The pound surged yesterday, reaching its strongest level against the euro in four weeks. This morning it is still strong against both the euro and the dollar.
This strength came from news that the Omicron variant may cause milder illness than the Delta variant, with a 50% to 70% lower chance of being hospitalised. Nonetheless, Prime Minister Boris Johnson continued to urge the public to get vaccinated. In his annual Christmas message, he said that getting the jab was an “an invisible and invaluable present.”
The energy industry are calling on the UK government to help bring down energy costs. They have warned that bills could rise by 50% next spring without intervention. Emma Pinchbeck, head of trade body Energy UK, said that tax cuts and green levies could help to ease the situation, as has been seen in other European countries.
