5:30 am, June 18, 2023
Video appears to show Tories mocking Covid rules at party
Footage has emerged appearing to show Tory Party staff dancing and joking about Covid restrictions during the height of the pandemic at a Christmas party.
In the video, obtained by the Mirror, one attendee can be heard saying: ‘As long as we don’t stream that we’re, like, bending the rules,’ before laughing while a man and woman hold hands and dance.
The pair crash into a buffet table stacked with food and wine glasses at one point, while other guests walk past wearing paper crowns and clutching alcoholic drinks.
NIO launches first electric estate car
Chinese EV firm NIO has launched a new practicality-focused electric estate car- the ET5 Touring.
Designed to offer a practical interior alongside a ‘dynamic and sporting drive’, the ET5 Touring brings with it perfect 50:50 weight distribution and a low centre of gravity.
It also incorporates a powerful dual-motor powertrain delivering 489bhp, allowing for a 0-60mph time of just under four seconds.
King thanks Trooping crowds from palace balcony
The King marked his first Trooping the Colour as sovereign with a Buckingham Palace balcony appearance where a boisterous Prince Louis stole the limelight yet again.
Charles and the Queen acknowledged with a wave the thousands of well-wishers in The Mall who sang the National Anthem and gave three cheers after the King’s official birthday was celebrated with a display of pomp and military pageantry.
The King and Camilla were surrounded by the family’s core working royals including the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Louis.
Tory MP resigns following scandal
Rishi Sunak faces another potentially damaging by-election after a former Tory MP resigned with immediate effect following accusations of sexual harassment and cocaine use.
David Warburton has stood down from his seat of Somerton and Frome, hitting out in an exit statement at an ‘extraordinarily difficult’ 14 months fighting ‘malicious allegations’.
He claimed he had been denied a fair hearing by the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS) and prevented from “speaking out” while it probed the accusations.
Teachers in England to stage fresh strikes in July
Teachers in England are to stage fresh strikes in their long-running dispute over pay.
Members of the National Education Union (NEU) will walk out on July 5 and 7, causing disruption to schools in the current term.
The NEU is currently re-balloting its members to see if they want to continue taking industrial action for the rest of the year.
The other education unions – ASCL, NAHT and NASUWT – are also balloting their members for strikes over pay and funding for teachers in England.
New Mercedes Vision One-Eleven concept
The new Mercedes Vision One-Eleven is a new concept that aims to capture some of the look and feel of the firm’s concepts from the 1960s and 70s.
The Vision One-Eleven harks back to the Mercedes C111 experimental vehicles which were used to test new rotary ‘Wankel’ and turbodiesel engines, as well as futuristic polymer-based bodyshells.
They also incorporated an eye-catching gullwing door design and orange and black paintwork, which are both carried through to this modern interpretation.
Protesters demand an end to the criminalisation of abortion
Thousands of protesters descended on London and chanted “Free Carla Foster” as they demanded an end to the criminalisation of abortion.
Foster, 44, was given a 28-month extended sentence earlier this week after she admitted illegally procuring her own abortion when she was between 32 and 34 weeks.
The protesters marched from the Royal Courts of Justice to Whitehall on Saturday, holding signs saying “abortion is healthcare” and “policing our bodies is the real crime”.
Weather outlook
Thunder, lightning and heavy rain is set to lash large swathes of the UK on Father’s Day.
A yellow Met Office weather warning for thunderstorms almost entirely covers England and Wales between noon and midnight on Sunday, and there is also one until 9pm in Northern Ireland.
It warns of heavy showers, with as much as 80mm falling within three to six hours in the worst affected regions.
There is also the potential for frequent lightning, strong winds and hail – which could cause flooding, travel issues and power cuts.
