6:08 am, November 11, 2025
Post Office extends deal to use scandal-hit Horizon software
The Post Office has extended its deal to use the scandal-hit Horizon IT software until at least 2027.
However, the postal giant said it plans to agree a deal with a new supplier next year, as part of commitments to shift away from the Horizon technology.
The accounting system, run by Japanese firm Fujitsu, is at the centre of the long-running Post Office scandal, which saw around 1,000 people wrongly prosecuted and convicted throughout the UK between 1999 and 2015.
Britons set to spend £4bn more this Black Friday despite scam fears
Britons are set to spend £4bn more over this year’s Black Friday weekend than last year, despite increasing concern among consumers about poor deals and scams, figures suggest.
Spending is set to reach almost £14bn over the sales event, with consumers holding off on major purchases beforehand and planning to buy for Christmas, a survey for e-commerce marketing platform Omnisend found.
Black Friday still dominates the sales period, with shoppers spending £299 on average on the sales, an increase of £83 year-on-year. However, Cyber Monday and the days following the sales weekend will also see a rise in spending, with the average basket now totalling £229 – up £70 from last year.
New ninth-generation Toyota Hilux revealed with bold look and electric version
Toyota has unveiled its new ninth-generation Hilux pick-up truck which will be available as an electric vehicle for the first time.
Set to go on sale in summer next year, the new Hilux will be offered in both electric and diesel-powered forms to ensure that there is a version for all drivers.
The battery-powered version has been designed to deliver the same level of rugged quality as the standard car but gets a 59.2Wh battery, which, Toyota claims, can deliver up to 150 miles of range while giving the truck a 715kg payload and 1,600kg towing capacity. The brand has said that it is targeting ‘best-in-class’ charge times, but, as yet, hasn’t disclosed any further details.
The markets
The FTSE 100 hit an all-time best on Monday, passing 9,800 for the first time, as hopes grow for an end to the US government shutdown.
The FTSE 100 Index closed up 104.58 points, 1.1%, at 9,787.15, a record closing peak. he FTSE 250 ended 194.88 points higher, 0.9%, at 21,968.27, and the AIM All-Share climbed 8.07 points, 1.1%, at 757.54.
Sterling was quoted at 1.3160 dollars at the time of the London equities close on Monday, lower compared with 1.3166 dollars on Friday.
Donald Trump tells BBC to apologise by Friday or face billion-dollar lawsuit
Donald Trump has given the BBC a deadline of Friday to retract ‘false’ and ‘defamatory’ statements made about him in a Panorama documentary, or face a billion-dollar lawsuit.
The US president threatened legal action after a report from Michael Prescott, a former external adviser to the BBC’s editorial standards committee, raised concerns that a speech Trump had made before the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 had been selectively edited by the BBC.
BBC chairman Samir Shah has apologised for an ‘error of judgment’ and two of the corporation’s most senior figures – chief executive of BBC News Deborah Turness and director-general Tim Davie – resigned from their positions on Sunday.
Learner driver passes theory test at 75th attempt after spending £1,725 on fees
A learner driver passed the theory test at the 75th attempt, new figures show, spending more than £1,700 on fees.
AA Driving School, which obtained the statistics, said it is ‘easy to underestimate’ the level of knowledge required to pass the exam.
Each test attempt costs £23, meaning the candidate who finally passed last year spent a total of £1,725. Another learner has taken the test 128 times without success, at a cost of £2,944.
Monday on Car Dealer
Car dealers threaten mass cancellation of Auto Trader contracts in light of Deal Builder roll out
Hundreds of car dealers are planning a mass cancellation of their Auto Trader accounts in protest at the roll-out of its controversial Deal Builder product.
Used car market grows to over two million transactions in Q3 as EVs enjoy record uptake
The used car market grew to over two million transactions in Q3 with second-hand EVs enjoying record uptake.
Two new BYDs arrive at UK dealers as Chinese brand continues to grow presence
BYD has once again broadened its product range as it continues on its mission to become the UK’s number one car brand.
Family-run Available Car ‘ready for the long-term’ after announcing rise in profits
Available Car is ‘ready for the long-term’ following ‘a challenging few years’ for the used car supermarket group.
Weather
Rain and brisk winds will spread into Wales, Northern Ireland and northern England, while Scotland starts bright before turning wet later, reports BBC Weather. Elsewhere stays cloudy.
Tonight, rain clears through northern Scotland and eastern and southern England, leaving clear spells and variable cloud across Wales and central England.
