Pubs to shut early

The 1-minute read to get the money news you need with expert adviser commentary.

Curfew o’clock

It’ll be early nights all round from Thursday, when pubs, bars, and restaurants UK-wide will have a new chucking-out time. They’ll have to close at 10pm as part of new restrictions to stop the spread of coronavirus, and offer table service only. Boris Johnson will make a speech tonight to urge everyone to follow the new rules. He’s also expected to ask us to start working from home again.

Big homes smash records

Asking prices of larger properties have hit record highs in August*. Sellers are now looking for an average of £291,618 for a 3 or 4-bedroom house, according to Rightmove. This doesn’t tell us the agreed price that these homes actually go on to sell for, but higher asking prices are a signal that homeowners are feeling confident about selling.

Savers squeezed

National Savings & Investments (NS&I) is cutting the interest rates on two of its savings accounts to 0.01%, and reducing the winning odds for Premium Bonds. 25 million people who have savings with the government-backed savings scheme will see their returns plummet. NS&I says it has no choice, after savers put away billions extra over lockdown.

Carbon-zero holidays

This year may not have been the best for jet-setting, but there’s new hope for the future in the shape of climate-friendly flights. Airbus has revealed plans for the first ever zero-emissions plane and said it could be in the air by 2035. The jet is fuelled by hydrogen and could carry 200 passengers up to 2,000 miles.