Britain's financial regulator has warned consumers against purchasing credit score-boosting products.

The Financial Conduct Authority says there is "little proof" that some credit builders help people improve credit scores or make it easier to get affordable credit.

Credit builders cost between £2.50 and £25 a month and claim to potentially improve the score by helping people build a record of payments, often by simply reporting them to credit reference agencies.

But in a review of these credit builders, the FCA said the majority of the credit builder products were unregulated and firms often failed to clearly explain their limitations and risks.

"We urge people to think twice before paying to use products that claim to boost your credit score," said Alison Walters, director of consumer finance at the FCA.

"We found that certain types of credit-building products don't always deliver on their promises."

Some firms could misrepresent a customer's financial circumstances and help facilitate access to unaffordable credit, the FCA said.

People should visit the government-backed MoneyHelper website for information on improving their credit profile, according to the FCA.

A decision to strip 23,500 people of child benefits is being reviewed after HMRC was forced to apologise to claimants whose payments were suspended incorrectly.

Officials are working through PAYE data after reports that a pilot scheme cracking down on fraud and error incorrectly deemed claimants to have emigrated, it is understood.

Funds will be reinstated - and backpayments made where necessary - if continued UK employment is found.

"We're very sorry to those whose payments have been suspended incorrectly," an HMRC spokesperson said.

"We have taken immediate action to update the process, giving customers one month to respond before payments are suspended.

"We remain committed to protecting taxpayers' money and are confident that the majority of suspensions are accurate."

Child benefit payments are usually stopped after eight weeks abroad.

The tax authority said in August that £17m in wrongful payments was saved over 12 months under the pilot.

But the Guardian reported that as many as 46% of families targeted were incorrectly suspected of fraud.

The chancellor is set to trim tax breaks on salary sacrifice schemes that allow workers to make pension contributions without paying national insurance.

Rachel Reeves is expected to cap tax-free sacrifices at £2,000 a year, according to reports.

Staff putting away any more than that would have to pay the standard NI rate: 8% if they earn less than £50,000 and 2% above that.

The plan would also limit an existing exemption for firms offering salary sacrifice schemes, which currently allows them to offer generous employer contributions.

Companies currently don't have to pay the 15% employer national insurance tax on cash that goes into workers' pensions.

What would it mean in cash terms?

A person earning more than £125,000 who sacrificed 20% could pay £460 more, while their employer could pay £3,450 more, according to accountancy firm RSM.

Those on lower salaries would face a much smaller hit. A worker earning £45,000 and sacrificing 5% would pay £30 more, while their employer would pay £34 more.

People earning between £100,000 and £125,140 could be affected the most, given they often use salary sacrifice schemes to sidestep a marginal tax rate of 60% and to keep lucrative child benefits.

The rising numbers of young people not in work or study will be subject to an independent review, the government has announced, as it warns of a "crisis of opportunity".

The investigation will include a particular focus on the impact of mental illness and disability.

Approximately one in eight people aged 16 to 24 are now not in education, employment or training (NEET), according to the Office for National Statistics.

The crisis "demands more action to give them the chance to learn or earn", Pat McFadden, the work and pensions secretary, said.

He added: "We cannot afford to lose a generation of young people to a life on benefits, with no work prospects and not enough hope."

More than a quarter of young people now cite long-term sickness or disability as a barrier, and the number claiming health benefits is also growing.

Read more about why millions of Britons are off work sick in a recent feature here...

By James Sillars, business and economics reporter

There's a significant rally for global stock markets under way.

Hope of an end to the longest government shutdown in US history is driving sentiment.

It's after the Senate supported an amended bill that would fund the US government until the end of January.

The compromise should be enough, commentators say, for the package to pass formal votes in both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the coming days.

The shutdown, which began on 1 October, has affected not only services but also meant that federal workers - from airport staff to military personnel - have not been paid.

There have been widespread concerns about a growing hit to the economy from the disruption.

News of the compromise helped many stock markets in Asia and Europe open more than 1% higher on Monday after tech stocks dragged last week.

In London, the FTSE 100 was 0.6% up at 9,743.

Its biggest riser was Diageo, the owner of Guinness, after it revealed a successor to ousted chief executive Debra Crew.

Her replacement is set to be Sir Dave Lewis, the former Tesco boss, who will assume the role in January.

Ms Crew left the business in the summer after a 40% dive in the company's share price over her two-year tenure.

Diageo shares were 7% higher at the market open.

Gordon Brown has been speaking to Mornings with Ridge and Frost.

The former PM and chancellor says he's expecting changes on two things in the budget on 26 November - the two-child benefit cap and gambling taxes.

Brown says he has been feeding into the government's consultations on changes to the tax system ahead of the budget.

"I am confident that the two-child rule will be addressed," Brown says.

He added: "We're waiting for Rachel Reeves's budget, which I think will mention this.

"Keir Starmer, I know, is personally a concerned and interested in this. 

"So I'm hopeful that in the next few weeks we'll see the kind of action that we've been talking about."

British Airways has announced it will provide all of its customers with "free, reliable and lightning-fast" Wi-Fi on its flights.

The airline has struck a deal with satellite internet provider Starlink, which belongs to SpaceX, the aerospace company run by Elon Musk.

The Wi-Fi rollout will start early next year, with download speeds of up to 450Mbps. This would allow customers across economy, business and first class to send text messages, work online and even stream movies lag-free while up in the air.

Previously, BA had only given its first-class passengers access to a comprehensive, non-satellite Wi-Fi offering for free. Regular passengers had to pay at least £1.99 to use messaging apps and up to £21.99 for more elaborate internet use.

