6:50 am, October 14, 2026
Hobbs and Whistles owner struck by cyber attack
The owner of fashion brands Hobbs and Whistles has apologised to customers after being hit by a cyber attack in the second hack impacting a UK retailer in a week.
South African retail group The Foschini Group (TFG) said it became aware of the ‘cybersecurity incident’ on Sunday, affecting its UK subsidiary TFG London, with ‘certain of its IT systems’ impacted – specifically its Phase Eight, Hobbs and Whistles brands.
But it said there is ‘no reason to believe that payment information is at risk’.
BP to outline strategy update in December as it reveals steep drop in debts
BP has revealed its new chief executive Meg O’Neill will lay out a fresh strategy vision for the oil giant in December as it said a boost from soaring crude and gas prices would help slash its debt pile.
The FTSE 100 firm has seen net debt already reduce to its 2027 target after reporting it was set to drop to between 13.5 billion US dollars (£10.2bn) and 14.5 billion dollars (£11bn) by the end of September from 22.3 billion dollars (£16.8bn) at the end of June.
BP had previously aimed to slash its debt to between 14 billion and 18 billion dollars (£10.6bn to £13.6bn) by the end of next year.
Car manufacturers ‘responding to call’ for more physical controls – Euro NCAP
Car manufacturers are introducing more physical controls after criticism from consumers about screen-heavy designs.
That’s according to Euro NCAP, which has noticed in its latest round of safety testing that more cars are keeping things simple with a greater number of buttons.
Three new cars assessed by safety experts under Euro NCAP’s latest protocols – the Audi Q7, Kia EV2 and Xpeng X9 – show the differences in approach by manufacturers.
The markets
The FTSE 100 gave back early gains to end slightly lower on Tuesday amid concerns over technology valuations.
In London, the FTSE 100 index ended down 5.95 points, 0.1%, at 10,650.33. It had earlier traded as high as 10,762.01.
In European equity markets on Tuesday, the CAC 40 in Paris ended down 0.1%, as did the DAX 40 in Frankfurt.
Tuesday on Car Dealer
Chorley Group shuts dealerships and focuses on core brands after posting another loss
Chorley Group’s parent company posted a £995,000 loss in 2025 as underperforming dealerships struggled. The group is exiting weaker franchises, including Hyundai, to focus on Nissan and MG and improve profitability.
Family-run used car dealership to close as liquidators are appointed more than two decades
Family-run Stockton Heath Car Sales is closing after more than 20 years, with liquidators appointed on September 21. Directors say the firm is solvent and all creditors are expected to be paid in full.
£9.1bn car finance compensation scheme court battle pushed back to February
Court challenges to the FCA’s £9.1bn motor finance compensation scheme have been delayed until February 2027, prolonging uncertainty for 12.1m potentially eligible agreements and leaving customers waiting for payouts.
Motorpoint to close Ipswich used car supermarket after just three-and-a-half years
OpenAI ‘not racing to the bottom’ on AI safety, MPs told
OpenAI has said it is not ‘racing to the bottom’ on AI safety as MPs questioned bosses from technology firms over the safety and security of their AI agents.
Meanwhile, Claude parent firm Anthropic suggested that there are risks that the fast-changing technology could be used by bad actors to ‘create biological or chemical weapons’.
It came as the Parliament’s business, innovation, science and trade select committee questioned executives from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind and Meta.
Trump faces calls in Washington to ditch Russia diesel deal amid UK criticism
Donald Trump is facing cross-party calls on Capitol Hill to ditch his controversial diesel deal with Russia, which has sparked criticism in the UK.
A group of six Republican and six Democrat senators has jointly warned that the lifting of sanctions to allow Moscow to sell the fuel is ‘a gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our allies’.
The US president has defended the decision as he seeks to increase supply and so bring down soaring pump prices ahead of critical stateside elections next month, which will decide control of Congress.
Weather outlook…
Northern Scotland and Northern Ireland will be windy, with rain and severe gales possible in the northwest, while northern England sees strengthening winds but mostly dry weather.
Wales and the Midlands should stay dry and bright.
Southern England will enjoy the sunniest skies, with mild temperatures reaching around 20C.