Money blog: Readers flood inbox after chef berates diners who order tap water - here's the best of your comments (2025)

ByJimmy Rice, Money blog editor

The way Britons work was one of the dominant themes of the week here in Money.

Office for National Statistics research showed workers with degree-level education were 10 times more likely to have a hybrid working arrangement than those without qualifications.

One reason is that those with lower qualification levels are more likely to work in sectors such as hospitality and retail, which require more in-person work.

The ONS also found that those aged over 30, parents and managers were among the most likely to also work from home.

We learned that Nigel Farage is not a fan of hybrid working - but the benefits, the ONS said, include an average of 24 more minutes of sleep or rest, plus 56 minutes saved on commuting.

The findings were revealed days after the government dropped objections to South Cambridgeshire district council running on a four-day week, and TfL began up similar plans for its employees...

Before anyone had much of a chance to get their hopes up, the government clarified that encouraging a four-day week was not its policy...

We polled our followers on LinkedIn on whether businesses could run as effectively with a four-day week...

Bitcoin has spiked into record territory since the US election result, exceeding $80,000 and then $90,000 for the first time.

Investors appear to be eagerly anticipating Donald Trump's return to the White House in January.

Trump used to be a crypto sceptic but has flipped, and is tipped to unwind regulation imposed during the Biden administration, declaring during the election campaign that crypto could "define the future".

This is how Bitcoin's value looks as of this afternoon...

The chancellor indicated in a major speech last night that she wanted to tilt financial regulation in favour of growth rather than risk aversion.

In doing so, she would be going against the grain of the post-financial crash environment, though by her side would be a significant ally, wrotebusiness and economics correspondent Paul Kelsoin this analysis piece...

On Tuesday we learned that Virgin Media would be implementing the "steepest broadband price rises of all providers", equivalent to £3.50 a month, from next April.

O2 mobile phone customers will also see their airtime plans increase by £1.80 a month.

Virgin Media O2 justified the hikes, saying they amounted to 12p and 6p a day, and referencing growing demand for data, but USwitch has said the move is "hard to justify".

Here in Money we published a long read on the dearth of top female chefs...

...our latest Money Problem...

...how to earn money spotting abandoned houses...

...and a piece about the winter fuel payment remaining static for more than two decades...

We'll be back with live updates on Monday morning - and don't forget our Saturday long read, this week on whether rent controls will work in the UK, which will be published from 8am tomorrow.

Labour has come into power and the economy is shrinking.

It is not the news the chancellor was expecting, and it underscores the challenges she faces in delivering the government's promise to turbocharge growth.

The economy contracted by 0.1% in September and eked out growth of just 0.1% in the first three months of the new Labour government.

There is an alternative version of this. A new government has come into powerwith a big growth agenda. That should have generated optimism among businesses and consumers.

August's interest rate cut should have delivered another boost. Instead, confidence appears to be slumping.

Business groups say that uncertainty about tax rises may have "played a part" in the damp performance.

The chancellor says she is "not satisfied" by the latest results but is, once again, asking us to be patient with her. Hers is a long-term plan to fix the economy.

She is trying to heal chronic problems through reform and investment that might take time to pay dividends.

Today, she was trying to move the conversation away from tax hikes to reform and investment. In recent days, we've heard about big reforms to the pensions industry, and we are expecting more on planning.

Yesterday, in her Mansion House speech, the chancellor also hinted that she was eying up a closer relationship with Europe, saying that Brexit had thrown up "structural challenges".

If you're one of the millions of boxing fans expected to tune in to watch Jake Paul v Mike Tyson tonight, you'll need to take care to avoid catching a blow of your own.

The highly anticipated fight between "Iron Mike" and "The Problem Child" isn't being streamed on pay-per-view via Sky Sports or TNT as most fights with a global audience are.

Instead, the bout, which is taking place in at the AT&T Stadium in Texas, is being streamed live on Netflix for all new and existing subscribers.

