5:39 am, December 17, 2025
Grangemouth chemicals plant to stay open after government provides £120m funding
Britain’s biggest chemical plant is to remain open after owner Ineos secured a major government support package, in a deal which will secure around 500 jobs.
The deal will see the UK government provide more than £120m to help keep Ineos’ Olefins & Polymers (O&P) plant at Grangemouth operating, after the future of the site became uncertain earlier this year
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said the move is an investment in ‘good jobs, stronger communities and a modern economy’. Meanwhile, Ineos boss and founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe said the funding was ‘welcome’ and would help to support UK manufacturing.
Inflation to cool further in November as food prices dip, economists think
Inflation is set to have eased further last month after a dip in food costs helped offset a jump in hotel prices, economists think.
The rate of Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation is widely expected to fall to 3.5% in November, from 3.6% in October.
It would mean prices across the UK are continuing to rise, but at a slower rate than before.
Toyota C-HR+ will be priced from £34,495
Toyota has announced that the C-HR+ electric SUV will be priced from £34,495 when it goes on sale in the UK next year.
The C-HR+ is Toyota’s third electric offering and will sit between the smaller Urban Cruiser and the larger bZ4X SUVs, while rivalling the Skoda Elroq and Ford Explorer.
The C-HR+ can be equipped with a 57.7kWh battery pack, which is standard on the entry-level car and provides a claimed range of up to 284 miles, whereas Design and Excel grades feature a larger 77kWh unit that provides a claimed range of 376 miles.
The markets
The FTSE 100 fell on Tuesday, weighed down by falls in defence and oil stocks, and after mixed economic data in the UK and US.
The FTSE 100 index closed down 66.52 points, 0.7%, at 9,684.79. The FTSE 250 ended just 8.18 points lower at 22,040.98, and the AIM All-Share ended up by just 0.18 of a point at 749.41.
The pound was quoted higher at 1.3429 dollars at the time of the London equities close on Tuesday, compared with 1.3390 dollars on Monday. The euro stood at 1.1775 dollars, up against 1.1764 dollars. Against the yen, the dollar was trading lower at 154.79 yen compared with 155.24 yen.
Donald Trump sues BBC for up to £7.5bn over Panorama speech edit
The US president has filed a lawsuit against the BBC and is seeking up to 10 billion dollars (£7.5bn) in damages in response to the editing of a speech he made before the 2021 attack on the Capitol.
Donald Trump’s lawyers argue the depiction of him given in the edit, which aired in a Panorama documentary a week before the results of the 2024 US election, ‘was false and defamatory’ and they also said ‘the BBC intentionally and maliciously sought to fully mislead its viewers around the world’.
A BBC spokesperson said: ‘As we have made clear previously, we will be defending this case. We are not going to make further comment on ongoing legal proceedings.’
Rob Reiner’s son charged with two counts of murder
Nick Reiner has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder after the deaths of his parents, actor and director Rob and his photographer wife, Michele.
Los Angeles district attorney Nathan Hochman said no decision had been made on whether to seek the death penalty in the case.
Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner, 68, were found dead from apparent stab wounds in their home in Brentwood, Los Angeles, on Sunday.
Tuesday on Car Dealer
Most Wanted: Which used cars were the most in demand in 2025?
The most in-demand used cars of 2025 have been revealed – and there’s no surprises what’s at the top of the list.
MG posted £6.9m pre-tax profit in 2024 as prior year restated accounts show loss
MG Motor UK saw turned a £1.3m loss in 2023 to £6.9m profit in 2024, in a year in which it celebrated its centenary and saw record new car registrations.
Family-run Harwoods to close Aston Martin franchise as luxury car dealer continues shake-up
Luxury car dealer Harwoods is to close its sole Aston Martin franchise just months after selling off all of its JLR sites.
Weather
Cloud and rain affect the north and west today, reports BBC Weather, while the south-east sees early brightness and fog before turning cloudier but staying dry. Windy and mild.
Tonight, rain spreads into the south-east, clearer spells develop elsewhere with scattered northern showers, and cloud with further rain reaches the south by dawn.
