TESCO has issued an urgent recall urging consumers not to buy certain mince pies because they could contain glue.

The product affected is the six pack of Tesco Finest 6 All Butter Pastry Mince Pies.

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Packets with the following best before dates should not be eaten: October 4, October 26, November 2, and November 10.

The Food Standards Agency put the alert up on Thursday warning customers that the baked goods may contain pieces of dried glue from the packaging, making them “unsafe to eat”.

The agency advises customers who have bought the product not to eat it but to return it to any store for a full refund – no receipt is required.

If customers run into any further issues they have been urged to call the Tesco Customer Service line on 0800 50 5555.

The supermarket has reassured customers that no other products have been affected by this issue.

A spokesperson for Tesco said the recall was a “precautionary measure”.

They added:“The quality of our products is our number one priority and we immediately began an investigation with our supplier to understand what happened. We’re sorry for the inconvenience”.

However, if you suspect someone has swallowed glue, the NHS recommends calling 111 for advice.

If the person is showing signs of serious illness, such as loss of consciousness, seizures, or drowsiness, you should call 999 to request an ambulance or take them to the A&E department.

Tesco’s recall follows Marks & Spencer’s announcement yesterday that its butternut squash soup,  with a use-by date of 6.10.2024 and barcode 0041142, may contain pieces of metal.

The UK supermarket warned its customers that due to the possible contamination the soup was “unsafe to eat”.

In a similar course of events, Farmfoods, another popular UK supermarket, issued a “do not eat” alert on 20 September over some chicken nuggets.

The frozen food brand said undeclared ingredients could put some at risk of dangerous allergic reactions.

As a general rule, if a recall involves a branded product, the manufacturer would usually have lead responsibility for the recall action.

Product recalls are an important means of protecting consumers from dangerous goods.

Many safety notices are issued as a precautionary measure, letting consumers know an item may be dangerous.

In more serious cases like this one, retailers issue a recall, warning customers not to use the product and asking them to return it.

Usually, if a recall involves a branded product, the manufacturer will be responsible for the recall action.

But it’s often left up to retailers to notify customers when products could put them at risk.

A company will sometimes issue a recall to limit the number of complaints.

Advice firms need to get the balance right between adopting technology and making sure it does not end up costing their clients more, Aberdein Considine Wealth chief executive Jen Paice has warned.

Speaking on a panel at the Lang Cat’s HomeGame 4 event in Edinburgh yesterday (3 October), Paice said firms need to consider the impact on the client.

“At some point, it may end up costing them more, and that’s my concern,” she said.

“We want to deliver better services but also reach more people and, for that, we need technology.

“It’s a fine balance between adopting technology and making sure it doesn’t end up costing the client more.”

She said there is a lot of talk about how technology should reduce costs, but “there’s a concern it might have the opposite effect.”

“For example,” she added, “we are a fixed-fee financial planning firm, so it’s essential for me to be as efficient as possible if I want the business to be more profitable.

“My view on technology is that it should give me more time to think and, ultimately, it’s that thinking time from a chartered financial planner that clients are paying for.”

On the same panel, FNZ group head of UK, Middle East and Africa, Alastair Conway, said technology should remove friction and reduce costs.

“As long as advisers are delivering extra value or cost reductions to clients as a result of using technology, I think it’s fine,” he said.

“In my experience, most advisers have used technology for the benefit of their clients, which is how it should be.”

Ian McKenna: AI advice is a done deal; get used to it

He suggested that, as things evolve, advisers should be able to spend less time on administrative tasks, like filling in forms, and more time on valuable interactions.

“The real value of advisers, from my experience, is the unique ‘magic’ that happens when they sit down with an investor and do what only they can do,” he added.

“While 90% of what advisers do may be broadly the same, it’s the 10% difference that sets them apart and allows great firms to flourish.

“This can be achieved at scale or within smaller firms, and that’s where technology plays a crucial role.”

