Steven Smith
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Articles by Steven Smith
20-minute method shown to help depression and ongoing pain
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I'm a single mum on Universal Credit and Healey's gas bill change will really hit us
A single mother of two worries she may face increased gas costs following the Government's decision to abolish standing charges. Raegan Furness, 38, is a full-time carer to Amelia-Star, 14, who has ADHD, and Kacie-Rae, 10, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. She receives Universal Credit along with the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for both daughters.
Brit mum dies suddenly on holiday and family face hard news of cost to bring her home
A beloved British mum has died suddenly while on holiday with her husband and two friends. Former Warrant Officer Liz Barnes was a much-loved member of the Plymouth and Cornwall Wing Air Cadets, serving as Wing Sports Officer and with 1900 West Cornwall Squadron. Her daughter Chloe said the family had been left devastated by her unexpected death in Belgium on Saturday, October 24, as reported by NeedToKnow. She said: "As many will know, we lost our beloved Elizabeth Barnes on Saturday the 24th.
HMRC ISA £20,000 limit rule change could be reversed today
The change is planned for April 2027, but it could change today
Mum gave birth to boy
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Royal Mail confirms major change to post deliveries being delayed
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Mortgage rates could move within 48 hours of Wednesday this week
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Mum had pain after giving birth then passed out at home before doctors gave her news
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DWP gives new update on Universal Credit assessment 272-day wait
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has given a new update on waiting times for Universal Credit claim assessments. The Work Capability Assessment is a process used by the Department for Work and Pensions DWP ) to decide how a claimant's health condition or disability affects their ability to work for Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance.
UK drivers alerted as 88 changes made to Highway Code rules since 2020
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State pension rise to £13,000 update as next increase confirmed this week
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'Do not eat' puddings sold in Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Asda as may contain glass
Anyone who has bought puddings sold in supermarkets such as Tesco Asda Sainsbury's and Morrisons has been told not to eat them. An alert issued by the Food Standards Agency said the items could contain glass and were therefore unsafe to eat. It said the products could be returned for a refund, with no receipt needed. Arla Foods Ltd is recalling various Arla Protein Pudding products, the FSA said. It listed three products with specific best-before dates that are affected.
New alert to 1.1 million UK state pensioners before October 28
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Five things you must check when buying a used car in UK
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Under the hood of Dodge's rumored return to the NASCAR Cup Series
You know what “silly season” is, right? For those who don't, it's a usually harmless, seemingly annual phenomenon that occurs in sports—NASCAR, for example—around the time the current season begins to wind down and talk turns to next year. Often, peculiar things happen that may seem silly on the surface, but are destined to affect next year's competition.
HSBC customers can get £250 with outstanding deal
A financial expert has shone a spotlight on an HSBC offer that rewards customers with £250 this week. The Moneyfactscompare.co.uk Pick of the Week showcases the very best new products and rate changes to emerge within the consumer finance sector, covering everything from savings accounts and mortgages to current accounts and beyond.
HSBC cuts cost for customers from Thursday in welcome move
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Travel tummy symptoms improve with gastroenterologist's simple method
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UK cancer patients could claim extra £50,000 during treatment
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Following the IHRA's demise, 12 of its tracks will sell to the highest bidders
A website called Tranzon.com , which bills itself as “A Better Way to Sell Real Estate,” is at this moment hosting 143 property auctions in 31 states. They range from a 10,400-acre coastal rainforest ranch in Belize to a series of row houses in Philadelphia to a pet hotel in Houston.
We survived a week in America's cheapest new car: The Hyundai Venue SEL
It wasn't possible for me to talk about the cheapest new car available to the American consumer in 2026, the Hyundai Venue, and not be reminded of the cheapest car from 40 years ago, when I was still pretty green at automotive journalism. (That was a time, which is perhaps of no interest to anyone else, when you kind of needed a degree in journalism to badge yourself a “journalist,” instead of just an iPhone.) Already, I'm digressing.
Primark urgently recalls two products over asbestos contamination
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UK driveway rule means homes face £200 extra cost
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Expect a (damp) full house at IMSA's Petit Le Mans finale
One of the longest seasons in all of sports winds up on Saturday with the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship finale at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta—the 10-hour Motul Petit Le Mans.
'Cancer has eaten my skull
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HSBC confirms change for customers from today with new costs
HSBC has made an announcement, with changes affecting customers immediately. It said it was raising mortgage rates again from today, putting more of the remaining sub-5% deals at risk as brokers warn borrowers are being forced to make decisions at increasingly short notice. Are mortgage rates going up? Brokers say yes , for now - swap rates have steadied, but most expect further increases this week while funding costs stay high.
Waitrose contamination alert as unsafe drink taken off shelves
Anyone who has bought a popular drink from Waitrose has been told not to consume it. The message came in an alert from the Food Standards Agency. It said the supermarket was recalling Waitrose Essential Unsweetened Oat Drink "due to the risk of microbiological contamination and spoilage because there has been a breakdown in temperature control, which may make these products unsafe to drink".
Asda makes new announcement with change at up to 700 UK locations
Asda has made a new announcement this morning. The supermarket giant said it was entering into a partnership with InPost, which provides parcel lockers across the UK, to install up to 700 at Asda stores. Asda said it would give customers "a convenient new way to send, collect and return parcels while they shop" and said it marked "one of InPost's most significant UK retail partnerships to date".
Barclays gives major update on future of UK branches around the country
Barclays has made a major announcement on its plans for UK branches. It said it "continues to strengthen its presence in communities across the UK, as it announces investment in branches around the country as part of a broader programme to modernise and evolve its physical network". New branches will open in Poole and Bishops Stortford in September, with more openings planned before the end of the year, including in Beverley in November.
