6:51 am, December 13, 2022
Month of rail disruption begins with 48-hour strikes, as nursing walkout looms
A month rail disruption will begin on Tuesday when workers walk out for their first of a wave of 48-hour strikes, as nurses prepare to take unprecedented industrial action.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) are pressing ahead with two 48-hour strikes at Network Rail – and 14 train companies – from Tuesday and Friday. Trains will run from 7.30am to 6.30pm on this week’s strike days, although many parts of the country will have no services, including most of Scotland and Wales.
Meanwhile, talks to avert the nursing strike have failed after the union leader behind the action accused health secretary Steve Barclay of ‘belligerence’ and refusing to discuss pay.
Ministers ‘straining every sinew’ to limit strike disruption after Cobra meeting
Ministers will be ‘straining every sinew’ to minimise the disruption of a wave of winter strikes – but ‘cannot eliminate’ the risks, a Cabinet minister has said after an emergency Cobra meeting.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Oliver Dowden reiterated pleas for workers including nurses, paramedics and train staff to call off action to ‘give families a break’.
But he admitted contingency plans to use the military to help fill in the gaps, including at the borders, will not be enough to ‘remove all risks’. Meanwhile, Steve Barclay was meeting the chief of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), but a breakthrough was thought unlikely with the health secretary not wanting to discuss pay.
Treasury officials say they warned Kwasi Kwarteng about mini-budget
Kwasi Kwarteng was warned that his disastrous mini-budget could trigger a backlash on the financial markets, Treasury officials have told MPs.
Permanent secretary James Bowler insisted on Monday that the then-chancellor was told about the potential impact of his £45bn package of unfunded tax cuts.
But Kwarteng went ahead with the spending spree in September, triggering the pound’s plunge, the soaring cost of government borrowing and chaos in the mortgage market. Bowler took over as the top civil servant in the Treasury in October after predecessor Sir Tom Scholar was abruptly sacked by Kwarteng.
Boy fights for life after frozen lake tragedy
A six-year-old boy who fell through the ice into a lake in the West Midlands is still fighting for his life as a community tries to come to terms with the tragedy, which left three children dead.
Floral tributes, balloons, soft toys and lighted candles were left by mourners at a vigil held in Kingshurst, Solihull, near Birmingham, on Monday night.
Three boys aged eight, 10 and 11, who fell through the ice into Babbs Mill lake, died, while a fourth boy, aged six, remains in a critical condition in hospital. He was pulled from the water by emergency crews, including a police officer who tried to punch through ice during the rescue efforts.
NHS: 30,000 operations cancelled ‘due to staff shortages’
Some 30,000 operations were cancelled last year in England due to NHS staff shortages, figures show.
Data collected from NHS hospitals show staff shortages were the most common reason given for cancelling, accounting for one in five of all operations cancelled for non-clinical reasons in 2021/22. Labour requested the data using freedom of information laws.
Its analysis found 13,000 operations were cancelled because of a shortage of beds, 5,700 because of equipment failure, 12,600 because of administrative errors, 15,500 as theatre lists overran, 9,500 because an emergency case took priority and 250 due to adverse weather. In total, around 158,000 operations were cancelled for non-clinical reasons by NHS trusts, of which an estimated 10,000 were urgent operations, 2,500 were operations for cancer patients, and 8,000 were operations on children.
‘Garage find’ Ford Capri 280 Brooklands makes nearly £40,000 at auction
A Ford Capri 280 Brooklands that was discovered in a garage with just 2,960 miles on the clock has fetched close to £40,000 at auction.
Registered new by Soans of Leamington Spa, the Capri is finished in desirable Brooklands Green with a ‘Raven’ leather interior. Sold by Classic Car Auctions at its Christmas sale at the weekend, the Brooklands is said to feature an interior which is in ‘time warp condition’ and that with a ‘bit of elbow grease it can be returned to showroom condition. At the fall of the hammer, the Capri had achieved a final price of £39,938.
The Christmas Sale also included a number of other standout listings. A 1978 Jaguar E-Type Series 3 Roadster with 37,080 miles on the clock went for £81,000, while a 1971 Datsun 240Z ‘Works Rally’ replica achieved a final price of £32,063.
Monday Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- McLaren sells heritage cars as it seeks to fund Artura supercar amid deepening losses
- Car Dealer Live: How can car dealers become more green?
- Swansway Motor Group gets into festive spirit with ‘Santa Patrol’ charity campaign
- Car dealers fuel economic growth but experts warn outlook remains bleak
- Hawkins Motors announces record sales and profits in strong set of 2022 results
Elon Musk’s Twitter dissolves Trust and Safety Council
Elon Musk’s Twitter has dissolved its Trust and Safety Council, the advisory group of nearly 100 independent civil, human rights and other organisations.
The company formed the council in 2016 to address hate speech, child exploitation, suicide, self-harm and other problems on the platform.
The council had been scheduled to meet with Twitter representatives on Monday night. But Twitter informed the group via email that it was disbanding it shortly before the meeting was to take place, according to multiple members.
Six in 10 adults ‘already planning trips abroad in 2023’
Six in 10 (61 per cent) people have already started planning overseas trips for 2023, according to research.
This is a higher proportion than last year, when half (50 per cent) of people were planning their 2022 trips, American Express found.
The findings, released as Britain is blanketed in snow, indicate a quarter (25 per cent) of holidaymakers have booked at least one element of their trip, such as flights, transport or accommodation. More than a quarter (27 per cent) of people planning 2023 getaways said they want to have something to look forward to in the colder months.
Weather outlook
Sunny spells in the south today, while the north will see cloud and snow showers, reports BBC Weather. Another very cold day.
Tonight, cloud will build in the south leading to some snow showers towards dawn. Snow will fall in northern Scotland and eastern coastal spots. Clear elsewhere.
