6:48 am, July 6, 2023
High Court to rule on legal clash between government and Covid inquiry chair
The Cabinet Office is to learn whether it has won its legal challenge to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry chairwoman’s request for Boris Johnson’s unredacted WhatsApp messages, notebooks and diaries.
High Court judges are expected to hand down their decision over the government’s judicial review of Baroness Heather Hallett’s order at 2.30pm on Thursday.
The Cabinet Office has refused to provide the documents, arguing the request is ‘so broad’ that it is ‘bound to catch’ a large amount of irrelevant material.
Anger over plans for mass closure of railway station ticket offices
Plans for a mass closure of railway station ticket offices in England have been widely condemned.
Industry body the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) unveiled proposals which could lead to nearly all offices being shut.
This includes those at some of the UK’s busiest stations, such as London Waterloo, London Euston, Birmingham New Street and Manchester Piccadilly. The RDG insisted moving ticket office staff on to station platforms and concourses will ‘modernise customer service’ and pledged there will be ‘more staff available to give face-to-face help’.
Disability charities and trade unions are among those who have voiced their anger at the scheme, claiming it will lead to job losses and put some vulnerable passengers off train travel.
Inquiry into groping claims against ex-Tory MP Chris Pincher to be published
An inquiry into groping allegations against former government whip Chris Pincher is being prepared for publication by Parliament’s standards watchdog.
The Standards Committee will on Thursday morning reveal the findings of its investigation into the allegations that hastened the downfall of Boris Johnson. Sources suggested to the BBC the recommended sanction could exceed the 10-day threshold that could pave the way for a by-election in the MP’s Tamworth constituency.
Pincher was the Conservative government’s deputy chief whip last summer when he was accused of drunkenly assaulting two men at the exclusive Carlton Club in London. He resigned from the position and later lost the Tory whip, meaning he now sits in the Commons as an independent.
Health secretary to hold discussion with experts on how to cut NHS waiting lists
The Health and Social Care secretary is set to gather ministers, clinical leaders and health experts for the next NHS Recovery Summit in a bid to cut waiting lists and improve care for patients.
Steve Barclay will gather the likes of the chief executive of the NHS, Amanda Pritchard, and NHS England’s national director of transformation, Dr Tim Ferris.
Demonstrations during the day will look to showcase how technology is helping transform the care patients receive and consider how to go further in using new technology to improve access across services, as well as increasing the use of NHS 111 and the NHS App.
Strike action by teachers is ‘undermining’ recovery efforts post-Covid – Keegan
Strike action by teachers is ‘undermining’ recovery efforts following the pandemic, the education secretary has warned.
Gillian Keegan said she could not think of ‘a worse time’ for children to be kept ‘willingly’ out of school as a result of teacher walkouts.
Her comments came as teacher members of the National Education Union (NEU) in England staged another strike in a long-running dispute over pay. It is the seventh day individual schools in England have faced walkouts by NEU members since February, and another strike is planned for Friday.
Wednesday Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Used car prices rising at fastest rate this year despite EV values continuing to plummet – Auto Trader
- Edwin May worker jailed after showing ‘insatiable level of greed’ in near-£500,000 fraud
- Rolls-Royce buyers not immune to cost-of-living crisis – but Spectre orders still booming
- Fiat says Citroen Ami-based Topolino quadricycle will be sold in Britain
- New car sales increase for 11th month in a row as June figures show rise of more than a quarter
- New van market enjoys best-performing half-year since 2019
- Fiat adds to its electric offering with release of new 600e
Financial watchdog to discuss savings rates concerns with bank chiefs
Bank chiefs are meeting Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) officials on Thursday to discuss concerns surrounding interest rates for savers lagging behind the cost of mortgages.
Bosses from HSBC, NatWest, Lloyds and Barclays are expected to attend. According to data from Moneyfactscompare.co.uk, the average easy access savings rate on offer on Wednesday was 2.48 per cent.
Average two- and five-year fixed-rate mortgage rates recently broke through the six per cent mark for the first time this year, having previously been above six per cent during the market volatility that followed last autumn’s mini-budget. The Bank of England base rate is currently five per cent, having increased 13 times in a row as the Bank tries to subdue stubbornly high inflation.
Alpine unveils new F1-inspired special edition ahead of British Grand Prix
Alpine has revealed a new special edition of its A110 S sports car that celebrates its UK-based F1 team.
Called the A110 S Enstone Edition – Enstone in Oxfordshire being where the firm’s F1 team is based – it gets a number of unique touches that aims to celebrate the brand’s motorsport arm.
Revealed ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone, this special edition features various carbon elements that are used in the firm’s F1 cars. The material is used in areas such as the dashboard and visors. Just 300 examples will be produced, with each one featuring a numbered plaque, as well as a signed certificate of authenticity from the F1 factory.
Weather outlook
Sunny spells with bouts of cloud in southern and eastern parts, says BBC Weather, while further north there will be showers. Temperatures will be at their highest in the south-east at 22 degrees celsius.
Heavy rain will push in from Northern Ireland in Scotland and north-west England. Dry elsewhere.