'Outstanding' UK bank account increases free cash payment to £210
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My rare condition means I can only have tea and biscuits
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HMRC new rules now in force affecting 700,000 workers
Experts have warned about a hidden effect of an HMRC rule change. Contractors are starting to find out they may be in a mortgage trap, brokers have warned, following new tax rules introduced in April that are affecting at least 700,000 workers. One said that "April's umbrella change-around turned contractors into strangers with their own bank" and that "nobody in Government thought about mortgages when they rewrote the rules".
Martin Lewis explains free way to get £240 by Christmas
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More Gen Z entrepreneurs launching businesses but many will go bust
More aspiring Gen Z entrepreneurs are launching their own businesses at scale, new data reveals, as technology and specifically AI democratise entrepreneurship. But experts caution that many of the businesses being formed, whether as a side hustle or a sole focus, will go bust — and that the trend may be an indictment of the current jobs market as much as an inspiring view of the future.
Extra charges for Halifax customers confirmed from Wednesday and Nationwide likely to follow
Halifax customers will face extra charges from tomorrow as it confirmed a change. It the latest lender to raise its mortgage rates, with increases of up to 0.18% following increased wholesale funding costs. One broker said "the Chancellor needs to deliver genuine fiscal credibility and calm swap markets". From tomorrow, rate increases of up to 0.12% will apply to selected fixed rate products across Halifax's homemover and first-time buyer ranges.
Tesco, John Lewis, Curry's, Costa Coffee 'to offer roles to Universal Credit claimants'
Britain's biggest retailers will offer young people thousands of work experience placements as the Government aims to slash youth joblessness. The placements, with businesses including Tesco , Aldi, John Lewis, Curry's and Costa Coffee, will be offered directly to young Universal Credit claimants in a programme dubbed “Opening Shift”. Some 40 retailers have already signed up to offer more than 11,000 placements, providing young people with between two and four weeks of work experience.
I started vaping at 12 - it cost me £4,000 and left me in hospital
A teenager who was taken to hospital with an asthma attack after excessive vape use said he was “that addicted” that he was still secretly vaping from his hospital bed, despite being warned that the habit could kill. Freddie Janman, 18, a musician from Surrey, was diagnosed with asthma at the age of three, and he said he required “consistent” hospital admissions due to dust, pet hair and exercise.
We only had our baby home for 5 days and sang his favourite song to him as he died
A “precious” baby boy has died just days after finally being allowed home following almost three months in hospital. Luca Hayes was born seven weeks premature on May 26 with gastroschisis, a birth defect in one in every 3,000 babies, which sees some organs develop outside the body. In his case, the condition concerned his bowels. His parents Demi Duffin and Charlie Hayes previously told of the harrowing moment their son was born with no heartbeat - but then successfully revived by doctors.
Few drivers know as UK September 2026 number plate change comes into effect
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What the numbers and letters on UK number plates mean after September 2026 change
The UK's new '76' number plate launched this week on September 1, replacing the '26' plate issued by the DVLA since March, but the change is merely one element of the information encoded within a standard UK number plate. Ben Welham, motoring expert at online car retailer cinch, has outlined how drivers can decipher their registration, from why the number increases by 50 every September to what the letters at both ends of the plate actually signify.
Invasive disease-carrying mosquito confirmed to be in UK in new update
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued a fresh warning today (Thursday), announcing it was "undertaking enhanced surveillance and trapping activities following the detection of invasive Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and larvae at nearby residential properties in east London". The agency confirmed the initial discovery was reported via UKHSA's Mosquito Watch surveillance scheme, marking the first occasion that Aedes aegypti has been found breeding on British soil.
Optician spotted something in my eye
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My baby's condition means I can't hold or bathe him and we rarely leave the house
The mother of a boy with a rare genetic condition that makes his skin blister at the slightest touch has said she cannot hold or bathe him and “rarely” leaves the house for fear of “causing damage”. Ciara Burnside, 30, a technical manager who lives in Bedfordshire, said she noticed “big red patches” on her baby Ralph's hands and feet when she first saw him after giving birth on March 25, 2026.
HMRC powers to take cash from bank accounts update with Friday, August 28, 2026 deadline
Up to 4.8 million people and businesses owing around £4 billion in tax debts could potentially fall within the scope of new HMRC powers allowing money to be taken directly from taxpayers' bank accounts.
UK homes without driveways rule change removes barrier
A motoring expert has described a rule change being tested in one part of the UK as potentially a "huge step" for households without off-street parking. Slough Borough Council in Berkshire has secured £130,000 from the Department for Transport's Electric Vehicle Pavement Channels Grant (EVPCG) to roll out a scheme improving access to electric vehicle charging infrastructure at home.
Almost half of people miss new August 2026 HMRC legally required deadline
Almost half the people have missed a new HMRC tax deadline. It relates to those eligible for Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax having missed the first filing deadline, according an analysis from accountancy and business advisory group Azets. Figures from HMRC showed 436,000 taxpayers filed their first MTD for Income Tax quarterly update on time on August 7 – 50.5% of those who should have.
Calm and composed: The pleasing purr of an RX-7's 1.3 liters
As a so-savvy car collector, I've long followed the personal mantra of “Buy high, sell low,” which began with my 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1, for which I accepted $1200 as trade-in on another muscle car, then another, then a Ford Ranchero, then another muscle car… That trend ended when I voluntarily left the actual workforce to pursue a career in journalism. I've been poverty-stricken since.
Mortgage expert explains common reason for rejection and what to do next
Having a mortgage application rejected can be devastating, particularly if you have already found the home you want to buy.
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