6:49 am, October 20, 2022
Truss on the brink after Braverman exit and Commons chaos
Liz Truss’s government is teetering on the brink of collapse after another chaotic day which saw the acrimonious resignation of her home secretary, mayhem in the Commons over a fracking vote and confusion over whether the chief and deputy chief whip had quit.
Suella Braverman lashed out at Truss’s ‘tumultuous’ premiership as she quit and accused the government of ‘breaking key pledges’.
The exodus appeared to continue with speculation that chief whip Wendy Morton and her deputy Craig Whittaker walked out after a last-minute U-turn on a threat to strip the whip from Conservative MPs if they backed a Labour challenge over fracking.
Senior Tories accused of bullying MPs in Commons fracking vote
Cabinet ministers Therese Coffey and Jacob Rees-Mogg are among a group of senior Tories accused of bullying Conservative MPs into voting against a Labour motion on fracking.
Amid extraordinary scenes at Westminster, one Tory MP was ‘physically manhandled’ into the ‘no’ lobby to ensure he opposed the motion, according to opposition MPs.
Rees-Mogg, the business secretary, insisted he had seen no evidence of anyone being manhandled and there had simply been a ‘normal’ discussion among MPs as they prepared to vote. But senior Tory MP Sir Charles Walker said what took place was ‘inexcusable’.
Ministers press on with move to bring in minimum service levels during strikes
The government is pressing ahead with legal moves to introduce minimum service levels during strikes by transport workers.
The announcement follows months of industrial action by railway workers in bitter disputes over pay, jobs and conditions which has caused travel chaos across the country. Unions criticised the move, with many believing it would be unworkable.
The government said the Transport Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill would mean that even during the most disruptive of strikes, a certain level of services will still run.
Millions skipping meals or struggling to buy healthy food – Which?
Millions of households are skipping meals or finding it hard to put healthy food on the table as they struggle with the cost-of-living crisis, Which? research suggests.
Among the nine per cent who said they are finding it ‘very difficult’ to get by, half (50 per cent) said their household was skipping meals, as did 26 per cent of those who are finding the current situation ‘quite difficult’. Almost half of all consumers (46 per cent) said they were finding it harder to eat healthily compared to before the crisis, rising to 78 per cent of those finding it very difficult financially.
Which? is calling on supermarkets to help their customers with clearer pricing, promotions targeted at supporting shoppers on low incomes and by ensuring budget lines are widely available, particularly in locations where people need them most.
Land Rover’s Defender can now be equipped with ballistic and blast protection
Land Rover Defender buyers who are after upgraded protection from their four-wheel-drive now have an option thanks to a new lightweight solution.
A new agreement between Jaguar Land Rover and vehicle protection specialist Trasco has resulted in an upgraded version of the Defender being made available. The 110-specification car can now be fitted with a lightweight Anti-Kidnap – or A-Kip – conversion kit, but thanks to an ‘inconspicuous design’ it’s barely noticeable against a standard car.
Lightweight security-grade steel, glass and composite materials are incorporated throughout the Defender, bringing added protection to driver and passengers. Various levels of ballistic protection – certified by the VPAM standard for armoured cars – feature in areas such as the windscreen, door and door glass, and footwells. There’s also a new ballistic rear partition.
Oil campaigners charged after Dartford Crossing protest
Two men have been charged over a protest that closed the Dartford Crossing for two days.
Morgan Trowland, 39, of Islington, north London, and Marcus Decker, 33, of no fixed address, have been charged with committing a public nuisance, Essex Police said. They will appear in custody at Southend Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
Traffic was not able to use the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex, after it was blocked for more than 36 hours from Monday morning in a protest by the Just Stop Oil environmental activist group.
Advertising regulator signals crackdown on ‘hot air’ environmental claims
The advertising regulator is to crack down on ‘hot air’ environmental claims amid consumer confusion around terms such as ‘carbon neutral’ and ‘net zero’.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said the public remained wary of ‘green washing’ by companies and signalled it would consider increased enforcement action to ensure consumers are not misled by brands attempting to boost their environmental credentials.
A study by the ASA found broad consumer engagement on environmental issues which influenced their understanding of related advertising claims. However it found that consumers have a low overall understanding of environmental claims used by advertisers, and can tend to cynicism around brands trying to promote their environmental achievements.
Waitrose customers send sales of spam and fish heads up by a third
Sales of spam and fish heads are both up by a third at upmarket grocer Waitrose in an apparent shift to economy buying in the face of the cost-of-living crisis.
The supermarket said the ‘use-it-all trend’ and move to cheaper slow cooking seemed to be behind sales of beef shin, ox cheek and lamb neck increasing by 23 per cent, nine per cent and four per cent respectively. Sales of fish heads are up by an ‘incredible’ 34 per cent on last year while spam sales rose by 36 per cent, according to the annual Waitrose Food & Drink report.
A poll for the supermarket found that 72 per cent of consumers are now ‘more mindful’ about their grocery budget and more than a third were ‘very concerned’ about how the rising cost of living will affect them in the coming months.
Weather outlook
Outbreaks of rain will spread northwards today, reports BBC Weather. It’ll be more persistent in the east with some thunder; it’ll turn drier in the south and west later on.
Rain will stay in the north tonight, remaining clear elsewhere. After a period of calm, more heavy rain will push into the south-west overnight.
