Money blog: Anger as Manchester United raise ticket prices to cover operational costs (2024)

Restaurant chains could be "ripping parents off" by serving "ready meals" and processed food to children, according to a study.

Food and farming charity The Soil Association found meals are "rarely" being prepared and cooked on site using fresh ingredients.

Some restaurants including Bella Italia, Prezzo and TGI Fridays were simply warming up pasta sauces, it said, following a study which involved using secret diners and surveying restaurants directly.

Its annual Out To Lunch restaurant league table found an "abundance of unhealthy options, excessively sugary desserts, problematic additives, plus ultra-processed and low-welfare meat" at some of the most popular chains.

Pizza restaurant Franco Manca was bottom of the table, with the charity criticising a lack of vegetables on the children's menu, as well as its failure to reveal how its food is prepared or what its sourcing policies are.

In contrast, Wahaca received the best rating - children's meals were mostly prepared on site using fresh ingredients while being less pricey than other chains offering reheated meals.

Only Wagamama, Nando's and Leon offered children's menus free from artificially sweetened and added sugar drinks, the Soil Association said.

Money has contacted Bella Italia, Prezzo, TGI Fridays and Franco Manca for comment.

By signing up for a free Lidl Plus account, you can grab £65 off a Jet2 holiday.

And your savings could be even higher if you stack this with the company's Black Friday discounts, Which? has found.

The airline is offering reductions of £100 per person on some holidays.

Here's a quick guide to booking a cheaper holiday with this hack:

1. Download theLidl Plus appand sign up for your free account;
2. Click "partner offers" and select the £65 off Jet2 Holidays deal;
3. Click "redeem this offer" to reveal your discount code;
4. On theJet2 Holidays websitemake sure to sign in, or register for an account to get access to Black Friday deals;
5. Click "see offers" across the top of the site offering Black Friday deals and select the £100 off per person offer;
6. Select the departure airports, destinations, number of travellers and nights and add the holiday you'd like to your basket;
7. Fill out all the passenger information and confirm your booking details and billing address;
8. Add your Lidl discount code on the final page, right before paying.

Lidl's £65 off deal is available until 19 December 2024 on all holidays departing from now until 31 March 2026, while Jet2's Black Friday deal is valid until November 2026.

ByOllie Cooper, live news reporter

Welcome to the next part of my series on fitness supplements - where I aim to discover whether they are helping you get ripped, or you're getting ripped off.

I've enlisted the help of performance nutritionistAndrew PettsandArj Thiruchelvam, personal trainer and head coach at Performance Physique, to analyse 12 different supplements every lunchtime over the next two weeks - and today we're looking at caffeine and pre-workout.

Caffeine and pre-workout

Do you really need a caffeine hit to get you pumped for the gym or a run?

And if so - is a killer coffee preferable to a pre-workout powder?

Let's take you through what's out there.

What is it?

Caffeine is a natural central nervous system stimulant, referred to by some as a drug.

It's most commonly found in coffee and is famed for making you feel "awake".

In reality, it prevents the onset of the feeling of tiredness, by blocking the effects of adenosine - a neurotransmitter that relaxes the brain and makes you feel tired.

It may also increase adrenaline levels and brain activity of the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine, which are associated with arousal, alertness, and focus.

Do gymgoers need it?

If those benefits sound good for you, then you can take caffeine via coffee, powders, pills or gummies before a session.

Lots of gymgoers report getting a "boost" by using pre-workout or drinking coffees and many bodybuilders or fitness influencers swear by them. It's relatively cheap too.

But, when speaking to professional athletes, Andrew says: "My best advice is to use caffeine sparingly where possible and only use it when needed, on event/game day."

For the average person, he says it's simply "not needed".

Arj agrees, saying "outside of performance sport, there's minimal need".

Pre-workout powder

Andrew recommends that if you are hell-bent on using caffeine before a workout, use a supplement that allows you to accurately track how much you are consuming - as coffee caffeine content varies wildly.

Pre-workout powder is one such alternative - usually flavoured and packed with E numbers and other chemicals and compounds promising to improve your "pump".

Beta alanine, carnosine and sodium bicarbonate are usually included, and while "these are very effective for repeated sprints and lactate tolerance", outside of performance sport these additions are pretty much "pointless", Arj says.

"Generic pre-workout supplements can be based around proprietary blends, this means that companies can disclose the ingredients in that supplement blend, but not the exact amounts - which to me is pretty scary," Andrew notes.

