hays travel sunday opening times

• Destinations
• All Inclusive
• City Breaks
• Summer 2024
• Pay Monthly Holidays
• Winter Holidays
• Faraway Escapes
• Holiday money
• Travel Money Card
• Travel Insurance
• Cruise Holidays
• Faraway Holidays
• Costa Del Sol
• Costa Dorada
• Gran Canaria
• Fuerteventura
• Praia Da Rocha

News & latest offers

Branch Locator

Hays Travel has been a familiar presence on the high streets for more than 42 years. Our extensive branch network is nationwide.

Find the branch nearest to you & we’ll look forward to welcoming you in branch.

Find your local Hays Travel branch below:

H {{ branch.name }} {{ cleandistance(branch.distance) }}.

Hays Travel

Store contact number: 01633 504824.

Hays Travel is proud to be the UK’s largest independent travel agent, we have been booking holidays for customers across the UK for almost 40 years, and are proud to say that there isn’t much we don’t know about worldwide holidays we offer.

We sell the following : cruise, villas, package holidays, UK breaks, coach holidays, all inclusive, late deals , world wide holidays, bargain holidays, cheap deals, lakes and mountains, lapland.

We also offer currency for over 50 different currencies and offer a price match guarantee.

To see some of our amazing holidays pop into the store, call us or check out our Facebook page Hays Travel Cwmbran

Hays Travel Opening Hours

Share with a friend.

• Make a day of it
• Getting here

Opening Hours

• Family friendly
• Facilities & Accessibility
• Personal Shopping
• Our Restaurants
• Offers and Loyalty
• Experiences
• Student Offers
• Commercial Opportunities

Travel Agent

As the UKs largest independent travel agent Hays Travel, specialises in providing good value, quality holidays alongside excellent customer service.

From its inception, the business expanded steadily with shops cropping up across the north-east. In 1990, the first Hays Travel call centre opened, and in 1995 the Hays Travel Independence Group was formed – a consortium of independent travel retailers retaining their own independence and branding, but benefitting from Hays Travel ’ s buying power, technology, and back office functions.

Store Information

• 02897449555
• Visit Website
• Gift Card Accepted

Similar Stores

Let's keep in touch

Don’t miss out on great events, news and in-store only deals

Plan Your Lyubertsy Holiday: Best of Lyubertsy

Explore Lyubertsy

Essential lyubertsy.

Lyubertsy Is Great For

Eat & drink.

• Travel agents

Hays Travel

• Church Street 56
• Opening times
• Map & Directions

Opening hours (27 May - 2 Jun)

This week | next week, opening hours ( 3 jun - 9 jun), late night shopping.

Late night shopping unknown

Sunday shopping unknown

More Travel agents nearby

Is this Hays Travel establishment closed? Then try one of the other Travel agents nearby.

Hays Travel 25 Vine Place

Hays travel 2 the chare, hays travel 8 mautland street, hays travel 2 sea road, login for businesses.

Hays Travel Church Street

Opening times Hays Travel Church Street 56 in Seaham. Also check out the late night shopping and Sunday shopping blocks for additional information. Use the 'Map & Directions' tab to find the fastest route to Church Street in Seaham.

Hays Travel is proud to be the UK’s largest independent travel agent. Although our roots are firmly planted in the North East of England, we’ve been booking holidays for customers across the UK for over 30 years, and are proud to say there isn’t much we don’t know about the worldwide holidays we offer.

Opening Hours

Monday            9.45am to 5.30pm

Tuesday            9.45am to 5.30pm

Wednesday      10.15am to 5.30pm

Thursday          9.45am to 5.30pm

Friday              9.45am to 5.30pm

Saturday          9.45am to 5.30pm

Sunday            11am to 4pm

Contact Info

0131 516 9736

www.haystravel.co.uk

At least 1 injured in two-vehicle Clarksville crash

One person had to be extricated from a vehicle involved in the crash, police said..

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – At least one person was injured after a two-vehicle crash in Clarksville on Friday night.

The crash happened at about 10:33 p.m. at Tiny Town Road and Pembroke Road. The Clarksville Police Department and Clarksville Fire Rescue responded to the crash and helped extricate one person from a vehicle.

Their injuries are unknown at this time, according to CPD.

Westbound lanes of Tiny Town Road were shut down and drivers were advised to find an alternate route until the scene could be cleared.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Copyright 2024 WSMV. All rights reserved.

Teen shot, killed day after graduating high school

2 dead, 1 injured, 4 in custody after shooting at La Vergne apartment complex

Man rammed by driver, killed after fight in Columbia

Man arrested for BUI after boat capsizes on Old Hickory Lake

Third Vanderbilt hospital employee assaulted in a month, police say

Latest news.

Teenager shot during party at short-term rental in Midtown

‘He would do anything for his family’: Man dies protecting his mother in La Vergne shooting, family says

One year since school custodian was shot, killed

Man helps people after boat capsizes

Drivers fill gas tanks with mystery substance

• Share full article

For more audio journalism and storytelling, download New York Times Audio , a new iOS app available for news subscribers.

The Possible Collapse of the U.S. Home Insurance System

A times investigation found climate change may now be a concern for every homeowner in the country..

This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email [email protected] with any questions.

From “The New York Times,” I’m Sabrina Tavernise. And this is “The Daily.”

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Today, my colleague, Christopher Flavelle, on a “Times” investigation into one of the least known and most consequential effects of climate change — insurance — and why it may now be a concern for every homeowner in the country.

It’s Wednesday, May 15.

So, Chris, you and I talked a while ago about how climate change was really wreaking havoc in the insurance market in Florida. You’ve just done an investigation that takes a look into the insurance markets more broadly and more deeply. Tell us about it.

Yeah, so I cover climate change, in particular the way climate shocks affect different parts of American life. And insurance has become a really big part of that coverage. And Florida is a great example. As hurricanes have gotten worse and more frequent, insurers are paying out more and more money to rebuild people’s homes. And that’s driving up insurance costs and ultimately driving up the cost of owning a home in Florida.

So we’re already seeing that climate impact on the housing market in Florida. My colleagues and I started to think, well, could it be that that kind of disruption is also happening in other states, not just in the obvious coastal states but maybe even through the middle of the US? So we set out to find out just how much it is happening, how much that Florida turmoil has, in fact, become really a contagion that is spreading across the country.

