6:54 am, April 22, 2023
Businesses did better than expected in April, survey suggests
The UK’s private sector grew faster than expected in the first weeks of April, a survey of businesses has suggested.
The monthly flash purchasing managers’ index showed a score of 53.9 this month, compared with the 52.5 which had been forecast.
It is also a major jump from 52.2 in March and the highest in around a year.
Raab hits out at ‘Kafkaesque saga’ after falling foul of bullying inquiry
Dominic Raab has criticised the bullying inquiry that led to his resignation as a ‘Kafkaesque’ as he suggested civil servants had tried to force him out of office.
The Karate black belt went down fighting on Friday, disputing the official investigation into his conduct even before Downing Street had published Adam Tolley KC’s findings.
Mr Raab claimed that the nation will ‘pay the price’ if the threshold for bullying in government has been lowered after quitting as deputy prime minister.
Lady Sugar’s Bentley Continental GT heads to auction
A Bentley Continental GT owned by Lord Sugar’s wife is being auctioned online.
The 18-year-old Bentley, which has just 18,230 miles on the clock, has been owned by Lady Ann Sugar since new and is now being offered directly by the family.
Auction platform Collecting Cars, which is selling the Bentley, says the car is ‘handsomely specified’ and has been ‘well-maintained throughout its life’.
Near-six month fall in petrol prices halted
A near-continuous fall in petrol prices since November 2022 has been halted due to a rise in the cost of oil, according to new analysis.
The AA said the average price of a litre of petrol at UK forecourts was 146.9p on Wednesday, up by 0.5p since the end of March.
This comes as the typical cost of a barrel of oil has risen by more than 10 US dollars since mid-March after oil producer group Opec cut production.
Friday’s Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Land Rover buyers face waits of ‘up to two years’ for a new car as longest lead times revealed
- Pricing worries mean buyers are spending longer searching for the next car – eBay Motors Group
- Vertu rebrands five Volvo dealerships after acquisition from Helston Garages
FTSE edges upward in another subdued trading session
The FTSE 100 ended a quiet week with another subdued session on Friday, but it managed to eke out a small gain and kept above 7,900 points.
Shares in the top index in London gained 11.52 points, rising by 0.2 per cent to 7,914.13.
The Dax index in Frankfurt and Paris’s Cac 40 both closed the day up 0.5 per cent, trading slightly better than the FT.
Craig Breedlove, daring land-speed recordholder, dies aged 86
Craig Breedlove, who set land-speed records by topping 400mph, 500mph and 600mph in jet-powered cars nicknamed Spirit of America, has died aged 86.
Breedlove died at his home in Rio Vista, California, on April 4.
His wife, Yadira Breedlove, said the cause of death was cancer.
Weather outlook..
Outbreaks of rain moving into southern Scotland, Northern Ireland and southwest England today. Scattered showers in northern England, becoming isolated further south. The BBC reports it will be Sunnier in northern Scotland.
Rain in southern Scotland and Northern Ireland will become patchier shifting north-eastwards overnight. Cloud and rain becomes more widespread over Wales and southwest England. Clear spells elsewhere.
Tomorrow will see spells of rain across northern Scotland. Sunny spells and showers in southern Scotland and Northern Ireland. Wales and southwest England will see early rain move into the southeast.