CASE workers are being urgently recruited to help clear a huge backlog of Personal Independent Payment (PIP) reviews, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has said.

The backlog of reviews means tens of thousands of individuals may be receiving lower benefit payments than they are entitled to.

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PIP is a benefit for people who are under State Pension age and need day-to-day help because of a long-term illness or disability.

It is claimed by 3.5million people and requires reviews to be carried out frequently.

The maximum amount that can be awarded is £184.30 a week, which is based on two assessments – living and mobility.

As of May 31, 2024, there were 392,000 outstanding PIP award reviews in England and Wales, with the DWP citing an unprecedented surge in new claims as the primary cause.

As 73% of planned award reviews result in an increase or no change to the level of award received by claimants, many are missing out as a result of the delays.

In August 2023 Citizens Advice said some people were waiting over two years for a review.

Last month Benefit and Work reported that 120,000 reviews had been registered in the quarter to July 2024, compared to 100,000 cleared, suggesting the backlog is likely to have increased.

Benefits and Work claimed it would take almost a decade to work through the reward backlog at the current rate and estimated more than 74,000 claimants were receiving less than they were entitled to, while awaiting their review.

Sir Stephen Timms, the DWP’s Minister for Social Security and Disability, has said more case workers are being hired to tackle the backlog.

He said: “We continue to prioritise new claims to PIP to ensure claims are put into payment as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, this means many customers are waiting longer than expected for their review to be undertaken.

“We have been actively recruiting additional case managers to meet increased demand for PIP, which means we are now in a position to begin to deploy additional resource onto award reviews. This will increase the number of review cases we can complete ‘in house’.”

While Timms said recruitment was underway he explained that improvements may not be seen immediately as there is an “extensive training period” for case workers.

The number of full time case managers in August 2023 was 1,847, this had increased by 5.5% to 1,948 in August 2024, with further recruitment planned.

Labour has said that most case assessments will now be completed by telephone to increase efficiency.

Those on the highest levels of support will also now receive an ongoing PIP award which is only subject to a light touch review every 10 years.

A DWP Spokesperson said: “Championing the rights of disabled people, so that their views and voices are heard, is at the heart of this government, and we are committed to ensuring disabled people and people with health conditions can access financial support through PIP in a timely manner.”

The maximum PIP award is £184.30 a week, which works out at £9,584 a year.

To qualify for the allowance you must have found it hard to do everyday tasks, because of a mental or physical condition.

You must have experienced this for at least three months and expect it to be hard for another nine months.

According to the latest figures it takes around 15 weeks from the start of your application for a decision to be made about whether you qualify or not.

How do I apply for PIP?

You can make a new Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claim by calling the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on 0800 917 2222.

This is the Government department tasked with paying out benefits to millions every year.

There are also other ways to claim if you find it difficult to use a telephone. See Gov.UK for more information.

When you claim, you’ll need:

• Your contact details
• Date of birth
• National Insurance number
• Bank or building society account number and sort code
• Your doctor or health worker’s name, address and telephone number
• Dates and addresses for any time you’ve spent abroad, in a care home or hospital

Someone else can call on your behalf, but you’ll need to be with them when they call.

You’ll then be sent a form to fill in, after which you’ll be invited for an assessment or your health or social care worker will be asked for information.

After this, you’ll be sent a letter telling you if your claim has been successful.

You can read Citizens Advice’s help on preparing for an assessment.

How do I appeal or overturn a decision on PIP?

If your application for PIP has been turned down or you don’t think you’ve been offered enough cash you can appeal the decision.

You first need to ask for a “mandatory reconsideration notice” – this is where the DWP looks at the decision again.

If you are still unhappy with this outcome, you can then appeal to an independent tribunal.

You must send your appeal form in within one month of the date shown on the mandatory reconsideration notice.

Be warned that it usually takes up to six months for an appeal to be heard by the tribunal.

