Monday newspaper round-up: Mike Lynch, London population, heat pumps

18th Mar 2024 07:18

(Sharecast News) - A record 6.7 million people in Britain are in financial difficulty, a campaign group has claimed, as the cost of living crisis pushes more households into debt. A survey for Debt Justice found that 13% of adults had missed three or more credit or bill payments in the last six months, a figure that rose to 29% among 18- to 24-year-olds and a quarter of 25- to 34-year-olds. - Guardian

The criminal fraud trial of the British technology tycoon once dubbed "Britain's Bill Gates" is due to begin in San Francisco today. Mike Lynch, co-founder of the UK software company Autonomy, stands accused of artificially inflating the software firm's sales; misleading auditors, analysts and regulators; and intimidating people who raised concerns before its blockbuster takeover by Hewlett-Packard in 2011. - Guardian

London's population has surged to a new record high after a sharp rise in migration and a reversal of the Covid-era "race for space". New research from think tank Centre for Cities found that the capital had "almost certainly" surpassed its pre-pandemic peak of 10.1m people in a report that raised concerns about the impact on London's creaking infrastructure and services. - Telegraph

Jeremy Hunt's stealth tax raid on landlords is set to leave property owners paying hundreds of pounds more when they sell up, according to analysis from estate agency Hamptons. The Chancellor announced a cut to the higher rate of capital gains tax (CGT) in the Budget, from 28pc to 24pc, but for most landlords the benefit will be outweighed by a reduction in tax-free allowances, a decision made in the Autumn Statement of 2022. - Telegraph

Every household must be engaged by the government in the shift to clean heating as uptake of heat pumps to replace boilers is running at less than half of expected levels, the public spending watchdog has warned. A report by the National Audit Office (NAO) described assumptions on consumer demand for heat pumps, which use electricity to draw heat from the ground, air or water for heating buildings, as "optimistic". - Sky News