Cash skilled Martin Lewis has met with Conservative Occasion 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’ll want to know in regards to the cash skilled, from his web value, to which TV reveals he’s appeared on, and whether or not he’s married and has children.
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 Could 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 Reside.
The journalist was appointed an OBE (Order of the British Empire) within the 2014 honours record, for his companies to client rights in addition to charitable companies.
He was additionally made a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) within the 2022 Honours Record for companies to client rights and broadcasting.
Martin tragically misplaced his mom to a automobile accident when he was younger, and in later life made the transfer to change into a patron of the kid’s bereavment charity, Grief Encounter.
Martin Lewis’ actual web value is unknown, however, in accordance with the Sunday Instances Wealthy Record, he’s actually 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 reveals has Martin been on?
Martin has been on various TV reveals 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” along with his busy workload.
The skilled has additionally frequently appeared on reveals equivalent 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 lady.
Martin Lewis and Lara Lewington
PA
She’s additionally labored as a reporter on BBC’s Click on which covers client know-how information, since 2011. The couple welcomed their first baby Sapphire Susan in 2012.
What’s Lewis’ Value of Dwelling disaster recommendation?
Martin has an entire vary of various items of recommendation for these scuffling with the present value of residing disaster.
Listed here are various simple issues to strive.
- Test 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.
- Test your broadband deal
You might also have the ability to get monetary savings in your broadband deal, so it’s value procuring round to test that you simply’re paying the minimal worth for what you want.
Some firms present social broadband tariffs for as little as £16 a month for these on decrease incomes.
- Management your direct debits
‘Recurring funds are little identified, 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 for those who haven’t used it for a yr. Something from previous smartphones and units, to garments, books and furnishings will be offered on-line nowadays. Strive web sites like eBay, Fb Market, Vinted, Gumtree and Shpock.
- Get a NHS prescription certificates
When you use a couple of 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 exterior, as a substitute of utilizing a tumble dryer. This might see you save roughly £28 a yr.
- Squeeze all you’ll be able to out of what you’ve
In very powerful instances, it is perhaps essential to chop corners wherever you’ll be able to, whether or not that’s squeezing the final quantity of toothpaste from a tube, or reducing dishwasher tablets in half – each little helps!
- Maintain an eye fixed out for worth reductions
Get to know your native grocery store and after they’re most definitely to place the little yellow stickers on content material symbolising a sale. Make certain 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 without cost
As a substitute of throwing meals away when there’s nothing mistaken with it, share it among the many neighborhood utilizing Olio. Huge retailers like Tesco, Pret and Planet Natural have teamed up with the app to provide away their surplus meals too.
- Swap your debt to a zero-interest bank card
Martin stated: “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 previous credit score and retailer playing cards, so that you owe it as a substitute, however at 0% curiosity. A card could have a 0% interval, throughout which you pay no curiosity – for instance, 28 months – and typically you will pay a small payment. It means you change into debt-free faster, as extra of your repayments cut back the debt, moderately 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, latest knowledge from Examine 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 firms will refund prospects who’ve mistakenly stored paying regardless of not utilizing the subscription.
- Take into account a fixed-tariff vitality deal
Households might wish to contemplate a fixed-tariff vitality deal, which can be as a lot as 14 per cent decrease than the value cap price.
- Problem your council tax
Over 43,000 folks challenged their council tax band in 2024, and near 1,000 have been in a position to decrease their band by two locations or extra, in accordance with The Impartial.
Evaluation signifies that roughly 400,000 households are within the mistaken band, which implies they’re paying an excessive amount of council tax. A problem may end in a backdated refund.
- Assessment your Tesco ClubCard
Check out your Tesco Clubcard vouchers as a result of £11 million value are because of expire on February 28 by midnight.
The Cash Saving Skilled (MSE) web site says: “When you’re uncertain when yours expire and you have nonetheless bought them in paper format, test the date on the voucher itself. When you’ve misplaced your paper vouchers, or are uncertain for those who had any within the first place, you’ll be able to test on the Tesco Clubcard web site or app.”