So how did you go about reporting this? I mean, where did you start?

All we knew at the start of this was that there was reason to think this might be a problem. If you just look at how the federal government tracks disasters around the country, there’s been a big increase almost every year in the number and severity of all kinds of disasters around the country. So we thought, OK, it’s worth trying to find out, what does that mean for insurers?

The problem is getting data on the insurance industry is actually really hard. There’s no federal regulation. There’s no government agency you can go to that holds this data. If you talk to the insurers directly, they tend to be a little reluctant to share information about what they’re going through. So we weren’t sure where to go until, finally, we realized the best people to ask are the people whose job it is to gauge the financial health of insurance companies.

Those are rating agencies. In particular, there’s one rating company called AM Best, whose whole purpose is to tell investors how healthy an insurance company is.

Whoa. So this is way down in the nuts and bolts of the US insurance industry.

Right. This is a part of the broader economy that most people would never experience. But we asked them to do something special for us. We said, hey, can you help us find the one number that would tell us reporters just how healthy or unhealthy this insurance market is state by state over time? And it turns out, there is just such a number. It’s called a combined ratio.

OK, plain English?

Plain English, it is the ratio of revenue to costs, how much money these guys take in for homeowner’s insurance and how much they pay out in costs and losses. You want your revenue to be higher than your costs. If not, you’re in trouble.

So what did you find out?

Well, we got that number for every state, going back more than a decade. And what it showed us was our suspicions were right. This market turmoil that we were seeing in Florida and California has indeed been spreading across the country. And in fact, it turns out that in 18 states, last year, the homeowner’s insurance market lost money. And that’s a big jump from 5 or 10 years ago and spells real trouble for insurance and for homeowners and for almost every part of the economy.

So the contagion was real.

Right. This is our first window showing us just how far that contagion had spread. And one of the really striking things about this data was it showed the contagion had spread to places that I wouldn’t have thought of as especially prone to climate shocks — for example, a lot of the Midwest, a lot of the Southeast. In fact, if you think of a map of the country, there was no state between Pennsylvania and the Dakotas that didn’t lose money on homeowner’s insurance last year.

So just huge parts of the middle of the US have become unprofitable for homeowner’s insurance. This market is starting to buckle under the cost of climate change.

And this is all happening really fast. When we did the Florida episode two years ago, it was a completely new phenomenon and really only in Florida. And now it’s everywhere.

Yeah. And that’s exactly what’s so striking here. The rate at which this is becoming, again, a contagion and spreading across the country is just demolishing the expectations of anyone I’ve spoken to. No one thought that this problem would affect so much of the US so quickly.

So in these states, these new places that the contagion has spread to, what exactly is happening that’s causing the insurance companies to fold up shop?

Yeah. Something really particular is happening in a lot of these states. And it’s worth noting how it’s surprised everyone. And what that is, is formally unimportant weather events, like hailstorms or windstorms, those didn’t used to be the kind of thing that would scare insurance companies. Obviously, a big problem if it destroys your home or damages your home. But for insurers, it wasn’t going to wipe them out financially.

Right. It wasn’t just a complete and utter wipeout that the company would then have to pony up a lot of money for.

Exactly. And insurers call them secondary perils, sort of a belittling term, something other than a big deal, like a hurricane.

These minor league weather events.

Right. But those are becoming so frequent and so much more intense that they can cause existential threats for insurance companies. And insurers are now fleeing states not because of hurricanes but because those former things that were small are now big. Hailstorms, wildfires in some places, previous annoyances are becoming real threats to insurers.

Chris, what’s the big picture on what insurers are actually facing? What’s happening out there numbers-wise?

This is a huge threat. In terms of the number of states where this industry is losing money, it’s more than doubled from 10 years ago to basically a third of the country. The amount they’re losing is enormous. In some states, insurers are paying out $1.25 or even $1.50 for every dollar they bring in, in revenue, which is totally unsustainable.

And the result is insurers are making changes. They are pulling back from these markets. They’re hiking premiums. And often, they’re just dropping customers. And that’s where this becomes real, not just for people who surf balance sheets and trade in the stock market. This is becoming real for homeowners around the country, who all of a sudden increasingly can’t get insurance.

So, Chris, what’s the actual implication? I mean, what happens when people in a state can’t get insurance for their homes?

Getting insurance for a home is crucial if you want to sell or buy a home. Most people can’t buy a home without a mortgage. And banks won’t issue a mortgage without home insurance. So if you’ve got a home that insurance company doesn’t want to cover, you got a real problem. You need to find insurance, or that home becomes very close to unsellable.

And as you get fewer buyers, the price goes down. So this doesn’t just hurt people who are paying for these insurance premiums. It hurts people who want to sell their homes. It even could hurt, at some point, whole local economies. If home values fall, governments take in less tax revenue. That means less money for schools and police. It also means people who get hit by disasters and have to rebuild their homes all of a sudden can’t, because their insurance isn’t available anymore. It’s hard to overstate just how big a deal this is.

And is that actually happening, Chris? I mean, are housing markets being dragged down because of this problem with the insurance markets right now?

Anecdotally, we’ve got reports that in places like Florida and Louisiana and maybe in parts of California, the difficulty of getting insurance, the crazy high cost of insurance is starting to depress demand because not everyone can afford to pay these really high costs, even if they have insurance. But what we wanted to focus on with this story was also, OK, we know where this goes eventually. But where is it beginning? What are the places that are just starting to feel these shocks from the insurance market?

And so I called around and asked insurance agents, who are the front lines of this. They’re the ones who are struggling to find insurance for homeowners. And I said, hey, is there one place that I should go if I want to understand what it looks like to homeowners when all of a sudden insurance becomes really expensive or you can’t even find it? And those insurance agents told me, if you want to see what this looks like in real life, go to a little town called Marshalltown in the middle of Iowa.

We’ll be right back.

So, Chris, you went to Marshalltown, Iowa. What did you find?

Even before I got to Marshalltown, I had some idea I was in the right spot. When I landed in Des Moines and went to rent a car, the nice woman at the desk who rented me a car, she said, what are you doing here? I said, I’m here to write a story about people in Iowa who can’t get insurance because of storms. She said, oh, yeah, I know all about that. That’s a big problem here.

Even the rental car lady.

