£40m guarantee on Thalidomide

SURVIVORS of the Thalidomide scandal will be given a ‘lifetime commitment’ with an extra down payment of £40million.

Rishi Sunak said current support funding runs out in 2023, adding: ‘They deserve better than to have constant uncertainty. Not only will I extend this funding with a down payment of around £40 million, I am announcing a lifetime commitment, guaranteeing funding forever.’

About 10,000 babies worldwide were born with severe deformities because of the medicine prescribed to women for morning sickness in the 1950s and 1960s.

ThE contactless card limit is to more than double from £45 to £100.

The move to help get the nation spending means shoppers can use their cards to quickly pay for bigger bills without having to enter their Pin.

Yet critics fear the announcement could further accelerate the decline of physical cash use.

Eight out of ten UK adults used contactless payments in 2019. Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: ‘The increase will make it easier than ever for people to pay for their shopping, providing a welcome boost to retail that will protect jobs and drive growth across the UK.’

‘Tap and go’ contactless cards initially had a limit of £10 in 2007. The Financial Conduct Authority recommended the latest change after a public consultation – despite critics fearing it could fuel fraud.

The Government said it was free to raise the limit because it is no longer bound by EU payment regulations.