6:34 am, January 23, 2023
Recession to be worse than previously thought, experts say
The recession that experts predict is coming for the UK could be twice as bad as previously thought, according to economists working for consultancy EY.
Just three months ago, EY’s Item Club had predicted a 0.3 per cent contraction in gross domestic product this year, followed by 2.4 per cent growth next year and a 2.3 per cent rise in 2025.
But in an updated forecast released today, they predict a 0.7 per cent drop this year, followed by 1.9 per cent and 2.2 per cent growth in the coming two years.
Ambulance workers strike as government urged to pay ‘fairly’
Thousands of ambulance workers are staging more strikes today as the chancellor was urged to find the money to pay health workers ‘fairly’ in order to end the walkouts.
Up to 15,000 Unison ambulance workers are striking for the third time in five weeks, and will be joined by 5,000 of their NHS colleagues at two hospital trusts in Liverpool. Further strikes are planned in the coming weeks by nurses and other NHS workers.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said a double-digit pay rise must be offered to striking NHS staff, but described the government as appearing willing to ‘talk about anything, but they won’t talk about pay’.
Coal plants told to start warming up to supply electricity
Three UK coal plants have been ordered to begin warming up in case they are needed for the country’s energy supply as the cold snap bites.
National Grid ESO said it had given the instructions in light of forecasts showing electricity supply margins may be tighter than normal today.
It added it was also activating a live ‘demand flexibility service’ – which allows the ESO to access additional flexibility when national demand is at its highest during peak winter days – between 5pm and 6pm today.
Big decisions needed on green growth as UK lags behind rivals, says CBI chief
The UK is lagging behind international rivals on green growth, the chief of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) will warn, as he urges the government to take ‘big decisions’ to boost the economy.
Tony Danker will today call on chancellor Jeremy Hunt not to ‘shy away from the hard decisions that can reverse the UK’s trajectory’ of falling investment in his spring budget.
In a speech at University College London, the CBI director-general will argue that ‘our international competitors in Europe, Asia and the US are going hell for leather on green growth and getting firms investing. We are behind them now and seem to be hoping for the best’.
Record number of Britons dependent on the state – analysis
Britain’s benefits dependency has reached an all-time high, with a study finding over half of households get more from the government than they pay in tax.
Civitas analysis of Office for National Statistics data from 2020/21 showed a record 54.2 per cent of individuals – or 36m people – now live in households that received more in benefits, including non-cash ones such as NHS and education services, than they contributed in taxes.
Analysis authors Tim Knox and Daniel Lilley say the ‘net dependency ratio’ is the highest on record.
Dance hall murder suspect shoots himself in van
The man suspected of a mass shooting at a dance hall during Lunar New Year celebrations fatally shot himself in his van as officers closed in, say Californian authorities
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said the man was found dead in the vehicle he used to flee from the scene of an attempted second shooting.
The suspected gunman was identified as 72-year-old Huu Can Tran. Sheriff Luna said the earlier shooting at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park left five women and five men dead and wounded another 10 people. The motive is still unclear.
Hundreds of children enjoy free books thanks to Dolly Parton
Children across Scotland have received more than 25,000 free books thanks to a partnership between country music star Dolly Parton and the Wheatley Foundation.
The foundation, part of the Wheatley Group, teamed up with Parton’s Imagination Library to help children develop their reading skills.
Imagination Library was set up by the singer in 1995 and allows children under the age of five to be sent a specially chosen book free every month until their fifth birthday.
Red squirrels introduced at Co Down National Trust property
Red squirrels have been introduced at Castle Ward in a bid to establish a new population in the grounds of the Co Down property.
The first four have been released at the estate with more to follow.
The quartet were carefully transported by Belfast Zoo and Ulster Wildlife in hay-lined nest boxes to a soft-release pen to allow them to get used to their new surroundings, before taking their first leap into the wild.
Van drivers face vehicle shortage ahead of Ulez expansion – analysis
Thousands of tradespeople face the prospect of huge bills after Sadiq Khan’s expansion of London’s ultra low emission zone (Ulez) because of a lack of compliant vans for sale, according to new analysis.
The zone will be expanded to cover the whole of the capital from August 29 to boost air quality, with a £12.50 daily fee for vehicles not meeting minimum standards.
A report commissioned by Transport for London estimated that 30,000 non-compliant vans currently use the expansion area each day. But figures from Auto Trader – which says the area is used by around 80 per cent of UK vehicle retailers – show there are just 5,181 vans for sale across London and south-east England on its online marketplace. Its total for the whole of the UK is 23,803.
Sunday’s headlines on Car Dealer you might have missed
- Hendy Group submits ambitious plans for ‘motor village car dealership’ on ex-John Lewis site
- New general manager appointed at Vertu Kia Nottingham
- Column: Dealers shouldn’t fear change – but don’t wait for it to happen either
Weather outlook
Today will stay cloudy in the north and west, says BBC Weather, with patchy light rain or drizzle possible. The south-east will be bright and chilly after any fog lifts, but cloud will edge into the far south-east.
Tuesday will be mainly cloudy with patchy rain or drizzle in the north-west. Some brighter spells are likely further south and east, but also in north-east Scotland.
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