Even the rental car lady knew something was going on. And so I got into my rental car and drove about an hour northeast of Des Moines, through some rolling hills, to this lovely little town of Marshalltown. Marshalltown is a really cute, little Midwestern town with old homes and a beautiful courthouse in the town square. And when I drove through, I couldn’t help noticing all the roofs looked new.

What does that tell you?

Turns out Marshalltown, despite being a pastoral image of Midwestern easy living, was hit by two really bad disasters in recent years — first, a devastating tornado in 2018 and then, in 2020, what’s called a derecho, a straight-line wind event that’s also just enormously damaging. And the result was lots of homes in this small town got severely damaged in a short period of time. And so when you drive down, you see all these new roofs that give you the sense that something’s going on.

So climate had come to Marshalltown?

Exactly. A place that had previously seemed maybe safe from climate change, if there is such a thing, all of a sudden was not. So I found an insurance agent in Marshalltown —

We talked to other agents but haven’t talked to many homeowners.

— named Bobby Shomo. And he invited me to his office early one morning and said, come meet some people. And so I parked on a quiet street outside of his office, across the street from the courthouse, which also had a new roof, and went into his conference room and met a procession of clients who all had versions of the same horror story.

It was more — well more of double.

A huge reduction in coverage with a huge price increase.

Some people had faced big premium hikes.

I’m just a little, small business owner. So every little bit I do feel.

They had so much trouble with their insurance company.

I was with IMT Insurance forever. And then when I moved in 2020, Bobby said they won’t insure a pool.

Some people had gotten dropped.

Where we used to see carriers canceling someone for frequency of three or four or five claims, it’s one or two now.

Some people couldn’t get the coverage they needed. But it was versions of the same tale, which is all of a sudden, having homeowner’s insurance in Marshalltown was really difficult. But I wanted to see if it was bigger than just Marshalltown. So the next day, I got back in my car and drove east to Cedar Rapids, where I met another person having a version of the same problem, a guy named Dave Langston.

Tell me about Dave.

Dave lives in a handsome, modest, little townhouse on a quiet cul-de-sac on a hill at the edge of Cedar Rapids. He’s the president of his homeowners association. There’s 17 homes on this little street. And this is just as far as you could get from a danger zone. It looks as safe as could be. But in January, they got a letter from the company that insures him and his neighbors, saying his policy was being canceled, even though it wasn’t as though they’d just been hit by some giant storm.

So then what was the reason they gave?

They didn’t give a reason. And I think people might not realize, insurers don’t have to give a reason. Insurance policies are year to year. And if your insurance company decides that you’re too much of a risk or your neighborhood is too much of a risk or your state is too much of a risk, they can just leave. They can send you a letter saying, forget it. We’re canceling your insurance. There’s almost no protection people have.

And in this case, the reason was that this insurance company was losing too much money in Iowa and didn’t want to keep on writing homeowner’s insurance in the state. That was the situation that Dave shared with tens of thousands of people across the state that were all getting similar letters.

What made Dave’s situation a little more challenging was that he couldn’t get new insurance. He tried for months through agent after agent after agent. And every company told him the same thing. We won’t cover you. Even though these homes are perfectly safe in a safe part of the state, nobody would say yes. And it took them until basically two days before their insurance policy was going to run out until they finally found new coverage that was far more expensive and far more bare-bones than what they’d had.

But at least it was something.

It was something. But the problem was it wasn’t that good. Under this new policy, if Dave’s street got hit by another big windstorm, the damage from that storm and fixing that damage would wipe out all the savings set aside by these homeowners. The deductible would be crushingly high — $120,000 — to replace those roofs if the worst happened because the insurance money just wouldn’t cover anywhere close to the cost of rebuilding.

He said to me, we didn’t do anything wrong. This is just what insurance looks like today. And today, it’s us in Cedar Rapids. Everyone, though, is going to face a situation like this eventually. And Dave is right. I talked to insurance agents around the country. And they confirmed for me that this kind of a shift towards a new type of insurance, insurance that’s more expensive and doesn’t cover as much and makes it harder to rebuild after a big disaster, it’s becoming more and more common around the country.

So, Chris, if Dave and the people you spoke to in Iowa were really evidence that your hunch was right, that the problem is spreading and rapidly, what are the possible fixes here?

The fix that people seem most hopeful about is this idea that, what if you could reduce the risk and cause there to be less damage in the first place? So what some states are doing is they’re trying to encourage homeowners to spend more money on hardening their home or adding a new roof or, if it’s a wildfire zone, cut back the vegetation, things that can reduce your risk of having really serious losses. And to help pay for that, they’re telling insurers, you’ve got to offer a discount to people who do that.

And everyone who works in this field says, in theory, that’s the right approach. The problem is, number one, hardening a home costs a fantastic amount of money. So doing this at scale is hugely expensive. Number two, it takes a long time to actually get enough homes hardened in this way that you can make a real dent for insurance companies. We’re talking about years or probably decades before that has a real effect, if it ever works.

OK. So that sounds not particularly realistic, given the urgency and the timeline we’re on here. So what else are people looking at?

Option number two is the government gets involved. And instead of most Americans buying home insurance from a private company, they start buying it from government programs that are designed to make sure that people, even in risky places, can still buy insurance. That would be just a gargantuan undertaking. The idea of the government providing homeowner’s insurance because private companies can’t or won’t would lead to one of the biggest government programs that exists, if we could even do it.

So huge change, like the federal government actually trying to write these markets by itself by providing homeowner’s insurance. But is that really feasible?

Well, in some areas, we’re actually already doing it. The government already provides flood insurance because for decades, most private insurers have not wanted to cover flood. It’s too risky. It’s too expensive. But that change, with governments taking over that role, creates a new problem of its own because the government providing flood insurance that you otherwise couldn’t get means people have been building and building in flood-prone areas because they know they can get that guaranteed flood insurance.

Interesting. So that’s a huge new downside. The government would be incentivizing people to move to places that they shouldn’t be.

That’s right. But there’s even one more problem with that approach of using the government to try to solve this problem, which is these costs keep growing. The number of billion-dollar disasters the US experiences every year keeps going up. And at some point, even if the government pays the cost through some sort of subsidized insurance, what happens when that cost is so great that we can no longer afford to pay it? That’s the really hard question that no official can answer.

So that’s pretty doomsday, Chris. Are we looking at the end of insurance?

