So whom is she bribing ?

Just had a good call with @LeicesterLiz about O2's price hike on a price hike, that makes a mockery of @Ofcom's rules. Its bad for consumers & now its broken the taboo if others follow suit could increase inflation! My 3 key suggestions were 1. Just scrap current rules and simply ban above inflation mid-contract price hikes. Banning inflation-linked hikes which is what Ofcom's done isn't the same (ie while you can't say we'll increase by inflation + 3%, but you can say we'll double your price!). O2s prices rises are 7% to 30% year on year, far more than they were for many under the old inflation linked hikes system. In the interim while that's looked at... 2. The current rule says if mobile, broadband & pay TV firms hike prices mid-contract by more than they said they would when people signed up, then customers have a right to leave penalty free. There are two problems with this... a. They ?deliberately? don't communicate it well so many miss it. They need to be made to put it in font 50 at the top of all communications. b. You have 30 days after notification to leave penalty free. Yet most people miss the notifications, it feels like junk. They only notice it when the price actually rises. So there should be two 30 days windows you can leave penalty free i) After notification ii) After the hike. 3. Firms should not be able to unilaterally decide to increase prices by more than they said at the start of the contract. If it is going to be allowed it should be only in emergencies (eg huge unexpected rise in underlying costs) and they should have to apply to Ofcom for permission to do it. -------------- I'm thankful to the Secretary of State for listening to me on this, and glad she was already up in arms about it too. She is going to investigate what can be done... PS If you're wondering why I say ban above inflation mid-contract price hikes, rather than ban all price hikes. Partly because I lobbied for changes for years on this, and there was huge reticence so I'm trying to come up with practical solutions that could be implemented. Plus as over two year contract costs can change, so if you ban any rises, then you risk firms over-inflating prices at contracts start as a provisional against possible cost increases over the contract period. So all in all no above inflation rises seems reasonable.

UK Energy profits, 2025 - £130bn a year, 1979 - £0 Water profits, 2025 - £6bn, 1979 - £0bn NHS profits, 2025 - £14bn, 1979 - £0bn Landlord profits, 2025 - £80bn, 1979 - £15bn All this money is stolen from you and from Public Services, this is why there is 'no money'.

Will Esther McVey, former minister for Common Sense be investigated? She claimed £1,625 per month in rent for a London flat despite husband former MP Sir Philip Davies owning a flat one mile away. That's £19,500 per year of taxpayers' money. #BBCBreakfast #r4today #GMB

Food is too expensive, controlled by billionaires. Energy is too expensive, controlled by billionaires. Housing is too expensive, controlled by billionaires. Wages are too low, controlled by billionaires. I'm going to blame... immigrants.

Fucking WILD how energy bills are soaring for the rest of us. BUT MPs can claim rent/mortgage, energy bills etc, AND work multiple freaking jobs. Then you have Farage… who’s earned over £1M while working 12 fucking extra jobs this YEAR ALONE. AND he still claims his energy bills, rent/mortgage etc. Fucking disgrace.

Welcome to Sainsbury’s Calcot. Men’s toilets. How many billions did Sainsbury’s make last year? @sainsburys do you think you could spend a couple of quid improving the facilities - instead of buying more self-service tills? Thank you. It’s grim and unnecessary- unacceptable

And leasehold??? Where are you on the abolition of that??? It was a manifesto promise!!

Tesco has upgraded its earnings outlook for the year, with expectations of full-year profits of between around £3 billion and yet the major supermarkets are threatening even higher food prices if higher taxes are imposed on the sector. Shameless greed at our expense.

'My autistic son deserved better from Waitrose' bbc.in/42PikCq

This is shocking. Culture in the #UKhousing sector hasn't changed. They do not take residents' safety seriously. @FloEshalomi @SamanthaDixonMP Please hold them to account.

“Labour is clear that the Government must act to protect leaseholders from ground rent exploitation and that they should be courageous,” said @mtpennycook. He called for ground rents to be cut to a peppercorn, the amount Prince Andrew enjoys. Now in power, we get silence!

This is absolutely appalling from you @waitrose Can anyone help this lovely young man find some work please?

The media need to mention this tomorrow… @JeremyVineOn5 @gmb @BBCBreakfast please give this story a mention tomorrow @mrjamesob

I urge everyone to share this post. Disgusting treatment by @waitrose My daughter Sadie Travis used to work with this young man, who is a lovely lad. He deserves better. Shame on Waitrose🤬

Four years 'work experience' @waitrose? Four?! It's an absolute disgrace. Exploitative. I won't beg you to employ him. This young man deserves better. I do, however, hope another employer sees his genuine potential as a valued employee.

Shared ownership is not a step on the ladder. Most people never staircase as it gets too expensive. The pre-sale RICS surveys are disconnected from actual market value... and not independent. Making shared owners responsible for a 'loss' on shares they don't own is shocking.

Dear Douglas Barrowman PPE Medpro. £122 million owed to the taxpayers. We want our money back. NOW. #BBCBreakfast cc: Michelle Mone

I am a shared owner. I bought what was marketed as an 'affordable' home using a government-backed scheme. That home, as thousands of other shared ownership homes, is no longer affordable. Homes were mis-sold. There's no such thing as a 'housing ladder' for shared owners, Steve.

Bette Midler is a LEGEND! 🤩