Around 24 million people claiming DWP benefits will receive their payments as normal in March 2026, with no bank holidays affecting the schedule

Benefit payments will arrive as scheduled in March for millions of recipients, as no bank holidays are planned during the month. Should your payment date fall on a weekend or bank holiday, you’ll typically receive the money on the preceding working day.

Those receiving Universal Credit, State Pension, Child Benefit, Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and other benefits should anticipate funds arriving in their accounts on the usual date. Should any problems arise with your payment, get in touch with the relevant office managing your benefit.

Currently, approximately 24 million people across the nation are claiming some form of Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) administered benefits, including State Pension recipients, accounting for roughly one in three individuals. Analysis by Policy in Practice reveals that £24bn in benefits remains unclaimed annually.

Should you believe you’re eligible for benefit payments, you’ll need to provide bank, building society or credit union account information when applying. Alternative payment methods are only available if you encounter difficulties opening or managing an account.

The basic State Pension is paid directly into bank accounts. Payment typically occurs every four weeks, with the precise day determined by the final two digits of your national insurance (NI) number, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Much like other benefits, payment dates are expected to remain consistent throughout March. Significant changes are set to affect household bills come April.

Energy regulator Ofgem has confirmed that the energy price cap will fall by 7% in April. This reduction will apply to all households, including those on fixed tariffs, and requires no claim or application. The exact savings for each household will vary depending on individual circumstances and energy usage, but average savings from this cut are expected to be approximately £150.

From April, both the new and old State Pension will rise in accordance with the triple lock. The DWP states this will benefit millions of pensioners with above-inflation payments.

Nevertheless, it will bring state pension payments within touching distance of the personal allowance threshold. After the increase, the full new state pension will amount to roughly £12,547.60 per year, whilst the frozen personal allowance remains at £12,570.

The Department for Work and Pensions has confirmed that Universal Credit claimants will see their payments rise this year. Benefits linked to inflation are set to increase by 3.8% from April, whilst others will receive a 2.3% uplift.

The RAF base Akrotiri in Cyprus has been hit by a one-way attack drone, amid a fresh conflict in the Middle East that started on Saturday.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told Sky News’ Mornings With Ridge and Frost the strike hit the airport’s runway and said “all of the precautionary measures are being taken around the base”.

There were no casualties in the incident at the base near Limassol, Cyprus.

However, in response to the attack, the base is moving families and temporarily relocating non-essential staff.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) described it as a “precautionary measure”.

The families are being relocated to alternative accommodation on the island.

Iran latest: Israel says it is striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon

An MoD spokesperson said: “The safety of our personnel and their families is our absolute priority.

“Our base and personnel continue to operate as normal protecting the safety of Britain and our interests.”

The UK government has not yet confirmed where the drone originated from.

It was the first attack on the RAF facility since a rocket attack by Libyan militants in 1986.

An MoD spokesperson said earlier: “Our armed forces are responding to a suspected drone strike at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus at midnight local time.”

Later on Monday, Cyprus’s President Nikos Christodoulides said authorities there are on full alert after the drone strike.

But he reiterated the territory “⁠does not participate ⁠in any way and does ‌not intend to be part of any ‌military operation”.

The armed forces had been moving extra resources, including counter-drone systems, F-35 jets and radar systems to its bases in Cyprus.

The MoD said the additional capabilities were purely for defensive measures: mainly detecting and defeating airborne threats.

Sky News understands the drone involved in the incident at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus was small.

Read more:
Trump has tipped Middle East into war that could last weeks
UK plans evacuation for tens of thousands from Middle East

The suspected strike came hours after Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK had allowed the US to strike Iranian missile sites from select British bases.

Sky News understand these to be RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire and Diego Garcia in the disputed Chagos Islands.

Responding to the announcement, the Liberal Democrats warned of a “slippery slope” that risked the US “[dragging] Britain into another prolonged war in the Middle East”.

A ‌Cyprus government spokesperson said: “Information received through ‌various channels indicates that it involved an unmanned drone, which caused limited ⁠damage”.

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UK expats caught in Middle East conflict

Hostilities in the Middle East are entering their third day, with the US and Israel continuing to strike Iran following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

More than 200,000 British nationals, including military personnel, are thought to be at risk in the Gulf as the Tehran regime launches further missiles at its neighbours.

The first American flag-draped coffin to arrive home will land with greater force than any Iranian missile.

For President Donald Trump, the loss of US military personnel redraws the political battlefield at home.

