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Telegraph
16-07-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
How much cash should I have at home, and where should I keep it?
The UK Government is urging households to stock up on basic supplies in case of emergencies such as flooding, fire or power cuts. Alongside practical items such as bottled water, a wind-up torch, a first aid kit and a portable power bank, the advice includes keeping some cash at home to provide essential backup if card payments or banking apps stop working. Here, Telegraph Money explains how much cash is safe to keep at home and the best way to store it. Is it a good idea to keep cash at home? How much cash is safe to keep at home? Where should you store cash at home? How else can I protect my access to money? Is it a good idea to keep cash at home? Although cash usage is on the decline in the UK, keeping a small amount of cash at home can be a practical safety net. Recent global events, from cyber attacks and data breaches to widespread power outages, have shown how quickly modern payment systems can break down. Simon Phillips, managing director at No1 Currency, said: 'Most of us take card and contactless payments for granted, and the technology is great – right up until the moment it stops working. 'The nationwide power outages in Spain and Portugal turned millions of people's smartphones into expensive paperweights and left them with only one way to pay for things, which is cash.' Tobias Ellwood, the former defence minister, recently warned of 'real-world scenarios we must seriously consider', including drone attacks, internet outages and national infrastructure disruption. Keeping some cash at home can therefore be a sensible precaution to ensure you could still pay for essentials, such as food and fuel, in an emergency. How much cash is safe to keep at home? As a rule of thumb, you should have enough cash to cover essential spending for two to three days. For smaller households, this might be around £100, while larger households or those living in rural areas might prefer to keep up to £300 at home. However, Harriet Guevara, chief savings officer at Nottingham Building Society, warns against going overboard. 'Beyond concerns like loss or theft, cash held outside the banking system loses any potential for interest, isn't protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) and is often not covered in full by home insurance policies', she said. Most home insurance policies only cover cash up to a limit, usually between £200 and £500, so check your policy to be sure. Anything beyond that won't be covered in the event of theft, fire or flood. Sarah Coles, personal finance expert at Hargreaves Lansdown, also suggests having a broader backup plan. She said: 'If you're worried about having access to your bank, it can make sense to have an arrangement with someone you are close to (and you trust) that you can call on in an emergency, and vice versa. In some cases, if you can't withdraw money, you can still transfer it.' Where should you store cash at home? Cash at home should be kept securely. Yet research from security site found that more than two-thirds (67pc) of people keep valuables, including cash, in storage that is not locked. Anthony Neary, the company's security expert, said: 'Far too often, people are relying on obvious hiding places, such as inside drawers or cupboards, or even out on shelves, which offer little to no protection against opportunistic theft. 'Instead, use a secure storage solution such as a compact home locker or cash box with a lock.' Storage should be fireproof as well as heavy or bolted to a wall so that it would be difficult to remove if someone broke into your home. It should also be stored out of sight, away from windows and doors, according to Vlatka Lake, of self-storage operator Space Station. She said: 'Lofts are ideal because they are hard to reach and sometimes require ladder access. If you do go for this option, make sure to store the cash in a sealed container to avoid it getting damaged or mouldy. It should be stored in a dry but well-ventilated area.' Whatever you do, don't keep your cash in a bedside drawer or under your pillows or mattress, as these are the first places intruders will check. Ms Coles added: 'There are some traditional hiding spots where burglars will look first, like the freezer, the sock drawer and biscuit tins, so they're worth avoiding. If you have a lot of books, one option is to choose a book to hide it in. A burglar will run out of time looking for it.' How else can I protect my access to money? In addition to keeping some cash in hand, it may also be sensible to be prepared in case your bank experiences an outage. Ms Cole said that some people will hold two current accounts for this reason, so that if one is inaccessible, they can still get hold of money deposited with a different bank. Furthermore, the FSCS only guarantees your money up to £85,000 per person, per firm. So if your deposits are likely to go over the threshold, you should spread your money between accounts to ensure that you're protected. Similarly, it is considered good practice to keep some of your savings in an easy-access account so it is on hand in case of emergencies. However, this money will not generate the same level of interest as accounts that require notice, so it's important to only keep what you need there.
