In more news that’s sure to ruin your week, Premier League players are reportedly set to receive £240,000 more a year in wages following the recent raft of tax cuts announced.
The announcement comes following fledgling chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-budget revealed on Friday, 23 September, which saw cuts on everything from corporation tax to bankers’ bonuses and more.
As part of the economic adjustment which was designed to address the growing cost of living crisis, it would appear that many of the wealthiest currently living in the UK will be the first to reap the benefits of the new policy — multi-millionaire footballers being one such group.
First broke by the Times, the newly adjusted figures project that Premier League players will be receiving just under a cool quarter of a million in additional funds on average, namely thanks to the government revisions on income tax and national insurance.
More specifically, the outlet explains that the highest tax bracket for those earning over £150,000 per annum is now moving from 45% down to 40%, with many of the UK’s players obviously already on astronomical contracts.
Sitting as one of the Prem’s highest earners, Ronaldo currently nets an annual salary of just over £26.5m a year. As Maguire goes on to comment: “I’m not party political but it seems to be inconsistent with the Government’s levelling-up agenda.” He already makes more than enough for 10 lifetimes.
Not only does he point out that this kind of money could be put to much greater use by spreading it out across, say, the likes of football clubs’ service staff – averaging around £1,300 extra for around 1,000 staff members – but it hardly makes you want to go and cheer them on at the weekend, does it?
For further context, Manchester City’s star midfielder Kevin de Bruyne is said to earn around £400k a week and new boy Erling Halaand arrived at the club on a £375k-a-week contract.
While we don’t have the exact numbers per player – nor do we want to know, really – they are among dozens of others on £150,000+ a week who will now be taking home even more than usual following these tax cuts.
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Circling back to the Times, they estimate that the average top-flight player earns in the region of £4m a year, paying around a grand total of around £1.4billion in tax; that figure will soon drop by a full £70m when the changes become law.
Not just life-changing amounts – enough to help genuinely fix socio-economic issues on a national scale.
Price caps and standardisations to be introduced for vet care in UK following major investigation
Emily Sergeant
Reforms to the veterinary industry to help pet owners better navigate the vet services market are set to be introduced this year.
After an independent inquiry group recently found that the current system is leaving pet owners ‘in the dark’, with a lack of information to help make informed decisions leading to weak competition and high prices, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has this week concluded its investigation into veterinary services for household pets in the UK.
The final report green-lights a package of measures to make the market more competitive, easier to navigate, and more responsive to pet owners’ needs.
It outlines the final remedies and recommendations, which together, will transform the market.
Remedies and recommendations in the report range from price caps and standardisations, through to upfront cost transparency.
We’ve set out major reforms to the UK’s veterinary sector now our market investigation is complete.
Our reforms will help pet owners better navigate the vet services market and will start coming into force later this year.
— Competition & Markets Authority (@CMAgovUK) March 24, 2026
Practices will soon be required to publish a comprehensive price list for standard services – including consultations, common procedures, diagnostics, written prescriptions and cremation options – so pet owners know up-front how much certain services are expected to cost.
They’ll also have to make it clear whether they are part of a group or an independent business, and provide a written estimate in advance for any treatment expected to cost £500 or more (including aftercare costs), plus an itemised bill.
Written prescription fees are set to be capped at £21 for the first medicine, and then £12.50 for any additional medicines.
Price caps and standardisations are set to be introduced for vet care in UK / Credit: Pxhere
There’s also set to be changes to the complaints process, as practices will now be required to follow a transparent, accessible, in-house complaints process, and engage in mediation where disputes cannot be resolved.
The CMA says an ‘unprecedented’ response from both the public and the sector has helped to shape the final report.
The next step is for the Government to respond to the report formally – with Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Emma Reynolds, commenting: “We are grateful for all the work of the Competition and Markets Authority, and we will respond to the report and set out next steps for our proposed reforms in due course.
“This Government is focused on helping families save money on vet services by improving transparency and choice around pricing, so the public can make informed decisions about their pets’ care.”
Featured Image – Pxhere
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Police release footage of Manchester burglar who tried to evade arrest by hiding under a bed
Emily Sergeant
Police have released unseen footage of a Manchester burglar who tried to evade arrest and justice by hiding under a bed.
David Dale Thompson, of no fixed abode, appeared at Manchester Crown Court last week (18 March) where he was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of residential burglary at an earlier hearing.
The 43-year-old was caught early last year (15 January 2025) following proactive patrols by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) neighbourhood officers across Rusholme and Moss Side, who were in the area due to a high number of reports of burglaries in the weeks prior.
While on patrol, police spotted Thompson ‘acting suspiciously’ while riding a bike just before 5pm, and once officer subsequently followed him to a property on Boscombe Street, before calling for more officers to attend.
After gaining entry to the address, officers suspected something was wrong when they entered one of the rooms, and after lifting up the bed, they found Thompson hiding in the storage compartment attempting to evade arrest.
GMP has now released footage of the moment Thompson was caught.
Speaking following Thompson’s sentencing last week, Detective Inspector Natalie McDonald, of GMP’s Manchester Central Neighbourhood Crime Team, said: “This was a fantastic example of proactive policing, which has resulted in a serial offender now behind bars.
“We know how devastating a burglary in your own home can be and this shows our commitment to tackling them head on.
“If you have any information or concerns about neighbourhood crime in your area, make sure you speak to us. In the meantime, we have officers on regular patrols in areas that need us the most.”
Danny Jones -
29th September 2022 
