Fish and chips in hand, Prime Minister Boris Johnson once promised to "build back batter" from the pandemic.
Successive blows have pushed the British institution to the brink since that pledge. Sanctions have disrupted trade with Russia, an important source of fish imports. Sunflower oil supplies from Ukraine have dried up. Lockdowns reduced the number of people on the country's high streets. Brexit, which took place in early 2020, added to inflationary pressures on the sector. And a shortage of labour has driven up wages.
New figures show a third of fish and chip shops are at risk of going bust this year due to a "perfect storm" of price pressures, according to insolvency firm Company Debt. In only one year, wholesale prices for Britain's favourite fish – cod and haddock – are up 75 per cent, sunflower oil is up 60 per cent and flour 40 per cent.
Nationwide inflation reached a 40-year peak of 9 per cent in April, the highest in the G7, and is projected to rise further. British consumers are more pessimistic than peers in Europe, leading to criticism of both government and Bank of England efforts to keep a lid on the cost of living.
Cod and chips in a popular shop in West Drayton, Greater London now costs £9.50, compared to £7.95 a year ago.
In the southern English seaside town of Swanage, customers said Britain's inflation problem meant making hard choices.
"It's all right for me to go in there and get one portion for myself, but that was £11 just for one person," said Paula Williams, 66, a carer from Weymouth, on a bench outside the Fish Plaice shop.
"When you've got a group of five or six, that's probably more expensive than going to a restaurant."
Russian fish feeds Britain
Battered fish and fried chips, the chunky equivalent of fries in the United States, have fuelled people in Britain since the combination was invented 160 years ago.
The meal is such a staple that unlike other food in Britain, it was not rationed during the world wars. Chippies, with their distinctive smell of oil and vinegar, remain a presence in most towns.
Some of the recent difficulties for fish and chip shops began after Brexit, distant-waters trawler company UK Fisheries said, estimating that the amount of Arctic cod Britain is allowed to catch in 2022 reduced to about 40 per cent of what it was before leaving the European Union.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has driven up fuel and electricity prices, further increasing the cost of catching and frying fish. The war has sent cooking oil, fertiliser and flour prices higher too.
Cod and haddock are sourced in the Barents Sea, north of Norway and Russia, and the war has heightened uncertainty over those supplies.
In March, the British government listed Russian white fish as among goods to be hit with a 35 per cent tariff as part of sanctions in response to the invasion. It has paused the move, for now, while the effects are investigated.
Sunflower oil is the principle agricultural commodity that the UK imports from Ukraine and the government says it is working to substitute it with other vegetable oils: for instance, receiving extra rapeseed shipments from Australia after its strong harvest.
A representative for the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs said it was "working closely with industry, including the National Federation of Fish Friers, to mitigate the challenges that they are facing".
However, the federation said fish and chip shops were facing their biggest ever crisis.
"I'm getting daily phone calls from people that are worried that they're going to go out of business," NFFF president Andrew Crook told Reuters.
'Oil must stay hot'
Data from Springboard shows footfall on British high streets is 15 per cent down on 2019. Fish and chip shops are more exposed than some bigger businesses, Yael Selfin, chief economist at KPMG UK told Reuters, because they lack buying power to strike better deals when global prices rise.
"We are expecting consumers and households to reassess what they're spending on and potentially cut down," Ms Selfin said.
In his smart, recently refurbished shop in West Drayton, Bally Singh is struggling to keep the tills ringing for the British tradition, with prices skyrocketing for fish, potatoes, cooking oil and even the flour used for the batter.
Mr Singh, owner of Hooked Fish and Chips, is navigating the economic fallout of the Ukraine war, the coronavirus pandemic and Brexit.
"Fish prices have gone up extortionately; oil prices have gone up extortionately; and everything across the whole spectrum that we sell has gone up extortionately," he said.
Located in a suburb in Mr Johnson's own parliamentary constituency, Mr Singh is looking to cut costs and has added cheaper hake and pollock to the menu. But the energy intensive cookers have to stay on.
"If nobody's coming in, we're losing money and we need to keep the oil hot," he said.
Rafael Nadal's record at the MWTC
2009 Finalist
2010 Champion
Jan 2011 Champion
Dec 2011 Semi-finalist
Dec 2012 Did not play
Dec 2013 Semi-finalist
2015 Semi-finalist
Jan 2016 Champion
Dec 2016 Champion
2017 Did not play
Company%20profile
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8
Power: 503hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 685Nm at 2,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Price: from Dh850,000
On sale: now
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
PRO BASH
Thursday’s fixtures
6pm: Hyderabad Nawabs v Pakhtoon Warriors
10pm: Lahore Sikandars v Pakhtoon Blasters
Teams
Chennai Knights, Lahore Sikandars, Pakhtoon Blasters, Abu Dhabi Stars, Abu Dhabi Dragons, Pakhtoon Warriors and Hyderabad Nawabs.
Squad rules
All teams consist of 15-player squads that include those contracted in the diamond (3), platinum (2) and gold (2) categories, plus eight free to sign team members.
Tournament rules
The matches are of 25 over-a-side with an 8-over power play in which only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Teams play in a single round robin league followed by the semi-finals and final. The league toppers will feature in the semi-final eliminator.
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.
Abu Dhabi GP Saturday schedule
12.30pm GP3 race (18 laps)
2pm Formula One final practice
5pm Formula One qualifying
6.40pm Formula 2 race (31 laps)
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Profile of MoneyFellows
Founder: Ahmed Wadi
Launched: 2016
Employees: 76
Financing stage: Series A ($4 million)
Investors: Partech, Sawari Ventures, 500 Startups, Dubai Angel Investors, Phoenician Fund
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
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Men's football draw
Group A: UAE, Spain, South Africa, Jamaica
Group B: Bangladesh, Serbia, Korea
Group C: Bharat, Denmark, Kenya, USA
Group D: Oman, Austria, Rwanda
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Infobox
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the next stage of qualifying, in Malaysia in August
Results
UAE beat Iran by 10 wickets
Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by eight wickets
Oman beat Bahrain by nine wickets
Qatar beat Maldives by 106 runs
Monday fixtures
UAE v Kuwait, Iran v Saudi Arabia, Oman v Qatar, Maldives v Bahrain
The five pillars of Islam
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
More coverage from the Future Forum
Visa changes give families fresh hope
Foreign workers can sponsor family members based solely on their income
Male residents employed in the UAE can sponsor immediate family members, such as wife and children, subject to conditions that include a minimum salary of Dh 4,000 or Dh 3,000 plus accommodation.
Attested original marriage certificate, birth certificate of the child, ejari or rental contract, labour contract, salary certificate must be submitted to the government authorised typing centre to complete the sponsorship process
In Abu Dhabi, a woman can sponsor her husband and children if she holds a residence permit stating she is an engineer, teacher, doctor, nurse or any profession related to the medical sector and her monthly salary is at least Dh 10,000 or Dh 8,000 plus accommodation.
In Dubai, if a woman is not employed in the above categories she can get approval to sponsor her family if her monthly salary is more than Dh 10,000 and with a special permission from the Department of Naturalization and Residency Dubai.
To sponsor parents, a worker should earn Dh20,000 or Dh19,000 a month, plus a two-bedroom accommodation
