Rare Christmas shooting star to zip through skies on longest night of year

A think-tank has warned that families are facing a "groundhog year" as further squeezes on living standards look set to continue into 2023. The Resolution Foundation said that while there are signs inflation will ease and interest rates peak lower than feared, family finances face a repeat of 2022's cost of living challenges.

The UK Government recently announced a series of new cost of living payments to help millions of households across the country mitigate soaring inflation and ever-increasing energy bills. The new cost of living support package is worth £26 billion in 2023/24, in addition to benefits uprating, which is worth £11 billion to working age households and people with disabilities.

New analysis suggests that a German-style national drive to reduce UK energy use by turning off lights and lowering heating temperatures could save households £400 and save the Treasury £9 billion. The Social Market Foundation (SMF), a cross-party think-tank, is calling on the UK Government to follow Germany’s lead and launch an information campaign that provides practical tips on reducing household energy demand.

The ongoing cost of living crisis has made 2022 a challenging year for millions of households across Scotland. Soaring energy bills along with higher food and fuel prices brought about by record-breaking inflation means budgets are continually being pushed to breaking point.

The UK Government has launched a dedicated website aimed at helping households save money on their energy bills. A new advertising campaign has also started airing on TV screens nationwide as part of the ‘It All Adds Up’ £18 million awareness initiative.

Kylie Jenner and her daughter Stormi 'twinned' as they wore matching outfits for their annual family Christmas Eve bash.

and Kate Middleton and their family joined and at the morning service at Sandringham Church today, as the royals mark their first Christmas since the passing of on 8 September. Her Majesty the Queen traditionally hosted the family at her Norfolk estate over the Christmas period, and before the pandemic forced her to remain in isolation at Windsor Castle, she had spent every Christmas since 1988 at Sandringham, attending the service at St Mary Magdalene Church surrounded by her family. Almost four months after her death, the royals presented a united front in Norfolk today following an undeniably turbulent period for the family. Earlier this month, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex released their explosive docuseries, , on Netflix.

In the past Scots have tried their lottery luck during the festive period hoping to bring home a huge jackpot.

Nurses and midwives in Perth and Kinross will join strikes across Scotland next year after members of the Royal College of Nursing “overwhelmingly” rejected the latest pay offer for NHS workers.

For families of little ones, the tradition of Christmas Eve boxes has become fairly popular in recent years.

Good afternoon Insiders and a happy holiday to you all, Max Goldbart here seeing out the year. We’re inching slowly towards the holiday and have just got a quick summary of the week’s headlines and some Essentials for you this week. We’ll be taking a well-earned (we hope!) break next week but back all systems go on Friday January 6. Until then, our heartfelt thanks go out to all you Insider readers. We are nothing without you. Merry Xmas, Happy Chanukah and a Happy New Year.

The UK Government recently announced a series of new cost of living payments to help millions of households across the country mitigate soaring inflation and ever-increasing energy bills. The new cost of living support package is worth £26 billion in 2023-24, in addition to benefits uprating, which is worth £11 billion to working age households and people with disabilities.

The Scottish Highlands is the only part of the UK likely to see a white Christmas, according to the Met Office. Christmas is likely to be wet and cloudy for a lot of the country with the heavy snowfall coming two weeks too early to give most people a white Christmas.

Families across the UK are planning to treat themselves this Christmas, with new research revealing that nearly four in 10 households are set to switch the heating on all day on December 25, despite the ongoing cost of living crisis.

In the spirit! Princess Kate hosted her second annual holiday concert with some help from her family: Prince William, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

Argos shoppers have been blown away after discovering the "perfect" energy-saving item that slashes heating bills and keeps them cosy all night.