Those intending to stay up for the fight - ring walks are expected at around 4am UK time - have been reminded that they need a valid TV licence, irrespective of whether fans have subscribed to Netflix.

You don't need to pay for one if you only watch Netflix's catalogue of films and television shows, but the rules state that you do need one if you watch live television, or live content as it is streamed.

The BBC says: "A TV licence is needed to watch live content on streaming services, watch or record a TV programme on any channel and when using BBC iPlayer.

"Further information is available on the TV licensing website or via the customer services team, who can help with any queries."

Those who don't pay for a TV licence but watch live television can be taken to court, where they can face fines of £1,000 - so it's worth checking to see if you have one before tuning into tonight's fight.

The latest figures from the government show that, in 2022, there were44,245 prosecutions and 40,654 convictions for TV licence evasion.

Typhoo Tea is preparing to enter administration after 120 years in business, amid declining sales and mounting debts.

The tea company, one of Britain's oldest, has filed a court notice to explore potential solutions, with plans to appoint EY as administrators.

The company's latest figures showed that losses had escalated from £9.6m to £38m in the year ending September 2023. During the same period, sales dropped from £33.7m to £25.3m.

Typhoo's struggles mirror changing consumer preferences in the UK. Industry analyst Mintel projects an 8% decline in tea consumption between 2023 and 2028, as British consumers increasingly favour coffee, energy drinks, and trending beverages like bubble tea...

Earlier this week, a chef caused outrage online after he hit out at customers who split courses and ask for tap water with their meals.

Hugh Corcoran, who runs the Yellow Bittern on London's Caledonian Road, described customers who share meals as "window diners" and told them to "order correctly".

He sought to justify his comments by noting the effort and money that went into serving a table.

Dozens of our readers got in touch to share their thoughts on the story, with some not entirely against him...

I agree with the chef. There should be a minimum set in all restaurants and cafes. People feel it's their right to sit at a table which is the livelihood of the owner for hours, spending as little as possible. The table is there to earn money. If you can't afford it, don't go.

Barnesy1

Mr Corcoran is absolutely correct. Restaurants live or die on regular dining habits. If you reduce the consumption aspect, then they cannot survive. It's not rocket science.

RGraham

Mr Corcoran is right. Rather like expensive shoes, if you can't afford them, stay at home. Luxury items are for those who can afford them. I can't afford everything I want, so I accept and move on. Exclusivity costs, a proprietor has the right to speak out.

Chellie

I think the chef is right. Fourpeople, four meals and drinks. If you want to share, go to McDonald's.

KeithMac

Some readers came up with a possible solution...

There are many reasons why people choose to eat out, and many with tight budgets. He should put a sign up that states minimum expected spend per customer. People are then free to choose whether to comply or not!

Paul B

Easy to solve Hugh, have a minimum spend of say £50 a head regardless of what is ordered and make sure the customer is aware when a table is booked. Good luck with that!

Nick

Others were not impressed...

Only open lunchtimes! Expects people to spend more than £25 a head! One restaurant I won't be going to. What a disgraceful attitude. He should be pleased people even come in his door. As a long time resident in Spain, I have been appalled at the cost of food in the UK.

Tony

My partner, Amy, and myself split courses in a restaurant after my gastric sleeve surgery. I physically cannot eat a full portion any more, and sharing a main course allows us to still enjoy eating out.

Tprevans1401

Who does he think he is? Many people prefer water with meals and resent paying for bottles of it when it's free from the tap. French restaurants always provide water to tables, as well as bread. If people are sharing meals, maybe the portions are too large.

Baz Racon

Split courses - we are retired. We go to McDonald's and split a burger between us so that we can get out and not put the heating on. Most fancy restaurants are poor value for money, with arty food and portions that mean you have to buy a bag of chips on the way home!

Steve Coach

Why shouldn't you have tap water ? If that's what the customer wants. As for sharing meals, it depends on what and where it was. I wouldn't expect customers to share a meal in a high-end restaurant but for a toastie or a scone or something like that why shouldn't they share?

