Apple sued?

App Store lawsuit

Apple has been hit with a £1.5 billion class action lawsuit that claims its App Store charges are excessive and unlawful. The tech giant is accused of shutting down competition by forcing apps to use its payment system and charging them 30% for the privilege. But Apple isn’t worried. It says the lawsuit is “meritless” and points out that 84% of apps on its platform are free and their developers don’t pay anything to Apple.

Record house prices

House prices have surged 8.2% in the past year according to mortgage lender Halifax. The average price of a UK home has hit £258,204, around £20,000 higher than this time last year. It seems to be driven by high buyer demand, with people trying to get their keys before the stamp duty holiday ends later this year.

Knitwear comeback

Brits spent big on coats and jumpers in April ready for al fresco nights out and holidays in the UK. Retail data shows total sales were 7.3% higher than April 2019, with fashion retailers doing particularly well.

Lifetime skills guarantee

Boris Johnson is promising a skills revolution in the UK by making loans available for adults to upskill or retrain. The plans will be set out in the Queen’s Speech today that marks the opening of parliament. The “lifetime skills guarantee” is part of the government’s plans to help the country recover from the pandemic.