I think it’s fair to say that we’re looking at the end of insurance as we know it, the end of insurance that means most Americans can rest assured that if they get hit by a disaster, their insurance company will provide enough money they can rebuild. That idea might be going away. And what it shows is maybe the threat of climate change isn’t quite what we thought.

Maybe instead of climate change wrecking communities in the form of a big storm or a wildfire or a flood, maybe even before those things happen, climate change can wreck communities by something as seemingly mundane and even boring as insurance. Maybe the harbinger of doom is not a giant storm but an anodyne letter from your insurance company, saying, we’re sorry to inform you we can no longer cover your home.

Maybe the future of climate change is best seen not by poring over weather data from NOAA but by poring over spreadsheets from rating firms, showing the profitability from insurance companies, and how bit by bit, that money that they’re losing around the country tells its own story. And the story is these shocks are actually already here.

Chris, as always, terrifying to talk to you.

Always a pleasure, Sabrina.

Here’s what else you should know today. On Tuesday, the United Nations has reclassified the number of women and children killed in Gaza, saying that it does not have enough identifying information to know exactly how many of the total dead are women and children. The UN now estimates that about 5,000 women and about 8,000 children have been killed, figures that are about half of what it was previously citing. The UN says the numbers dropped because it is using a more conservative estimate while waiting for information on about 10,000 other dead Gazans who have not yet been identified.

And Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the House, gave a press conference outside the court in Lower Manhattan, where Michael Cohen, the former fixer for Donald Trump, was testifying for a second day, answering questions from Trump’s lawyers. Trump is bound by a gag order. So Johnson joined other stand-ins for the former president to discredit the proceedings. Johnson, one of the most important Republicans in the country, attacked Cohen but also the trial itself, calling it a sham and political theater.

Today’s episode was produced by Nina Feldman, Shannon Lin, and Jessica Cheung. It was edited by MJ Davis Lin, with help from Michael Benoist, contains original music by Dan Powell, Marion Lozano, and Rowan Niemisto, and was engineered by Alyssa Moxley. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly.

That’s it for “The Daily.” I’m Sabrina Tavernise. See you tomorrow.

• May 28, 2024   •   25:56 The Alitos and Their Flags
• May 24, 2024   •   25:18 Whales Have an Alphabet
• May 23, 2024   •   34:24 I.C.C. Prosecutor Requests Warrants for Israeli and Hamas Leaders
• May 22, 2024   •   23:20 Biden’s Open War on Hidden Fees
• May 21, 2024   •   24:14 The Crypto Comeback
• May 20, 2024   •   31:51 Was the 401(k) a Mistake?
• May 19, 2024   •   33:23 The Sunday Read: ‘Why Did This Guy Put a Song About Me on Spotify?’
• May 17, 2024   •   51:10 The Campus Protesters Explain Themselves
• May 16, 2024   •   30:47 The Make-or-Break Testimony of Michael Cohen
• May 15, 2024   •   27:03 The Possible Collapse of the U.S. Home Insurance System
• May 14, 2024   •   35:20 Voters Want Change. In Our Poll, They See It in Trump.
• May 13, 2024   •   27:46 How Biden Adopted Trump’s Trade War With China

Hosted by Sabrina Tavernise

Featuring Christopher Flavelle

Produced by Nina Feldman ,  Shannon M. Lin and Jessica Cheung

Edited by MJ Davis Lin

With Michael Benoist

Original music by Dan Powell ,  Marion Lozano and Rowan Niemisto

Engineered by Alyssa Moxley

Listen and follow The Daily Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube

Across the United States, more frequent extreme weather is starting to cause the home insurance market to buckle, even for those who have paid their premiums dutifully year after year.

Christopher Flavelle, a climate reporter, discusses a Times investigation into one of the most consequential effects of the changes.

On today’s episode

Christopher Flavelle , a climate change reporter for The New York Times.

Background reading

As American insurers bleed cash from climate shocks , homeowners lose.

See how the home insurance crunch affects the market in each state .

Here are four takeaways from The Times’s investigation.

There are a lot of ways to listen to The Daily. Here’s how.

We aim to make transcripts available the next workday after an episode’s publication. You can find them at the top of the page.

Christopher Flavelle contributed reporting.

The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Mike Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Corey Schreppel, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, John Ketchum, Nina Feldman, Will Reid, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Dan Farrell, Sophia Lanman, Shannon Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Summer Thomad, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez and Brendan Klinkenberg.

Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Paula Szuchman, Lisa Tobin, Larissa Anderson, Julia Simon, Sofia Milan, Mahima Chablani, Elizabeth Davis-Moorer, Jeffrey Miranda, Renan Borelli, Maddy Masiello, Isabella Anderson and Nina Lassam.

Christopher Flavelle is a Times reporter who writes about how the United States is trying to adapt to the effects of climate change. More about Christopher Flavelle

Advertisement

Money blog: Beach-goers face £1,000 fine for taking pebbles; UK's best pub chef shares amazing cheap pasta recipe

For the latest instalment of our Cheap Eats series, we speak to Dave Wall, head chef at the UK's number one gastropub, The Unruly Pig in Suffolk. Read this and the rest of today's consumer and personal finance news in the Money blog below, and leave your thoughts in the comments box.

Wednesday 29 May 2024 09:58, UK

• Spotify launches cheaper deals - but there's a catch
• Beach-goers warned they face £1,000 fine if they take pebbles
• Here's how much average Briton spends on holiday - and it's higher than two years ago
• UK has highest diesel prices in Europe
• Raheem Sterling to pay for 14 people to go to university and applications close this Thursday

Essential reads

• Head chef at UK's number one pub shares favourite cheap pasta recipe
• Women in Business : 'A truck unloaded a £600 car that her son bought on eBay thinking it was a toy' - the schoolgate stories that led to GoHenry
• Money Problem : 'My mortgage lender is ending my two-year fix and I haven't been in the house for two years - can they do this?'
• Best of the Money blog - an archive

Ask a question or make a comment

Spotify subscribers have the chance to nab a slightly cheaper deal after it quietly launched new plans - but you'll have to be willing to give up one thing.

If you pay for an individual, duo or family subscription, you can save up to £24 a year by switching to one of the music platform's new "basic" plans, according to Money Saving Expert .

The catch, though, is that you'll lose audiobooks. All the other benefits such as no ads, song downloads and higher-quality audio will remain for existing subscribers.

The "basic" plans are the same price as Spotify's premium options used to be before it hiked prices last month. Most of the premium plans include 15 hours a month of audiobook listening time.

