6:48 am, February 22, 2023
Nursing union set to meet government for talks in bid to end strikes over pay
Nursing officials are set to meet with the government to kick off ‘intensive talks’ to end strikes amid a bitter dispute over pay.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has agreed to pause major strike action while engaging in talks over ‘pay, terms and conditions, and productivity enhancing reforms’.
Health secretary Steve Barclay is due to meet with RCN representatives on Wednesday. RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said on Tuesday evening she is ‘confident’ about reaching an agreement over pay for nurses.
Unions warn British Steel jobs at risk amid coking ovens closure fears
Unions fear British Steel is set to announce the closure of coking ovens at one of its plants, with the loss of hundreds of jobs as the company warns it faces ‘significant challenges’.
Union officials were told earlier this month the Chinese-owned company was considering closing coke ovens at its site in Scunthorpe. An announcement could be made on Wednesday, unions believe.
Charlotte Brumpton-Childs, GMB national officer, said it would be ‘devastating news’ for the people of Scunthorpe and all British Steel workers across the UK.
Chancellor resists calls for public sector pay boost despite budget surplus
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt appeared to rebuff hopes of any spending largesse or the possibility of improved public sector pay next month, despite official figures showing state finances were stronger than expected.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed on Tuesday that the government reported a surprise monthly surplus of £5.4bn in January, driven by record returns from self-assessed income tax.
But with Mr Hunt due to set out his plans for tax and spending in the Budget on March 15, he played down the significance of the surplus to national finances dashing hopes that he could be more generous than expected when he announces his spring statement in the Commons in a few weeks.
UK stresses commitment to Ukraine as Putin blames West for war
The UK ‘will not waver’ in its support for Ukraine, Downing Street said as Vladimir Putin accused the West of provoking the invasion he launched almost a year ago.
Rishi Sunak is under pressure to do more to aid the defence of Ukraine after predecessors Liz Truss and Boris Johnson called for fighter jets to be supplied to Kyiv. The prime minister’s official spokesman said the UK was working to ensure Ukraine had the ‘right capabilities’, including training fighter pilots.
In Moscow, the Russian President used his state-of-the-nation address to claim Ukraine ‘has become hostage of the Kyiv regime and its Western masters, which have effectively occupied the country’.
Judgment due in Shamima Begum’s appeal over citizenship removal
Shamima Begum is due to find out whether she has won an appeal against the decision to remove her British citizenship.
Begum was 15 when she and two other east London schoolgirls travelled to Syria to join the so-called Islamic State (IS) in February 2015.
Her British citizenship was revoked on national security grounds by then-home secretary Sajid Javid shortly after she was found, nine months pregnant, in a Syrian refugee camp in February 2019. She has been locked in a legal battle with the Government ever since, recently challenging the Home Office at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) over the decision.
Weakest January for house sales recorded since 2015
House sales have got off to the weakest start to the year since 2015, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) figures indicate.
The number of house sales taking place in January 2023 was 11 per cent lower than the same month a year earlier. Across the UK, an estimated 96,650 transactions took place, which was three per cent lower than in December 2022.
It was the lowest number of house sales recorded for the month of January since 2015, when 94,150 transactions were recorded.
Shortage of tomatoes widening to more products and likely to last ‘weeks’
A shortage of tomatoes affecting UK supermarkets is widening to other fruit and vegetables and is likely to last weeks, retailers have warned.
A combination of bad weather and transport problems in Africa and Europe has seen UK supermarket shelves left bare of tomatoes, as well as dwindling stocks of some other fresh produce.
Asda has introduced a customer limit of three on tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, salad bags, broccoli, cauliflower and raspberries, and Morrisons said it would be introducing limits of two items per customer across tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, peppers from Wednesday. Other supermarkets are understood to be considering similar temporary measures.
Tuesday Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- F1 champion Nigel Mansell drops Mitsubishi and Hyundai franchises from dealership
- No-win, no-fee lawyers circling Arnold Clark over data breach
- How are used car dealers preparing for the 2030 ban? Find out at Car Dealer Live
- Vehicle importer and distributor IML undergoes shake-up at the top as it seeks to expand
- Mercedes looks to roll out agency sales model in Germany following UK launch
- Snows announces second management shake-up of the year with four more promotions confirmed
- Four-day working week trial hailed major success as firms vow to carry on
- Government announces 2,000 more EV charging points
Wizz Air named worst short-haul airline by UK passengers
Wizz Air has been named the worst short-haul airline by UK passengers.
Passengers surveyed by consumer group Which? gave the Hungary-based carrier one star out of five for boarding experience, cabin environment and seat comfort. No more than two stars were awarded in any of the remaining categories, including value for money and cleanliness.
The airline’s overall customer score of 48 per cent put it at the bottom of the ranking, below Ryanair (52 per cent), Eurowings (53 per cent) and British Airways (56 per cent). Jet2.com had the highest score (80 per cent) in the Which? research, ahead of Turkish Airlines (78 per cent).
BMW takes X5 and X6 performance to a new level with M Competition models
BMW has unveiled its new X5 and X6 M Competition performance SUVs, using mild-hybrid technology to deliver the best pace possible.
Following on from the recently unveiled standard X5 and X6, the X5 M Competition and X6 M Competition utilise the same 4.4-litre V8 engine coupled with 48-volt mild-hybrid technology. Combined, you get 616bhp and 750Nm of torque, which equates to a 0-60mph time of 3.7 seconds in both cars. Flat-out, both the X5 and X6 M Competition will manage an electronically-limited 155mph.
Both the X5 and X6 also incorporate M-specific adaptive suspension which can be adjusted via the in-car screen, while both versions get high-performance compound brakes with six-piston callipers at the front and single-piston version at the rear. On the inside, both cars feature BMW’s latest Curved Display running the firm’s new Operating System 8.
Prices start at £123,350 for the X5 M Competition and £126,050 for the X6.
Weather outlook
A mixture of bright spells and scattered showers for the north today, reports BBC Weather. Further south it’ll be cloudier with patchy rain.
Tonight, the north will be clear and dry while the south will cling on to cloud and rain.
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