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Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

UK chancellor Rachel Reeves is aiming to attend a meeting of EU finance ministers before the end of the year, as Labour seeks to widen co-operation with the bloc in a range of areas including economic policy. 

The arrangements are still under discussion, according to people familiar with the matter, but officials see the anticipated meeting as a sign of the UK’s improving relations with the EU, as the two sides attempt to reboot their relationship since Labour took office. 

A meeting of EU finance ministers covering the Eurozone is scheduled for December 9 in Brussels, providing a potential date for Reeves.

Dialogue with the Eurogroup is expected to focus on developments in the UK and broader European economy, and areas of common interest, including the G7 agenda and the EU’s financial support for Ukraine. 

But the meeting is not expected to focus on Labour’s attempted reboot of UK-EU trade relations, people familiar with the plans said.

Senior non-EU figures occasionally attend meetings of the Eurogroup, which typically take place once a month.

Last October, the Eurogroup met in an “inclusive format” including all 27 EU ministers, when US Treasury secretary Janet Yellen was present.

British chancellors used to participate in meetings of the pan-EU Ecofin group of finance ministers, rather than the narrower Eurogroup, until the UK left the bloc in 2020.

Reeves’s expected meeting with EU finance ministers comes as UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer prepares for talks on Wednesday with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, which he hopes will “reset” relations with Brussels.

The EU-UK economic dialogue has suffered since Brexit, as discussions between the two sides became dominated by the complex and acrimonious debate about the implementation of the UK’s exit deal from the bloc. 

But the two sides have in recent years stepped up co-operation in security areas such as sanctions policy and aid for Ukraine.

Reeves had a meeting with the Irish president of the Eurogroup, Paschal Donohoe, in London at the beginning of September. 

Speaking at the City of London’s Guildhall later that day, Donohoe said he hoped the recent first steps taken to rebuild trust between the UK and EU turned into a “steady walk”. 

“It is really welcome that we have moved on to a new footing in our relationship which allows us to exchange views on these important topics for our citizens and businesses,” he said in his speech. 

Brussels and London established an EU-UK financial regulatory forum last year as a platform for a regular dialogue.

Starmer has had a number of meetings with EU counterparts including German chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni. 

Home secretary Yvette Cooper will have talks with the outgoing EU home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson on the sidelines of a G7 meeting in Italy on Thursday.

But Labour faces a struggle to show tangible benefits from its heightened engagement with the EU, given the formidable barriers that exist to a deeper economic relationship. 

Financial services are not covered by the post-Brexit free trade agreement and the UK has repeatedly ruled out joining the EU single market or customs union. 

A spokesperson for Donohoe said the Eurogroup was committed to building a “strong working relationship in the time ahead”, adding: “At this stage concrete ways to follow up on this are being considered.”

The Treasury said: “As part of the wider reset with the EU, we will continue to engage with EU countries and the commission to see an improved trade and investment relationship to support businesses, create jobs and help grow the UK economy.

“We do not give a running commentary on the chancellor’s diary.”

Additional reporting by Peter Foster in London

SHOPPERS are racing to Home Bargains to grab “amazing” slippers for kids selling for a dirt-cheap price.

A thrifty buyer shared her steal deal with a bargain-hunting Facebook group, claiming the identical clos are sold for £10 on the internet.

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Home Bargain is selling kids’ clog slippers with fur lining for just £3.

Savvy parents are clearing the shelves of the retailer to buy pairs of the footwar for their tods after spotting the bargain deal.

Posting a picture of the proud discovery on the popular Facebook page Extreme Couponing and Bargains, the savvy customer wrote: “Selling just for £3 at Home Bargains.

“Identical to the ones that sell for £10 online.”

The post wracked up hundreds of likes and comments with many group members tagging pals to talk about the superb deal.

One user said: “I need to get these amazing pairs as soon as possible.”

While another said: “How cute are these.”

A third wrote: “Going tomorrow first thing in the morning to grab these.”

Do bear in mind that when prices are reduced by this much it’s usually in order for stores to clear excess stock, so availability will vary from store to store.

It’s always best to phone ahead to your local shop to check what they have available to avoid disappointment.

You can find your nearest Home Bargains store using the locator tool on the website.

It always pays to compare prices so you know you’re getting the best deal.

Prices can also vary day to day and by what deals are on at the time, plus remember you might pay for delivery if you’re ordering online.

You can compare prices on platforms like Google Shopping.

How to save money at Home Bargains

Knowing when to pick up products is one way to save money at Home Bargains.

Visiting your local branch at the right time of day, week and year can help you pick up bargains from as little as 69p.

We spoke to Tom Church, a shopping expert who reveals the best times to visit the store to bag a bargain.

Also join any shopper bargain Facebook groups such as Extreme Couponing and Bargains, as people love to share the news when they have bagged a cheap deal.

Be sure to look out for seasonal stock too, like most retailers, Home Bargains shashes its prices after big public holidays such as Christmas and Easter.

AN Autumn break can be a good choice for holidaymakers looking to chase the sun, with many destinations offering warmer weather, fewer crowds, and cheaper prices. 

One city has been found to offer the best bargain holiday deal for this time of year, and that’s Marrakech. 

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The fourth largest city in Morrocco has become increasingly popular with tourists over the years. 

And it’s now been crowned Most Budget Friendly Autumn Getaway 2024 by DiscoverCars.com.

In the car rental company’s latest report cities were scored on a number of factors: 

• Average cost of a week-long hotel stay

• Average cost of car rental for a week

• Number of affordable restaurants

• Average rainfall in millimetres

• Average temperature in September, October and November

• Average daylight hours during these months. 

