Ryanair increases size limits for free cabin bags
Ryanair said the new free bag size would come into effect in the coming weeks as its bag size measuring devices were adjusted to the new standard.It's current maximum bag size is 40cm x 25cm x 20cm, which already has a greater volume than the new European standard of 40cm x 30cm x 15cm.Ryanair declined to say why it was giving passengers a larger carry-on bag allowance.The size is still less generous than rival budget airline Easyjet, which allows a free underseat bag of 45cm x 36cm x 20cm (including wheels and handles) weighing up to 10kg.Wizz Air allows one cabin bag as big as Ryanair's new limits – 40cm x 30cm x 20cm, with the same weight limit of 10kg.BA has a slightly smaller limit for an under-seat laptop bag or handbag of 40cm x 30cm x 15cm, but passengers are allowed to take a larger cabin bag as well free of charge, subject to a maximum weight of 23kg.The EU has been working with airlines to agree a minimum free bag size, so that frequent travellers can purchase one piece of luggage and be confident it would be accepted by multiple airlines.The rule applies to airlines based in the EU – which includes Easyjet, Ryanair and Wizz Air – but airlines are of course free to accept larger bags if they choose.Confusion about the different minimum sizes has caused problems for passengers, who have sometimes been faced with unexpected extra fees when airlines said their bags didn't match the specified dimensions.Last month the transport committee of the European parliament voted to give passengers the right to an extra piece of free hand luggage weighing up to 7kg. The proposed rule would still have to be passed by the wider European parliament.Passengers should confirm baggage rules with their airlines directly.
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Daily Mail
21 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE 'Why would I get a job? I get your monthly wage in a week!' As Starmer's bid to cut disability benefits is sunk by Labour MPs, social media tutorials show claimants how to milk the system - and you'll be the one left feeling sick
As anyone who has had the misfortune of dealing with civil service bureaucracy will know, it can be a complicated endeavour. There is the jargon, the minutes that bleed into hours spent on hold on the phone and, of course, the endless form-filling. But mastering this red tape – particularly in relation to Britain's bloated benefits system – can apparently also present extraordinarily lucrative business opportunities. Just ask Charlie Anderson, a YouTube blogger who says her chronic arthritis and fatigue has rendered her unable to work. Thanks to her lengthy experience with the welfare system, she is extremely proficient at filling out forms used to claim the Personal Independence Payment [PIP] allowance disability benefit. So adept has she become in applying for this taxpayer-funded help that she has taken to explaining the 'tricks of the trade' to any prospective benefits claimant – for a hefty fee, of course. For £750, Ms Anderson will provide a three-hour online consultation in which she will discuss the best way to fill out a PIP claim form. If she can work her magic, the pricey up-front outlay will quickly be repaid by the taxpayer. She also offers a premium service to people whose initial PIP claim was turned down. Her £950 fee includes a four-hour, one-to-one video call during which Ms Anderson will talk them through their 'mandatory reconsideration' – civil service-speak for a free appeal. All from the comfort of her shed-turned-office at the bottom of her garden in Bucknall, Staffordshire. Charlie Anderson, a YouTube blogger who says her chronic arthritis and fatigue has rendered her unable to work, charges disability benefit applicants large fees for help explaining the 'tricks of the trade' Remarkably, Ms Anderson – whose YouTube tutorials and emotional diatribes against the state of Britain's benefits system have attracted almost four million views – claims that she has a '100 per cent success rate at winning PIP' and has 'helped over 150 people receive their PIP claims'. A video with more than 200,000 views starts with a bouncy, 'Hi, my name is Charlie and I'm really good at PIP'. She then describes the 'trickery' used by the Government's assessors. If asked whether you can go to the shops or hospital unaided, don't say yes, she warns, or you won't be awarded benefits. Despite the fact that her tutorials have attracted criticism from various quarters, business is apparently booming – with Ms Anderson even seemingly 'employing' two people to assist her in administering her customer base. The 46-year-old is far from the only online influencer – or 'sickfluencer' – exploiting a lucrative market in helping claimants navigate the welfare system's complexities. Take Whitney Ainscough, who boasts 750,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram. The Range Rover-driving 31-year-old mother from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, says her lifestyle is funded by benefits, claiming in one video posted in May that she receives £1,151.90 a week. 'Why would I get a job?' she said. 