The need for moderation

Like everything, caffeine is best consumed in moderation.

Pre-workout powders contain a large amount of the stimulant - somewhere between 150-300mg per serving (recommended adult limit is 400mg per day).

Consistently having too much caffeine can lead to short and long-term health risks, including heart-related issues.

There's also been studies that suggest over-use of caffeine can lead to a reliance on it, with some gymgoers suggesting they cannot perform without it.

"Do you need a stimulant to train, or can you find the habit and internal motivation to train?" Arj asks.

"Relying on something external to get you into the gym is a slippery slope, and not one I encourage."

The verdict: Not essential - but not to be completely avoided

For the average gymgoer, a good diet and regular sleep will likely do more for you than caffeine ever could.

That being said, we all need a boost sometimes, so don't feel bad downing a big coffee before you head into that cold winter gym session, or want to try out a pre-workout product.

As always, take it within a balanced diet and crucially with this one, in moderation.

ByJames Sillars, business and economics reporter

A debate has been raging for years over whether drivers pay far more than they should for fuel.

In its latest update on the industry's charges, the Competition and Markets Authority says it remains concerned about a lack of competition after accusing the industry of overcharging motorists to the tune of many hundreds of millions of pounds since the COVID pandemic.

The regulator said today that fuel margins of retailers – the difference between what a retailer pays for its fuel and what it sells at – increased between May to August.

The figure for supermarkets rose from 7% in April to 8.1% in August, its study stated.

Non-supermarket fuel margins also increased from 7.8% to 10.2%.

Whether petrol and diesel prices are a rip-off is a question that is hotly contested.

The fuel sector insists its own cost increases, such as for electricity and wages, have to be taken into account.

The government is set to force retailers to divulge their prices under a pump watch scheme that will allow drivers to compare costs locally before filling up.

The sustained increase in the level of fuel margins is concerning and suggests that overall levels of competition in the road fuel retail market remain weakened.

Manchester United have faced strong criticism after increasing ticket prices mid-season.

The club told fans in an email that all remaining tickets for home games this season will be £66 each, whatever the age of the person buying them.

The move effectively removes concessions for children and pensioners, a development which also prompted condemnation.

United argued price increase for seats yet to be sold this season would help improve "operational efficiencies" and "stabilise revenues".

But the Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) labelled the move by England's second most successful football club "offensive".

"This means that for an adult member to take their kid to a game in the remainder of this season will cost £132.

"Well over double the minimum price they could pay to do it today. And this change is happening overnight, immediately.

"The club has provided zero consultation on the matter, neither with the Forum nor the Fan Advisory Board nor MUST.

"Suffice it to say, the idea that the fans must pay their 'fair share' for the club's excesses and/or mismanagement - and above all, the Glazers' lack of investment over two decades - is offensive.

"We fans have done everything we have been asked. We have cheered the players on even in the face of substandard performance. We have gone to matches and abided by the new usage rules for tickets. We have taken on a price increase this year.

"There is a risk that this is only the opening salvo of what will surely be massive pressure to implement a significant price rise for next season. Once they have got used to charging £132 for a parent and child to come to Old Trafford, will they really go back to the old pricing levels for next season?

"If the club has a need for short term capital they should issue new shares, as they did when INEOS first arrived, and bring in funding from existing or new shareholders."

United and Everton fans will display a banner protesting ticket increases before the sides face each other on Sunday, in action organised through the Football Supporters' Association's Stop Exploiting Loyalty campaign.

"The club needs to ensure it remains financially sustainable," Manchester United told Sky News in a statement.

"It was a difficult decision following recent changes at the club but ultimately the increased revenue will also support investment in the team and contribute to football success."

Landlords could be banned from asking renters for more than one month's rent in advance.

Housing minister Matthew Pennycook told parliament that "demands for extortionate rent in advance place a considerable financial strain on tenants".

He said the government was "very clear that the practice of landlords demanding large amounts of rent in advance must be prohibited".

The policy could form part of Labour's Renters' Rights Bill, Mr Pennycook said.

A recent poll by community union ACORN found that just over half of people who moved to a private rented home in the last three years were asked for more than a month's rent in advance, while around 23% were asked for more than six months' up front.

With banks starting to cut savings rates after the Bank of England lowered the base rate earlier this month,Savings Championco-founder Anna Bowes tells us how we could be making the most of our money with regular saver accounts...