Only existing Spotify subscribers can get the new basic option for now - there's no date set for when they'll become available to everyone, Money Saving Expert said.

Every Wednesday we ask Michelin chefs to pick their favourite Cheap Eats where they live and when they cook at home. This week we speak to Dave Wall, head chef at the UK's number one ranked gastropub, The Unruly Pig in Suffolk.

Hi Dave , c an you tell us your favourite places in Suffolk  where you can get a meal for two for less than £40?

Honey + Harvey . A cracking spot for breakfast, brunch or lunch. They have the most delicious coffee and a cracking full English, the vibe is super-chilled and laidback and I always feel so relaxed there.

Lark . A beautiful little independent restaurant in Bury St Edmunds with the most incredible selection of small plates and top-drawer cooking. Admittedly, I find myself spending a fair bit more than £40 at Lark because I love James Carn's cooking so much that I end up going way over the top and ordering far too many dishes.

What's your go-to cheap meal at home?

Anchovy pasta is one. I get that anchovy is often considered a Marmite ingredient. I love them, but if you are in the "hate" camp, then please bear with me, as I want to persuade you to give these versatile little wonders a second look (and perhaps not tar all anchovies with the same brush).

My recipe below uses both brown and brined anchovies. It is an easier but still utterly delicious version of the dish I've served at The Unruly Pig (which also comes with an oyster velouté). This is comfort food at its best. Buon appetito!

• 250g butter
• 70g brown anchovies (ideally Cantabrian)
• 1 clove garlic
• 30g double cream
• 25g of brined anchovies

Add all the ingredients to a pan. Bring to a slow simmer on a low heat. Once the mixture starts to boil, remove, and transfer to blender. Blend for two minutes until the mixture is well emulsified. Set aside.

Pangrattato

Three bread slices, crusts removed (staler the better)

• 1 garlic clove
• 1 lemon zest
• Pinch salt & pepper

Blend all the ingredients in food processor, making sure the crumb is fine. On a low heat, gently toast the crumbs until they become golden.

• 125 g of fresh spaghetti per person
• Grated Parmesan, brined anchovy, celery leaf to garnish 

Gently the cook the pasta in simmering boiling water, add plenty of salt to the pasta water so it tastes like sea water. Cook for 1-2 minutes - or to instructions if using dried.

Bring it all together

Meanwhile, gently heat the anchovy pasta sauce in a large pan so it becomes warm. Be careful not to boil. Once the pasta is cooked, gently remove and put it straight in to the warmed anchovy sauce. Add a splash of the pasta water to retain some of the starch (as this will help thicken your sauce).

Gently cook the pasta in the anchovy sauce until it becomes thick and creamy, and the sauce coats the pasta. Serve into a bowl and add the Parmesan, fresh anchovies and celery leaf on top.

Generously sprinkle the pasta with the golden pangrattato to add a wonderful texture and crunch.

We've spoken to lots of top chefs and bloggers - check out their cheap eats from around the country here...

Beach-goers in Cumbria have been warned they could face a fine of up to £1,000 if they remove pebbles or shells across the area.

Cumberland Council has told visitors it is unlawful to take natural materials such as sand, shells and pebbles from the beach under the Coast Protection Act.

Cumberland councillor Bob Kelly said it was important to "ensure that our beaches remain vibrant and intact for future generations".

"I understand people's reluctance to follow this guidance, as I have been a collector of shells myself. But taking a pebble or a shell from a beach can in fact damage the environment," he said.

"Pebbles and other natural matter act as a natural sea defence against coastal erosion, natural flood defences and wildlife habitats, which many experts warn has become even more of an issue due to climate change."

People are spending more on holiday than they were two years ago, the latest data from ABTA Travel Money has shown. 

On average, UK travellers are spending £369 each during a short break abroad - up more than £59 since 2022. 

For a longer break, the typical amount rises to £660, which is up £231 a person since 2022. 

Families with children over five are likely to spend the most while on a short holiday, totalling £431.

But the highest spend comes from travellers aged 55-64, who spend an average of £721.  

"People are spending more while on holiday overseas and that can't just be put down to inflation," Graeme Buck, director of communications for ABTA Travel Money, said. 

"Over the past two years, UK prices have risen by a total of 9.3% whereas overseas holiday spend is up by 54% for a longer holiday.

"Add in more favourable exchange rates for many holiday destinations, we see over the last few years that there has been a clear shift towards people spending the spare money they may have on holidays and creating memories that will last a lifetime." 

Visitors to all Euro currency destinations this summer will see a little more for their money, as the pound has increased against the Euro (up 2.1%). 

The UK has the highest diesel prices in Europe, according to new analysis.

The RAC, which carried out the research, found the average price of a litre of diesel at UK forecourts is 155p - 5p more than Ireland and Belgium.

Although duty on both petrol and diesel was cut from 57.95p to 52.95p in spring 2022, the UK still has the highest rate of duty on diesel in Europe alongside Italy, but Italy's average pump price is 7p per litre cheaper at 148p.

France's duty rate is the equivalent of just 1p per litre lower than in the UK, but its average price for diesel is 9p per litre cheaper at 146p.

The analysis is based on figures from the European Commission and the UK's Competition and Markets Authority.

Simon Williams, fuel spokesman for the RAC, said: "Having the most expensive diesel in Europe despite the current 5p duty cut is a very dubious honour."

Despite the RAC bringing the issue to the attention of energy secretary Claire Coutinho in a letter just over a week ago, he said, "the price of diesel at the pump has barely fallen".

"We can see no good reason why retailers in Great Britain aren't cutting their prices at the pumps," he added.

Thieves are targeting electric car charging cables in the latest spate of car crimes.

Data from Instavolt, the UK's largest operator of rapid chargers, found gangs had targeted 27 sites in Yorkshire and the Midlands since last November and stolen 174 cables.

With each cable costing at least £1,000, the operator, which runs Osprey Charging and BP Pulse, said this was affecting electric vehicle drivers.

It also risked deterring prospective drivers who wanted to make the move to electric cars, they said.

The company is now introducing a range of measures at charging stations to deter thieves, including installing extra CCTV, security patrols, using SmartWater to tag property and tracking devices.

Instavolt CEO Delvin Lane told Autocar : "These thefts are extremely frustrating for our customers and for us."

