Cash professional Martin Lewis has met with Conservative Celebration chief Kemi Badenoch to speak about pupil mortgage reimbursement.
The assembly follows an incident earlier this which Ms Badenoch was ambushed live on air by Lewis throughout an interview about private finance coverage.
“If you want to help the middle-earning students, the most important thing is the repayment threshold should have been increased,” he said.
“Lowering the interest rate now will only help those who can clear [the debt] within the 30 years, which means lower and middle earning graduates won’t benefit from that change. If you have £1bn to help students, the most direct thing that would help all students would be not freezing the repayment threshold.”
His remark comes amidst increasing debate round plans for a 3 yr freeze of the brink wage at which a graduate begins repaying their pupil mortgage.
Right here’s all the things you should know in regards to the cash professional, from his web value, to which TV exhibits he’s appeared on, and whether or not he’s married and has youngsters.
Shopper champion Martin Lewis questioned the Chancellor (Kirsty O’Connor/PA)
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Martin Lewis is a 53-year-old finance journalist, who was born in Witherington, Manchester, on Might 9, 1972.
After faculty, he studied Authorities and Regulation on the London College of Economics, earlier than branching out into broadcast journalism on the Univeristy of Cardiff.
After graduating, he landed a job as a producer for BBC Radio in addition to 5 Dwell.
The journalist was appointed an OBE (Order of the British Empire) within the 2014 honours checklist, for his providers to shopper rights in addition to charitable providers.
He was additionally made a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) within the 2022 Honours Checklist for providers to shopper rights and broadcasting.
Martin tragically misplaced his mom to a automotive accident when he was younger, and in later life made the transfer to develop into a patron of the kid’s bereavment charity, Grief Encounter.
Martin Lewis’ actual web value is unknown, however, in line with the Sunday Instances Wealthy Checklist, he’s definitely put his cash coaching to good use, with a projected worth of £123million.
Martin established Moneysavingexpert.com for simply £80 in 2003, and, since then, has offered it for £87 million in 2012.
What TV exhibits has Martin been on?
Martin has been on various TV exhibits all through his profession, and since 2012 he’s co-presented The Martin Lewis Present on ITV alongside Angelica Bell.
In 2020, he revealed that he was quitting Good Morning Britain after 17 years as a result of he “can’t cope” together with his busy workload.
The professional has additionally repeatedly appeared on exhibits corresponding to It Pays To Watch!, Tonight, Watchdog, and Lorraine.
Is Martin married and does he have youngsters?
Martin married Lara Lewington in 2009, who’s a presenter, journalist and former climate woman.
Martin Lewis and Lara Lewington
PA
She’s additionally labored as a reporter on BBC’s Click on which covers shopper know-how information, since 2011. The couple welcomed their first little one Sapphire Susan in 2012.
What’s Lewis’ Price of Residing disaster recommendation?
Martin has a complete vary of various items of recommendation for these battling the present price of dwelling disaster.
Listed below are various straightforward issues to strive.
- Examine your telephone contract
Cash Saving Skilled recommends utilizing worth comparability instruments to evaluate whether or not you may get monetary savings in your telephone contract, roughly £200 a yr.
- Examine your broadband deal
You might also have the ability to get monetary savings in your broadband deal, so it’s value procuring round to verify that you just’re paying the minimal worth for what you want.
Some corporations present social broadband tariffs for as little as £16 a month for these on decrease incomes.
- Management your direct debits
‘Recurring funds are little recognized, and hidden,’ it reads on Cash Saving Skilled. ‘That is the place you give companies permission to take a “fee” every month out of your debit or bank card.’
- Promote what you don’t want
MSE recommends promoting one thing should you haven’t used it for a yr. Something from outdated smartphones and gadgets, to garments, books and furnishings will be offered on-line lately. Strive web sites like eBay, Fb Market, Vinted, Gumtree and Shpock.
- Get a NHS prescription certificates
Should you use multiple NHS prescription a month, it’s worthwhile investing in a certificates, which is a one-off payment that covers all prescriptions for a interval of 1 month to a yr.
- Use the climate to your benefit
If the climate is sweet, dry laundry outdoors, as a substitute of utilizing a tumble dryer. This might see you save roughly £28 a yr.
- Squeeze all you possibly can out of what you might have
In very powerful instances, it could be mandatory to chop corners wherever you possibly can, whether or not that’s squeezing the final quantity of toothpaste from a tube, or chopping dishwasher tablets in half – each little helps!
- Hold an eye fixed out for worth reductions
Get to know your native grocery store and once they’re most definitely to place the little yellow stickers on content material symbolising a sale. Make sure that to buy at these instances.
After the scrapping of the tampon tax, there are different methods to scale back the month-to-month prices, together with reusable sanitary merchandise.
- Get meals, drink and extra totally free
As a substitute of throwing meals away when there’s nothing improper with it, share it among the many group utilizing Olio. Large retailers like Tesco, Pret and Planet Natural have teamed up with the app to offer away their surplus meals too.
- Swap your debt to a zero-interest bank card
Martin mentioned: “Paying bank card curiosity? STOP. A stability switch bank card can prevent £1,000s by slashing the curiosity you pay.”
He added: “With a 0% stability switch you get a brand new card to repay debt on outdated credit score and retailer playing cards, so that you owe it as a substitute, however at 0% curiosity. A card can have a 0% interval, throughout which you pay no curiosity – for instance, 28 months – and generally you will pay a small payment. It means you develop into debt-free faster, as extra of your repayments cut back the debt, relatively than pay curiosity.”
Over 1 / 4 of individuals (27 per cent) have had a fee taken from an account that they thought that they had cancelled, current knowledge from Evaluate the Market had revealed.
It’s value reviewing the direct debit and standing orders out of your checking account, ensuring to contact the corporate charging you if you wish to cancel it.
Some corporations will refund clients who’ve mistakenly saved paying regardless of not utilizing the subscription.
- Contemplate a fixed-tariff vitality deal
Households might need to take into account a fixed-tariff vitality deal, which can be as a lot as 14 per cent decrease than the value cap charge.
- Problem your council tax
Over 43,000 folks challenged their council tax band in 2024, and near 1,000 had been capable of decrease their band by two locations or extra, in line with The Impartial.
Evaluation signifies that roughly 400,000 households are within the improper band, which suggests they’re paying an excessive amount of council tax. A problem might end in a backdated refund.
- Overview your Tesco ClubCard
Check out your Tesco Clubcard vouchers as a result of £11 million value are as a result of expire on February 28 by midnight.
The Cash Saving Skilled (MSE) web site says: “Should you’re uncertain when yours expire and you have nonetheless received them in paper format, verify the date on the voucher itself. Should you’ve misplaced your paper vouchers, or are uncertain should you had any within the first place, you possibly can verify on the Tesco Clubcard web site or app.”
