6:34 am, April 6, 2023
Scott Benton has Tory whip suspended after offering to lobby for gambling firm
The Conservatives have suspended MP Scott Benton pending an investigation into undercover footage of him offering to lobby ministers on behalf of gambling investors in exchange for money.
He was stripped of the party whip after an undercover investigation for The Times found he was prepared to leak market sensitive information to a bogus investment fund and ask parliamentary questions on its behalf, in breach of parliamentary rules.
A spokesperson for Tory chief whip Simon Hart said that following his self-referral to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Benton ‘has had the Conservative Party Whip suspended whilst an investigation is ongoing’.
Peter Murrell released without charge amid ongoing police probe of SNP finances
Nicola Sturgeon’s husband Peter Murrell has been been released without charge as police continue an investigation into the SNP’s finances.
Murrell, who married the former first minister in 2010, stepped down as the SNP’s chief executive last month following a controversy about misleading information being given to journalists over the party’s membership numbers.
The 58-year-old was arrested on Wednesday morning in connection to a long-running Police Scotland investigation into the spending of about £600,000 which was earmarked for Scottish independence campaigning.
Braverman wins ‘Battle of Waterlooville’ in selection for new constituency
Suella Braverman said she was ‘honoured and humbled’ to have won her selection battle against a fellow Tory MP in the new constituency of Fareham and Waterlooville.
Constituency boundary changes meant the home secretary had to compete against backbencher Flick Drummond to represent the proposed new seat at the general election, expected next year.
The PA news agency has been informed that Braverman won the vote – which had been dubbed by commentators as the ‘Battle of Waterlooville’ – amongst eligible local members by 77 to 54. After the result, Drummond told PA: ‘I am incredibly disappointed but will continue to be Meon Valley MP and serve my constituents until the next election.’
March delivers ‘sharp shock’ to retailers amid consumer cost-of-living woes
March delivered a ‘sharp shock’ to retailers as consumers reined themselves in to cover essential shopping in the face of spiralling cost-of-living pressures.
Footfall across all UK retail destinations fell by 2.8 per cent on the month before – a significant drop from the 9.4 per cent increase seen between January and February, according to MRI Springboard. Meanwhile, footfall on UK high streets was down 18.7 per cent on 2019 levels and 0.6 per cent below last March.
MRI Springboard said inflationary pressures and interest rates had led to consumer trips now being driven by essential shopping, demonstrated by an annual decline in footfall of 1.4 per cent across UK high streets at the weekend – the first month ever this has occurred.
Barge leased to house 500 asylum seekers off Dorset coast, despite Tory row
A barge docked off the Dorset coast will hold around 500 asylum seekers for at least 18 months, the Home Office has confirmed despite facing legal threats from local Tories.
‘Basic and functional accommodation’ will be provided on the three-storey Bibby Stockholm along with 24/7 security under government plans to reduce the costly reliance on hotels. The Home Office has not set out the cost of the lease agreement for the vessel that will be docked at Portland Port, but estimates have put the overall price tag of the charter and the berthing at more than £20,000 a day.
Tory-run Dorset Council and local Conservative MP Richard Drax are considering launching legal action to prevent the barge being docked near the seaside resort of Weymouth.
National test of mobile alert system set for 3pm on April 23
Millions of mobile phones across the UK will emit a loud alarm and vibrate at 3pm on April 23 in a nationwide test of a new public alert system.
The system is intended to be used in life-threatening situations including flooding and wildfires. But domestic violence campaigners have warned the test could put people in danger by revealing the location of secret phones hidden away by those at risk.
The message will be received on 4G and 5G mobile phones, along with sound and vibration for up to 10 seconds. Phone users will be prompted to acknowledge the alert by swiping or clicking the message before being able to continue using their device.
Gordon Murray Automotive T.33 Spider revealed as V12 convertible supercar
Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA) has unveiled its new T.33 Spider – a V12 convertible supercar that promises an especially pure driving experience.
Following the T.50 hypercar and T.33 Coupe, both of which are sold out, this new Spider model will be limited to just 100 units, as is the case with all of GMA’s road cars. Penned by legendary designer Gordon Murray, who is best known for his work on the three-seat McLaren F1, he promises this new T.33 Spider will deliver a driving experience ‘quite unlike anything else’.
Not as flamboyant as supercars from the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini, it uses a lightweight carbon-fibre monocoque construction. GMA says it doesn’t chase ‘headline performance figures’, but ‘purity’ instead. With an especially low dry weight of 1,108kg, it’s only 18kg heavier than the coupe.