If you’re unhappy with the decision you get from the tribunal, you may be able to get the decision cancelled – known as “set aside”. You’ll be told how to do this at the time.

You may also be able to appeal to the Upper Tribunal (Administrative Appeals Chamber) if you think the tribunal wasn’t able to give you proper reasons for its decision, or back up the decision with facts, or if it failed to apply the law properly.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories

IF you receive a state pension then you’re eligible for a cash gift from the Government this winter.

The annual £10 festive bonus is paid every year to millions of people on benefits and is designed to help with the extra costs of Christmas.

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While £10 doesn’t get you far these days, it’s worth having – better in your pocket than theirs after all – and with the increased cost of energy bills since October 1, it all helps.

Plus, the bonus won’t affect your pension credit or any other benefits and it’s tax-free.

Payment is automatic and you should receive the money into your bank account just before Christmas Day.

Introduced in 1972, the festive bonus is still a welcome extra in 2024, with the cost of living being so high.

Who is eligible?

To be eligible this year you have to be in receipt of the state pension during the qualifying week of December 1-8.

You must also live in one of the following countries:

• The UK
• The Channel Islands
• The Isle of Man
• Gibraltar
• Switzerland
• Any European Economic Area (EEA) country

If you don’t claim state pension or have deferred it then you will not receive the cash bonus.

How do I get the Christmas bonus?

If you’re eligible for the £10 bonus then payment is automatic and it goes directly into the same bank account as your pension payments.

It will show up as ‘DWP XB’ on your bank statement so check your statement to make sure you received it.

If you don’t receive a payment but believe you should have done then contact the Pension Service – the address and phone number are on the Government website gov.uk. 

Who else can get the bonus?

The £10 cash bonus is currently paid to those on a range of benefits. These are:

• Adult Disability Payment
• Armed Forces Independence Payment
• Attendance Allowance
• Carer’s Allowance
• Child Disability Payment
• Constant Attendance Allowance (paid under Industrial Injuries or War Pensions schemes)
• Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance (once the main phase of the benefit is entered after the first 13 weeks of claim)
• Disability Living Allowance
• Incapacity Benefit at the long-term rate
• Industrial Death Benefit (for widows or widowers)
• Mobility Supplement
• Pension Credit – the guarantee element
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• Severe Disablement Allowance (transitionally protected)
• Unemployability Supplement or Allowance (paid under Industrial Injuries or War Pensions schemes)
• War Disablement Pension at State Pension age
• War Widow’s Pension
• Widowed Mother’s Allowance
• Widowed Parent’s Allowance
• Widow’s Pension

What other help is available for pensioners this Christmas?

A winter fuel payment, which is worth up to £300, will be paid to some people receiving the state pension this winter, though not all.

The payment is now means-tested so if you receive pension credit you’re eligible for the one-off annual payment, but if you don’t then you will no longer qualify.

If you’re on pension credit and aged 75 or older, you will also be eligible for a free TV licence.

To check your eligibility for pension credit take a look at the Government website. 

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories

While realising I am probably in the minority in this industry, I fear the Financial Conduct Authority is about to score a major own goal that will have dire consequences.

Changing the advice guidance boundary will cause a huge dilution of consumer protection.

It will make it easier for manufacturers and others to sell products without advice, avoiding the inconvenience of being responsible for the consequences of their actions.

This risks setting consumer protection back decades.

I passionately believe the advice guidance boundary is in the right place. Now is exactly the wrong time to change it.

We will see widespread misselling, covered up as guidance, with thousands of consumers facing significant losses at a time in their lives when they have no opportunity to earn back the money they have lost.

This risks setting consumer protection back decades

This – entirely avoidable – misselling scandal could lead to compensation payouts of a similar scale to PPI, probably, again, on a non-contestable basis.

The FCA should think long and hard before it makes a serious error that could damage the wealth of millions of people.

Guidance should carry a health/wealth warning. I would suggest a statement along the following lines: “This service is only provided as financial guidance. You do not benefit from the same protection as you would if you take financial advice”.

