6:52 am, May 25, 2023
Energy bills predicted to fall from July by nearly £450
Ofgem is expected to lower household energy bills to an average of £2,053 a year from July to reflect tumbling wholesale prices, according to analysts.
The regulator will announce its latest energy price cap on Thursday as campaigners warned consumers are likely to feel little relief with bills remaining well above pre-pandemic levels.
Consultancy firm Cornwall Insight said households should also expect their energy bills to remain stubbornly high through the coming winter, at almost double the rates paid in 2020, and remain above pre-pandemic levels for the rest of the decade.
Hunt rules out tax cuts amid efforts to cut inflation
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt appeared to rule out tax cuts in the near future as he stressed the need to tackle inflation.
His comments came as the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics showed Consumer Prices Index inflation fell to 8.7 per cent in April, down from 10.1 per cent in March.
The easing in inflation has been welcomed, but concerns remain about rising food prices.
Rolling Stones lead tributes to ‘Queen Of Rock And Soul’ Tina Turner
The Rolling Stones’ Sir Mick Jagger and Ronnie Wood have led tributes to ‘inspiring, warm, funny and generous’ Tina Turner following her death aged 83.
Multiple Grammy-award winner Turner, famous for hits like The Best, Private Dancer and What’s Love Got To Do With It, died ‘peacefully’ on Wednesday after a long illness in her home in Kusnacht near Zurich, Switzerland, according to her publicist.
Sir Mick, who duetted with her on stage during Live Aid in 1985, wrote on Instagram: ‘I’m so saddened by the passing of my wonderful friend Tina Turner. She was truly an enormously talented performer and singer.’
Just Stop Oil protests cost police £3.5m in one month
Just Stop Oil (JSO) protests have cost police more than £3.5m and nearly 11,000 officer shifts in the past month.
The Metropolitan Police revealed the figures as nine more JSO supporters were arrested on Wednesday during the group’s latest batch of road-blocking marches.
Campaigners have been staging protests every day since April 24, sparking confrontations with members of the public who are caught in traffic as the activists walk slowly in the road.
Wednesday’s Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- MG boss on Cyberster orders, Chinese rivals and an EV successor to legendary 6R4
- New Dacia Guides to assist online shoppers as it finds half of consumers are uncomfortable buying this way
- Elon Musk will ‘seriously consider’ building UK gigafactory when it comes to deciding future locations
- Government responds as petition not to extend period before vehicle’s first MOT passes 10,000 signatures
- Family-run Sinclair Group ‘proud’ of ‘impressive and successful’ year which saw rising profits and expansion into England
- More than 1,000 automotive workers from 100 companies achieve ‘Carbon Literate’ status
- 13 vehicles up in flames after arson attack at used car dealership
More than £40bn wiped from FTSE 100 as US debt ceiling talks drag on
The share index which houses the biggest companies in London has seen its value slashed by as much as £44bn as fears finally started to escalate that the US might default on its debt.
Global markets were shaken by a widespread sell-off which gripped both sides of the Atlantic, as the deadline for raising the US debt ceiling approaches.
The FTSE lost 172.71 points at one point in the afternoon, down 2.2 per cent, meaning that around £44bn had been wiped off its value. Meanwhile, the top indexes in Germany and France were pushing towards losses of two per cent.
Road deaths up nine per cent in 12 months
Road deaths in Britain rose nine last year, leading to calls for the Government to give the issue ‘the attention and resources it deserves’.
Department for Transport figures show 1,695 people were killed in crashes in 2022, up from 1,558 a year earlier.
Three out of four fatalities were male, and 384 were aged under 30.
Weather outlook…
Today will see plenty of sunshine in northern and western Scotland as well as in most coastal areas of England and Wales. Clouding over elsewhere, with a chance of the odd shower in northern England, the BBC reports.
Tonight will be largely dry with long clear spells albeit areas of cloud will linger in Wales and north-eastern England. Thicker cloud moving into the far north-west by dawn, bringing some light rain.
Tomorrow will be a mostly fine and settled day. Southern England will have plenty of sunshine whereas northern Scotland will see cloudy skies with some drizzle. Variable amounts of cloud elsewhere.