Belle

I was charged £8 for sparkling water last night!

Incredulous

Dear Sir
While understanding what you are saying, there is no need to be so rude and insult those who have less money than you. They probably wouldn't want to eat in your restaurant anyway to be looked down upon by a twopence halfpenny snob like yourself.

InkyPinky

By Tom Cheshire, data and forensics correspondent

"If you are a member of something, it means you've accepted membership. Anything with 'ship' on the end, it's giving you a clue: it's telling you that's maritime law. That means you've entered into a contract."

This isn't your standard legal argument and it is becoming clear that I am dealing with an unusual way of looking at the world.

I'm in the library of a hotel inLeicestershire, a wood-panelled room with warm lighting, and Pete Stone, better known as Sovereign Pete, is explaining how "the system" works.

Mr Stone is in his mid-50, bald with a goatee beard and wearing, as he always does for public appearances, a black T-shirt and black jeans.

With us are six other people, mainly dressed in neat jumpers. They're members of the Sovereign Project, an organisation Mr Stone founded in 2020, which, he says, now has more than 20,000 paying members.

As arcane as this may sound, it represents a worldview that is becoming more influential - and causing problems for authorities. Loosely, they're defined as "sovereign citizens" or "freemen on the land".

Their fundamental point is that nobody is required to obey laws they have not specifically consented to - especially when it comes to tax. They have hundreds of thousands of followers in the UK across platforms including YouTube, Facebook and Telegram.

Increasingly, they are coming into conflict with governments and the law. Sovereign citizens have ended up in the High Court in recent months, challenging the legalities of tax bills and losing on both occasions...

By Ed Clowes, business reporter

The FTSE 100 has fallen out of the gate this morning after worse-than-expected GDP data showed growth slowing in the UK. The index of Britain's biggest listed companies has since recovered and is now flat, as of 11am.

The FTSE 350, meanwhile, is up by 0.1%, as traders process news of a 0.1% decrease in GDP in September.

The pound is largely unchanged on the news, but has had most of its gains this year wiped out over the past week thanks to the election of Donald Trump, which has driven a spike in the dollar's value.

Sterling fell 0.1% against the US currency to $1.266 this morning, slipping below its starting level for the year.

The pound had previously climbed above $1.34 in September, buoyed by expectations that the Bank of England would reduce interest rates at a slower pace than its counterparts in the US and Europe.

However, Trump's victory has solidified a downward trend, initially sparked by concerns over inflationary pressures from tax increases in Rachel Reeves's budget.

Yesterday, the S&P 500 slipped 0.6% to close at 5,949.17, though it remains near its record high set earlier in the week on Monday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.5% to 43,750.86, while the Nasdaq Composite declined 0.6% to 19,107.65.

Back in Europe, shares in pharmaceutical giant GSK tumbled to a two-year low after Trump's appointment of vaccine sceptic Robert F Kennedy Jr as his health secretary.

The London-listed company dropped as much as 4%, reaching its lowest point since October 2022, after the president-elect declared that Kennedy would help "make America great and healthy again".

Kennedy, also known as RFK Jr, has previously expressed anti-vaccine views and claimed that fluoride lowers children's IQ.

The announcement triggered a broader sell-off in pharmaceutical stocks. AstraZeneca, the FTSE 100's most valuable member, fell by as much as 3%, while pharmaceutical companies across the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 dropped by up to 2.6%.

Paris-listed Sanofi, a producer of flu vaccines, slid 4.4% to hit a four-month low.

Overnight, Asian stocks were mostly higher as Japan's economy expanded faster than anticipated in the third quarter.

InTokyo, the Nikkei 225 rose 0.8% to 38,842.13, boosted by the yen’s continued decline against the US dollar after Trump's win, which supported exporters' sales. Nissan shares surged 4.5%.

Japan's economy grew by 0.9% in the three months to September, outperforming the 0.5% growth recorded in the previous quarter.

Anyone who has tried to get a mortgage while being self-employed probably won't look back fondly on the memory.