Marrakech scored best for average rainfall, with just 25mm during September, October and November. 

It also came up top for the longest daylight hours, with an average of nine hours during Autumn. 

While the average flight cost to Marrakech Airport is on the pricier side (£253), the average cost of a week-long hotel stay was just £168. 

Its average temperature was one of the highest at 19C. 

Here are some of the cheapest things you can get up to in the city. 

Visit Bahia Palace for its stunning Moroccan architecture 

Nestled in the heart of Marrakech is Bahia Palace – a 19th century building decorated with stunning paintings and mosaics. 

The palace was set up by Si Moussa, grand vizir of the sultan, for his personal use, and named after one of his wives. 

Its gardens are particularly popular, with orange and banana trees, cypress trees, hibiscus plants and jasmine shading the walkways. 

Entry to the palace is free. 

Grab a cheap bite to eat at Jemaa el-Fnaa

Jemaa el-Fnaa is the main square and market place in Marrakech’s medina quarter. 

There are plenty of restaurants dotted around the square serving local delicacies like tagine, brochettes (skewered kebabs), fried fish and couscous.  

Prices are very cheap – you can have a hearty meal for just £9-13.

Explore the iconic El Badi Palace 

El Badi Palace is a ruined palace commissioned by the sultan Ahmad al-Mansur of the Saadian dynasty a few months after his accession in 1578. 

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The palace features intricate mosaics, marble columns, gold-topped ceilings, and onyx, and its rooftop terrace offers views of the skyline, Atlas Mountains, and resident storks. 

Entry for adults is 100 MAD (£7.75), and for children 30 MAD (£3.02).

As Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones, Sophie Turner excelled as a pure soul in a morally depraved medieval universe. In lightweight but enjoyable biopic Joan, she portrays another underdog heroine once again travelling to a bygone era. Sporting a Bananarama haircut, she plays real-life 1980s jewel chief Joan Hannington, Thatcher-era London’s so-called “Criminal Godmother.”

Turner’s Hannington is Sansa with an EastEnders accent and a fashion upgrade – rather than princess frocks, it’s pastel blouses and mammoth shoulder pads.

But her Joan is also a hot streak of contradictions under the clobber and the eye makeup. She’s a loving mum but someone who will endanger her future with her daughter by stealing a car so that she can visit the child in foster care (an actual incident detailed in Hannington’s memoir, I Am What I Am: The True Story of Britain’s Most Notorious Jewel Thief). And while Turner puts great effort into playing her as an oppressed woman with a heart of gold, Joan is undeniably enthusiastic about her descent into criminality.

Joan is part giddy heist, part social drama, and the two genres combine unevenly in a series that feels torn between escapism and the desire to be something grittier.

Turner’s character is introduced as a frightened victim of an abusive criminal boyfriend, Gary (Nick Blood), who does a runner after falling out with the wrong people. Joan is left to answer for his deeds and when gangsters break in and threaten her, she puts her daughter into care and flees from the seaside town of Herne Bay in Kent to London, where she eventually bags a job selling expensive necklaces to posh women. There, she finds another calling: pinching the jewels by swallowing them whole and retrieving the stash with the help of an olive oil laxative (a scene that mercifully takes place off-camera).

Turner is best when playing Joan as a female version of George Clooney in Ocean’s Eleven. Charming and with a knack for accents, she disarms her pervy boss at the jewellers – but rather than submit to his advances, she gulps down those diamonds from the stock room and pegs it. Later, she falls in with charming antique dealer Boisie (Frank Dillane), a cad with useful underworld connections.

Where Turner struggles and Joan stutters is when it tries to go all Ken Loach. Turner struggles to get under the skin of a woman brought up in care and betrayed by all the men in her life – she lacks the acting heft. These scenes are a box-ticking exercise – it’s as if they have been included simply because they feature in Hannington’s memoir, rather than out of any genuine desire to explore Joan’s traumas.

Joan also fails to lay the groundwork for the character’s transformation into a natural-born criminal. She is introduced as the lead character in a dour kitchen sink drama. But when she overhears a posh woman nattering to a pal in a London park, she can effortlessly mimic the accent and eventually wangle her way into that jewellers job. Her display of chameleonic powers arrives completely out of the blue.

Switching between these japes and scenes of dark social realism is disconcerting, though the drama does a great job evoking 1980s London. Outrageous fashions, naff music (The Style Council feature early on), and retro cars conjure visions of fluffy dice and ZX Spectrums. It’s a fantasy version of the decade – but one which Joan explores with gusto. It’s when it tries to be bleak and realistic that the wheels come off.

‘Joan’ continues tomorrow at 9pm on ITV1

CRIMINAL prosecutions for failing to pay the BBC licence fee could be scrapped by Labour.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is understood to be “concerned” by the disproportionate number of women being punished.

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And there is agreement between Ms Nandy and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood that taxpayers should not have to fork out for the “administrative burden”.

Almost 1,000 Brits are prosecuted every week for ignoring the £169.50 annual fee.

Seventy per cent are women.

They are more likely to be poorly paid, coping with single families or taking charge of household bills — and also more likely to be at home when investigators call.

But last night an insider said prosecutions will continue until at least 2027, when the BBC’s Royal Charter is due for renewal.

Ministers will then meet Beeb bosses to “explore options” for new funding models.

These are set to include decriminalisation.

Last year half a million people stopped paying as they opted for US-based subscription services instead.

At the same time former Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer branded criminal prosecutions “morally indefensible in modern times”.

A TV Licensing spokesman said: “We have a duty to enforce the law.

“But we have made considerable efforts to help people get licensed and offer help and support.

“Our focus on collecting the licence fee fairly and efficiently.”