I anticipate the comments section below will be full of objections to this but, if the consumer is going to receive less protection, this should be made very clear to them.

As we have seen time after time, when the regulator gets it wrong, the industry pays the price

Without such a warning, consumers won’t be able to recognise the difference between advice and guidance.

We are already seeing a growing number of guidance propositions dressing themselves up to look like advice but with none of the consumer protection.

As we have seen time after time, when the regulator gets it wrong, the industry pays the price.

Ironically, the boundary changes are being proposed at a time when technology is making it possible for firms to take a fresh approach to delivering regulated advice at far lower cost and in greater scale.

Hub Financial Solutions, for example, is now able to support as many as 1,000 clients per single highly qualified adviser by combining its bespoke automated advice technology and, in some cases, non-level 4 qualified staff.

The UK can (jointly with Australia) claim a world-leading standard of consumer protection for long-term savers

This enables it to market a service to consumers who would usually be uneconomic to support through traditional advice. The firm is even going as far as collaborating with other established advice firms to buy non-economic clients from them and even agreeing to return these clients should their needs require more sophisticated advice.

This is by no means an isolated example. I am seeing more and more innovative advice firms building high-tech services to make fully regulated advice accessible, with all the consumer protection that provides, for a fraction of traditional costs.

In my work internationally, I see how consumers in other countries suffer from a lack of adequate protection due to limited regulation.

The UK can (jointly with Australia) claim a world-leading standard of consumer protection for long-term savers.

This has been achieved through hard work by advisers, regulators and broader industry players over several decades. Now is not the time to throw this away – especially when technology is beginning to deliver better solutions with the same high standard of consumer protection.

Ian McKenna is founder of FTRC

OCTOBER marks the start of the ‘golden quarter’ where the majority of sales are made across the UK.

It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, the run-up to Christmas sees both overall sales – and commission levels – leap.

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Discover thousands of UK job vacancies now on The Sun Job Board

Have you ever wondered just how much you could make in a sales job? Click the links to find out your potential pay packet.

Sold on a sales job? Here’s your five-minute ‘need to know’ from Sun Jobs to break into the industry.

What is a sales job? 

All jobs in sales involve selling a company’s products or services to customers.

Salespeople play a key role in almost every industry as they are responsible for identifying potential customers, building trust and convincing them to make a purchase. 

There are lots of different responsibilities, including selling face-to-face, over the phone, generating leads, negotiating sales contracts and demonstrating products.

You may also be called on to provide after-sales service in some sectors.

Savvy sales people also keep an eye on the market, tracking trends and what competitor companies are doing.

How much do salespeople earn? 

Most sales jobs offer a small basic salary with the chance to earn much more in commission.

This means the salary you earn will vary according to how successful you are.

Estimates for sales salaries range from £16,000 for a first job up to £125,000 for a top salesperson in an industry such as estate agency or high-value iT systems.

On average, expect to pocket between £40,000 to £50,000.

What qualifications do you need to get a job in sales? 

Sales isn’t about qualifications, it’s about people. The saying ‘people buy from people not companies’ explains why personality is so essential to be a good salesperson.

You need to be tenacious, have the ability to form connections and trust, and be highly organised to keep track of your sales inventory.

That said, most jobs will expect you to have GCSE passes in Maths and English as a minimum and certain professional sectors such as pharmaceutical sales will seek candidates with related degrees.

You can find out more at professionalsalesassociation.co.uk and the-isp.org.

What career progress is there for salespeople? 

Plenty. Being a successful salesperson proves you have commercial acumen which can take you into the boardroom or even to become MD or CEO.

Once you have experience and a solid track record in sales, pathways include moving up to be an area or regional manager, where you support an entire sales team.

You could also choose to work in marketing, product or account management.

Discover thousands of open vacancies for jobs all across the UK now on The Sun Job Board