good morning. it is a fairly cloudy start for money. some drizzle in the west, some heavier rain in scotland. that will push north eastwards through the day, with brighter skies in central and eastern areas. details later in the programme. good morning. it s thursday, 2nd february. british gas is facing an investigation after using debt collectors to break into the homes of vulnerable people and forcibly fit pre payment energy meters. the tactic which results in someone s heating being cut off if they don t have the cash to top up their meter is only supposed to be used in homes where there are no young children, pensioners or other vulnerable people. but an undercover reporter from the times newspaper found the meters were being fitted in homes which should be protected. aru na iyengar reports. hello? british gas, your gas supplier. we re here with a court warrant. can you please open the door? otherwise we will have to open it for you. this is the exciting bit. i love t
british gas suspends its force fitting of prepament meters following a report that it was imposing them on vulnerable customers. its chief executive, chris 0 shea has apologised. there chris 0 shea has apologised. is nothing that i can 5 can there is nothing that i can say that can express the horror i had when i heard this, when i saw this. it is completely unacceptable, that language is completely unacceptable. the largest ever outbreak of bird flu is now infecting mammals in the uk. hello and welcome if you re watching in the uk or around the world. europe s biggest energy firm, shell, has reported record annual profits of nearly $40 billion in 2022, more than double what it made in the previous year. the profits are the biggest in the firm s history boosted by higher energy prices since the start of the ukraine war. shell has already said it will pay tax in the uk for the first time since 2017 as a result of the government s windfall tax. let s take a closer look at t
good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. the bank of england has raised interest rates from 3.5 to li% their highest level since 2008. the increase will leave millions of households facing higher mortgages at a time when many people are already struggling with energy and food bills. it will also have an impact on repayment charges on bank loans and credit cards but it is better news for savers, who should get a higher return. the bank of england says the increase will help to curb rising prices. our economics correspondent andy verity reports. in leeds like every where else, the cost of keeping up a mortgage isjumping, because of interest rates. stu is used to saving after spending much of his life on a minimum wage. he got a better paying job as a librarian, but like many, his wages have stagnated. when his mortgage expired his payments went from £90 a month to £360. i thought the days of checking the bank balance were gone. but they re back with a vengeance now. it is
In whats being seen as a key test of the partys ability to regain seats in scotland. With a larger than expected swing of 20. 4 , labours Michael Shanks secured just under 18,000 votes, more than double the total for the snps katy loudon, who came second. The by election was triggered by the removal of the snps margaret ferrier, after she broke covid lockdown rules. 0ur scotland correspondent lorna gordon was at the count. Welcome to scotlands newest mp, Michael Shanks fix, welcome to scotlands newest mp, Michael Shanks Michael Shanks a striking victory in what was Michael Shanks a striking victory in what was a Michael Shanks a striking victory in what was a marginal Michael Shanks a striking victory in what was a marginal seat, Michael Shanks a striking victory in what was a marginal seat, with the victorious labour candidate notching up a majority of more than 9000 votes, his party describing it as a seismic and historic win. The . A as a seismic and historic win. They said that we
And well speak to a woman who says she was sexually harassed by the former fox news star bill oreilly. Hello. Welcome to cornwall. We are pretty much in the middle of the county, and we are just off the much in the middle of the county, and we arejust off the high and we are just off the high street, in the main square, a small, pretty square. We are talking to all sorts of people here ahead of the General Election. We are asking about the things they care about with 30 days to go. A lot of people say they dont have a great deal of time for politicians. They feel pretty forgotten, actually. Geographically, they are 300 miles away from westminster. We will hear from pledge of them this morning in detail. Wherever you are, get in touch. What issues do you care most about ahead of this General Election . We will hear from about ahead of this General Election . We will hearfrom more about ahead of this General Election . We will hear from more of you after the news. Our top story today, th