5 important things happening in the UK today

Here are 5 important things happening in the UK today, Friday (21 November 2025):

Energy price cap to edge up as temperatures plunge: Millions of households will see a slight rise in gas and electricity prices at the height of winter, after regulator Ofgem outlined its next price cap. The 0.2% increase from the current cap will take effect at the start of January and affect those on variable tariffs in England, Wales, and Scotland. However, prices will be slightly lower than the same period of the previous year. [BBC]

Damning report condemns UK’s Covid response: The UK’s response to Covid was “too little, too late”, a damning official report on the handling of the pandemic has concluded, saying the introduction of a lockdown even a week earlier than happened could have saved more than 20,000 lives. The document also has stinging criticism of a “toxic and chaotic” culture inside Boris Johnson’s Downing Street – which it said the then prime minister actively embraced. [Guardian]

Reeves to defy Uber with ‘taxi tax’ on private hire cabs: Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to push ahead with plans to impose VAT on Uber and other private hire taxi services in her budget despite warnings that it could increase fares for poorer workers who rely on them for late and early shifts. At present VAT is charged on the profit margin made by taxi companies rather than on the fare itself, except in London. [The Times]

Borrowing data will be a headache for Reeves: Britain’s borrowing in the first seven months of the financial year was the highest on record except during the COVID pandemic, according to data published ahead of finance minister Rachel Reeves budget next week which is expected to raise taxes. Government borrowing between April and October totalled 116.8 billion pounds ($152.90 billion), about 10 billion pounds more than forecast by Britain’s budget watchdog earlier this year. [Reuters]