He also noted that it was a "misconception" that the copper in chargers brought real financial gain. 

"The value of any metal stolen is insignificant. The thefts just cause disruption to EV drivers - including those in the emergency services - looking to charge their vehicles," he said.

By Sarah Taaffe-Maguire , business reporter

A company that makes microchips for artificial intelligence and became the first chipmaker to be worth first $1trn then $2trn has today reached another record high.

Nvidia shares are now going for a record $1,132.19 after it posted higher-than-expected quarterly profits and made strong forecasts. Its value is now $2.62trn (£2.05trn)

The US-based, New York-listed company is in the ranks of tech giants worth the eye-watering trillion sum, including Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and Google parent company Alphabet, as investors expect the company will benefit from the AI revolution.

Also making headlines was UK company Boohoo, the Manchester-based fast fashion retailer, as it cancelled annual bonuses worth £3m. 

A pay proposal for bosses was also ditched after talks with shareholders as the company has experienced losses after the pandemic-era online shopping boom faded and a cost of living crisis eroded consumer spending power.

Revolution Bars has rejected a proposed offer from rival Nightcap, warning it is "incapable of being delivered".

The hospitality group launched a sale process and restructuring plans last month amid efforts to stay afloat. The company's restructuring plans include £12.5m in fundraising and the closure of 18 venues.

But Revolution has said the non-binding proposal from Nightcap  did not include the proposed fundraising and would not work as it was "highly conditional".

Read the full story here ...

The rate of price rises in UK shops has returned to "normal levels", according to new industry figures.

Overall annual shop inflation eased to 0.6% in May, down from 0.8% in April, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and NielsenIQ said.

The figure is the lowest since November 2021.

More than 120 business leaders have written an open letter giving their backing to Labour in the general election.

The letter printed in The Times has been signed by figures including the founders of Wikipedia Jimmy Wales, chef Tom Kerridge and former CEOs of Heathrow, JP Morgan and Aston Martin.

Openreach plans to build full fibre broadband in over 500 more locations across the UK, it has been announced.

The new locations include 400,000 sites in the hardest to reach, most rural parts of the country, including Tobermory in Argyll and Bute, Haworth in West Yorkshire, Saundersfoot in South Wales, Pinxton in Derbyshire, Harlow in Essex and Roborough in Devon.

The work, which is part of Openreach's £15bn project to upgrade the UK's broadband infrastructure, will cover a further 2.7 million homes and businesses by the end of 2026.

Clive Selley, chief executive of Openreach, said the plan was to build right across the UK, "from cities and towns to far-flung farms and island communities".

"Over time, we've learnt to deliver predictably, consistently and at a rapid pace - despite this being a hugely complex national engineering project," he said.

Check your full fibre availability here .

London is officially the world's cleverest city, according to an annual study.

Oxford Economics , an independent economic advisory firm, found the capital topped the list when it came to "human capital" - this encompasses the collective knowledge and skills of a city's population.

In its report, the firm found London came out on top in part due to the number of higher education institutions in the city, "which helps it achieve one of the highest rates of educational attainment in the world".

"London also attracts many highly educated people from abroad and several global corporations are headquartered in the city to take advantage of this world-class talent pool," the report added.

In second place was Tokyo and in third place was Riyadh.

Top cities by human capital score: 

1. London, UK

2. Tokyo, Japan

3. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

4. New York, US

5. Seoul, South Korea

6. Paris, France

7. Washington, DC, US

8. Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

9. Sydney, Australia

10. Boston, US

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

Supermarket opening hours for the late May bank holiday 2024: Tesco, Aldi and more

Share this with

The fifth bank holiday of the year falls on Monday, May 27th, and spells a relaxed long weekend for most people.

Warm weather is expected in many parts of the country over the first half of the bank holiday weekend, so supermarkets are likely to be abuzz with shoppers stocking up for barbeques and boozy afternoons in the sun.

While Monday itself is likely to be a drab affair, there will still be plenty of reason to pop to the shops, whether it’s a family meal or to stock up for the rest of the week.

Fortunately, most major retailers are staying open, though hours may differ from normal in some places. Here’s our guide to these changes:

Supermarket opening hours on Spring bank holiday

Unlike Easter Sunday, where trading laws mean stores over a certain size are required to close, the Spring bank holiday has no such restrictions.

Many supermarket stores will be open during their normal hours, though shoppers are advised to check with their local branch beforehand.

Some – particularly larger branches – will open later and/or close earlier so employees can finish earlier or start later to enjoy the bank holiday.

Supermarket opening hours on May 27

These include:

• Sainsbury’s  – The majority of larger stores will be open from 8am-8pm, rather than the typical 7am-11pm. Most convenience stores will open as usual from 7am-11pm. Check your local store opening hours  online
• Tesco  – Most larger stores will be open 8am-6pm in England and Wales, 8am-8pm in Scotland, and 7am-6pm in Northern Ireland. Check your local store opening hours  online
• Asda  – Most larger shops will be open from 7am to 10pm. Check your local store opening times  online
• Morrisons – Most stores will be open from 7am to 8pm, with a few opening until 10pm. Their petrol stations will open half an hour earlier and close half an hour later. Check local store opening times online
• Waitrose  – Most shops will be open for their normal trading hours, with some Little Waitrose branches open from 7am-10pm. Check local store opening times  online
• Aldi –  Shops will be open from 8am to 8pm. Check local opening times online
• Lidl –  A Lidl spokesperson said opening times will vary from store to store, but you can check your local store opening hours  online
• Co-Op – Opening times vary by location, with shoppers able to check their local opening times online

Supermarkets aren’t the only shops where you’ll be able to spend your pennies, with clothes stores and eateries operating their normal opening hours.

Costa Coffee shops are set to open over the bank holiday, though opening times will vary store to store.

Those looking to tackle some DIY will be pleased to know Homebase shops will be open on May 6, but you can check the exact times for your local store here .

Clothes stores such as Next and Primark will be open across the holiday, though shoppers are urged to check their local store opening hours as they may differ between areas.

MORE : May bank holiday travel chaos feared as people warned to plan journeys now

MORE : Do Evri, DHL and Royal Mail deliver over the Easter bank holiday weekend?

Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram

Share your views in the comments below

Sign Up for News Updates

Get your need-to-know latest news, feel-good stories, analysis and more.