'I get your monthly wage in a week. Why would I go out and get a job? I'm living my f***ing best life.' In another video from earlier this year she advised her followers to withdraw their PIP money in cash so nobody would be able to track what it was being spent on. It is this sort of abuse of the system that the Government sought to address with its £5billion cuts to the ballooning welfare budget announced earlier this year. But ministers were this week forced into a humiliating climbdown following a rebellion by Labour MPs. Now there will be no reform of PIP rules until the Government has had time to consider a review of current procedures. One anonymous Labour MP said the series of U-turns on the bill had turned it into 'a total clusterf**k of Godzilla proportions'. Mel Stride, the shadow chancellor, said: 'This farcical climbdown is the most humiliating moment of Labour's first year in office.' But it's not hard to see why the Government targeted disability benefits for cuts. Around one in ten working-age adults – some four million people – are claiming either disability or incapacity benefit, up from less than three million six years ago. This means taxpayers are footing a bill of £70billion a year for such claimants – up £20billion since the pandemic. One of the key factors behind this surge is the number of people reporting mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression as what makes them eligible for PIP. Earlier this year, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said there was an 'overdiagnosis' of mental health conditions, contributing to 1,000 new PIP claimants every day. Even those suffering from conditions such as acne, alcoholism and Tourette syndrome (a neurological condition that causes involuntary, repetitive movements and sounds) are receiving welfare payments. The Mail can reveal that last year alone, more than £2billion was paid out in benefits to claimants suffering from mixed anxiety and depressive disorders – an average of around £6,600 per claimant. The figures compiled by the Taxpayers' Alliance also reveal £291million was spent on almost 47,000 claimants who cited anxiety disorders as their main condition and more than £26million was paid out to help people with obesity. Another £60million went to 9,000 people claiming to have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). This absurd liberalisation of the system has not gone unnoticed by bloggers such as Chantelle Knight. The Southampton-based 43-year-old has told her TikTok followers that sufferers of conditions such as ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) don't need an official medical diagnosis to get benefits but just to show how the condition affects their everyday life – advice echoed by Charlie Anderson. In another TikTok video, Ms Knight said: 'I have a client with ADHD who is undiagnosed. And I've just secured him an award of high rate daily living allowance and low rate mobility [payments made on the basis of how serious the client's perceived disability is]. 'He doesn't have a diagnosis. And it just goes to show you can have an abundance of diagnoses and no evidence and not get an award. Equally you can have an abundance of evidence and no diagnosis and get the award.' Last month, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that Ms Knight had breached advertising rules for 'potentially harmful' promotions of a saffron-based food supplement via her website and 'irresponsibly discouraged' people from taking medically-prescribed treatments for ADHD. Last night, her website appeared to have been closed. It would seem that one of the main contributory factors to this trend is the fact that many PIP claimants are no longer obliged to attend a face-to-face assessment. The switch to assessments carried out over the phone started in the pandemic when lockdowns made in-person ones impossible. Outsourcing firm Maximus, which conducts PIP assessments on behalf of the Government in the north of England and Scotland, says on its website that some assessments can even be completed solely based on the information provided in the initial form. It then says that 'if there is not enough information to complete the assessment, you will be invited to attend a consultation'. 'Most consultations are carried out by telephone,' it adds, 'but we may invite you to a video or face-to-face consultation if needed.' Critics say the use of telephone assessments makes it easier for claimants to exaggerate their symptoms because the assessor is not in a position to scrutinise their condition properly. In December, former assessor Michael Houston told a Channel 4 Dispatches documentary that 'people were encouraged to do six cases a day' and that they received cash incentives to process more. 'If you did any more than that, you would get £80 per case,' he added. 