6:52 am, August 15, 2022
Starmer vows to extend windfall tax to freeze family fuel bills
Sir Keir Starmer has set out Labour’s £29bn emergency plan to stop energy bills rising over the winter – paid for in part by an extension of the windfall levy on the profits of the oil and gas companies.
The Labour leader said that under his party’s ‘fully-funded’ proposals, consumers would not pay ‘a penny more’ for their gas and electricity over the coming months, saving the average household £1,000.
He said his plan was a direct response to a ‘national economic emergency’ which had left millions of families across the country fearful as to how they would cope. However the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) questioned Labour’s explanation as to how it would fund the support package, saying some of its proposals were an ‘illusion’.
Thunder, lightning and floods predicted over the next few days
Forecasters are predicting thunder, lightning and flooding as a yellow weather warning comes into force across the UK.
The Met Office has implemented the warning for Scotland and Northern Ireland until 11.59pm on Monday and 11.59pm for all of England and Wales on Tuesday after a change in air pressure led to dramatic showers.
Power cuts and delays and cancellations in trains and buses are predicted, while spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions for motorists. The south west and south east of England also face a third day of yellow warnings on Wednesday until 11.59pm, as the rain eases off elsewhere.
Rail fare increase in England will be below inflation rate, government says
An expected increase to rail fares in England will be less than July’s retail price index to help commuters cope with the cost-of-living crisis, the government has announced.
The price rise, which will come into effect next year, will be lower than the rate of inflation, according to BBC News and The Times.
Ahead of the rate for 2023 being announced on Wednesday, the Department of Transport (DfT) confirmed to the BBC it would not be increasing fares as much as the July RPI figure. A DfT spokesperson said the increase, which usually comes in effect in January, will be delayed until March in a bid ‘to help struggling households’.
It is not yet clear how much lower the rise will be compared to that RPI figure.
Sir Salman Rushdie’s feisty sense of humour remains intact, family says
Sir Salman Rushdie suffered severe, life-changing injuries but his ‘usual feisty and defiant sense of humour remains intact’, his family has said.
The author, 75, has a damaged liver and severed nerves in an arm and an eye after he was stabbed at a lecture in New York on Friday.
In a statement, his son Zafar said the family was ‘relieved’ he was taken off a ventilator on Saturday.
Channel crossings exceed 20,000 for the year
More than 20,000 people have been detected crossing the English Channel in small boats so far this year, Government figures show.
Some 607 were detected on Saturday – the third time the total has topped 600 since the start of 2022. It takes the provisional total for the year to 20,017.
There were 28,526 crossings detected in 2021. By this point last year, just over 11,300 crossings had been made.
Weekend Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Mystery bidder that tried to buy Pendragon named as US dealer group Lithia Motors but deal blocked by Hedin Group
- Automotive industry could get more help with energy bills as rising costs take their toll
- Bristol Street Motors claims accolades for quality of Motability scheme
- Get physical AND fizz-ical with these cool products
Weather outlook
A mix ed picture today as the heat will remain high in the south-east with plenty of sun, however there will be variable cloud and sharp showers for other parts, reports BBC Weather. Further north, showers will merge into spells of heavy rain.
Heavy rain will drift eastwards across Scotland tonight. Variable cloud and showers for other parts of the country.
