Labour has claimed that the Government's flagship welfare-to-work scheme was "failing" after figures showed that only around a quarter of the long-term jobseekers referred to the Work Programme over the past two years have found employment.

The trade body which represents the welfare-to-work industry said that 321,000 of the 1.2 million people referred to the programme up to March 2013 had entered work, including one-third of all individuals who had been taking part for at least a year.

The Government will legislate to ensure reckless bank bosses can be jailed and bonuses can be clawed back, David Cameron has said.

The Prime Minister said he accepted key recommendations in a parliamentary report and promised to act on them.

A £3.68 MWD - Minimum Wage Dress - has gone on sale aimed at women who "want to look good on a budget".

Online retailer SheLikes.com said it created the MWD to cost the same as an hour's pay on the minimum wage for under-18s "to enable ladies to look super sophisticated, no matter how little cash they have to spare".

A home finance arranger has been branded a "disgrace to financial services" and fined a record sum of nearly £1 million for misleading vulnerable homeowners when selling and renting back their properties.

Birmingham-based Gurpreet Singh Chadda, who traded under the names Red2Black Homes and B&L Homes, was banned from working in the financial services industry and fined £945,277 by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the largest ever penalty for a sole trader.

Discount retailer Aldi has beaten the "big four" to be named best supermarket at the annual Which? awards.

The consumer watchdog said Aldi took the title "for its impressive range of best buys, quality food and good pricing", trumping competition from major players such as Sainsbury's, Tesco, Asda and Morrisons.

Young people trapped by high property prices face having to save for up to 30 years before they can afford a deposit on their first home, a charity has said.

Independent research commissioned by housing charity Shelter shows that people in their 20s have become locked out of home ownership, meaning a generation will be stuck renting for longer.

Fewer Britons are travelling abroad for their holidays because of the ailing economy, says a report.

More than half of people will stay at home instead of overseas for a break this year, a rise of 14% over the last three years.

The pay of public sector workers will have been cut by thousands of pounds over the lifetime of the coalition Government because of wage freezes, VAT hikes and changes to benefits and tax credit, according to a new study.

Unison said the lowest paid workers have been hardest hit, estimating that some healthcare assistants will have lost 50% of their income by 2015.

Hundreds of cleaners, chefs, drivers and other civilian workers at RAF stations will go on strike in a row over pay.

Members of the GMB and Unite unions at eight sites, including Valley in North Wales where the Duke of Cambridge is based, will walk out for 24 hours, with further stoppages expected.

An increase in the number of people in part-time or temporary work will drive a rise in employment levels over the next five years, according to a new study.

The report by professional services firm PwC forecasts a rise in employment of more than 850,000 by 2017/18.