roads.

The AA said that, unlike at the start of the pandemic when petrol prices fell below £1 per litre, this time UK families ‘won’t be locked down and locked out of the savings at the pump’.

The tech giant confirmed it was in discussions with Bytedance, the popular Chinese video-sharing app’s parent company, after it emerged it could be banned in the US.

The lender, which makes most of its money in Asia, said pre-tax profits slid to just £824m in the three months to June 30, down from £4.7billion over the same period last year.

The engineering group is thought to be looking to secure around £1.5billion in emergency funding by selling new shares. And it is also understood to be trying to sell its Spanish division, ITP Aero.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak raised the stamp duty threshold until March 31, meaning those who buy properties worth less than £500,000 before then will pay the Exchequer nothing.

Following reports over the weekend, the owner of Birmingham’s Bullring confirmed it was seeking a buyer for its half of European property business VIA Outlets, which could fetch £200m.

The travel company said it has ‘made every possible effort’ to avoid job losses ‘during these extraordinary and distressing times’. Owners John and Irene Hays said: ‘We are devastated.’

The insurer said coronavirus had triggered £175m of payouts in the first six months of 2020 – even though it has made the controversial decision not to hand money to thousands of companies.

For many visitors to the UK, shops such as Selfridges and Harrods are a quintessential part of Britain. But due to the pandemic the tourists who sustain the high end retail sector are gone.

AIM-listed Ergomed is already running trials in Italy for two possible Covid-19 treatments, but these are just part of the company’s growing presence in several critical healthcare segments.

Despite the ongoing threat of a second wave of coronavirus infections, London markets closed higher, with the FTSE 100 ending the day 2.3 per cent up at 6,032 and the FTSE 250 rising 1.3 per cent to 17,158.

No sex please, we’re cleaning! That was the message coming from Anglo-Dutch household goods company Reckitt Benckiser when it announced first half results this week.

Output among the 19 single currency nations tumbled 12.1 per cent in the second quarter, in a further sign of the devastation caused by the virus and subsequent lockdown.

Games Workshop, the company behind the Warhammer and Middle Earth games, is now a £3billion pound behemoth that’s 50 per cent more valuable than Marks & Spencer.

Chief executive Charles Woodburn has said the defence giant is open to buying firms to ‘strengthen its portfolio’, even though coronavirus is squeezing its own finances.

There were a record 1.745bn more Premium Bonds in this month’s prize draw as Treasury-backed NS&I continued to hoover up billions of pounds from savers.

Property funds effectively shut up shop earlier this year, with all 11 currently suspended and investors unable to get at their cash.

Away from the traditional commercial property world there is still sustainable income to be had for investors, argues fund manager Mark Brennan, of Foresight.

Around a third will be driving to overseas destinations for the very first time, with the surge in trips coming in August and September, according to a study by RAC Europe.

While Help to Buy in its current form will still end in March next year, house builders will now have an extra two months to finish building properties eligible for the scheme.

To tempt shoppers back to high streets, credit card giant American Express has launched a reward deal for customers who spend money in local stores and restaurants.

If you’re willing to take a chance on booking a two-week break in Alicante, you might also have the risk appetite for a travel stock or two.

Rights issues are shares offered by a company to its investors, in proportion to their existing holding. So the trend to bar small investors during the pandemic has sparked anger.

A range of lenders increased their rates on high loan-to-value mortgages last week, even though the Bank of England interest rate has remained rock bottom at 0.1 per cent.

John Lewis will announce a radical shake-up of the way that it deals with suppliers as the company seeks to secure its future. Products could also become available to rent rather than buy.

Is it too late to join in the gold rush? Most experts think it has become risky to buy at the current price – even though it could yet go higher. Demand for gold coins and bars has surged in recent weeks.

Stepping out into the brave new world of house hunting is daunting in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. Toby Walne finds out what it is like.

Pent-up demand after a spring freeze combined with Rishi Sunak’s stamp duty giveaway, has boosted parts of the housing market but is it wise to buy or sell now?

We had to cancel our trip due to a cancer diagnosis shortly after we booked – however, we’ve not been able to get a refund from the travel firm or our bank. Can you help?

I’m 39 and I’ve paid into my pension for years. I have over £18,000 in my pot but I’ve recently been made redundant. I’ve got a lot of debt that needs to be paid. Is it possible to use this money to pay it off?

Sales of its painting and craft supplies rocketed despite its 100 stores remaining shut. The company said like-for-like sales have grown ‘in excess of 200 per cent’ in lockdown.

The first is expected to open in London before the end of the year, with Notting Hill mooted as the possible flagship. The stores allow customers to pick up shopping and leave without checking out.

The brand, founded in 1987 and owned by £165billion international luxury conglomerate Louis Vuitton, re-opened the store on June 15 but will now close it.

Diners looking to take advantage of the Government’s 50% discount scheme from Monday should know they can get an additional £5 off at certain shops, provided they use their credit card.

City analysts said BP could cut or shelve its payout alongside the figures, which have been forecast to show a $6.8billion (£5.2billion) loss in the second quarter of this year.