New Statesman
16-07-2025
- Politics
- New Statesman
What Britain owes Afghanistan
AFGHANISTAN - JULY 8: British Royal Marines of 45 Commando stop an Afghan tractor during an eagle vehicle check point (VCP) operation as part of the ongoing Operation Buzzard July 8, 2002 in southeastern Afghanistan. During VCPs, small groups of marines are dropped quickly by helicopters to search random vehicles on dirt roads and trails near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border to deny al Qaeda and Taliban fighters freedom of movement across the region. (Photo by) In 1999 Nooralhaq Nasimi, my father, fled Taliban-held Afghanistan for Britain. The journey, at one point, included spending 12 hours inside a refrigerated lorry. He was unable to speak a word of English. Building a new life had its difficulties, both administrative and personal, but my father did it. Today, nearly three decades later, I work alongside him running the Afghanistan and Central Asian Association (ACAA), a London-based charity dedicated to helping refugees integrate. The ACAA now has branches across the country. My father gained a law degree. He learned English. He founded a charity. He received an honorary doctorate and an MBE. His work – and mine – attempts to build bridges between Britain and Afghanistan, two nations linked by history and tragedy for the best part of two centuries. We have also attempted to build relationships between refugees from around the world and their host nation. Perhaps – especially in recent years – there has never been a harder time to do this in Britain's history. The news this afternoon that the previous government set up a secret relocation scheme, the Afghan Response Route (ARR), involving 20,000 people at a cost in the order of £2bn after a 2023 data breach in the Ministry of Defence has caused a political sensation. The data leak put the lives of thousands of Afghans. Between 2001 and 2021 over 150,000 UK Armed Forces personnel served in Afghanistan. 457 were killed. 2188 were injured. Thousands of Afghans worked with them as interpreters and in other capacities. Those left behind after Western forces left Afghanistan in 2021 feared for their lives as the Taliban took control of the country. In February 2023, the Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, said: 'The withdrawal from Afghanistan was a dark chapter in UK military history. For the Afghans who cooperated with the UK, and the British troops who served in the country, the nightmare is far from over. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe 'They are at risk of harm as a direct result of assisting the UK mission. We can't change the events that unfolded in August 2021, but we owe it to those Afghans, who placed their lives in danger to help us, to get them and their families to safety.' Ellwood's words remain salient. The two year cover-up by the British government of the ARR does nothing to change these facts. Britain owed these men a safe home, like the home my father found. Darius Nasimi is the founder of Afghanistan Government in Exile (AGiE). [Further reading: The Tories are responsible for the Afghan fiasco] Related
Daily Record
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
Warning to UK households to 'stockpile tins of food' and six other items now
The country is facing an increased threat of 'grey zone attacks' and residents need to prepare for it Households should start stockpiling tins of food and other items as soon as possible in order to be prepared for attacks which could affect infrastructure, food supplies and energy. And a former defence minister has called on people to 'wake up and start preparing' now. Former MP, Tobias Ellwood, who chaired the Defence Select Committee from 2020 to 2023, said that the likelihood of a 'grey zone' attack is a one of the 'real world scenarios we must seriously consider'. He urged householders to be ready for all eventualities including power cuts, internet outages and drone attacks. Ellwood said that people need to start stockpiling non-perishable tins of food alongside drinking water, iodine tablets and radios. Writing in PoliticsHome he said: "What if your phone buzzed with a national emergency alert warning of a swarm drone attack en route to your city – where would you go? How would you respond? 'Britain is now facing a surge in grey-zone warfare – deniable, covert attacks aimed at weakening our economy, undermining our infrastructure, and sowing confusion and panic. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. "Russia 's so-called shadow fleet is already mapping the UK's undersea cable networks – those vital arteries that deliver our electricity, gas and data. Autonomous underwater vehicles are criss-crossing the seabed, gathering intelligence. 