6:49 am, June 11, 2025
Planning reforms ‘critical’ to 1.5m homes pledge delivery clear Commons
Flagship planning reforms which are ‘critical’ to the delivery of Labour’s pledge to build 1.5 million homes have cleared the Commons.
MPs voted by 306 to 174, majority 132, to approve the Planning and Infrastructure Bill at third reading on Tuesday evening.
Housing minister Matthew Pennycook said the Bill, which aims to improve certainty and decision-making in the planning system, will help to tackle the UK’s housing crisis. But shadow housing secretary Kevin Hollinrake described the draft legislation as ‘dangerous’ and warned it could lead to ‘rows of uninspiring concrete boxes.
FirstGroup bounces back to profit as bus revenues grow
Transport operator FirstGroup has returned to profit for the past year as it cheered progress in its bus and rail operations.
Shares in the Aberdeen-based company rose in early trading as investors welcomed stronger-than-expected profits.
FirstGroup, which runs Avanti West Coast and Great Western Railway, recorded a pre-tax profit of £169.6m for the year to March, swinging from a £24.4m loss a year earlier. It also reported a group adjusted profit of £222.8m for the year, up from £204.3m a year earlier.
Updated Discovery Sport gains new look and more standard equipment
Land Rover’s Discovery Sport has been refreshed for 2025 with a design update and some new specifications.
Entry-level Dynamic S cars now have updated alloy wheel designs to choose from, while areas such as the lower body sides and grille, wheel arches and lower bumpers are finished in gloss black.
New to the Discovery Sport range is the flagship Metropolitan trim. It gets silver details for the exterior, and inside features heated and cooled leather seats, and a 14-speaker Meridian sound system. Also new is the Landmark edition, which adds sliding and reclining rear seats and a panoramic roof. The Discovery Sport range starts from £45,440.
The markets
Stocks in London ended higher on Tuesday, led by gains in housebuilders and amid signs of progress in US-China trade talks.
The FTSE 100 index rose 20.80 points, 0.2%, to 8,853.08, while the FTSE 250 ended up 103.55 points. In Paris, the Cac 40 rose 0.2%, while Frankfurt’s Dax 40 ended 0.8% lower.
Sterling was quoted at 1.3509 dollars late on Tuesday afternoon in London, lower compared to 1.3556 dollars at the equities close on Monday. The euro stood at 1.1418 dollars, little changed against 1.1419 dollars.
Reeves to say spending review will reflect ‘priorities of working people’
Rachel Reeves will unveil her spending review on Wednesday, arguing that her priorities are ‘the priorities of working people’.
The chancellor is expected to focus on ‘Britain’s renewal’ as she sets out her spending plans for the coming years.
Among the main announcements is expected to be a £30bn increase in NHS funding, a rise of around 2.8% in real terms, along with an extra £4.5bn for schools and a rise in defence spending to 2.5% of GDP.
Starmer and Reynolds meet US commerce secretary in push to implement trade deal
Sir Keir Starmer has met the US commerce secretary as the government continues to push for its American trade deal to come into force.
The prime minister dropped in on a meeting between Howard Lutnick and business secretary Jonathan Reynolds in Downing Street on Tuesday.
Lutnick was in London for talks with China on resolving the trade war between Washington and Beijing, and Reynolds took the opportunity to meet him in person to push for the UK-US trade deal announced last month to be implemented as soon as possible.
Tuesday on Car Dealer
UK’s luxury and high performance carmakers being battered by ‘multiple geopolitical headwinds’
Britain’s luxury carmakers, including Aston Martin and McLaren, face threats to growth from volatile markets, decarbonisation rules, and rising costs, says the SMMT. Despite representing 4% of output, they generate 12% of value and employ 15,000 people.
More than half of car buyers will go electric and hybrid with next car purchase
Over half of car buyers plan to choose an electric or hybrid vehicle next, with EV interest at a record high of 22%, despite only 6% currently owning one. Hybrid interest is also rising, while petrol and diesel preferences are declining.
Podcast: Car dealerships use AI to problem solve from mechanical issues to spreadsheet analysis
Car dealerships are rapidly adopting AI to streamline operations and enhance customer service. Motorway’s CEO highlighted innovative uses, such as mechanics diagnosing issues via ChatGPT. Sharing best practices across teams is key, with AI also benefiting legal, marketing, and training functions.
Weather
Today will be mostly dry and sunny, though cloudy in Northern Ireland and northern Scotland, with possible showers in the south-west later, reports BBC Weather.
Tonight, heavy rain spreads across western UK, while the east remains dry; thunder is possible in the south-west.