Way more paperwork, from tax returns to bank statements dating back several years, can be required.

And then there's the fact most accountants will have tried down the years to lower your tax liability, claiming expenses that lower your profit and adding lump sums to pension pots.

But that profit is exactly the thing mortgage providers will be looking at in determining how much they'll lend you.

"Many self-employed borrowers want to beat the tax man and the mortgage man at the same time but this is impossible," says broker Mike Staton.

Here's some advice from mortgage experts...

Cut out the creative accounting before applying

"Accountants often use creative accounting to reduce tax liabilities, but this can lower your reported income, impacting mortgage affordability. Lower taxes mean lower income," says mortgage broker Harps Garcha.

How far back will you need documentation?

Non-PAYE applicants should plan ahead, as lenders often review income from the past one or two years, unlike PAYE, which focuses on the last three to six months.

David Stirling, a financial adviser at Mint Mortgages and Protection, says: "For a self-employed borrower we would advise trying to get a couple of strong years' accounts, preferably with little variation.

"A large increase or decrease in the most recent year will lead to extra questions from the lender to assess plausibility of the application, with an often unpredictable affordability calculation."

Be aware of what's being looked at

If your income is going down, lenders will focus on your most recent statements, says Adam Stiles, managing director at Helix Financial Partners.

"By income, we mean profit from self-employment if a sole trader, profit/drawings from partnership if in an LLP, or salary and dividends or salary and net profit if from a limited company and your shareholdings are 15%-25%+ (depends on the lender)," says Stiles.

Different lenders, different rules

HSBC, for instance, will use a director's share of profits, while other mainstream lenders will often use an average of two to three years' figures.

"These can result in massively different affordability calculations for borrowers," says Stirling.

You may have more luck with smaller lenders

"There is a whole market of smaller lenders who, like non-PAYE workers, are not afraid to innovate and who understand the complexities and challenges of not having a standard payslip every month," Peter Dockar, chief commercial officer at Gen H, says.

He recommends keeping things that are in your control, like credit history, as clean as possible.

You're going to have to put in the time

There will be a mountain of paperwork.

"Any issues with any of this usually gets a decline from lenders," says Rohit Kohli, director at The Mortgage Shop.

"Speak to a broker with plenty of time ahead when applying for a mortgage and get organised."

A positive development

Jack Tutton, director at SJ Mortgages, says there has been some improvement in recent years in the prospects for self-employed people.

Some lenders now ask accountants for a reference to verify someone's accounts.

"From my experience this has made the process in some scenarios much simpler with a higher success rate," says Tutton.

Beware brokers who say they're experts in self-employed mortgages

Broker Mike Staton says: "Many brokers try to make out that self-employed is a difficult mortgage, they then claim to be specialists, then charge a premium to do an application for the clients."

The interviews above were carried out by industry news agency Newspage and provided to the Money blog

UK growth in the third quarter of 2024 was dragged down by a sluggish services sector, which makes up the majority of the economy, data shows.

It expanded by only 0.1% from July-September, cancelling out the 0.8% growth in the construction sector during the same period.

The fall in monthly GDP for September by 0.1% was largely due to declines in manufacturing output and information and communication services, the Office for National Statistics says.

While the services sector stagnated in September, production output fell by 0.5% in the month, while construction output grew by 0.1%.

Labour must bring certainty back into the economy to get people to start spending again, the head of an investment management firm says.

"I don't think we should be surprised," Anthony Dalwood, chief executive of Gresham House, told Sky News after figures showed economic growth slowed to 0.1% in the first three months of the new government - lower than economists' predictions.

"There's been a lot of uncertainty before the election, since the election. And so consumers and others might be holding back on spending. So I'm not surprised at that at all, to be honest.

"And the good thing is the rhetoric from the government is one of long termism. And long termism is where one can outperform and can start getting the foundations as they talk about for growth.

"So hopefully, this is just an aberration. But that uncertainty is a point that the government should pick up on. They need to start getting certainty back into the economy, because then people will spend."