7:48 am, August 11, 2022
Ministers to hold crunch talks with energy bosses over winter price hikes
Energy bosses will face pressure from ministers about how they can help customers cope with rising bills at a crunch meeting today.
Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi and Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng will press gas and electricity company executives for solutions to the predicted spike in bills over winter.
The summit with utilities bosses, expected to take place in Downing Street, comes after Cornwall Insight predicted bills are set to soar to around £3,582 in October, from £1,971 previously, before rising even further in the new year.
Parts of England and Wales face ‘exceptional’ wildfire risk amid heatwave
Parts of England and Wales face an ‘exceptional’ risk of wildfires as an amber heat warming comes into place.
The Met Office has raised the Fire Severity Index to exceptional – the highest level – for much of southern England, and stretching as far west as Abergavenny in Wales, for this coming Sunday.
Met Office meteorologist Marco Petagna told the PA news agency that the risk of wildfires was very high.
Liz Truss hints at further cost of living support if made prime minister
Liz Truss has hinted she would consider further support for struggling households if made prime minister, after previously taking a hard stance on ‘handouts’.
Her opponent, Rishi Sunak, meanwhile told the BBC that the Government has a ‘moral responsibility’ to help struggling households, and pitched himself as the more realistic candidate to be the next premier.
With analysts predicting average annual household energy bills could top £4,200 in January, the cost-of-living issue continues to dominate the exchanges in the battle to succeed Boris Johnson.
Fourth alleged ‘Beatles’ terror cell member to appear in court
A man alleged to be the fourth member of a terror cell known as The Beatles has been charged with terrorism offences.
Aine Leslie Davis, 38, was arrested at Luton Airport on Wednesday evening after being deported to England by Turkish authorities.
He has been charged with terrorism offences in 2014 and possession of a firearm for a purpose connected with terrorism, the Crown Prosecution Service said.
US inflation relief prompts cautious optimism in European markets
The FTSE 100 finished another day in the green as lower-than-expected US inflation figures signalled relief for Americans and promised less pressure on wallets.
The British price index finished on Wednesday 18.96 points higher, or 0.25 per cent, at 7,505.11.
Meanwhile, the French Cac 40 lifted by 0.71 per cent and the Dax was up by 1.31 per cent at close.
Wednesday’s Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Brakes slammed on booming used car market as second quarter saw hefty decline
- Riverside Motor Group celebrates 40 years of trading
- TrustFord to install defibrillators at its showrooms
- Elon Musk sells 7.92m shares in Tesla as Twitter lawsuit looms
- Dealer warranty upgrade demand ‘likely to go up as cost-of-living crisis deepens’
- Consumer confidence rose in July after seven months of decline
- Pent-up demand helps Lloyd Motor Group pre-tax profit soar to almost £25m
- Lack of patience revealed as semiconductor shortage causes lengthy wait for new cars
Production of Mercedes-AMG One hypercar begins in UK
Mercedes-AMG has announced that production of its long-awaited ‘One’ hypercar is under way, with the model being produced at a new facility in the UK.
First shown as a concept in 2017, the One was hamstrung by development delays due to the complexity of using a powertrain similar to that of Formula 1 cars in a road-going model.
The production version was finally shown in June this year.
Read the full story here.
Police name four-year-old girl killed in Thornton Heath gas explosion
A four-year-old girl who died in a gas explosion in south London has been named by police as Sahara Salman.
Metropolitan Police officers were called on Monday morning to a home on Galpin’s Road, Thornton Heath, amid reports of a fire and explosion.
Sahara’s body was recovered from the ruins of a terraced house in what was labelled a ‘shocking event’.
Porsche Taycan sets electric production car record at Nurburgring race circuit
The Porsche Taycan is the new fastest electric production car to lap the famous Nurburgring racetrack in Germany.
The circuit, nicknamed the ‘Green Hell’ for its unforgiving nature, is one of the longest racetracks in the world at 12.9 miles. It’s widely used by manufacturers when developing their new cars, and holding a lap record is a particular claim to fame.
With Porsche development driver Lars Kern at the wheel, the Taycan – in extreme Turbo S form – became the fastest production electric car to ever go around the track, with a time of seven minutes 33.3 seconds.
Car thief caught hiding inside giant teddy bear in Rochdale
A car thief who hid inside a giant teddy bear has been jailed for nine months.
Joshua Dobson, 18, from Spotland, Rochdale, was wanted by police for stealing a car and not paying for fuel.
Officers searched for him at an address in Rochdale.
#JAILED | When we saw this large bear breathing during a hunt for a thief we thought something wasn’t right… then we found our suspect stuffed inside!
Joshua Dodson (18) stole a car while disqualified & filled up for fuel without paying. He’s sentenced to nine months in jail. pic.twitter.com/cwAGO7PvIw
— GMP Rochdale (@GMPRochdale) August 10, 2022
New Alfa Romeo Tonale SUV to start from £38,595
Alfa Romeo has announced that its new compact SUV is now available to order, with prices starting from £38,595.
Rivalling popular models like the Audi Q3 and BMW X1, the Tonale has been a long time coming for Alfa Romeo, and will sit beneath the Stelvio in the Italian firm’s range.
At launch, it will be available with a single mild-hybrid powertrain, which pairs a 158bhp 1.5-litre petrol engine with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, and a small electric motor that is capable of driving the car for short bursts.
Read the full story here.
Weather outlook
Today will be dry, sunny and very warm across much of the UK, and hot in parts of the south. However, far north-western Scotland will be cloudier and cooler, with spells of rain gradually edging in, the BBC reports.
Tonight will be dry and clear for most, with the odd patch of mist or fog developing in Northern Ireland and eastern England. North-western Scotland will remain cloudy, with some patchy light rain.
Tomorrow will be another dry and sunny day widely, with little in the way of cloud. However, north-western Scotland and the Isles will see the odd spot of rain at times. A hot day in the south.