‘The right thing might be to let the weak go to the wall.’ That’s what Ric Traynor thinks should happen to debt-ravaged businesses.

Working group five of the UN Commission on International Trade Law has warned delegates that advance copies of key documents will not be available ‘due to the UN’s liquidity crisis’.

In a boost for The Mail on Sunday’s drive to help small firms recover from the crisis, shoppers said they were willing to spend an extra £30 a month in local stores rather than big chains.

The Birmingham Bullring owner was forced to close its shopping centres after the coronavirus lockdown and many on reopening have struggled to attract shoppers back.

The mutter from the City gutter is that the secretive Patrick Drahi has set his sights on the division that maintains Britain’s telephone lines and internet cables.

Gold mining veteran Peter Hambro has launched an emotional plea to private shareholders, urging them to intervene after the board of the company he created 26 years ago was ousted.

The amount raised by Chester-based Wejo is among the largest secured by a British start-up through the Government’s Future Fund, which hands out up to £5million in convertible loans.

The Bank of England could launch a further stimulus package worth as much as £100billion before it cuts rates to below zero, economists forecast. Interest rates will likely stay at 0.1% for now.

The findings from the Confederation of British Industry will bolster hopes of a so-called V-shaped recovery.

Up to 270 jobs will be cut as part of the agreement which averts a ‘fire and rehire’ threat where contracts would have been scrapped and pilots handed new ones with worse conditions.

When there are seismic shifts in the economy, the companies that will triumph are those that can get ahead of social and economic change rather than be beaten by it.

Just two weeks before the acquisition by Anglo American was completed, the Sirius remuneration committee decided that Chris Fraser should receive his lucrative long-term bonuses in full.

Huawei, whose brand ambassadors include Wonder Woman film star Gal Gadot, shipped 55.8million phones in the second quarter of this year, outpacing Korea’s Samsung for the first time.

Bereaved families are being stung by thousands of pounds in hidden fees for selling a deceased relative’s retirement home because a Government crackdown has been delayed.

When Joy Thomas was told she needed her energy meter replaced five years ago with a ‘smart’ one, her supplier said she’d be able to save money by seeing live data of her power usage.

Interest in old programmes, shirts and other memorabilia was fuelled during lockdown when no football was played. With stadiums still shut, the trend shows no sign of abating.

I have recently had a combi boiler installed and have found I have to turn on the hot tap quite a lot before the boiler actually kicks in. Is there some way you can adjust or fix this?

The number of deals available has continued to drop over the past month, despite lenders like Nationwide and Coventry Building Society reintroducing products.

In 2020, you’re just as likely to see a veggie burger or sausage, sliced courgette and chunky mushrooms sizzling on the BBQ as meat products. Consumer Trends delves into the habit shift.

The energy group has already warned it could write off the value of its production equipment and oilfield exploration assets by as much as £13.5billion after the recent crash in oil prices.

They were a solace for office workers suddenly forced to work from their kitchen tables or spare bedrooms and valuable companions for those with limited chances of other social contact.

The combined gains were worth more than the entire value of the UK’s biggest listed firm, the £120billion consumer goods group Unilever.

Byron, which was founded in 2007, fell into administration in June and will hold on to just 550 of its 1,200 workers. Administrator KPMG said 31 of Byron’s 51 restaurants will close.

The EU competition regulator is conducting an in-depth investigation into the deal amid concerns it would leave the LSE with a massive market share in the trading of European government bonds.

What we need is a fairer environment in which smaller social media outlets or online retailers can compete before being crushed by the big guns.

Sterling jumped as high as $1.3169 having started the month at $1.24 – a rise of more than 6 per cent. That was the best performance against the greenback since May 2009.

With very little action to put on TV, many customers stopped using BT Sport to the same extent, the telecoms group said. A boost in demand for better broadband services helped cushion the impact.

After the abrupt quarantine imposed on those arriving in the UK from Spain, we talk holidays, travel insurance, refunds, and whether even a staycation is safe.

MOTs in June were down just 21% on the same month in 2019, with 2.6 million tests conducted. It suggests most drivers are opting not to extend.

‘The bounce back in prices reflects the unexpectedly rapid recovery in housing market activity since the easing of lockdown restrictions,’ said Nationwide.

The junior market has seen a spate of recovery stories this week, hinting a V-shaped return to pre-pandemic levels could become a reality for some.

The roundabout features a red cycle lane around it and motorists need to give way if it’s in use. Narrowed roads with pedestrian crossings on the entry and exit will slow traffic.

Just over a week ago, Surrey-based AFC Energy announced the start of a partnership with Extreme E to provide them with zero-emission off-grid hydrogen power and storage systems. 

A challenge led by law firm Teacher Stern is seeking to secure fairer charges for these borrowers, but pre-action talks are still going on more than two years later.

James Urquhart-Burton, partner at Ridley & Hall Solicitors and an expert in care funding, lays out the potential grounds for objecting to an NHS refusal and how to make a successful appeal.