6:53 am, October 4, 2022
Tories seek to shift focus from economy after U-turn humiliation
Conservatives will attempt to shift the focus away from the economy following the humiliation of two U-turns on income tax cuts for the highest earners and the date of a new fiscal plan.
Keynote speeches at the Tory conference in Birmingham on Tuesday by home secretary Suella Braverman and foreign secretary James Cleverly will aim to set out the government’s plans on immigration and commitment to support Ukraine.
Liz Truss will be keen to get the annual gathering back on track after she and chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng abandoned their plan to scrap the 45 per cent rate for earnings over £150,000 in an astonishing U-turn to stave off a Tory revolt.
Covid bereaved seek assurances they can share testimonies directly with inquiry
Bereaved families are set to attend the first in-person hearing of the coronavirus inquiry, amid concerns that their testimonies may not be directly heard by the former judge heading the probe.
A preliminary procedural hearing will take place on Tuesday, with those who lost loved ones during the pandemic hoping for reassurance they will be able to share their stories with the inquiry directly. There are fears they could be sidelined if they are only able to share their experiences through a Listening Project, which was established so members of the public can take part without formally giving evidence or attending a hearing.
This is due to begin later this year, with the inquiry expected to hold the first evidence hearings for its first module in late spring 2023.
Woman dies after being attacked by dogs at property in Liverpool
A woman in her 60s has died after being attacked by dogs at a property in central Liverpool.
Merseyside Police said North West Ambulance Service paramedics reported the attack at St Brigids Crescent in Kirkdale at around 4.25pm on Monday.
The woman was pronounced dead at the scene and her relatives have been told.
North Korea fires ‘at least one’ ballistic missile over Japan
North Korea on Tuesday fired a ballistic missile over Japan, escalating tests of weapons designed to strike key targets in regional US allies amid stalled nuclear diplomacy.
The Japanese prime minister’s office said at least one missile fired from North Korea flew over Japan and was believed to have landed into the Pacific Ocean.
It said authorities have issued an alert to residents in north-eastern regions to evacuate nearby buildings in what was reportedly the first such alert in five years.
Former Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone due in court on fraud charge
Former Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone is due to appear in court accused of failing to declare a Singapore trust worth more than £400m to the government.
The 91-year-old is expected to attend Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday morning to formally enter a plea to a single charge of fraud by false representation between July 13 2013 and October 5 2016.
The billionaire, who will turn 92 later this month, previously indicated he would plead not guilty at a hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in August after he was charged following an investigation by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) into his finances. He is alleged to have failed to declare a trust in Singapore with a bank account containing around 650m US dollars as part of the probe, which would have allowed the business magnate to draw a line under any previous tax irregularities.
Donald Trump files £419m lawsuit against CNN for alleged defamation
Former US president Donald Trump is suing CNN for 475m dollars (£419m) in damages for allegedly defaming him to short-circuit any future political campaign.
The lawsuit, filed in US District Court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, focuses primarily on the term ‘The Big Lie’ about Trump’s false claims of widespread fraud that he says cost him the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden.
There was no immediate comment from CNN.
Audi marks TT’s final year with special edition
Audi will mark the TT’s 25th and final year with a new special model.
The TT RS Iconic Edition will be limited to just 100 units, 11 on which will be coming to the UK priced from £87,650.
The limited-run version gets a whole host of interior and exterior tweaks and marks the final year of TT production.
Jacob Rees-Mogg sinks Boris Johnson’s plan for a new royal yacht
Jacob Rees-Mogg has said Boris Johnson’s plans for a new royal yacht are not in the ‘realms of reality’ as he suggested it should be scrapped.
The business secretary described it as a ‘ship that has sailed’, as he said the ‘glorious distraction’ set to cost £250m could not go ahead in a cost-of-living crisis.
However, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the design phase for a new national flagship is due to be completed with an announcement expected to follow.
Vodafone and Three in merger talks to ‘accelerate’ 5G rollout
Mobile networks Three and Vodafone hope that a combination of their UK operations can help them compete with their rivals in the roll-out of 5G, they revealed on Monday.
The owners of the networks said they are in talks about a deal which would create a new major player in the UK mobile market. Vodafone would own 51 per cent of the new business, and Three UK owner CK Hutchison would take the rest.
They hope their combined scale will help the two companies move out of a problematic situation where the returns on their investments are not enough to cover the costs.
Weather outlook
A windy day with spells of rain in store for most of the country, reports BBC Weather. It’ll be drier in the south-east and turn sunnier in the north-east by the afternoon.
Cloudy with outbreaks of rain for most much of the UK overnight. Clearer in northern Scotland and the south-east of England.
