Energy companies are hoarding nearly £2 billion of customers’ cash amid the cost-of-living crisis, The Telegraph can disclose.
Meanwhile, traditional town high streets led the revival of Boxing Day sales on Monday as shoppers flocked to local towns over cities amid train strikes.
Headlines: Today’s essential news
Energy | Gas and electricity suppliers are raising customers’ direct debit payments even when they are thousands of pounds in credit, an investigation has found. Some companies have been accused of using the money as a cheap source of finance whilst many British households struggle to make ends meet. In other news, a Czech energy tycoon that trade union leaders claim is plotting a takeover of Royal Mail is being advised by Chuka Umunna, The Telegraph can also reveal.
John Humphrys | We used to respect our elders – what happened?
Even an acknowledgement that we oldies might have picked up some useful stuff during our decades of experience wouldn’t go amiss
Richard Dannatt | Putin may have failed, but the West is unprepared
Our leaders risk repeating the mistakes of the 1930s, when we could have done more to prevent another world war
Those who thought at this time last year that Vladimir Putin would not invade Ukraine, or believed that he was crazy were he to do so, had overlooked seeing the situation from his perspective. To him, his decision to invade was entirely logical, although, unknown to him, the basis of his special military operation was fatally flawed from the outset.
It has been a momentous and poignant year for the British monarchy, encompassing both Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in June – and her death in September. Look back at a gallery of the most striking images from the Royal family’s defining moments of 2022.
A portrait of the late Queen released to mark her 96th birthday
Looking back at 2022: Cost-of-living crisis
Lockdowns may have been a thing of the past this year, but economic chaos replaced that of Covid, with inflation and strikes wreaking havoc. One in four people struggling to pay their energy bills live with moderate or severe symptoms of depression. Rachel Mortimer explains how Britain’s cost-of-living crisis has morphed into a health emergency. The country is also suffering one of the toughest runs of rail strikes in years, as the country braces for further walkouts and unions brace to challenge reforms. These are the details of next month’s planned strikes.
Here is a selection of articles we think you’ll be interested in today.
In the year ahead, the former prime minister is set to push his case for being the best-placed Tory to win the next election. Political editor Ben Riley-Smith explores his chances
A joint effort of several authors who do find that nobody can keep standing at the side and that “Everyone" must care about what is going on in today’s world.
We are a bunch of people who do not mind that somebody has a totally different idea but is willing to share the ideas with others and to be Active and willing to let others understand how "today’s decisions will influence the future”. Therefore we would love to see many others to "Act today".
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Some View on the World 