'If the claimant met the highest category [of sickness benefit] then the assessment could be curtailed early. This would allow them to fit in more cases per day.' As the phone interviews are not recorded, leaving no way of checking if guidelines are being applied properly, the system is vulnerable to abuse. Former Spectator editor Fraser Nelson, who made the Dispatches documentary, recently argued that returning to face-to-face interviews is vital if the welfare budget is to be brought under control. He said: 'Record and spot-check all claims, not just rejected ones. Publish all sickness benefit data, daily. How many applied and were approved? How many bonuses were paid? Such transparency could be transformative. A Covid-style live data dashboard would focus minds more than any ministerial edict.' But to understand why the welfare reforms provoked such outrage, it's worth looking at what the Government initially wanted to do. PIP is not means-tested and does not affect other benefits or the benefits cap. It can even be claimed if you are working. It includes a daily living component and a mobility component. To be entitled to the daily living part, claimants need to explain how much difficulty they have performing everyday activities, including tasks such as cooking, washing and getting dressed or undressed. A points system is used where, for example, requiring supervision or assistance to prepare or cook a simple meal would be awarded four points. Being completely unable to prepare and cook food would warrant eight points. Under the Government's initial proposals, claimants would have needed to score a minimum of four points on at least one activity to be eligible for that component – rather than a range of different ones. But scrapping the change was one of the Government's concessions to the rebels on Tuesday. People claiming daily living payments can receive the standard weekly rate of £73.90 or an enhanced one of £110.40, depending on their level of difficulty performing the relevant tasks. The mobility part comprises a standard rate of £29.20 per week or an enhanced rate of £77.05 per week. Those who qualify for the higher rate can also choose to exchange this for a car under the Motability scheme. This arrangement came under fire after it emerged it accounts for one in five new cars sold in Britain and, in March, the Mail revealed that the company behind the scheme is sitting on a £4billion stockpile of reserves – including £1.3billion in cash in the bank. So many people are now entitled to disability benefits that, in some parts of the country, an astonishing one in five people are in receipt of handouts. In the Welsh county of Blaenau Gwent, 211 out of every 1,000 people are claiming PIP – the highest proportion in the country. In Sunderland, the figure stands at 173 per 1,000 people and, in this PIP hotspot on Thursday afternoon, sisters Maureen and Mary Robey and their friend Olga Koch were enjoying the sunshine in the city centre. All three have been claiming PIP for a number of years. Maureen, 71, said she was finally granted the £600-a-month benefit following a phone consultation. 'It wasn't as easy as it could have been to claim PIP,' she said. 'I wasn't expecting to have to answer questions over the phone. I had been told that filling out a form would be all I needed to do. But I filled out a long form and my doctor's notes were sent over to back up my claim. I expected the money to be sent to my account quickly after. 'They rang me and asked questions about my COPD [Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease], which I didn't think was necessary. 'All three of us have been on it for years and it's helped to make our lives easier, so this uncertainty about it being reformed has caused some concern.' Mary, 72, said she has anxiety and depression but her PIP claim was initially rejected. 'I turned to Age Concern for help and they filled out my forms for me,' she said. 'It was only after their involvement that I got the help I needed.' Under PIP terms, new claims cannot be made after reaching state pension age. But if you already get PIP and hit pension age, your payments continue. Former soldier John Heskett, 73, said he believed there were a number of people in the city fooling the system: 'There are a lot of kidders out there who are claiming PIP when there's not a thing wrong with them. 'I know of people in this town who are claiming and they're fitter than me. I have problems with my legs and I know I would qualify but I don't ask for help when I don't feel I need it. 'Everyone should be tested properly because people are working the system.' Back online, Charlie Anderson, as part of her £750 online tutorial, says she will analyse answers to ensure 'what we write matches your life AND is communicated in a way that suits the DWP [Department for Work and Pensions] so they can assess you.' Ms Anderson, with more than 52,000 YouTube subscribers, then says she can send answers back so the claimant can 'copy what we wrote straight on to your form'. She adds: 'By the end of the meeting, you will feel much better and you will probably have the best nap you have had in years!' Last night, a spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions hit out at those trying to cash in on the benefits boom. 'We condemn attempts to charge people for support with their PIP applications, and strongly encourage customers to seek additional support through free channels, such as, the website, our dedicated helpline, and relevant charities,' he said. 'And we are bringing forward the biggest fraud crackdown in a generation as part of wider plans that will save £9.6billion by 2030 – protecting taxpayers' money and investing in our public services through our Plan for Change.'