For many people, getting into the savings habit is the trickiest part of saving, she writes.

After all, there are often many other things that might seem more important. But the sooner you start, the easier it is to build up a significant nest egg for your future.

If you deposit the amount you can afford the day after you are paid, it becomes like another bill – but one that you can benefit from in the future.

If you were to save £100 a month, and earned 7% AER, after a year you would have £1,245.50. But after 10 years you could have over £17,200!

Regular savings accounts pay some of the top rates available, but you are normally restricted by the amount you can deposit, and you may not be able to dip into the cash very often, if at all over a given term.

There are usually several terms and conditions to keep an eye on to make sure you earn the interest you are expecting, and some of the top accounts are only accessible if you hold a current account with the provider. But normally you won't need to transfer your primary current account.

The top regular saver rates on offer have been largely unaffected by the last couple of base rate cuts. Principality is still offering its 6 Month Regular Saver, paying 8% AER, but it has also launched a 12-month so-called Christmas 2025 Regular Saver paying 7% AER on deposits of up to £125 a month.

The requirement for a current account is pretty common for the top regular savings accounts, but not all accounts have this requirement – and the Principality six-month and 12-month accounts fit into this category. Anyone can open them, as long as you are over 16 and a UK citizen.

Bottom line is that it's important to check the terms and conditions to make sure you'll earn what you are expecting.

And opening a new current account just to have access to the regular saver might not be the best idea. Don't let the savings account tail wag the current account dog!

By James Sillars, business and economics reporter

The fact that Americans all have the day off to tuck into turkey and count their blessings means there's not a great deal of global activity, but Europe (and France in particular) still has much to fret over.

The CAC 40 in France has been led lower in recent days due to an assault on its banking stocks.

Investors globally have taken fright at the prospect of a vote of no confidence in the country's shaky new government over budget proposals that aim to slash spending and boost taxes.

The cost of borrowing for the French government hit its highest level since the eurozone debt crisis of 2012 on Wednesday.

The CAC was 0.2% up in early dealing. It is 5% down over the year to date. The struggling FTSE 100 is up by over 7% in comparison.

The FTSE was also 0.2% up at the open.

Insurer Direct Line was the stand-out performer more widely.

Its shares leapt by 36% after the company rejected a takeover proposal, on value grounds, by larger rival Aviva shortly after the market close on Wednesday.

Another stock getting a leg-up was Dr Martens.

The iconic British maker of boots saw its shares rise more than 12% despite reporting a deeper financial loss for the first half of its trading year.

That was likely down to guidance in its report that trading had picked up ahead of the crucial Christmas season and it had made solid progress in cutting costs.

The amount of money people can stake on online slot machines will be restricted for the first time, the government has announced.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) says a £5 per spin limit will apply to all adults aged 25 and over, with a £2 per spin limit for those aged 18-24.

It's part of a wider government overhaul to tackle gambling addiction.

A new legally mandated levy is also being introduced that will be used for "supporting research, raising awareness and reducing the stigma around gambling-related harm", according to gambling minister Baroness Twyross.

What is the new mandated levy?

Currently, gambling firms can decide how much they contribute to gambling harm services.

While most companies commit significant sums, the government says some have paid as little as £1 a year, entitling them to appear on a list of donors.

The new mandatory levy will be set at a range between 0.1% and 1.1% of a firm's gross gambling yield.

Half of the money raised will go on NHS care, 30% will be spent on public health campaigns and other prevention measures, and the remaining 20% will go to research.

It is due to take effect next year, with firms given a grace period to implement the new stake cap.

EasyJet boss Johan Lundgren has hit out at what he calls "illegal" fines imposed on the airline and other carriers over extra charges for hand luggage and seat reservations.

Spain has fined five airlines - easyJet, Ryanair, Vueling, Volotea and Norwegian - a total of €179m (£149m) for "abusive practices" that target customers.

The consumer rights ministry said such practices include charging passengers for carrying hand luggage on the plane, making seat reservations, and other hidden fees.

EasyJet was handed a penalty of €29m (£24.2m).

Mr Lundgren told Sky News' Business Live programme that the decision was "illegal" in relation to European consumer law and "anti-consumer" - and confirmed the company would appeal.

"We completely disagree with this decision," he said, adding: "We don't expect this to go anywhere."

He said one third of easyJet customers don't choose to pay for extra add-ons.

"So why should they then take on the burden and the cost [of services] that other people want?" he said.