'This isn't speculation – Russia's ambassador to the UK recently acknowledged that sensors had been placed in British waters, after several devices washed ashore. The Royal Navy is responding, ramping up its ability to detect threats and developing its own unmanned underwater vehicles. But this fight doesn't begin and end with the military," reports The Express. He urged people to get themselves ready by having these seven key items to hand: • Clean water (at least 100 litres) • Non-perishable food (such as tinned food and food that can be eaten cold) • Candles and a working torch • A battery-powered radio • Iodine tablets in case of nuclear fallout • Cash • A basic first aid kit The UK's Prepare website urges households to have a set of emergency supplies at home, including batteries, power banks, radios, bottled water and tinned food. The UK Government advice says: 'Emergencies happen every day in the UK and across the world. They can be caused by severe weather or other natural hazards, by deliberate actions, or as a result of accidents or infrastructure failure. "They can be events that happen quickly and are over in a few hours, or they can develop and continue over the course of several days, months, or sometimes even longer. 'Put together an emergency kit of items at home. This could include: Non-perishable food that doesn't need cooking, such as ready-to-eat tinned meat, fruit or vegetables (and a tin opener). As with water, how much you need will vary based on your own circumstances. Don't forget food for pets.' It recommends that households slowly build up supplies over time, rather than rush out and grab the items in one go, adding: 'Rather than buying all the items at once, you could just add to your emergency kit when you are able and build it up over time."
The Sun
30-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
UK's plan for Arctic island base: How Boris was urged to buy £250m stretch to fend off Putin years BEFORE Ukraine crisis
A REMOTE Arctic base which would have bolstered British strength in the region whilst fending off Putin years before he invaded Ukraine was nearly bought by Boris Johnson. The bombshell revelation was made by a former minister who said he urged his old boss Johnson to purchase a key stretch of Norwegian land in the Arctic when it was on sale for £250million. 10 10 10 10 Tobias Ellwood told The i Paper that he encouraged the then Foreign Secretary Johnson to make a bid for land in the Svalbard archipelago in 2016 to improve influence and security in the region. The revelation comes amid spiralling concern over Russia 's soaring presence in the ever more important Arctic. Experts have named the High North as a crucial flashpoint for future worldwide conflicts with nations set to battle for territory there. Donald Trump has made attempts to increase US presence there, threatening to take the Danish territory of Greenland " one way or another". And Ellwood said the Arctic was a "huge issue, and one that for a long time has been recognised as an area where European, and British particularly, security, could be vulnerable". The UK has also made recent attempts to curb Russian strength there, especially after scheming Vladimir Putin positioned troops on the border of NATO member Finland earlier this month. On Tuesday, the Foreign Office announced sanctions interrupting the journey of the Vengery tugboat. The Vengery was set to tow a colossal 200-metre-long floating dock, designed to help Russia repair its nuclear-powered ice-breakers. These specialised machines are necessary for carving safe passages through frozen Arctic waters. The UK also renewed an "ambitious new UK-Norway defence agreement" and pledged to leverage AI to "detect hostile state activity in the Arctic". And Foreign Secretary David Lammy began a visit of Norway and Iceland on Tuesday - Britain's two nearest Arctic neighbours. Putin's chilling Arctic war warning as tensions rise over US Greenland stance He told The Telegraph: "The Arctic is fast becoming an area of intense focus for geopolitical competition – and a key flank of NATO's defences. "Russia has been building up its military presence here for years." The visit also came as British troops are actively training in Norway as part of a broader NATO effort to deter mad Vlad. Some 90,000 troops are taking part in Exercise Steadfast Defender to rehearse NATO's response to a Russian invasion. The new revelation that Johnson nearly bought a remote Arctic base in 2016 detailed why the Government failed to acquire Austre Adventfjord. The small Norwegian stretch of land sits across the fjord from the Svalbard town of Longyearbyen. It was put on sale by the Norwegian Horn family in 2016. Ellwood said: "[Arctic security] came up when Boris Johnson was foreign secretary, and I was foreign minister, and I tried to get him to buy a bit of Svalbard. "Svalbard is a group of islands and they're quite strategically important." He explained: "We were ahead of our time and [got] pushed back by [the] Civil Service and others." Ellwood highlighted how it would 'certainly have been useful to have assets there, to monitor traffic'. 