6:49 am, October 22, 2022
Rishi Sunak ‘wins enough support to progress in Tory leadership campaign’
Rishi Sunak is believed to have become the first Tory leadership candidate to have amassed sufficient support to make it to the ballot of Conservative colleagues.
The former chancellor’s supporters said on Friday night he had received nominations from 100 Tory MPs to pass the threshold required way ahead of Monday’s deadline.
Boris Johnson was lagging behind, as was commons leader Penny Mordaunt who became the first to confirm her candidacy to replace Liz Truss as prime minister.
‘Up for it’ Boris Johnson flying back from Caribbean to run for prime minister
Boris Johnson was flying to the UK from his Caribbean holiday to attempt an extraordinary comeback as prime minister after telling an ally he is ‘up for it’.
Trade minister Sir James Duddridge said the man who stood down six weeks ago after being ousted by his own cabinet following a series of scandals has told him ‘we are going to do this’. The Tory MP said Johnson will land back in Britain on Saturday and will challenge to replace Liz Truss as Conservative leader.
But the development will not be welcomed by all Tories, with former leader Lord William Hague warning Johnson’s resurrection would lead to a ‘death spiral’ for the party.
Infected blood victims and bereaved partners will receive £100,000 in October
Thousands of victims of the infected blood scandal will receive interim compensation payments of £100,000 by the end of October, the government has confirmed.
Survivors and bereaved partners will receive letters this week confirming the money will be sent to them in the following 10 days, according to the Cabinet Office.
It comes after a report published in July by infected blood inquiry chairman Sir Brian Langstaff said the payments should be made ‘without delay’.
Committee issues subpoena to Trump, demanding he testifies over US Capitol riots
The committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol in Washington DC has issued a subpoena to Donald Trump.
Lawmakers say the former president was the ‘central cause’ of a co-ordinated, multi-part effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
The nine-member panel issued a letter to Trump’s lawyers, demanding his testimony under oath by November 14 and outlining a request for a series of corresponding documents, including personal communications between the former president and members of Congress as well as extremist groups.
Airline pulls out of operating UK’s Rwanda deportation flights
An airline hired to carry migrants from the UK to Rwanda has pulled out of operating any further such flights after pressure from campaigners.
The government used a plane run by Privilege Style when it tried to remove people to the east African country in June for the first time under the new immigration policy, but the flight was grounded at the last minute after legal challenges.
Since then the Spanish charter airline has faced calls and demonstrations from campaigners urging it to abandon the arrangement.
Mazda’s CX-60 diesel will start from £42,990
Mazda has announced that its new diesel-powered CX-60 is available to order now, with prices starting from £42,990.
Joining the existing plug-in hybrid model in the range, the new diesel powertrain makes its debut in the CX-60. It’s a 3.3-litre six-cylinder mild-hybrid unit which incorporates Mazda’s Distribution-Controlled Partially Premixed Compression Ignition (DCPI), which helps it to be cleaner and more efficient than traditional diesel engines. It’ll be available with either 197bhp and front-wheel-drive or 250bhp and all-wheel-drive.
The lower output engine is only available in Exclusive Line trim and costs £42,990. The more powerful engine starts at £45,630 and rises to £50,730 for the range-topping Takumi trim level.
Friday Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Pendragon being held to $60m ransom by dark web hackers
- Luxury car dealer is ordered to pay out nearly £120,000 for Mercedes convertible that had ‘catastrophic’ leak
- Hydrogen-powered BMWs will be on the road no later than 2030, says chairman
- Macklin Motors Toyota dealership opens after £1m revamp of former Ford showroom
- Gloucester Nissan dealership undergoes redevelopment as part of £3m investment by Wessex Garages
- Eastern Western opens new VW Van Centre in Edinburgh
Court staff begin nine-day walkout over case management system
Sixty-eight courts across England and Wales will be affected by staff launching a strike in a dispute over a controversial case management system.
The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) said its members working as legal advisers and court associates will stage a nine-day walkout starting on Saturday.
The workers are locked in a row over the use of the so-called Common Platform system. Their employer, His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS), has said the scheme is key to modernising the court system. But the PCS says ‘teething problems’ that staff were warned of when the scheme was introduced two years ago have persisted, forcing them to work longer hours and negatively impacting the justice system.
Tesco hikes price of meal deal due to rising costs
Tesco has increased the price of its popular lunchtime meal deal due to soaring costs.
The meal deal – which comprises a sandwich, a snack and a drink – had sat at £3 for the past 10 years.
The new price will see the meal deal cost £3.40 for Clubcard members and £3.90 for other customers.
Weather outlook
Showers for the north and central Scotland today, reports BBC Weather. It’ll also be showering in the south but there will also be outbreaks of sunshine.
Showers will continue into tonight, being particularly heavy in the south-west. It’ll be drier in the north and in Scotland.