Privacy Policy

Get us in your feed

Time in Elektrostal , Moscow Oblast, Russia now

• Tokyo 06:16PM
• Beijing 05:16PM
• Kyiv 12:16PM
• Paris 11:16AM
• London 10:16AM
• New York 05:16AM
• Los Angeles 02:16AM

Time zone info for Elektrostal

• The time in Elektrostal is 8 hours ahead of the time in New York when New York is on standard time, and 7 hours ahead of the time in New York when New York is on daylight saving time.
• Elektrostal does not change between summer time and winter time.
• The IANA time zone identifier for Elektrostal is Europe/Moscow.

Time difference from Elektrostal

Sunrise, sunset, day length and solar time for elektrostal.

• Sunrise: 03:50AM
• Sunset: 08:58PM
• Day length: 17h 8m
• Solar noon: 12:24PM
• The current local time in Elektrostal is 24 minutes ahead of apparent solar time.

Elektrostal on the map

• Location: Moscow Oblast, Russia
• Latitude: 55.79. Longitude: 38.46
• Population: 144,000

Best restaurants in Elektrostal

• #1 Tolsty medved - Steakhouses food
• #2 Ermitazh - European and japanese food
• #3 Pechka - European and french food

Find best places to eat in Elektrostal

• Best pubs & bars in Elektrostal
• Best steak restaurants in Elektrostal
• Best bbqs in Elektrostal

The 50 largest cities in Russia

PEKIN, Elektrostal - Lenina Ave. 40/8 - Restaurant Reviews, Photos & Phone Number - Tripadvisor

• Dragon Quest Island
• Godzilla interception operation
• NARUTO & BORUTO Shinobizato
• Crayon Shinchan Adventure Park
• SPY×FAMILY in Nijigennomori ～Doki Doki Miroto Flower Park～

• Purchase Tickets

2024.05.28 News

[Tickets on sale now! ] We will inform you smoothly on February 5th (Wednesday)!

Same-day tickets can also be purchased from the Nijigen Nomori official web ticket center.If there is no stock at the official web ticket center, it is sold out.

For customers who have a web ticket, the display time of the ticket will be the reception time.There is no limit on how long you can stay in each area after completing the reception. (Example) If ticket time is 10:00 Reception hours (10:00 to 10:59)

*If you are late due to traffic jams, etc., we will inform you at other times (*within business hours). Your ticket will not be invalidated.

Opening hours

*There is a possibility of suspension due to weather.

[Limited time event] SPY×FAMILY in Nijigen no Mori ~ Doki Doki Meiroto Flower Park ~

10:00-18:00 (Last reception 17:00)

Click here for details on “SPY×FAMILY in Nijigennomori ~Doki Doki Meiroto Flower Park~”

dragon quest island

10:00~22:00 (Last entry 19:30) * Onokogarudo Kobo during "Slime coloring experience" 10:00-18:30 (last reception 18:00) *Subject to change depending on congestion

Click here for details of "Dragon Quest Island"

Godzilla interception operation 　

10:00~22:00 (Last entry 20:00) *“Godzilla coloring experience” is currently being held. Godzilla unglazed color painting laboratory 　10:00-18:00 *Subject to change depending on congestion

Click here for details of "Godzilla interception operation"

Crayon Shinchan Adventure Park 　

10:00~18:00 (Last reception 17:00) *"Relaxing Hara" 10:00-17:00

Click here for details of "Crayon Shin-chan Adventurer"

NARUTO & BORUTO Oshizato 　

10:00 ~22:00 (last reception 20 : 00)

Click here for details on "NARUTO & BORUTO Shinobizato"

Restaurant Morino Terrace　

11:00~20:00 (LO 19:30)

Luida's bar 　

11:00~20:30 ( THE 20 : 00)

NARUTO&BORUTO Oshizato Ramen Ichiraku 　

11:00~20:30 ( LO 20: 00)

“SPY×FAMILY in Nijigen no Mori” Kitchen Car

11:00 - 17:00 (LO 17:00)

wooden playground kitchen car

Godzilla kitchen car.

Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays 11:00 to 16:00 (LO 16:00)

Crayon Shin-chan kitchen car

*Some kitchen car products are sold at Morino Terrace.

Click here for hood details

“SPY×FAMILY in Nijigen no Mori” shop

10:00am ~ 18:00am

"Dragon Quest Island" Luida's Tavern

10:00am ~ 19:30am

"Godzilla Intercept Operation" Godzilla Shop

10:00am ~ 20:00am

"Crayon Shin-chan Adventure Park" Crayon Shin-chan Shop

"naruto&boruto shinobizato" konoha shoten, shop in front of large lawn square　.

Click here for shop details

Grand Chariot Big Dipper 135° 

Click here for details of "Grand Chariot Big Dipper 135°"

Nijigen no Mori Weather Information

Click here to purchase tickets

Check the latest information on the Nijigen Nomori official website and Twitter!

Return to news list

We recommend purchasing tickets online!

Purchase your tickets in advance to get in smoothly! Please confirm your visit date and proceed to purchase tickets.

• Crayon Shin-chan Adventure park
• Dragon quest Island
• SPY×FAMILY in Nijigennomori ~ DOKIDOKI Maze to Flower Park
• Kid's limited enjoyment pass

Theme Parks | Theme parks: Your guide to new parades, shows,…

Share this:.

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on X (Opens in new window)

Daily e-Edition

Evening e-Edition

• Entertainment
• Theater and Arts
• Things to Do
• Restaurants, Food & Drink

Things To Do

Theme parks, theme parks | theme parks: your guide to new parades, shows, rides, summer 2024.

The additions and events start kicking in Friday, so let’s look at what is scheduled to happen between now and Labor Day.

SeaWorld sights and sounds

SeaWorld Orlando introduces “Xceleration,” a live stunt show featuring BMX, skateboarding and hip-hop music inside Nautilus Theater on Friday. The park then breaks out the “So Much More to SEA Parade,” a salute to the 60th anniversary of SeaWorld, on Saturday. It will loop the park with two show stops with characters such as Shamu and Crew.

The “Ignite” fireworks show returns Friday, launching at park close on select nights this summer.

Viva La Musica has a five-weekend run beginning June 2 with Sergio Vargas on stage.

“Flippers, Facts and Fun: The Sea Lion Experience” will debut June 7, and there is a new edition of “Rescue Tails” at Seaport Theater.

