Here’s a tip: eliminate US tipping culture and pay people a living wage

Our tipping culture was in place long before Trump, but his ‘no tax on tips’ promise – now law – is enabling it

Apprenticeships have collapsed in England – Labour needs to fine-tune the solution, fast

Responsibility for vocational training and skills has bounced around Whitehall for years, and enrolment rates are down by a third. Can the latest tweaks work?

MAD 4 1T: the obsessive collectors who pay big money for personalised number plates

Customised plates often cost more than the car – and yet the number of people queueing up to buy them is at an all‑time high. What’s the appeal?

Wealthy parents rush to give children their assets as tougher UK inheritance tax rules loom

Big family enterprises, which previously paid no IHT, will face tax of 20% on value above £1m from April

Stagnant GDP shows scale of challenge for Rachel Reeves at autumn budget

Chancellor calls economy ‘stuck, not broken’ but there are signs her policies have added to the UK’s economic headwinds

UK contactless payments could go above £100 or become unlimited

Financial watchdog says proposals to allow providers to set own limits would be more convenient for shoppers

Rise in energy prices leaves 1m UK households behind on bills

Energy debts have more than doubled in last 12 years, finds report, as Ofgem signals it will raise cap on bills

FCA warns car finance firms over ‘lost’ data amid £18bn compensation scheme

City regulator says it will challenge lenders claiming not to have records about mis-sold car loans

UK banks face lawsuits over mortgages that left people with huge debts

Group actions against Barclays and Bank of Scotland over products that left some people owing up to 20 times the sum they borrowed

Our charity could have lost thousands due to Thames Water delay

It took a year and a half after we paid for installation for the company to connect our refurbished property

Londoners buying lowest share of property outside capital since 2013

Stalling house prices and shift back to office working are affecting people’s ability to move out of city, say experts

An ale star cast: pint-pulling Rupert Everett surprises country pub’s punters

Hollywood actor helps out at the Swan at Enford in Wiltshire as he and his neighbours fight to save their local

Share your experience of tech surveillance at work in the UK

We’d like to hear from UK staff and bosses about their experiences of tech monitoring at work

Average UK house price rises to record £299,331, says Halifax

Increase of 0.3% in August marks third consecutive monthly rise, exceeding market expectations

Resale ‘subterfuge’: Viagogo sent fan his tickets along with a stranger’s passport

Experiences of booking for big London gigs underscore the opaque practices of some online platforms