6:21 am, August 18, 2026
Make AI adoption Britain’s national economic priority, says CBI
The rollout of artificial intelligence (AI) must be made a national economic priority and firms need to move past ‘pilot mode’ to avoid being left behind in the race to adopt the new technology, according to an influential business group.
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has called on the government to make the next 10 years Britain’s ‘adoption decade’ and put AI at the heart of its strategy for the economy and nation’s workforce.
In a report published by the CBI and Oliver Wyman, they warn that there is a growing ‘execution divide’ for companies who are scaling up the use of AI throughout their organisation and those left in so-called pilot mode.
Almost 5,000 jobs cut at Morrisons amid turnaround efforts
Morrisons shed almost 5,000 jobs last year as part of efforts by the private equity-backed grocer to shore up its finances.
The Bradford-based retailer also revealed that its total debt levels rose further despite cost-cutting across the business.
Morrisons revealed that its average monthly workforce fell from 101,144 people to 96,232 for the year to October last year, according to accounts published on Companies House. It means staffing levels fell by 4,912 at the UK’s sixth-largest supermarket group.
Hyundai confirms £22,245 starting price for new Ioniq 3
Hyundai has confirmed that its new compact Ioniq 3 will launch with a starting price of £22,245.
Now available to reserve, the Ioniq 3 offers either a 42kWh or 61kWh battery, with the latter delivering up to 308 miles of range from a single charge.
Inside, the Ioniq 3 arrives as Hyundai’s first model to get its new Pleos Connect infotainment system, which is based on Android Automotive. It means that Google-based apps, such as Maps and Assistant, will come native to the screen, rather than having to be used via a smartphone connection.
The markets
Stocks in London closed in the red on Monday, with fresh gains in the oil price and a lack of new catalysts curbing enthusiasm.
The FTSE 100 index closed down 29.81 points, 0.3%, at 10,720.30. The FTSE 250 ended down 163.02 points, 0.7%, at 24,704.40, while the AIM All-Share closed down slightly at 800.75.
The pound traded at 1.3557 US dollars on Monday, up from 1.3550 dollars at the equities close on Friday. Against the euro, sterling firmed to 1.1702 euro from 1.1698 euro.
Councils fear planning overhaul to boost housebuilding will weaken local voices
Councils fear that an overhaul of planning laws that aims to speed up housebuilding will weaken their voices and shift power to developers.
The County Councils Network said its members were concerned about the potential detrimental effect on rural areas of the updated National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
Measures to streamline housebuilding in England were published on Monday, with default approval for homes built in ‘reasonable walking distance of well-connected stations’. Housing secretary Angela Rayner rejected a suggestion that the shift to a ‘default yes’ would give people already living in those areas less of a say.
Heavy rain to bring threat of floods after another hosepipe ban announced
Parts of the UK could have flooding this week, with heavy rain forecast to hit hard, drought-stricken land as yet another water firm announced a hosepipe ban.
Some areas will have the ‘first meaningful rain for a long time’, the Met Office said, after weeks of heatwaves and dry weather have left many areas facing water shortages.
A rainy front will begin to sweep down from Northern Ireland and Scotland towards the south of England and Wales on Monday, kicking off a wetter week with cooler conditions that are much closer to average for the time of year, the Met Office said.
Monday on Car Dealer
Kevin Mackie gets his day in court after judge rejects bid to kill car dealer’s legal case
Car dealer Kevin Mackie is to get his day in court after an application to have his case thrown out was rejected by a judge.
Government tells dealers Consumer Rights Act is working despite mounting criticism
The Government has defended its heavily-criticised Consumer Rights Act amid growing unrest from used car dealers.
Arnold Clark completes takeover of family-run car dealership after 65 years
Arnold Clark has completed its acquisition of family-run Glasgow car dealership W Livingstone Ltd.
‘You’ll miss out by not being there’: Infinity Motors boss urges dealers to enter Used Car Awards
The Swindon-based retailer scooped the Used Car Online Sales Experience gong at last year’s awards, with Infinity Motors founder Sohib Ghafouri describing the experience as ‘phenomenal’.
Porsche specialist car dealer jailed over £1m sale-or-return fraud
A Porsche specialist car dealer who sold customers’ high-value vehicles on a sale-or-return basis and kept the proceeds has been jailed for two-and-a-half years.
Former Sytner boss Darren Edwards joins automotive charity Ben as trustee
Former Sytner Group boss Darren Edwards has joined the board of automotive charity Ben as one of four new trustees.
TrustFord scoops international green award for cutting emissions across dealerships
TrustFord has picked up an international environmental award for its efforts to cut emissions across its UK dealership estate.
T.C. Harrison officially takes on KGM franchise at Stamford after ending Ford sales
T.C. Harrison has officially joined the KGM dealer network at its Stamford site after ending new car sales for Ford at the location.
Weather
Today will be mainly cloudy, with sunny spells in the south and east, reports BBC Weather. Scattered showers are expected, turning heavy in the far north.
Tonight, a band of rain will move across the UK, becoming heavy in western areas, before clearing for most to leave clearer spells and scattered showers.