Trump has long cast himself as a president who understands the cost of war in human terms.

He mocked “forever wars” and vowed that American blood would no longer be spilt in distant deserts.

But the campaign rhetoric met harsh reality when he found himself back in the White House.

The moment American casualties were confirmed on Sunday, the war with Iran ceased to be something abstract.

Three personnel were killed and five others seriously wounded in a strike on a US base in Kuwait.

In Washington, the deaths – and his warning that there could be more – further polarised politics.

Supporters rallied around Trump, arguing that backing down now would dishonour the fallen.

Critics, meanwhile, framed the casualties as evidence of a president’s recklessness.

Read more:
Trump’s war with Iran has become personal for people in Dubai
Starmer denies U-turn claims on UK bases go-ahead for Iran strikes

The political middle – often quiet but decisive – asked the critical question: What are we dying for?

Escalation risks turning him into the kind of Middle East war president his own base rejected.

His U-turn, however justified on strategic grounds, will be tested in this year’s mid-term elections.

History suggests that presidents do not lose support simply because Americans die on the battlefield.

They lose it when deaths feel pointless, endless or poorly explained by the commander-in-chief.

In his latest address to the nation, he prepared Americans for a longer war and more casualties.

The speed with which it appears to be spreading across the Middle East will be another concern.

The longer it goes on, the more lives lost and the wider it spreads, the harder diplomacy becomes.

In the end, American lives lost in war with Iran will confront Trump with the paradox of leadership.

Power is never more absolute than in war, but never more fragile either.

Missiles might shape the conflict overseas, but it is mourning and memory that dictate its political cost.

Let’s be honest: home isn’t just where the heart is. The value of your house, especially if you’re lucky enough to be a homeowner, is often just as important as creating your perfect space.

Whether you’re into bold home design or play it on the safe side, there’s one faux pas you could be making… and you probably have no idea.

Anouska Lancaster, an award-winning interior designer best known for starring in the Channel 4 series Renovation Nation which followed the jaw dropping restoration of her Cornwall home, lets Metro in on the industry secret.

The golden rule of interior

‘There’s a fine line between having an eclectic home and having a cluttered home,’ says Anouska. ‘It’s a line you can easily fall over if you just keep collecting stuff.’

Anouska is by no means a minimalist designer. She’s a lover of bright colours, eye-catching patterns and showstopping feature pieces – and we mean showstopping. She has an antique carousel horse pride of place in her living room.

So, how do we make sure we’re walking the wobbly tightrope between less-is-more and more-is-more?

‘Sometimes you need to come at it with fresh eyes,’ Anouska tells Metro. ‘When you come back from being away, you might want to think to yourself ‘I need a little refresh’ and consider what needs to go.

‘I trained to be an artist,’ she says. ‘It’s a bit similar to painting a picture and knowing when it’s finished.

‘When you’re creative, you want to just keep creating, but you have to stop yourself as you can almost ruin a masterpiece by doing too much.’

To check a room doesn’t pass into over-cluttered territory, Anouska says: ‘When you’re looking at any room in your house, you have to be able to let your eyes rest somewhere.

‘It could be not putting those extra couple of cushions on a sofa, just because you love them. It could be a wardrobe that’s just painted, or a wall that just lets you gather your thoughts.’

What about increasing value?

Now we’ve got our heads around what not to do, there’s also plenty you can do, even on a budget, to up the value of your home.

‘Wow-factor pieces really add value,’ says Anouska.

‘Even if you can’t afford to do a whole room, if you just have one thing that really stands out – for example, the most amazing, upholstered sofa, an incredible headboard or an antique dresser – that’s what people remember.’

On the vintage carousel piece, pride of place in her own home, she says, ‘it kind of doesn’t matter what else I have in the house, because everyone always talks about the horse.’

Anouska says it can be helpful to take one room at a time when upgrading your home.

‘Years ago, when I moved, I couldn’t afford to put a new kitchen in, so I completely painted it. It started as an orange oak. I coated it in acrylic eggshell, then picked out a fuchsia pink I like.

‘I couldn’t afford a hood for the hob, so I created the look of a stipe running down the wall. Everyone would just be wowed by the colour and wouldn’t take any notice of the actual fabric of the kitchen.’

On top of colour drenching, Anouska recommends one other kitchen hack.

‘Handles totally transform. Everyone’s moving towards brushed and gold polished brass. If you get new handles, the whole space can look brand new.’

