6:51 am, January 4, 2023
Health secretary blames flu, Covid and Strep A fears for NHS pressures
The health secretary has blamed high numbers of flu cases, Covid-19 and Strep A fears for the particular pressures the NHS faced over Christmas.
Steve Barclay’s comments come as senior doctors say the NHS is on a knife edge, with many A&E units struggling to keep up with demand and trusts and ambulance services declaring critical incidents.
Barclay recognised the situation is not acceptable but attributed the ‘particular pressures’ over Christmas to ‘a surge in flu cases, Covid cases and also a lot of concern around Strep A’.
PM to set out ‘maths to 18’ plan in first speech of the year
The prime minister will set out his plan to ensure all pupils in England study some form of maths until aged 18 in his first speech of 2023.
On Wednesday, Rishi Sunak will lay out his priorities and ambitions for the year ahead, which will include a new mission to combat high rates of innumeracy in England.
The UK remains one of the only countries in the world that does not require children to study some form of maths up to the age of 18. The PM will say that with the ‘right plan’, he sees ‘no reason’ why ‘we cannot rival the best education systems in the world’.
New TUC boss calls for urgent meeting with prime minister
The new general secretary of the TUC has called for an urgent meeting with the prime minister in a bid to break the deadlocked industrial disputes sweeping across the country.
Paul Nowak called for a change in government direction, saying ministers should open pay negotiations with unions. It comes as rail workers continue a 48 hour strike, with more stoppages planned this month in the transport industry, NHS and civil service.
In a letter to Rishi Sunak, Nowak said public services were in crisis after years of ‘underfunding and understaffing’.
Food inflation rockets to record 13.3 per cent, price index shows
Food inflation has accelerated to record levels as many households suffered a ‘challenging Christmas’ due to soaring prices, according to new figures.
The price of food for shoppers jumped to 13.3 per cent in December, from 12.4 per cent in the previous month.
Fresh food inflation leapt to 15 per cent for the month from 14.3 per cent in November, while the price of ambient food, such as pasta and tinned food, increased 11 per cent in December against the same month a year earlier. However, non-food shops, such as fashion or homeware retailers, saw inflation slow to 4.4 per cent in December from 4.8 per cent a month earlier due to price cuts.
Pele buried at cemetery in Brazilian city he made famous
Pele has been buried in his final resting place as millions of fans in Brazil and around the world mourned the sports legend.
Newly inaugurated President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva paid his respects at Vila Belmiro, the stadium where Pele played for most of his football career.
Pele was buried in the city where he grew up, became famous, and which he helped make into a global capital of his sport.
Tuesday Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Used car prices fell by 1.5 per cent in December – and EVs continued to free-fall in value
- Hackers target Arnold Clark in Christmas Eve cyber attack as bosses insist customer information is safe
- Data reveals 2022’s most advertised used car was a Ford Fiesta… but not the weirdest
- Serial fraudster avoids jail after conning used car dealer out of £15,000
- Electric car waiting times tumble as demand slows down
- Used car supermarket group HPL Motors snapped up for undisclosed sum
- Couple arrested for stealing Audi from CarStore Nottingham after dramatic police chase
- Inchcape completes £1.3bn Derco takeover in Latin America region
Elgin Marbles could ‘soon be returned to Greece’ as part of ‘cultural exchange’
The so-called Elgin Marbles could soon be returned to Greece as the British Museum reportedly closes in on a landmark deal.
George Osborne, chairman of the British Museum and former Tory chancellor, is understood to have drawn up an agreement with Athens as part of a ‘cultural exchange’, according to The Daily Telegraph.
It comes after the government rejected Tory peer Lord Vaizey of Didcot’s call for a law change to make it easier for UK museums to deal with restitution requests. Current legislation prevents treasures from being legally given away by the museum, but Osborne, its chairman, is reportedly seeking to repatriate the antiquities as part of a long-term ‘cultural exchange’.
Tom Karen: Designer behind famous British products dead at 96
Tom Karen, the man behind some of the UK’s most recognisable designs, has died aged 96.
Karen died peacefully on New Year’s Eve surrounded by his family.
He was managing director of Letchworth’s OGLE Design from 1962 until 1999. During his tenure, he designed several famous British products – including three-wheeled Bond Bug car, the Reliant Scimitar GTE, the Raleigh Chopper bicycle and the children’s game Marble Run.
Aldi cheers record UK Christmas sales amid cost-of-living squeeze
Aldi has hailed record Christmas sales as British shoppers saw their budgets squeezed by the rising cost of living.
The German discounter revealed that sales jumped by 26 per cent in December to top £1.4bn in the UK and Ireland for the first time.
It comes months after the retailer overtook Morrisons as the UK’s fourth-largest supermarket as sales continue to grow, with trade supported by increased demand from customers keen to cut costs. The supermarket chain, which has around 990 stores, highlighted strong sales of fresh meat products, with poultry and pork up 28 per cent for the month.
Weather outlook
A windy and mild day for most of the UK today, reports BBC Weather. Showers will persist in Northern Ireland, southern Scotland and northern England. Patches of sunshine elsewhere and showers later on in the far south-west of England.
Tonight will start off dry due to showers clearing, but a new band of rain will arrive at dawn for the south-west and Northern Ireland.
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