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Metro
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
What £40,000,000 could pay for instead of fund Jeff Bezos' wedding in Venice
The wedding of Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez in Venice is so lavish it would make the Capital from The Hunger Games blush. Five of the most extravagant hotels in the Italian city have been booked out to host up to 250 guests, like Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, alongside Hollywood A-listers like the Kardashians. Almost 100 private jets are landing at nearby airports such as Treviso and Verona, while Venice's nine yacht ports have also been booked up for the event. This is just a smidget of the display of wealth that feels less like a wedding and more like a coronation. Flanked by other members of the ultra-rich, the Amazon CEO is rumoured to have spent £40 million on the spectacle. Back in Britain, Metro looks at what the budget for a single wedding could fund. The cost of full-time nursery care in England (50 hours a week) for a child under two is around £12,425 per year, according to This means that Bezos' £40 million could help as many as 3,219 families with low income. While this represents a price drop of 22%, when compared to 2024 – due to the government's 15 funded childcare hours scheme – it is still a massive strain on working parents. And Scotland and Wales have not seen the same reduction in costs, which only apply to England. As the cost of living continues to bite, an ActionAid poll shows that one in five (21%) women and people who menstruate are now struggling to afford period products – up from 12% in just one year. This amounts to an estimated 2.8 million people in the UK, putting around one million more people into period poverty versus last year. Trussell Trust figures show that the average monthly stock need per food bank is around £8,000. Using the £40 million, Bezos could have funded 5,000 such institutions for an entire month. Around 2.3 million people – representing 3% of the UK population – lived in households that had used a food bank in the previous 12 months between 2023 and 2024. This includes 6% of children and 3% of working-age adults. In January 2025, almost 2.2 million pupils were eligible for the free school meal programme, 25.7% of all students – and representing an increase of 77,700 pupils from the previous year. The standard NHS cost for an emergency dental appointment in England is £27.40, covering urgent treatment like pain relief, temporary fillings, and an initial examination. In February, the government rolled out 700,000 additional appointments as statistics from the GP Patient Survey 2024 show that around one in four patients who tried to see an NHS dentist in the past two years were unable to book. As many as 1,474 people died while homeless – one person every six hours – according to data from 2023. Freezing temperatures during the winter months often increase that number. Tuition fees for UK students in England and Wales have been capped at £9,535 per year for the 2025/26 academic year, after the latest increase in December. Research by Ipsos in 2023 showed that nearly one in two school leavers have reconsidered going to university because of the rising cost of living. Furthermore, 31% believe university is not affordable. A survey also found that a quarter of Britons do not believe university is worth it for young people, with fees and student loan debt being major contributing factors. This is oligarchy. This is 60% live paycheck to paycheck & kids go hungry, Jeff Bezos, worth $230 billion, goes to Venice on his $500 million yacht for a $20 million wedding & spends $5 million on a ring while his real tax rate is just 1.1%.End this oligarchy. — Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) June 24, 2025 The cost of an initial asylum claim in the UK varies, but can range from £3,800 to £5,000 for legal representation, plus additional costs for accommodation and support. Figures by the Migration Observatory show that the UK's asylum backlog – defined as the total number of asylum applications awaiting an initial decision – stood at around 91,000 at the end of 2024.. That was 31% lower than the record levels reached in 2022, though still high by historical standards. Of those waiting for an initial decision, around 50,000 people (55%) had been waiting for more than six months. Raising and training an assistance dog can cost anywhere between 22,000 to £55,000, depending on the type of dog and organization. More Trending Support Dog, a charity that provides its services entirely for free, says that the cost to support a dog partnership, from initial training, to client training and support throughout its working life, is approximately £36,000. Declining biodiversity and habitat loss are just some of the reason some parts of the UK are in a desperate need of rewilding. While only an estimated 1% of Britain's land is currently rewilding, there is a growing movement to increase this to 30% by 2030, according to Rewilding Britain. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Amber heat wave alert issued with warning of fatal risk to elderly MORE: Jeff Bezos's foam party proves all the money in the world can't buy taste MORE: Urgent recall for hundreds of salads over killer cucumber fears
BBC News
21-02-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Crawley: Minister makes vow over 'dentistry crisis'
A minister has vowed to tackle a shortfall in dentistry appointments after figures reveal thousands of people in the South East are in need of urgent dental care. The Integrated Care Board (ICB) said 53,450 people were in need of treatment, prompting health minister Stephen Kinnock to promise to confront "the NHS dentistry crisis".Mr Kinnock, who was speaking following a meeting with NHS dentists in Crawley, said the government will roll out 700,000 extra dental appointments Kellie Downie, principal dentist at the Crabtree Clinic in Crawley, said the current pay does not reflect the work they do. She added: "One issue is the current contract leads dentists to be really under-incentivised to work in the NHS because often the payments and the remuneration for working in the NHS just doesn't match the level of care that we provide."So often that means it just not financially viable for dentists to see NHS patients." Mr Kinnock said the government would make NHS careers "more appealing to dentists" in order to "increase capacity for more patients".Statistics from the GP Patient Survey 2024 show one in four patients in Kent, Surrey and Sussex who tried to see an NHS dentist in the past two years were unable to do so. Jason Wong, chief dental officer for England said there were still "many people experiencing difficulties" accessing NHS dental services."We are working with local systems to prioritise this," he said."We are incentivising dentists to work in underserved areas so that all areas of the country can receive the care they need."Jacob Lant, chief executive of National Voices, a charity that represent health care and social groups, said repairing the oral health crisis "requires a sustained effort".Mr Lant added local NHS leaders needed to work "creatively" so all patients' needs are met. "We need to ensure available capacity is targeting those most in need," he said."Whether treating an infected tooth or ensuring cancer and transplant patients get the dental check-ups they need before starting treatment."
