Here are 5 important things happening in the UK today, Monday (24 November 2025):
- State pension to rise by as much as £550 a year from April: Pensioners will see their state pensions rise by as much as £550 next year under the triple lock pledge, the Government has said. Some 13 million pensioners will get above-inflation increases to their retirement pot from April, as Rachel Reeves prepares to mount another major tax raid at her second Budget on Wednesday. [Telegraph]
- Reeves to launch crackdown on benefit fraud alongside lifting two-child limit: Rachel Reeves will launch a fresh crackdown on benefit fraud at the same time as lifting the two-child limit for universal credit at a cost of £3 billion, as ministers seek to head off criticism over rising welfare spending in the budget. The Chancellor has made the decision to scrap the two-child limit in full, a move that will be welcomed by Labour MPs who have long highlighted its effect on increasing child poverty. [Guardian]
- Concern over the new workers’ rights bill: Rain Newton-Smith will issue the warning two days before the budget at the business lobby group’s annual gathering, where Peter Kyle, the business secretary, and Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative party leader, will also speak. The CBI boss will say that the government has not yet listened to the concerns of companies over its Employment Rights Bill, which will give workers stronger rights over unfair dismissal and bring guaranteed working hours. [The Times]
- Rail fares to be frozen in England next year: Rail fares in England are to be frozen next year for the first time in 30 years, the government has announced. The freeze until March 2027 will apply to regulated fares, which includes season tickets and off-peak returns. The most recent fare rise, in March 2025, was 4.6%. Rail fares traditionally have gone up in January, based on the July rate of the retail price index (RPI) + 1% – although this formula has not always been followed. [BBC]
- On Monday, Oil was trading flat at $61.58. The pound is trading at $1.31, €1.14, and ¥9.31.
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