The Times has investigated train fares and found that millions of passengers have been paying more for a whole journey than they would for its constituent parts. The findings come as rail company bosses set up meetings with the Department for Transport to seek approval for a new airline-style booking system. ‘Any measures to address the problem of complexity is good news,’ said Stephen Joseph of the Campaign for Better Transport. However Mark Smith, founder of seat61.com, has warned that fares will not necessarily decrease. ‘Simplification is not a panacea,’ he cautioned.
More travel news and British Airways owner IAG has cut its profit forecast and targets, blaming Brexit and its attendant economic uncertainty. The Independent says that capacity and spending are both under review as the profit outlook plummets from an expected 70 pc into low double digits. Shares of IAG fell 2.8 pc – since 23 June the stock has lost around a third of its value.
Only yesterday the French company EDF energy gave the green light to a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in Somerset. But today ministers have cast doubt on the decision, saying that a new review is needed and a final decision will not be reached until September. ‘The UK needs a reliable and secure energy supply and the government believes that nuclear energy is an important part of the mix,’ said Greg Clark, the new Business and Energy Secretary, as reported in the Telegraph. ‘The government will now consider carefully all the component parts of this project and make its decision in the early autumn.’
We all daydream about how generous we could be to our friends and family if we were really rich. And Christian Candy – the property tycoon – has made that dream come true, showering his less well-off brother Nick with £200 million of gifts. But Mark Holyoake, another property developer who borrowed money from the Candy brothers, says that the largesse may be less a sign of sibling loyalty and more a tax evasion scheme. The Guardian reports that Christian gave Nick presents including a penthouse apartment at One Hyde Park, a Chelsea townhouse and £10 m in cash. The brothers have admitted that Nick’s interior design business wouldn’t fund his A-list lifestyle, but deny that the gifts represent secret earnings from Christian’s CPC company.
Watching the BBC’s iPlayer online without a TV licence could result in a £1,000 fine and a criminal record, says the Daily Mail. As of 1 September a loophole in licensing law will come into effect, meaning that half a million households will need to pay the £145.50 for a licence. However Broadband Genie found that 80 pc of people surveyed didn’t know about the changes.