10 10 10 They also planned to operate satellites there to track the threat of Putin. The former minister highlighted why it would have been a great advantage to have bought the territory in hindsight. He said: "For different reasons, it made sense for us to establish a base there, and sadly, it was never to be. "Norway is a close ally, there's no doubt about it, but this was a wonderful opportunity, which sadly we did miss. Ellwood continued: "This is exactly why Trump wants to buy Greenland, because the growing disorder we're seeing is seeing every country defend their immediate surrounds." Austre Adventfjord had also received interest from a Chinese billionaire when the Horn family put in on sale in 2016. But it was quickly snapped up by the Norwegian state for £21million, possibly due to the security threat a Chinese-owned territory could pose there. The Foreign Office did not deny that discussions had taken place over Ellwood's recommendation to Johnson and the Foreign Office in 2016. Another separate Svalbard island also came up for sale in 2024 - but a Foreign Office source confirmed there were no discussions of purchasing it. It is understood that the current Government believes any territory purchased there now would not give the UK a strategic advantage due to the Svalbard Treaty, which restricts military use of the land. However, the chair of the UK Space Agency said Svalbard is already 'one of the most active centres for the collection of satellite data anywhere in the world and an intense scene of strategic competition'. Additionally, European security expert Ed Arnold said that purchasing land in Svalbard would make the UK an Arctic state. This title would boost diplomatic prominence in the region and provide an argument for the UK to join the Arctic Council. Seven of the current eight Arctic Council members are NATO allies, excluding Russia. Ellwood emphasised the importance of Arctic presence, saying: "The significance of the Arctic is all the more important because of the melting ice caps. "It's going to become ever busier… Because this is new and unfolding, Russia has been quick to plant flags in the sea, making territorial claims." He added: "Ultimately, this is testing NATO, because it's a new geographical domain we've not really got our heads around. "Russia is advancing at an incredible rate of knots and therefore there's a greater responsibility to hold Russia in check, not just in Ukraine, not just on the Finnish border, but also at sea as well." The former minister highlighted Russia's long-lasting attempts to seek influence in the region. "The Russians prioritised the Arctic from the 2010s and really, NATO sort of de-prioritised it after the Cold War," he said. "It noticed what Russia was doing, but didn't really respond to it, because they don't want to provoke Russia." It comes as Vladimir Putin continues to invest heavily in his prized Northern Fleet. The Russian tyrant now possesses 18 nuclear-powered submarines and warships equipped with hypersonic missiles. He has also as Moscow increases its risk appetite in the Arctic, given its already strained relationship with NATO countries. It also comes as Trump is continuing efforts the take the autonomous Arctic island of Greenland, pressing to acquire it either through purchase or military force. The President said the US 'needs Greenland for international security ', but also emphasised the potential benefits of mining natural resources across the island. 10 10
Al Arabiya
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Britain halts Israel trade talks and sanctions settlers over Gaza escalation
In this episode of W News, presented by Leigh-Ann Gerrans, we report on Britain pausing free trade talks with Israel, summoning the Israeli ambassador, and imposing new sanctions on West Bank settlers. The moves come after Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was horrified by the escalating violence in Gaza. In response, Israel said external pressure will not deter it from 'its path in defending its existence and security.' Guests: Tobias Ellwood – Former UK MP Trent Murray – Correspondent Larry Sabato – Founder and director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia Mohammed Sallak – Former spokesperson of the Libyan Presidential Council Yena Lee – Journalist
