On April 30, 2024, the UK Day will focus on the following:
● Relations between Britain and Ireland have deteriorated, with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak refusing to accept illegal refugees from Ireland
● The UK's three largest banks announced an increase in mortgage rates
● Condominium service fees in the UK have soared, and the pressure on landlords has doubled
● London's public transport system faces a new round of strikes in May
Relations between Britain and Ireland have deteriorated, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has refused to accept illegal refugees from Ireland
The Irish government recently said that there have been more and more illegal immigrants entering the country from Northern Ireland recently, and these migrants have come to Ireland because they are worried that they will be sent by the United Kingdom to the East African country of Rwanda.
Last week, the Irish government announced it would introduce emergency legislation to allow it to return illegal refugees to the UK. Relations between the two countries deteriorated after Britain said no.
On April 29, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak once again made it clear that the UK would not accept illegal refugees from Ireland.
Sunak said: "Of course we won't do that... Since France, as an EU country, does not accept our deportation of illegal boat people to the country, we will not accept the repatriation of Ireland, which is also an EU country. ”
Downing Street also said that even if Ireland passed new legislation, it would be "up to the British government to decide who to accept and who not to admit into the UK".
The UK's three largest banks have announced an increase in mortgage rates
On April 29, the UK's three major lenders, Nationwide, Santander and NatWest, announced that they would raise interest rates on fixed-term mortgages from April 30. Last week, HSBC, Barclays and Leeds Construction Society followed the same steps.
BBC news pointed out that about 1.6 million homeowners in the UK will have fixed loans due this year, so they will face higher repayments.
The Bank of England (BoE) will make its latest decision on its benchmark interest rate on May 9, and the banks have raised mortgage rates again as market expectations for the size and pace of the central bank's rate cuts have decreased.
According to Moneyfacts, the average interest rate for a two-year fixed mortgage in the UK is currently 5.87 per cent, and the average interest rate for a five-year fixed mortgage is 5.44 per cent.
Condominium service fees in the UK have soared, and the pressure on landlords has doubled
The latest statistics show that the amount of service fees paid by apartment owners in England and Wales has soared significantly in recent years.
The average service fee for an apartment in the UK is currently £2,247 per year, which is 31% higher than at the start of 2019. The average annual service fee for a two-bedroom apartment is £1,940, a two-bedroom is £2,311 and a three-bedroom is £3,044.
At the end of March this year, only 19% of apartments in England and Wales had an annual service charge of less than £1,000, well below the 33% in 2016. In London, where prices and service charges are higher, only 14% of apartments have an annual service charge of less than £1,000.
At the current growth trend, apartments in the UK with an annual service fee of less than £1,000 will disappear completely within 10 years.
British media related sources explained that apartment service fees are usually used to maintain public halls, corridors, gardens, elevators, and pay for lobby staff. The amount of service fees paid by condominium owners is often proportional to the size of the apartment and the number of bedrooms.
London's public transport system faces a new round of strikes in May
British media reported on April 29 that the Unite union announced that its 40 London bus control room employees will go on strike from May 8 to 10 and May 13 to 17.
The bus routes affected by the strike are mainly located in South and South West London and include: 24, 27, 111, 156, 159, 267, 285, 322, 344, 345, 415, 490, 969, H20, H25, H26, R68 and R70.
Transport UK is only offering a 5% pay rise to its employees in 2023, which is effectively a level of pay cut, given the 13.4% inflation rate over the same period, according to the Unite union.