Cash skilled Martin Lewis has met with Conservative Get together chief Kemi Badenoch to speak about scholar mortgage compensation.
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 scholar mortgage.
Right here’s every part it’s essential to know concerning the cash skilled, from his web price, to which TV reveals he’s appeared on, and whether or not he’s married and has youngsters.
Client champion Martin Lewis questioned the Chancellor (Kirsty O’Connor/PA)
PA Archive
Martin Lewis is a 53-year-old finance journalist, who was born in Witherington, Manchester, on Could 9, 1972.
After college, he studied Authorities and Regulation on the London Faculty 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 Stay.
The journalist was appointed an OBE (Order of the British Empire) within the 2014 honours listing, 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 Checklist for companies to client rights and broadcasting.
Martin tragically misplaced his mom to a automotive accident when he was younger, and in later life made the transfer to turn out to be a patron of the kid’s bereavment charity, Grief Encounter.
Martin Lewis’ actual web price is unknown, however, in response to the Sunday Occasions 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 bought 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 woman.
Martin Lewis and Lara Lewington
PA
She’s additionally labored as a reporter on BBC’s Click on which covers client expertise information, since 2011. The couple welcomed their first youngster Sapphire Susan in 2012.
What’s Lewis’ Value of Dwelling disaster recommendation?
Martin has a complete vary of various items of recommendation for these scuffling with the present price of residing disaster.
Listed below are various simple issues to strive.
- Test your telephone contract
Cash Saving Skilled recommends utilizing worth comparability instruments to evaluate whether or not you possibly can lower your expenses in your telephone contract, roughly £200 a yr.
- Test your broadband deal
You might also be capable of lower your expenses in your broadband deal, so it’s price purchasing round to verify that you just’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 corporations 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 in the event you haven’t used it for a yr. Something from previous smartphones and units, to garments, books and furnishings will be bought on-line lately. Attempt web sites like eBay, Fb Market, Vinted, Gumtree and Shpock.
- Get a NHS prescription certificates
When you use multiple NHS prescription a month, it’s worthwhile investing in a certificates, which is a one-off price that covers all prescriptions for a interval of 1 month to a yr.
- Use the climate to your benefit
If the climate is nice, 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 may have
In very robust occasions, it could be needed to chop corners wherever you’ll be able to, whether or not that’s squeezing the final quantity of toothpaste from a tube, or slicing dishwasher tablets in half – each little helps!
- Preserve an eye fixed out for worth reductions
Get to know your native grocery store and after they’re most certainly to place the little yellow stickers on content material symbolising a sale. Ensure to buy at these occasions.
After the scrapping of the tampon tax, there are different methods to cut back the month-to-month prices, together with reusable sanitary merchandise.
- Get meals, drink and extra without spending a dime
As an alternative of throwing meals away when there’s nothing incorrect with it, share it among the many group utilizing Olio. Massive 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 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 previous credit score and retailer playing cards, so that you owe it as a substitute, however at 0% curiosity. A card may have a 0% interval, throughout which you pay no curiosity – for instance, 28 months – and generally you may pay a small price. It means you turn out to be debt-free faster, as extra of your repayments scale 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 they’d cancelled, current information from Evaluate the Market had revealed.
It’s price 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 clients who’ve mistakenly saved paying regardless of not utilizing the subscription.
- Take into account a fixed-tariff power deal
Households might need to take into account a fixed-tariff power 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 capable of decrease their band by two locations or extra, in response to The Unbiased.
Evaluation signifies that roughly 400,000 households are within the incorrect band, which suggests they’re paying an excessive amount of council tax. A problem might lead to a backdated refund.
- Overview your Tesco ClubCard
Check out your Tesco Clubcard vouchers as a result of £11 million price are resulting from expire on February 28 by midnight.
The Cash Saving Skilled (MSE) web site says: “When you’re uncertain when yours expire and you’ve got nonetheless bought them in paper format, verify the date on the voucher itself. When you’ve misplaced your paper vouchers, or are uncertain in the event you had any within the first place, you’ll be able to verify on the Tesco Clubcard website or app.”
