More Britons opt to holiday in UK this summer amid uncertainty over flights

Holiday companies have predicted a surge in bookings for UK summer breaks after a jump in interest from Britons fearful of flight cancellations linked to the Iran war.Summer bookings are expected to rise in the coming weeks amid warnings of possible jet fuel shortages and resulting cancellations by airlines across Europe.Raoul Fraser, the chief executive of Lovat, a holiday park operator with sites across south-west England, said traffic to its website had increased after reports of jet fuel warnings last week. “It is definitely having a positive impact for us,” he said.“Our holidays bookings are up over 30% this year

Carmakers scramble to plug £3bn shortfall for UK loan scandal payouts

Carmakers are under pressure to drum up £3bn to cover payouts for motor finance scandal victims after failing to adequately prepare for a UK-wide compensation scheme that is due to begin this summer.Company filings show the lending arms of big vehicle manufacturers including Ford, BMW, Stellantis and Volkswagen may have massively underestimated the final costs of the financial regulator’s £9.1bn redress scheme.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which released the final terms of its compensation plan last month, has said about 42%, or £3.8bn, of the total bill will be shouldered by carmakers’ motor financing divisions

Reeves rightly fears the bond market, but she can afford to ditch one unhelpful rule | Phillip Inman

There is a good reason Rachel Reeves is wary of the dreaded bond market vigilantes. Anyone who inherits a mountain of debt and then finds out that many of the lenders act like sharks is right to be concerned.Most of the participants in financial markets are not actively predatory. They swim in a sea of money with only one rule, to stick together, hoovering up as much profit as they can at the lowest risk.Bond vigilantes, on the other hand, are traders with a remit to pursue juicy prey, even if it means going hungry for a while

As Franco Manca scales back, is the air going out of the sourdough pizza craze?

When Franco Manca first opened in south London’s Brixton Market in 2008, its competitively priced sourdough pizzas served in a sophisticated setting quickly drew a buzz.“It was all the rage,” says food blogger Gerry del Guercio of BiteTwice, who visited in the early days and recalls the novelty of seeing queues forming for pizza in London. “It was just desperately cool, and everyone wanted to try.”At a time when the high street was largely dominated by US chains such as Pizza Hut and Domino’s, dishing up more standard fast food pizzas, the business had a unique selling point for the UK market – slow-fermented, chewy sourdough bases.The Naples-originated style of pizza went on to win the hearts of British diners, with its champion Franco Manca expanding into a nationwide chain with more than 70 sites

Growing knowledge, growing yield: British wine-making comes of age

Rows of vines stretch across the rolling hills of rural Dorset. Currently waist height, they appear bare against a bleak spring sky. Up close, you can see they are already dotted with tiny woolly buds as they exit their winter dormancy for a new growth cycle.Come summer these rows will be laden with chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier grapes, ready to make the latest batch of English sparkling wine from the Langham estate near Dorchester.Although it was only 2009 when the first vines were planted here on former arable farmland, the estate has already produced award-winning wines that beat established European rivals

Survivors of alleged sexual abuse by former owner of Harrods want enablers to face justice

A group of 50 survivors of alleged sexual abuse by Harrods’ former owner Mohamed Al Fayed are calling for “meaningful consequences” for those who they claim facilitated and ignored the abuse.“If they think the money is the important factor they are so far off the mark,” said Jen Mills, a member of the Justice for Fayed and Harrods Survivors group. They claim there are “dozens of individuals who must be held to account”, from a range of eras.The campaign group, which includes some of those who took part in the redress scheme and others who did not, wants Harrods to release the findings of an internal investigation into what staff knew.The group, which is being supported by actor Richard Gere, Dame Vera Baird DBC KC, the former victims commissioner for England and Wales, and women’s rights advocates Gloria Allred and Gina Martin, also wants more regulation of HR professionals overseeing the hiring of new workers and an explanation of why the Metropolitan police and General Medical Council did not investigate women’s complaints at the time