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Budget 2026: Healey hikes taxes on banks and landlords to fund £100 handouts to 20m households 28 October 2026 at 23:09

Budget 2026: Healey hikes taxes on banks and landlords to fund £100 handouts to 20m households

By: Heather Stewart · Jessica Elgot and Richard Partington

28 October 2026 at 23:09

Few surprises as chancellor uses low-key speech blaming ‘global economic storms’ for stoking energy prices and cost of living crisis

John Healey raised taxes on banks and landlords to fund a £100 winter handout for 20 million families as official forecasts made clear there is no end in sight for the cost of living crisis.

In his first budget, the chancellor blamed “global economic storms” for the grim outlook, as the war in Iran drives up oil and gas prices.

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‘Fear is contagious’: why horror shows are taking over the New York stage 28 October 2026 at 12:00

‘Fear is contagious’: why horror shows are taking over the New York stage

The Guardian

By: Benjamin Lee

28 October 2026 at 12:00

Hit London plays 2:22, Paranormal Activity and A Ghost in Your Ear are now spooking audiences on and off Broadway amid high demand for communal experiences

As we escaped the restrictions of the pandemic, with many also trying to escape the smartphone addiction that was exacerbated by it, there was widespread desire for the in-person communal experience. It was a slow crawl back with casualties along the way but as the Hollywood and Broadway box office return to pre-pandemic levels this year, our craving for IRL thrills appears to be stronger than ever.

It’s why Imax and 4DX formats are breaking records, concert attendance is at a new high according to a mid-year report and the most recently tracked season of New York theatre grossed more than the previous. It also helps to explain why the hottest tickets of the fall are for plays in the most communal genre of all: horror.

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‘It’s a better experience’: shoppers praise Oxford Street pedestrianisation 27 October 2026 at 09:00

‘It’s a better experience’: shoppers praise Oxford Street pedestrianisation

The Guardian

By: Rachel Hall and Gwyn Topham

27 October 2026 at 09:00

Many punters say inconvenience of bus rerouting is small price to pay for more space, but not everyone is happy

To the east of Oxford Circus, there is chaos. A steady stream of red London buses swing round the last junction before the newly pedestrianised Oxford Street begins. The streets are crammed with pedestrians, some squabbling over who poked whom with their umbrella first.

To the west, pedestrians walk freely through the temporary bollards on to a green welcome banner rolled along the tarmac, declaring Oxford Street traffic-free.