You don’t need to break the bank

‘Don’t be afraid to pair an expensive piece with high street stuff – mix and match. It makes it much more exciting anyway.

‘Home Sense is my guilty pleasure,’ says Anouska on her favourite high street spot, where she finds bargains to put alongside antique pieces. ‘I’m absolutely obsessed. I’ll go in there for a candle and come out with a chair.’

If you do have a bit of a budget, Anouska says there’s one thing she would recommend splashing the cash on when decorating.

‘Buy an investment piece. A piece of art that you absolutely love. Even if you can’t afford to do anything else in the room, art is really great.’

Only Fools and Horses is one of the funniest sitcoms of all time – but you might not have known it if you saw the actors on set.

Tessa Peake-Jones, who played Raquel, the wife of Sir David Jason’s Del Boy Trotter, has reflected on the filming experience ahead of the show’s 45th anniversary.

While the cast members, including Nicholas Lyndhurst and Gwyneth Strong (Rodney and Cassandra), all got on together, they found themselves overcome with pressure before shooting scenes in front of a live audience.

“If people had seen us backstage before the show, they’d have seen people pacing up and down the corridors with nerves, including David and Nick,” Peake-Jones said.

“We cared so much, and we wanted to get it right, but one slip-up of a word could ruin that laugh.”

She also admitted that the many jokes that have endured as classics lost their magic by the time it came to recording the show, telling The Express that the actors had “usually seen it all in rehearsals so many times, it’s not that funny anymore anyway”.

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Peake-Jones, 68, will appear on a forthcoming special, titled Only Fools and Horses: The Lost Archive, alongside Jason, 85, Strong, 66, and Marlene actor Sue Holderness, 76, which will air on U&A Gold.

The special will feature 66 previously unseen clips and scenes, digitally restored from 16mm negatives, that were filmed but never broadcast. It’ll also pay tribute to the show’s late creator, John Sullivan.

Only Fools and Horses’ interior scenes were shot in front of an audience, but the sitcom, which launched in 1981, incorporated several on-location scenes as it went on.

The series followed the escapades of the Trotter family, including the entrepreneurial market trader Del Boy and his often hapless brother Rodney. It was one of the BBC’s biggest ratings successes, and ran until 1991 before returning for multiple Christmas specials. The last episode aired in 2003.

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Only Fools is often ranked as one of the funniest comedy shows of all time alongside Fawlty Towers and The Office.

Speaking about the forthcoming two-part special, Jason said: “The love for Only Fools has never faded. It’s incredible to see how many people still hold it close to their hearts. Revisiting these rediscovered moments reminded me just how special the show was – and still is. It’s incredible to be able to share them now.”

In 2022, it was revealed that Sullivan once edited an episode of the show becayse he believed it was too cruel.

The creator disliked the episode “A Royal Flush” so much that he allegedly stopped it from being broadcast for almost 20 years.

Peake-Jones will next be seen performing Invisible Me at Southwark Playhouse Borough from 8 April until 2 May.

The F1 2026 season gets underway this week with the Australian Grand Prix and one broadcaster is showing all the action live.

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Formula 1 returns this week as the 2026 season gets underway and all the action will be live on one channel. Lando Norris will defend his title for the first time against Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 6-8.

This marks the first of 24 rounds this season, which runs through to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 4-6. There’s some major changes this year, including the addition of a new track on the racing calendar.

In September, the drivers will take to the streets of Madrid after Imola was removed from the schedule. Meanwhile, American brand Cadillac joins the fray and takes the total number of teams to 11 for the first time in a decade.

Formula 1 fans can watch all 24 race weekends throughout the season live on Sky Sports, which shows every practice, qualifier and race on the Sky Sports F1 channel. Those without a Sky subscription can get access with the provider’s flagship sports package, the £35 Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle.

This gives access to nine dedicated sports channels including F1 and Premier League, as well as around 100 regular channels, Netflix and discovery+. Customers opting for the £42 Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle will also get 35 extra channels, with Disney+, HBO Max and Hayu access added at no extra cost from March.

Sky’s discounted Formula 1 package

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Formula 1 fans can watch every practice, qualifier and race live with Sky’s Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in an introductory deal that saves £336.

As well as nine Sky Sports channels, this includes around 100 regular channels and free subscriptions to Netflix and Discovery+.

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Existing Sky customers can add Sky Sports F1 to their package for less as a monthly subscription to the channel has just dropped from £20 to £15 per month. This is a 31-day rolling contract that can be cancelled anytime with 31 days’ notice.