Free Starlink Wi-Fi will also be offered on Aer Lingus, as well as  Spanish airlines Iberia, Vueling and LEVEL, which belong to BA's parent company, International Airlines Group. 

They will join rival carriers airBaltic, Air France and Scandinavian Airlines, which have also started rolling out free Starlink Wi-Fi for some passengers.

Overall, the offering will be available on more than 500 aircraft across IAG's airlines.

If you've ever spent your morning commute daydreaming about starting afresh with your career, this feature is for you. Each Monday, we speak to someone from a different profession to discover what it's really like. This week we chat to professional make-up artist Joyce Connor...

A typical salary for a retail make-up artist is usually... minimum wage. The more advanced artists and celebrity artists can be earning more than £100,000 easily. It takes time, skill and hard work to get to that level.

I started a private pension about 25 years ago... I paid very little into it, so it's not high value, but I have ISA investments instead. I don't think I will ever retire completely. I did retire from doing weddings this year - I just wanted my weekends back. My dad retired at 80; I'll probably do the same if I can.

I typically work between 30 and 60 hours a week... This includes all the admin, kit cleaning and planning my routes and appointments. To be honest, when you're self-employed, you're always working. But I try to go away at least six times a year, sometimes just for a weekend, other times for a week or a few days. I rarely get to go away for two weeks or more.

I absolutely love everything about my job except... having to wake up at 3am sometimes. I can wake up early, but I'm a night owl. So often this means I'll have just two hours' sleep.

I personally didn't wear make-up... until I became a make-up artist at age 31. Mostly because I didn't know how to apply it, and secondly because make-up for my skin tone was not accessible in the UK.

The one product you should splurge on is... foundation. It's worth having the best product for your skin type, skin tone and the finish you want. I think the higher-end brands have definitely nailed the quality of the foundations.

You don't need to spend much on... pencils. I've had some great results with lip liners that only cost £1.

If you're trying to look glam on a budget, cheap products that do the job are... liquid highlighters. You can add them to foundation to give a natural glow and apply them to the cheekbone and brow bone to add definition. Avoid the ones with glitter and buy a glowy one instead. 

My favourite dupe is the... MCo Beauty Miracle Flawless pressed powder. It's the best dupe of the Charlotte Tilbury flawless filter powder.

A hack for saving money on make-up is... go shopping in your make-up cupboards and drawers. Do swaps of unused make-up with friends. It's surprising how much make-up people have bought but never used.

One secret the beauty industry has is... there are some products such as haemorrhoid cream that can be used to temporarily make wrinkles disappear. I don't recommend using it if you don't know what you're doing.

If I had to choose three make-up items for a job, I'd pick... concealer, because it's a multitasking product; powder, because we need to eliminate shine; and mascara - it's the one product that instantly changes your eyes.

Between a beauty blender and a brush, I'd choose... brushes all the way. I use an angled kabuki-style brush. It's the absolute master of laying down foundation and buffing it on to the skin. Plus, it's more hygienic to use brushes. Blenders are very difficult to be completely clean. They are great for personal use, but having sat the Royal Institute of Public Health and Hygiene exam, I'm a hygiene freak when it comes to cross-contamination. I also think that half the product stays in the blender, and so you have to use more product to achieve a good finish.

The biggest error people make is... purchasing and wearing the wrong shade of foundation. I understand there's a lot out there to choose from, but knowing your shade makes all the difference to the final look.

My favourite make-up trend is...  the natural make-up look. I specialise in it and it's what I'm known for. So the base is natural, but they look like an enhanced version of themselves. 

The one I hope is gone for good is... Instaglam. I've seen enough cut creases to last me a lifetime.

Business is steady... people still want to look and feel good when they go out. I've had an increase in make-up lesson bookings this year. Women want to learn to use what they already have.

The best thing to do with a difficult customer is... kill them with kindness. Stay polite and never retaliate. I have been very lucky and not really had many difficult customers.

I find people who hate make-up don't like it because... they don't know how to apply it on themselves, or they have had a bad experience when someone else applied it to them. You can spend £5 to do your whole face or £500. It's what works best for you and your budget. I never judge anyone on how much they can afford to spend.

The celebrity who has marvellous make-up is... Victoria Beckham. She always looks incredible. She has a make-up brand, and she knows how to apply it.

The problem with the make-up industry is... social media telling us we need x, y, z but without the reasons behind why it would work for us. But it's had a huge overhaul and a lot of new launches, and there is room for every budget. 

Welcome back for another week of personal finance and consumer news.

Keep checking back through the week and you won't miss a thing when it comes to the money in your pocket.

But the Money blog isn't just about the news - each day we kick off with a feature.

On Mondays, we dive into what different careers are really like - this week, we speak to a make-up artist. That's coming up shortly.

Every Tuesday, we investigate a reader's Money Problem. Tomorrow's is:

"My wife and I had an explosive argument a few months ago that resulted in her mentioning the 'd-word'. We haven't discussed it since and have committed to working things through, but I don't see much hope. My question is: I understand our shared assets will have to be divided but my wife has never contributed much to her pension, despite being in a position to do so. We have similar salaries and she's never had a career break. She's always looked at the inheritance she's due to receive. I, on the other hand, have built up a significant private pension. Will I have to split this with her if we divorce?"

Don

On Wednesday, we're back with Our Verdict - this month, our testers have tried 11 supermarket sourdough loaves...and it didn't go well.

On Thursdays and Fridays, we publish our Savings Guide and Mortgage Guide, respectively.

Stay with us through the week - and if you enjoy the Money blog, sign up for our weekly newsletter for exclusive tips and content...