Alas, no specific opening date has been announced for Penguin Trek, the indoor-outdoor roller coaster said to debut this spring.

Disney: Tiana takes a dip

First up at Walt Disney World is “Disney Dreams That Soar,” which debuts at Disney Springs Friday. Expect 800 drones (Death Star alert) and a Disney film soundtrack in the nine-minute production. It will be seen through Sept. 2.

The headliner change will be at Magic Kingdom with Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, the refashioned Splash Mountain. It opens to the public on June 28. Frontierland neighbor Country Bear Jamboree is being updated and expected to reopen this summer.

CommuniCore Hall, the final piece of the long-running Epcot transformation, opens June 10. Its plaza will be the site of the limited-time show “Celebracion Encanto.” The hall also will house a Mickey & Friends character meet-up space, and that all leads into the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, which begins Aug. 29, a bit later than the past few years.

Movies are Universal

At Universal Studios, the new DreamWorks Land officially opens June 14. The area, mostly aimed at children, features “Shrek,” “Trolls” and “Kung Fu Panda” activities and basically takes the place of Woody’s KidZone.

That’s also the date of the debuts of two nighttime shows. “CineSational: A Symphonic Spectacular” will use more than 200 fountains, projection mapping and more than 600 drones. The show, the resort says, is tied to films that inspired Universal Orlando attractions past and present, from the old school “Jaws” ride to “How to Train Your Dragon,” which will have its own land at Epic Universe when it opens next summer. The “Hogwarts Always” castle projection show, seen at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, will be themed to moments of a wizarding school year.

The Universal Mega Movie Parade, debuting July 3, will have 13 new floats celebrating at least nine movies plus 100 performers. Among the elements: a drum line performing the “Jaws” movie score and 16-foot Stay Puft Marshmallow Man atop the “Ghostbusters” unit.

Glow forward

• Club SeaGlow returns with music, lights and dancing at SeaWorld’s Bayside Stadium on select nights starting May 24.

• AquaGlow, an after-hours neo-driven event, is set Aquatica water park on select nights between June 7 and Aug. 10.

• H2O Glow, also an after-hours neo-driven event, is set for Typhoon Lagoon water park on select nights between May 25 and Aug. 31.

Events and exhibits here and there

• Island H2O Water Park features dive-in movie nights on Friday evenings May 31-July 26, plus there’s a Family Foam Party on Aug. 3 and an adult party with DJ Demp (and glow foam) on June 8.

• Legoland Florida’s Summer Brick Party, which features the returning “Go Xtreme!” show and “Brickbeard’s Watersport Stunt Show,” returns June 1. Also on the scene will be new characters such a I Heart Legoland Boy and I Heart Legoland Girl.

• Dezerland Park on International Drive will play host to the Brick Fan Expo, a Lego-based event, June 8-9.

• Mystic the leucistic alligator and her bro Mayhem now have their own display at Gatorland .

• Orlando Science Center will be home to “The Science of Guinness World Records” exhibit starting May 25.

• At Icon Park, mermaids are in the tank at Sea Life Orlando Aquarium through May 27, plus there are new sharks in the attraction, including Emmett the epaulette shark, as well as Tia and Tamara, blacktip reef sharks. A wax version of actor Chris Pratt is now installed at Madame Tussauds Orlando.

Email me at [email protected] . Threads account: @dbevil . X account: @themeparks . Subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters .

More in Theme Parks

Disney World | Disney fans memorialize composer Richard Sherman

Niles: Disneyland deserves more than clones as it moves forward

Richard M. Sherman, who fueled Disney charm in ‘Mary Poppins’ and ‘It’s a Small World,’ dies at 95

Old school ‘Fantasmic’ returns to Disneyland with massive crowds

Accessibility Links

Trump’s Tariffs

G7 leaders should press hard for a reversal of america’s damaging protectionism.

S ummits of the Group of Seven (G7) leading industrial nations often attract attention from protesters against global capitalism. The meeting opening today in Quebec City will have a vocal critic at the conference table in addition to those outside the venue, for President Trump has made a protest against the world trading system a central cause of his administration.

Ranged against Mr Trump will be the political leaders of all the other member states after his decision last week to impose steep tariffs on imported steel and aluminium. The US is wrong on this issue and it is important that the rest of the G7 stands firm in its criticism. Mr Trump may not be easily dissuadable from a course he has elevated into a matter of principle but the argument needs to be had, regardless of diplomatic niceties.

The tariffs amount to a 25 per cent duty on steel and 10 per cent duty on aluminium imports. Mr Trump justifies these on grounds of national security but it is hard not to share the suspicion of America’s allies that his reasoning is a mere expedient to get round the rules of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). In many other comments on trade policy, Mr Trump has claimed that the wide US trade deficit is due to unfair practices by other countries. His advisers say that the world trade system is a mess, but their best argument for tariffs is that they will shock America’s trading partners into being more welcoming in their home markets to US goods and services.

The administration’s case is threadbare and its proposed remedy will not even work on its own terms. The reason why the US runs a trade deficit has little to do with other countries’ relative openness and it would not be directly affected by restricting imports, either with tariffs or quotas. In an open global economy, where capital flows freely across borders, you would expect a country with a low savings ratio to run a current account deficit.

This is true of the US and of Britain (which last recorded a quarterly current account surplus almost 20 years ago). There is nothing wrong with this. The trading system enables countries that save little to import capital from other countries, such as China and Germany, that save a lot. Open trade has losers, who tend to be concentrated in particular industrial sectors, and it is important that the affected workers be given support in retraining. Yet it has been confirmed by mountains of economic data, and not just theory, that trade across national boundaries raises the real incomes of both parties. Tariffs will not “correct” the US trade deficit: they will merely reduce economic efficiency and living standards.

Advertisement

The postwar trading system is a vital creation. It has its origins in 1944 at the Bretton Woods conference, where the allies worked to prevent a return to the destructive economic isolationism of the 1930s. Their achievement, symbolised in sweeping postwar tariff reductions and the WTO, has proved a powerful engine of prosperity.

It is bad enough that Mr Trump is imposing needless costs on global growth by his protectionism. A still more damaging consequence is the signal he gives that the world’s most powerful nation considers itself unconstrained by multilateral rules. With six members of the G7 defending a system that the seventh believes is broken, expectations of this summit are low. But the stakes could hardly be higher. Mr Trump’s fellow leaders should do their utmost to make him think again.