6:54 am, June 25, 2023
Sunak to stay in touch with allies after deal to end Russia rebellion
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to stay in close contact with Western allies about the extraordinary events in Russia, where a rebellion against Vladimir Putin appeared to be defused when mercenaries turned back from Moscow and their chief was ordered to Belarus.
Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin will leave Russia as part of a deal to end his uprising and charges against him will be dropped, the Kremlin said.
Russian authorities will not prosecute troops who joined him in the mutiny and will offer Russian military contracts to those who did not.
Hunt urges public to hold their nerve amid ‘necessary’ interest rate hikes
Jeremy Hunt has stressed that raising interest rates is ‘one of the most effective methods’ of squashing inflation as he urged cash-strapped Britons to be ‘patient’ with the ‘painful’ measures.
The Chancellor said the Government is ‘absolutely committed’ to supporting the Bank of England takes the ‘necessary steps’ to curb inflation.
The central bank this week issued its 13th interest rate hike in a row, this time by half a percentage point from 4.5 per cent to five per cent in the sharpest increase since February.
Green levies to return to household energy bills in July
Green levies that were temporarily removed from household electricity bills will hit consumers again from the start of July.
The suspension, announced by Liz Truss’s government as part of a support package amid skyrocketing prices last September, was meant to last for two years.
But the cost will again be imposed on consumers from next month.
Guns N’ Roses triumph with Glastonbury debut as Lana Del Rey has power cut off
Guns N’ Roses delivered a triumphant debut performance at Glastonbury on Saturday while The Other Stage headliner Lana Del Rey had her power cut off after starting late.
The US singer was forced to lead fans in an a capella performance of her final song Video Games after power to her microphone was cut.
Del Rey apologised profusely to fans, urging them to help her sing the track and then going down to meet and greet them.
Saturday’s Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Italian cars leading the way with the biggest used car price rises
- Evans Halshaw new car salesman takes on charity bike ride to celebrate 75 years of the NHS
Labour does not rule out rejecting public sector pay advice from review bodies
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has not ruled out blocking public sector pay rises, saying Labour would negotiate a ‘fair and affordable’ deal with workers.
It comes amid reports that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak could overrule recommendations by the independent pay review bodies amid concerns higher wages for teachers, police and junior doctors could fuel already rampant inflation.
Unions criticised the Government for “playing politics with working people’s incomes” after the Times reported ministers are likely to take the rare step of rejecting some.
Activists call on central banks to limit investments in new fossil fuel projects
Protesters are calling on central banks to limit the flow of money going into new fossil fuel projects.
Frontline activists and climate groups from around the world are staging a coordinated action in the lead up to the Bank of International Settlement’s (BIS) annual general meeting in Basel, Switzerland, on Sunday.
At least 400 protesters, including Greta Thunberg, are expected to march through the Swiss city on Saturday, ahead of the meeting which will be attended by Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey.
Ross Kemp turned down OceanGate submersible trip over safety fears
British documentary-maker Ross Kemp turned down a trip to see the Titanic on an OceanGate submersible for a television show.
The former EastEnders star, 58, had been keen to take part in the mission last year but it was deemed to be unsafe.
An expert production company carried out checks and decided it would be too risky to let anybody board the Titan submersible to view the shipwreck on the seafloor of the North Atlantic, off the coast of Canada.
Weather outlook…
Rain today in the west, will move eastwards through the afternoon, locally heavy and thundery, with sunnier conditions in the west as the rain clears away. Remaining hot and dry across the south-east, the BBC reports.
Largely dry, with clear spells for many tonight. Heavy rain will continue to push north-eastwards across the Northern Isles. Showers will persist throughout in western Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Breezy tomorrow, with cloud and showers moving into the north and west through the morning. The showers will spread eastwards through the afternoon, with further rain edging into the far west later.
