6:56 am, January 20, 2026
Hotel bosses call for financial support as business rates set to surge
UK hotel chains and holiday parks have warned that a proposed surge in business rates could impact employment and prices as they called for expected support for pubs to be extended across the sector.
Firms including Hilton, Butlin’s and Travelodge are among more than 130 accommodation businesses who have called on Chancellor Rachel Reeves for an urgent solution.
The average hotels business rates bill will increase by 115% by April 2029, totalling £205,200, according to analysis of Valuation Office Agency data by the UKHospitality trade group.
Water companies to undergo ‘MOTs’ as plans for new regulator to be unveiled
Water companies will be required to carry out to infrastructure ‘MOTs’ to prevent major failures under plans for a new industry watchdog, the government has said.
Ministers are set to unveil a series of reforms in Parliament as they move ahead with a major regulatory shake-up that will see Ofwat abolished and the current system of overlapping oversight by four different bodies merged into a single regulator.
The Water White Paper, which will be published on Tuesday morning, will outline powers planned for this new watchdog, which aim to put failure prevention first and strengthen accountability.
Ferrari reveals unique 12Cilindri ‘Tailor Made’ variant
Ferrari has revealed a one-off variant of its 12Cilindri supercar with the ‘Tailor Made’ edition.
The 12Cilindri Tailor Made has been built to celebrate the firm’s ‘Personalisation Programme’, while the car has been designed in conjunction with the independent online design and technology company, Cool Hunting.
The Tailor Made takes its inspiration from Korean art with a transitional ‘Yoonseul’ paint scheme, featuring a blend of green to violet with blue highlights, which refers to the country’s capital, Seoul and K-Pop music. Also, the exterior is complemented by a livery that has been created by the Korean sound and performance duo, Graycode Jiiiiin, to visualise the car’s V12 sound over its bodywork.
The markets
Renewed tariff threats from the US kept European stocks on the back foot on Monday with safe haven gold benefiting from the uncertainty once more.
The FTSE 100 index closed down 39.94 points, or 0.4%, at 10,195.35. The FTSE 250 ended 199.56 points lower, 0.9%, at 23,111.81, and the AIM All-Share closed down 1.26 points, 0.2%, at 803.49.
The pound was quoted higher at 1.3428 dollars at the time of the London equities close on Monday, compared with 1.3382 dollars on Friday. The euro stood at 1.1643 dollars, higher against 1.1596 dollars. Against the yen, the dollar was trading at 158.11 yen, up from 158.06 yen.
Starmer seeks to steady ship as tensions simmer over Greenland
Sir Keir Starmer will seek to steady the ship amid a tumultuous rift between Donald Trump and European countries over Greenland as the US President marks one year in the White House.
The prime minister will hold talks with ministers at his weekly Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, following his call for calm in response to the US leader’s threats of a trade war. The US president said on Monday evening he was 100% committed to hitting the UK and European allies with tariffs over their opposition to his plan to annex Greenland.
Yvette Cooper will then face a grilling from MPs during Foreign Office questions in the Commons, where the crisis over the dispute over the mineral-rich Arctic territory is likely to feature high on the agenda.
Government to hold consultation on Australian-style under-16s social media ban
Ministers are consulting on implementing an Australian-style social media ban for under-16s in the UK.
The consultation will look at options including raising the digital age of consent and restricting potentially addictive app design features such as ‘streaks’ and ‘infinite scrolling’.
There have been growing calls for the prime minister to raise the minimum age for social media platforms, and No 10 has signalled it is open to the idea.
Monday on Car Dealer
Supercar dealer Targa Florio Cars closes suddenly leaving customers ‘out of pocket’
Luxury supercar dealer Targa Florio Cars has suddenly closed leaving customers in the lurch over sale or return cars.
Stellantis boss claims firms are ‘burning cash’ as there there is ‘no natural demand’ for EVs
Stellantis’s European boss has admitted there is currently ‘no natural demand’ for electric vehicles with carmakers left ‘burning cash’ as a result.
Podcast: How Geely is leaning on Volvo and Polestar ownership to overcome ‘negative perceptions’
Chinese carmaker Geely is looking to capitalise on its ownership of Volvo, Polestar and Lotus in order to make a success at being a standalone brand in the UK.
Car-sharing firm Zipcar confirms end of UK operations, affecting 650,000 customers
Car-sharing company Zipcar is to cease operations, hitting around 650,000 drivers across the UK.
Weather
Variable cloud and patchy rain this morning, turning drier and brighter this afternoon with sunny spells for many, reports BBC Weather. The south-west stays wet and windy, with rain spreading into Northern Ireland and Wales later.
Tonight remains breezy as rain moves north-east to Scotland and south-east England, with clear spells and western showers following.