Elsewhere, Virgin Media offers Sky Sports access too with its £52.99 Sport bundle. Although more expensive than Sky, it comes with more than 200 channels plus 362Mbps fibre broadband.

However, customers should keep in mind that Sky and Virgin will increase their prices each year, meaning bills will rise at least twice during the 24-month contracts. Here’s the full schedule for F1 2026:

Formula 1 2026 race schedule

• Australia: March 6-8
• China: March 13-15
• Japan: March 27-29
• Bahrain: April 10-12
• Saudi Arabia: April 17-19
• Miami: May 1-3
• Canada: May 22-24
• Monaco: June 5-7
• Barcelona: June 12-14
• Austria: June 26-28
• Great Britain: July 3-5
• Belgium: July 17-19
• Hungary: July 24-26
• Netherlands: August 21-23
• Italy: September 4-6
• Madrid: September 11-13
• Azerbaijan: September 24-26
• Singapore: October 9-11
• USA: October 23-25
• Mexico: Oct 30-Nov 1
• Brazil: November 6-8
• Las Vegas: November 19-21
• Qatar: November 27-29
• Abu Dhabi: December 4-6

Emirates has confirmed that flights through Dubai Airport will be cancelled

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Emirates has announced that all its flights via Dubai are temporarily suspended following the partial closure of the UAE Airspace after the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran.

The world’s largest airline has cancelled all its flights through the major hub until 11am GMT on Tuesday, March 3.

A spokesman for the airline said: “Due to multiple regional airspace closures, Emirates has temporarily suspended operations to and from Dubai.

“Emirates urges customers to check their flight status on emirates.com for the latest updates before proceeding to the airport.

“We are actively monitoring the situation and engaging with relevant authorities.

“We apologise to customers affected by disruptions for any inconvenience caused, and we are assisting them with rebooking, refunds, or alternative travel arrangements.

“The safety and security of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority.”

They are advising any passengers who are disrupted to keep an eye on their website and emails for updates.

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Emirates is also currently advising anyone with a ticket between now and March 5 to rebook their flight or request a refund.

The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) said it took the decision to close the Emirati airspace after widespread coordination with authorities.

It said the decision was made to ensure the safety of passengers and crews.

Alongside Dubai International Airport, Al Maktoum International Airport, Zayed International Airport and Sharjah International Airport have all seen partial closures and disruption.

The Foreign Office is warning Brits against all but essential travel to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Etihad Airways informed travellers that all flights to and from Abu Dhabi were suspended until 2am UAE time on Monday.

Qatar Airways also said flights are temporarily suspended and warned people about scammers impersonating its staff.

Virgin Atlantic said on Sunday morning that it is continuing to avoid Iraqi airspace, resulting in some pre-planned rerouting of flights between London Heathrow and the region.

The murderer remains in a critical condition in an induced coma in hospital

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Double child killer Ian Huntley was reportedly struck from behind whilst bent over during a prison assault that sources have described as “chaotic”.

Huntley, 52, remains in a critical condition in an induced coma in hospital following the attack, which took place just after 9am on Thursday morning. The convicted murderer was allegedly crouched down fastening string on a recycling crate in a workshop at HMP Frankland in County Durham when his attacker struck him up to 15 times with a three-foot metal pole, according to sources.

The Soham killer was rushed to hospital, where his mother Lynda, who has since visited, reportedly told friends he was “unrecognisable” due to the severity of his injuries. He was given just a five per cent chance of survival following the assault, which is said to have left his head severely wounded.

READ MORE: Ian Huntley ‘guarded by police’ as he fights for life in hospital after alleged inmate attackREAD MORE: New prisoners at jail Ian Huntley was attacked in see same terrifying three-word sign

Huntley sustained a broken jaw along with brain and skull injuries during the attack at the recycling workshop, and is understood to be connected to a ventilator. The prime suspect in the assault has been named as triple killer Anthony Russell, although police have yet to officially confirm this.

A source characterised the assault as “unbelievably savage”, noting: “It is astonishing that Huntley is still alive. He was bending down tying some string onto a recycling crate when he was first hit – so was in a position like you’d be in when tying your shoelaces. And people who saw it say he was battered around 15 times.”, reports the Mirror.

The source further claimed that fellow prisoners appeared to have anticipated the violence, stating “none of the prisoners there helped.”

They explained: “They just watched it happen and it was staff who stepped in – but not before the attacker had inflicted some really severe damage. Everyone thought Huntley was dead and inmates and staff are absolutely stunned he is still alive.”

