Connect with us

Published

on

The price of buying whisky, wine and gin in restaurants and pubs has risen – bad news as the UK enters Christmas party season.

While the overall rate of inflation has eased to 10.7% (down from 11.1% in November), the cost of a night out continues to rise.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said falling motor fuel prices led the decline in the core consumer prices index (CPI) measure of inflation.

But the CPI including housing costs rose by 5.4% in the 12 months to November 2022, the highest rate since March 1993.

The largest contribution to this upward trend was the price rises for alcohol served in restaurants, cafes and hotels.

This was particularly seen in whisky, wine and gin.

A glass of wine that previously cost £4.03 in 2021 now costs £4.44, meaning a 10.2% rise. A single shot of whisky is up 9.5%, from £3.05 to £3.34.

More on Cost Of Living

The price of food and non-alcoholic beverages has also risen slightly, up to 16.5% from 16.4%. The ONS said energy and food costs continue to be one of the main drivers of inflation.

Gen Z ‘won’t attend’ Christmas parties

It comes as one in five Gen Z workers (20%), who are in their late teens and early twenties, said they either won’t be attending or haven’t made up their minds about attending their work Christmas party this year, with 11% citing the cost of living crisis as the reason.

The findings from Reed.co.uk, which surveyed more than 2,300 adults, found the crisis is putting a dampener on the festive season with one in five (17%) worried about being able to pay for a taxi home, and 14% saying they can’t afford gifts for their colleagues.

Read more:
Spending calculator: See which prices have gone up or down

Simon Wingate, managing director of Reed.co.uk, said: “It’s clear from our research that, for many, the work Christmas party is now more important than ever due to continuing rising costs.

“In the post-pandemic era of hybrid and remote working, Gen Z, in particular, want to celebrate the hard work they have put in over the year and spend time socialising with their colleagues. They’re just struggling with the realities of being able to afford it.

“We’d encourage businesses to think about ways that they can keep the tradition of Christmas parties alive for those looking to celebrate the festive season, but make it more inclusive and affordable.”

A separate study of 600 employees by the Blackhawk Network found just 10% wanted a staff Christmas party.

No sign of crisis easing

Despite an overall decline in inflation, the cost of living crisis shows no sign of easing.

Jack Leslie, senior economist at the Resolution Foundation, a think tank specialising in living standards, said: “Inflation fell at its fastest rate in 16 months in November, driven by falling fuel price inflation and a welcome slowing in food price inflation.

“Britain may now be past its inflation peak, which is good news for policymakers at both the Bank and Treasury as they grapple with rising interest rates and public debt.

Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts

“But with price rises still massively outstripping pay rises – and Britain’s poorest families facing an inflation rate of over 12% – families are still getting poorer month-on-month and the cost-of-living crisis will continue to deepen in 2023.”

Poorer families suffer more from high inflation because they spend a greater proportion of their income on energy and food, which have seen some of the sharpest price rises.

Continue Reading

UK

Jaguar Land Rover to ‘pause’ US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

Published

on

By

Jaguar Land Rover to 'pause' US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has said it will “pause” shipments to the US as the British car firm works to “address the new trading terms” of Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The US president has introduced a 25% levy on all foreign cars imported into the country, which came into force on Thursday.

JLR, one of the country’s biggest carmakers, exported about 38,000 cars to the US in the third quarter of 2024 – almost equal to the amount sold to the UK and the EU combined.

Follow live updates: Trump’s baseline 10% tariff kicks in

In a statement on Saturday, a spokesperson for the company behind the Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover brands said: “The USA is an important market for JLR’s luxury brands.

“As we work to address the new trading terms with our business partners, we are taking some short-term actions including a shipment pause in April, as we develop our mid- to longer-term plans.”

The company released a statement last week before Mr Trump announced a “baseline” 10% tariff on goods from around the world, which kicked in on Saturday morning, on what he called “liberation day”.

More on Donald Trump

JLR reassured customers its business was “resilient” and “accustomed to changing market conditions”.

“Our priorities now are delivering for our clients around the world and addressing these new US trading terms,” the firm said.

Trading across the world has been hit by Mr Trump’s tariff announcement at the White House on Wednesday.

All but one stock on the FTSE 100 fell on Friday – with Rolls-Royce, banks and miners among those to suffer the sharpest losses.

Read more: A red wall on Wall Street – but Trump seems to believe it will work out

Cars are the top product exported from the UK to the US, with exports worth £8.3bn in the year to the end of September 2024, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

For UK carmakers, the US is the second largest export market behind the European Union.

Industry groups have previously warned the tariffs will force firms to rethink where they trade, while a report by thinktank the Institute for Public Policy Research said more than 25,000 car manufacturing jobs in the UK could be at risk.

Continue Reading

UK

Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

Published

on

By

Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

Two people have died following a fire at a caravan site near Skegness, Lincolnshire Police have said.

In a statement, officers said they were called at 3.53am on Saturday to a report of a blaze at Golden Beach Holiday Park in the village of Ingoldmells.

Fire and rescue crews attended the scene, and two people were found to have died.

They were reported to be a 10-year-old girl and a 48-year-old man.

The force said the victims’ next of kin have been informed and will be supported by specially trained officers.

Officers are trying to establish the exact cause of the blaze.

“We are at the very early stages of our investigation and as such we are keeping an open mind,” the force said.

Two fire crews remain at the scene.

Continue Reading

UK

Boy dies after ‘getting into difficulty’ in lake in southeast London

Published

on

By

Boy dies after 'getting into difficulty' in lake in southeast London

A 15-year-old boy has died after “getting into difficulty” in a lake in southeast London, police say.

Officers and paramedics were called shortly after 3pm on Friday to Beckenham Place Park in Lewisham.

The Metropolitan Police said a boy “was recovered from the lake” at around 10.42pm the same day.

“He was taken to hospital where he was sadly pronounced dead. His death is being treated as unexpected but not believed to be suspicious,” according to the force.

The boy’s family has been told and are being supported by specialist officers.

The force originally said the child was 16 years old, but has since confirmed his age as 15.

In the earlier statement, officers said emergency services carried out a search and the park was evacuated.

More from UK

google street view inside Beckenham Place park, Lewisham where a 16 y/o boy is missing after getting into difficulty in a lake
Image:
Emergency teams were called to Beckenham Place Park on Friday afternoon

Beckenham Place Park, which borders the London borough of Bromley, covers around 240 acres, according to the park’s website.

The lake is described as 285 metres long, reaching depths of up to 3.5 metres.

It is designed as a swimming lake for open-water swimming and paddle boarding.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said on Friday: “We were called at 3.02pm this afternoon to reports of a person in the water.

“We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and members of our hazardous area response team.”

Emergency teams have not explained how the boy entered the water, or whether he was accompanied by others.

Continue Reading

Trending