6:43 am, January 13, 2023
Sunak and Sturgeon to announce fresh funding for Scotland
Rishi Sunak and Nicola Sturgeon are set to jointly announce millions in UK government funding, as the prime minister continues his visit to Scotland.
It comes after Sunak met with the Scottish first minister behind closed doors yesterday evening –the second time he has met the Scottish National Party leader since entering Downing Street in October.
The new funding is set to ‘create thousands of high-skilled green jobs, drive growth, potentially bring in billions of private sector investment and provide opportunities for people across Scotland’, according to Downing Street.
Tesco and M&S post strong Christmas sales
Tesco and Marks & Spencer have revealed strong Christmas sales growth, signalling robust high-street spending despite rocketing inflation and the prospect of recession.
Tesco revealed that UK sales grew by 7.2 per cent over the six weeks to January 7, with growth of 4.3 per cent over the previous quarter.
M&S said it saw clothing and home comparable store sales rise 8.6 per cent, as the division continued its recent turnaround.
Elvis Presley’s daughter Lisa Marie dies at 54
Lisa Marie Presley, US singer and only child of Elvis Presley, has died at the age of 54.
In a statement, the Presley family said they were ‘shocked and devastated’. Presley was rushed for medical treatment yesterday but died later. No further details were made immediately available but it’s believed she suffered a cardiac arrest.
On Tuesday, she attended the 80th annual Golden Globe awards, where actor Austin Butler took home the best actor award for his portrayal of her father in the film Elvis, who died at the age of 42 in 1977.
Man charged with murder of Elle Edwards
A man will appear in court today after being charged with murdering beautician Elle Edwards on Christmas Eve.
Connor Chapman, 22, of Houghton Road, Woodchurch, has also been charged with two counts of attempted murder, three counts of unlawful and malicious wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm, possession of a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life, and handling stolen goods.
He was remanded in custody to appear at Wirral Adult Remand Court. Edwards, 26, was shot at the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey Village shortly before midnight on December 24.
Office of Boris Johnson Ltd records £1m donation
Boris Johnson has received £1m from a Tory donor to help him carry out his work as a former prime minister.
Johnson, who was forced from office last summer, recorded the donation from Christopher Harborne to the Office of Boris Johnson Ltd in the latest update to the MPs’ Register of Interests.
Harborne was among the donors who helped bankroll the Brexit Party and has also donated to the Conservatives.
Councils issuing nearly 20,000 parking fines each day
UK councils issued an average of nearly 20,000 parking fines each day last year, according to new analysis.
Figures obtained by Churchill Motor Insurance suggest fines were handed out by local authorities at a daily rate of 19,631 in 2022.
That was a 12 per cent rise on 2021 and increased revenue for councils to an estimated £777,287 per day last year, up by £35,113 from 2021, based on data provided by the 230 UK councils that responded to the requests.
Performers make pitiful returns on streaming their music, MPs say
Performers and creators are making a ‘pitiful’ amount of money from streaming their music online, MPs have said.
Musicians should receive a fairer share of revenues and there should be a ‘complete reset’ of the streaming market, according to the digital, culture, media and sport committee.
Acting chairman Damian Green said he and his fellow MPs had heard of the ‘frustrations’ that the majority of musicians and songwriters have with the earnings they get from music. He added: ‘Too many of them receive pitiful returns despite making successful music.’
Smart appliances risk losing performance after as little as two years
‘Smart’ appliances such as TVs and washing machines risk losing features and performance after as little as two years because manufacturers aren’t providing vital updates, a consumer group has warned.
Which? said its research found that appliances including dishwashers and inkjet printers, which might be expected to last more than a decade, could quickly stop working as marketed or pose hacking risks as ‘smart features’ stopped working as intended.
It found that ‘hardly any brands even came close to matching their expected lifespan’ with their smart update policies, while others failed to respond to Which? when they were asked to clarify the length of support.
Porsche sold more 911 sports cars in 2022 than it did electric Taycans
Porsche delivered more examples of its legendary 911 sports car last year than it did its Taycan EV, reversing 2021’s trend, as the brand battled with component shortages for its more advanced electric model.
In 2022, Porsche 911 deliveries increased by five per cent to 40,410, while Taycan sales slumped by 16 per cent to 34,801 units.
This was the opposite of 2021, when the Taycan overtook the iconic 911. The firm says the decline in Taycan’s sales performance was caused by ‘supply chain bottlenecks and limited component availability’.
Thursday’s headlines on Car Dealer you might have missed
- Leading car dealers to give opinion on agency sales and the future at special live event
- Car dealers have nothing to fear over used car court case loss after finance firm forced to pay out
- Government incorrectly states 2030 ban will be extended to 2032 in Scotland
- Cazoo to wave goodbye to Aston Villa sponsorship when current deal expires later this year
- Volkswagen enjoys record year of EV sales as deliveries pass 330,000 in 2022
- Young car salesman likely to lose his job after drink-driving arrest
- Charity Ben launches text support service as ‘Blue Monday’ approaches
- New CEO at Harwoods Group confirmed as former Volvo Cars UK boss Jon Wakefield
- ID. Buzz sales ‘exceed expectations’ as 10,000 already heading to customers
- Up-to-the-minute used car pricing tool launched by Motorway to track values
Market movements
The FTSE 100 finished up 69.06 points yesterday at 7,794.04. The Cac 40 was up 51.49 points at 6,975.68, the Dax was up 110.39 points at 15,058.30 and the Dow Jones was up 216.96 points at 34,189.97.
Weather outlook
It’ll be breezy today, says BBC Weather, with much of the UK having variable cloud, although the far south and parts of the east will be mainly bright. The north and west will have scattered showers but it’ll be largely dry elsewhere.
Saturday will start wet and dull for most. Rain will clear eastwards from many areas in the afternoon, but that’ll be followed by blustery showers, mainly in the west, with rain lingering in the north-east.
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