6:31 am, November 3, 2025
Bank ‘unlikely’ to cut interest rates but decision a close call, experts say
The Bank of England is widely expected to keep interest rates on hold next week but economists are bracing for a close-call decision with new economic data opening the door to a potential cut.
The Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will make its next decision on interest rates on Thursday.
Most economists expect rates to be kept at 4% as the Bank holds out for further signs that inflation is cooling, but some, including Barclays and Goldman Sachs, are predicting a cut to 3.75%.
Leon co-founder John Vincent buys back restaurant chain from Asda
A co-founder of Leon has bought back the healthy fast food chain from Asda, four years after it was taken over by the billionaire Issa brothers.
Asda said it had sold the business to John Vincent, who was one of three Leon co-founders in 2004.
The sale incorporates 46 Leon restaurants and 20 UK franchises, along with three franchised sites in the Netherlands and one in Italy. Around 1,120 staff across the chain will transfer to the new ownership as part of the deal.
The Longbow Speedster is an ultra-light electric sports car
Longbow has announced that its lightweight Speedster electric sports car is now available to order.
Longbow is the first British electric sports car maker, and the Speedster is its first entry into the market, while its second model, the Roadster, will arrive next year.
The cars are designed, engineered and hand-built in the UK. It weighs just 895kg and has ‘module-to-chassis’ battery technology, but battery sizes have not been confirmed. Prices start at £84,995 for the Speedster, and £64,995 for the Roadster.
The markets
Stock prices in London closed mostly lower on Friday, after positive news for European trade with China and hawkish comments by a US Federal Reserve officer.
The FTSE 100 index closed down 42.81 points, 0.4%, at 9,717.25. The FTSE 250 ended down 105.31 points, 0.5%, at 22,170.97, and the AIM All-Share closed up 2.58 points, 0.3%, at 772.38.
The pound was quoted at 1.3135 US dollars at the time of the London equities close on Friday, lower compared to 1.3149 dollars on Thursday.
Train hero fights for life as knife attack suspect remains in police custody
A ‘heroic’ railway worker is fighting for his life after trying to stop a knife attacker who targeted passengers on a busy train.
The London North Eastern Railway (LNER) staff member, who has not been named, remains in a life-threatening condition after he was injured while trying to protect passengers during the mass stabbing on Saturday’s 6.25pm service from Doncaster to London King’s Cross.
A 32-year-old black British national remains in custody on suspicion of attempted murder. He is from Peterborough and boarded the train there when it stopped at 7.30pm, officers said.
Cooper to visit Jordan in push for more aid for Gaza
The foreign secretary will travel to Jordan on Monday as she calls for more aid to reach Gaza following last month’s tentative ceasefire.
Yvette Cooper announced the UK would provide an extra £6m of humanitarian support for Gaza in the form of sexual and reproductive healthcare for women and girls provided by the UN Population Fund.
She is also expected to visit a warehouse where UK-supplied aid remains stuck waiting to enter Gaza, despite the truce agreed between Israel and Hamas.
Latest on Car Dealer
TV star Mike Brewer has SHUT DOWN his Sheffield used car supermarket and blames the government
Wheeler Dealer star Mike Brewer has CLOSED his eponymously-named used car supermarket and has laid the blame on the government.
Auto Trader’s Catherine Faiers to leave business to take CEO role at Moonpig
Auto Trader’s Catherine Faiers is to leave the company to take up the CEO role at online greetings cards and gifting platform Moonpig.
Only ONE category sponsorship left as firms race to be part of Used Car Awards 2025
Even more motor trade suppliers and organisations have partnered with Car Dealer for the most prestigious awards celebrating the used car industry.
Weather
A windy and cloudy day with widespread rain, heaviest in the north and west, reports BBC Weather. Some brighter intervals in the south-east and far north-east, and milder overall.
Tonight stays mostly cloudy, with heavy rain over Wales, northern England and southern Scotland, clearer spells in northern Scotland and the south-east.
