6:55 am, August 18, 2022
Sunak attacks Truss’s tax plans as 10.1 per cent inflation adds to cost-of-living crisis
Rishi Sunak has warned that Tory leadership rival Liz Truss’s tax plans would add £50bn to borrowing while failing to give direct support to the most vulnerable in society, as the cost-of-living crisis deepened.
The former chancellor said the Foreign Secretary would be guilty of ‘moral failure’ if she does not focus on the nation’s poorest, and warned her policies could further stoke inflation.
Ms Truss instead insisted ‘taxes are too high and they are potentially choking off growth’, as she promised an emergency budget to tackle the situation.
Fresh transport strikes to cause more travel chaos
Rail, Tube and bus passengers will suffer fresh travel misery from Thursday as tens of thousands of workers stage strikes in long-running disputes over pay, jobs and conditions.
Network Rail, train companies, London Underground and buses in the capital will be hit by walkouts in the next few days, causing travel chaos for workers, holidaymakers and fans going to events, including a cricket Test match at Lords.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, Transport Salaried Staffs Association and Unite will be involved in the industrial action, after ongoing talks failed to break the deadlocked rows.
Forcing cyclists to display number plates would be impractical, minister warned
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has been widely condemned after announcing a plan which could force cyclists to display registration plates.
Motoring experts, transport groups, legal experts and opposition parties criticised the proposal, describing it as ‘impractical’, ‘strange and ‘a retrograde step’.
Less than a fortnight after vowing to create a ‘death by dangerous cycling’ law that will treat killer cyclists the same as motorists, the Cabinet minister said he wanted to stop certain behaviour on the roads.
Travel disruption as floods lash parts of the UK
Floods have lashed parts of the UK, leaving some homes, businesses and streets under water.
The heavy slow-moving showers had led the Met Office to issue an amber thunderstorm warning covering most of the south east of England, including parts of London, on Wednesday.
A yellow thunderstorm warning was also in place for the east of England, London and the south east plus the south west.
Ryan Giggs breaks down in court describing night in cell as ‘worst experience’
Former Manchester United footballer Ryan Giggs has broken down in court as he described his night in a police cell as ‘the worst experience of my life’.
The 48-year-old later admitted to being ‘jealous’ and ‘hot-headed’ on occasions in his relationship with PR executive Kate Greville and had bullied and threatened her.
He also accepted monitoring her movements online but he maintained he had never been violent towards her or controlling and coercive in their relationship.
FTSE 100 falls in rough day for European markets
The FTSE 100 ended the day in the red yesterday in what was a tough day for markets across Europe.
The London-based index closed the day on 7,515.75 points, a decline of 20.31 or 0.27 per cent.
Elsewhere, the French Cac fell by 0.97 per cent and the German Dax declined by 2.04 per cent
Wednesday’s Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Used car sales for Top 200 most-stocked car dealers rose in July
- World News: ‘Witch’ torches used car dealership; Rude customers called out on TikTok; Man arrested for selling luxury hire cars to dealers
- Drive Motor Retail continues fundraising campaign at Redcar dealership and contact centre
- Lookers Ford dealership in Essex refused permission for new sign as it would cause ‘demonstrable harm’ to area
- Used car dealers urged to rethink how to woo customers because of ageing stock and cost-of-living crisis
- Police hunting for teens who broke into Mercedes dealership and damaged luxury cars
- How Lawgistics can save you time and money
- Only a quarter of electric car buyers would be happy to rely just on public chargers – survey
Bernie Ecclestone faces fraud charge over trust for daughters, documents show
Former Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone is accused of falsely claiming he had only set up a single trust for his daughters in an alleged failure to declare £400m of overseas assets to the Government, according to court documents.
Ecclestone, 91, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday to face a charge of fraud by false representation between July 13 2013 and October 5 2016.
According to the court listing, the business magnate allegedly claimed that he had ‘established only a single trust, that being one in favour of your daughters’.
Porsche’s new 911 GT3 RS returns sharper than ever
Porsche has unveiled its latest 911 GT3 RS, continuing a long history of lightweight models.
The new 992-generation car sits atop the 911 range and brings a whole host of motorsport-inspired upgrades designed to make it as focused and track-capable as possible.
A 4.0-litre flat-six engine powers the new GT3 RS and produces 517bhp, while its single-throttle intake system and rigid valvetrain come directly from motorsport.
‘Much-loved’ elderly man stabbed to death in mobility scooter named
The 87-year-old man stabbed to death in his mobility scooter has been named by police as Thomas O’Halloran.
Mr O’Halloran was killed in a ‘shocking act’ of ‘unprovoked violence’, Metropolitan Police Chief Superintendent Sean Wilson said at the scene in Greenford, west London.
Met officers and paramedics were called shortly after 4pm on Tuesday to Cayton Road, Greenford, to reports of a stabbing and he was declared dead at the scene.
BMW commences testing of high-performance electric prototype
BMW has confirmed that it is working on a new quad-motor electric performance car.
Set to provide the groundwork for future electric vehicles, the current test model uses four electric motors to provide four-wheel-drive.
It’s based on the current BMW i4 M50, but features a modified body with wider wheel arches that help with the fitment of high-performance front and rear axles.
Weather outlook
Today, spells of rain will push in from the north-west across Scotland, Northern Ireland, northern England and Wales, with rain falling locally heavy. The BBC reports that it will be drier to the south-east, with a few sunny spells.
Tonight, England and Wales will see showery rain clearing to the south-east, with clear spells developing behind. Mainly dry and clear elsewhere, but with a few showers moving into the north-west.
Tomorrow, any early rain will soon clear from south-east England, leaving England and Wales dry and sunny. Northern Ireland and Scotland will see a mix of sunny spells and showers throughout the day.
