6:47 am, April 30, 2022
Tory MP suggests he opened pornography by mistake
The Conservative under investigation for allegedly watching pornography on his phone in the Commons chamber suggested he may have opened it accidentally as he rejected calls to stand down as an MP immediately.
Neil Parish said he would be continuing his duties as an MP for Tiverton and Honiton, in Devon, and as the chair of a select committee while ‘cooperating fully’ with investigators after he had the Tory whip suspended on Friday.
The 65-year-old farmer said he would only consider his position after the conclusion of an inquiry after referring himself to Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Kathryn Stone.
Grant Shapps bids to ‘banish the boy racer’
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps declared he wants to ‘banish the boy racer’ as he announced plans to deploy noise cameras to catch ‘rowdy drivers’.
His department has invited MPs to enter a competition to find the noisiest streets in England and Wales amid concerns about the impact on residents from motorists revving engines and using illegal exhausts.
Four areas will be chosen to take part in a £300,000 trial of innovative noise cameras.
BP and Shell predict best results in years
London’s biggest oil companies will face an odd dilemma next week as they present what is likely to be their best set of results for years while facing calls to cough up more in tax.
The businesses are predicted to report a combined $13bn (£10.5bn) in profit from the first three months of the financial year, a massive hike from the same time in 2021.
A lot of this will come from the cash households are paying to keep the lights on, heat their homes, and fill up their cars.
Four climate activists charged
Four climate activists have been charged following protests at two motorway service stations in Surrey.
Nathan McGovern, 22, Amber Alexander, 18, Louis Hawkins, 22, and Rosa Sharkey, 22, have been charged with causing criminal damage of more than £5000, Surrey Police said. Four further people remain in custody, the force added.
Officers were called to both Cobham Services in Surrey and Clacket Lane Services in Kent just after 7am on Thursday to reports that protesters were at the sites, gluing themselves to pumps and blocking access to the forecourts.
Less staycations due to high fuel prices
The high price of fuel is driving many households away from holidaying in the UK this year, according to new research.
In a survey of 2,417 people by online car marketplace Auto Trader, 38 per cent said they were less likely to take a staycation this year, with 85 per cent of these citing rising fuel costs as the main reason.
This is despite scenes of holiday chaos at airports in recent weeks, particularly over the Easter holidays, as those seeking overseas sun faced under-staffed airlines.
Friday’s Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Elon Musk sells 4.4m shares in Tesla valued at around £3.2bn as he moves forward with Twitter purchase
- First drive: The Mazda CX-60 takes this Japanese brand further upmarket
- Volkswagen and BP announce partnership to roll out up to 8,000 new charge points in next two years
- Lotus to open first global store in Mayfair this autumn to showcase its latest models
- Here are the top 10 used cars that take the longest time to sell
Four in 10 Brits now buy less food
Around four in 10 people have said they bought less food during the past two weeks due to the rising cost of living.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that 39 per cent of adults said they trimmed back their grocery shops, rising from 34 per cent a fortnight ago and 18 per cent at the start of the year.
It is one of a handful of statistics in the ONS’s latest social impacts survey showing growing concerns over pressure on household finances.
Market outlook
European markets had another strong day as they followed buoyant Asian trading due to Chinese stimulus plans.
The London markets were once again supported by gains among the heavyweight commodity stocks, which were buoyed by another lift in oil prices.
The FTSE 100 ended the day up 35.36 points, or 0.47 per cent, at 7,544.55 points.
The French Cac was up 0.35 per cent and the German Dax increased 0.72 per cent by the end of the session.
Temperatures up
People may be able to get their barbecues out over the bank holiday weekend, the Met Office has said, as rain gives way to dry weather across the country.
Temperatures could reach up to 18C on Monday, although they are not expected to return to the highs seen earlier in the month.
Most areas will experience rain on Saturday or Sunday as a low pressure system moves down from Scotland and Northern Ireland, but this will be followed by a spell of milder weather.