According to the source, following the incident: “Afterwards, Russell was handcuffed and led away towards the chapel and was smirking. He has apparently admitted the attack in interviews and said he was proud of it. But he has also said he is ‘gutted’ that Huntley is still alive – because he was sure he’d killed him.”

A prison insider told The Mirror the alleged perpetrator faces years of isolation from the general prison population. They remarked: “It’ll be business as usual [in the prison], it’ll be absolutely same as always, just there’ll be one less prisoner to worry about.

“Because it’s a serious assault, he’ll be moved to the segregation unit. He’ll probably just be held there for the foreseeable, certainly, because you can’t go around either trying to kill another prisoner or killing other prisoners, so he’ll probably be in a segregation unit for the next five, 10 years, maybe.”

Durham Constabulary confirmed Huntley remains under medical care. “He remains in hospital in a serious condition,” a spokesperson stated.

Huntley is currently serving a life sentence for the horrific murders of 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, who disappeared after leaving a family barbecue to purchase sweets in Soham, Cambridgeshire, back in August 2002. He subsequently dumped their bodies in a ditch and brazenly attempted to deflect suspicion by appearing in media interviews discussing the police investigation.

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Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City dressing room has come under fire from a player he signed

Former Manchester City winger Nolito has taken aim at the dressing room egos he saw while he played for the club.

The Spaniard was signed by City from Celta Vigo in July 2016 after the Blues triggered his £13.8million release clause. Then aged 29, he signed a four-year contract at the Etihad Stadium, becoming one of the recently-appointed manager Pep Guardiola’s first signings.

Nolito went on to make 19 Premier League appearances and 30 across all competitions in his first and only season with City, scoring four league goals as the side finished third. Yet, he remained unsettled both on and off the pitch and left in the summer of 2017, joining Sevilla before returning to Celta in 2020.

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Now 39 and retired, Nolito recently reflected on his year in England, shedding light on his struggles. Speaking on El after de Post United podcast, he explained what it was like to step into a City dressing room filled with stars and, apparently, egos.

Nolito said: “I remember it with a lot of stars and, above all, a lot of ego. There were players with huge egos. We’d all shower together and then each one would leave straight away. It wasn’t a very friendly locker room.

“But anyway, I was always with the Spaniards, with Davis Silva or Jesus Navas, and we shared a lot in the locker room. But there were so many good players that I noticed a lot of ego. I saw many things but I’ll keep that to myself. I think ego is a problem in society nowadays.”

He went on to say he didn’t get the opportunities he would have liked, adding: “At first, I started playing. I played a lot and then I played less. In the end, they’re top squads and I had a lot of competition.

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“I didn’t adapt well because if I don’t play… time… maybe the Premier League has a bit more pace. They let you play more, there aren’t as many fouls. But I still prefer La Liga without a doubt.

“Guardiola asked me what he asked me at Barcelona: to do what I knew how to do, to play football the way I had always played and to keep doing it. And then, tactically, he tried to correct the shortcomings I had. And I said, ‘Whatever he tells me, I’m at his disposal.’”

Some of the key players at City that season were Nicolas Otamendi, Pablo Zabaleta, Vincent Kompany, Gael Clichy, Fernandinho, Kevin De Bruyne, Yaya Toure, Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero.

Ilkay Gundogan had just been signed too, while youngsters John Stones and Gabriel Jesus were starting to leave their own mark.

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During Sunday night’s Actor Awards – previously known as the Actor Awards until a recent name change – the pair brought their own unique brand of chaos to the proceedings while presenting an award.

After taking to the stage, Meg immediately launched into an acceptance speech for her supposed work in Hamnet, before Paul jokingly pointed out that their scenes had been “cut”.

“So, we were the comic relief in Hamnet,” Paul explained to the actors in the audience, as an incandescent Meg looked on. “We played two provincial nobles who were inbred. It was political satire, I think…”

Meg then chimed in: “This is unbelievable, even the freaking merkin stuff? I was in my trailer for four hours gluing that damn thing on. I still have it on!”

Watch Megan and Paul’s full segment – impromptu musical number and all! – for yourself below:

The two are best known for their work in the Emmy-winning series Hacks, which Paul co-created and co-writers, as well as starring in.

Meanwhile, Seth Rogen’s hit comedy The Studio was the big winner at the 2026 Actor Awards, with Sinners coming out on top when it came to the most-awarded films.