Daily Mail
34 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Should you switch out of the Wall Street danger zone and into... The land of opportunity?
In just a few months, the emerging markets of Asia, Europe and Latin America have undergone a radical change of image – from danger zone to land of opportunity. At a moment when portfolio diversification has become more vital than ever, this shift in perception is another trend that could be costly to ignore if you are a British investor. Wall Street investors, fearful of the damage that Donald Trump's tariffs could inflict on the American economy, are looking for territories where the President's policies may have less impact. Emerging markets appear to provide a solution, offering bargain shares and other advantages. Patricia Ribeiro, of American Century Investments, says: 'Long-term structural growth in emerging market nations should continue to be fuelled by favourable demographic trends, such as younger populations and rapid urbanisation – and by reforms to policy and regulations.' And Kamil Dimmich, of the emerging market specialist North of South Capital, warns 'the direction is set for more protectionism'. His caution comes ahead of Wednesday's deadline for tariff negotiations, after which Trump may reimpose double-digit levies on some countries' imports to America. But whatever unfolds on the day, emerging market fans such as Bank of America and JP Morgan Chase seem set to be joined by others, persuaded that there are gains to be made in advancing nations such as Argentina, Brazil, China, Hungary, India, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey and UAE. Owing to this optimism, the US S&P 500 index has been outpaced by the MSCI Emerging Markets Index this year (this covers 24 markets). As Chetan Sehgal, co-manager of the £1.9billion Templeton Emerging Market trust, points out, this performance would have been even stronger if Asian markets had not been held back by tariff apprehension. Emerging market enthusiasm is also being amplified by speculation about the future of Jerome Powell, chairman of the US Federal Reserve, whose term expires in May 2026 but who has come under increasing pressure from President Trump. This could expedite interest rate cuts, reducing the value of the dollar – and driving down the cost of borrowing in emerging markets. Rob Burdett, of Nedgroup Investments, says: 'What could trigger the unlocking of emerging markets' potential for investors? One catalyst could well be the weakening of the dollar which, historically, has coincided with good times for emerging market shares.' Some investors may still have reason to be sceptical about emerging markets. At the turn of the century, the source of growth was supposed to be the Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) economies. But only India has delivered. Russia is out in the cold and the rest have faced a struggle, although the outlook for Brazil and China is more cheerful. The Shanghai Composite index is up by 5 per cent this year, powered by China's trade deal with the US as well as AI innovation. But if you are keen to broaden your investment horizons, here's what you need to know. TRIP TO THE UNKNOWN? Be prepared for a voyage of exploration, involving a considerable degree of hazard – and taking in unexpected stops such as Greece. This country used to be associated with economic stagnation, but is establishing itself as a dynamic force in Europe. Most Latin American nations seem set to be subject only to 10 per cent tariffs. Nevertheless, Brazil still looks to be an unlikely investment prospect with its double-digit interest rates, high inflation and turbulent Left-wing leader Lula Da Silva. Yet fund managers say there is the chance of the election of a more centrist government next year and Brazilian banks like Banco Bradesco, Itau Unibanco and XP are regarded as well-run institutions on which investors could take a gamble. The Mexican bank Grupo Financiero Banorte is also considered worth backing. Mexico's president Claudia Sheinbaum has kept a cool head in her dealings with Trump, aware of the vital importance of its US neighbour has to her country. Getting to know these markets may be fascinating, but the research into individual shares is time-consuming and difficult. Most investors will be better off in a fund or investment trust covering a spread of markets. The low-charge option is Fidelity Emerging Markets, which tracks the MSCI index. Best buy funds and trusts include Artemis SmartGARP Global Emerging Markets Equity, FSSA Global Emerging Markets, JP Morgan Emerging Markets, TT Emerging Markets Equity and Templeton Emerging Markets Investment Trust (Temit). The holdings of these funds and trusts can be found in their factsheets available online. It is worth checking these details to establish the level of risk – and whether you are comfortable backing certain regimes. ASIAN TECHNOLOGY Most funds and trusts prioritise Asia, concentrating on China, India, South Korea and Taiwan. Chinese tech groups such as Alibaba, Baidu and Tencent are popular holdings. But the favourite is the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). This group may be threatened by China's predatory stance towards Taiwan, but TSMC is moving some production to the US and remains integral to the global artificial intelligence (AI) industrial revolution. Seghal comments: 'We hold TSMC. The US titan Nvidia may design the microchips for the generative AI system ChatGPT, but TSMC actually manufactures them.' Nvidia is one of the Magnificent Seven of US tech. Like the others in this sector, it relies on another emerging market business. Sehgal adds: 'At Temit, we also own the South Korean group Hynix. It supplies DRAM (dynamic random access memory), which stores code and data on computers.' South Korea has experienced political turbulence. Last year, for example, the former president attempted to declare martial law. But the situation has stabilised and although the country may have to cope with a 25 per cent levy, it could benefit from firms shifting manufacturing from China. EUROPE AND THE MIDDLE EAST If you wish to steer clear of China, given its trade war with the US, or suspect other Asian nations may not cope well with tariffs, there are adventures elsewhere. The Barings Emerging EMEA Opportunities trust focuses on EMEA – Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Alay Patel, its manager, says: 'The economic fundamentals of Eastern Europe are improving.' Patel says that Poland is also benefiting from factors such as defence expenditure – spending 5pc of GDP on this area – and the return of skilled workers. Meanwhile, the Gulf nations – UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar – are trying to lessen their reliance on oil by investing in tourism and infrastructure projects. Dimmich is particularly positive about the UAE. The prosperity of Dubai, its largest city, is being boosted by its mix of 'plentiful sunshine and low taxes'. But you should only approach emerging markets if you can afford to take a long-term view and be realistic about the potential rewards. Sehgal says that emerging markets will provide a return of 7 per cent to 8 per cent a year – far better than the yields on government bonds. This may dismay anyone who has grown accustomed to the spectacular gains provided by Magnificent Seven tech shares in recent years. But the Wall Street types who are embracing emerging markets seem undeterred and even rather excited – which is a strong alert to anyone postponing diversification this summer.
Daily Mail
43 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Roller-coaster week sends UK yields higher
UK borrowing costs have seen their first weekly rise since May after a 'rollercoaster' ride sparked by growing fears about Labour's handling of the public finances. Ten-year borrowing costs shot close to 4.7 per cent on Wednesday after a tearful House of Commons appearance by Chancellor Rachel Reeves sparked doubts about her future. And though the moves in UK bonds – known as gilts – were mainly reversed in the following days as the Prime Minister backed Reeves, the episode added to worries sparked by the Government's humiliating climbdown on welfare reforms on Tuesday. Yields last night ended the week at 4.56 per cent, up from 4.5 per cent the previous Friday. It was the first weekly increase after a steady run of declines since mid-May. That partly reflected global moves as US bond yields turned higher thanks to worries about America's ballooning debt and trade tariffs. Nevertheless, it will pile further pressure on the beleaguered Chancellor as the increased borrowing costs will make it even harder to balance the books. Oliver Faizallah, head of fixed income research at wealth advisers Charles Stanley, said: 'This week's blowout was a reminder that the gilt market will not take kindly to excess borrowing.' Yields on UK ten-year bonds, known as gilts, began the week at around 4.5 per cent and eased close to 4.4 per cent ahead of the welfare vote in Parliament on Tuesday night – when it seemed Labour would manage largely to push through its plans. But last-minute concessions that helped the Government win the vote wiped out the intended savings. That blew a £5billion hole in the Chancellor's plans and sending yields racing towards 4.5 per cent the next day, before they climbed even further after Reeves' Commons appearance. It added to the damage to public finances caused by a previous U-turn on winter fuel payments, a deteriorating growth outlook and an increased commitment to defence spending. Andrew Goodwin, of Oxford Economics, said the volatility in gilts 'emphasises the need for fiscal discipline'. The sharp rise in yields reflected anxiety in the markets that, despite the Labour Chancellor's dismal economic record so far, her successor might prove even more of a worry by loosening the Government's commitment to balancing the books. Instead, ministers will need to try to find the missing billions elsewhere. Goodwin said: 'The experience will have demonstrated to the Government that markets will likely look unfavourably on any further loosening of the fiscal rules, increasing the chances that we see large tax rises in the Budget this autumn.'
