6:41 am, July 9, 2023
Sunak to urge Nato allies to up defence spending amid ‘unprecedented’ challenges
Rishi Sunak will use the Nato summit in Lithuania to urge allies to increase their defence spending as he warns they face ‘unprecedented’ security challenges.
The prime minister will meet with leaders in Lithuania on Tuesday for talks that will feature support for Ukraine and its future membership of the defensive alliance.
He will first host Joe Biden in the UK after the US president committed to sending Kyiv cluster munitions, despite many Nato allies prohibiting their use. Sunak said Britain ‘discourages’ the weapons as one of the 123 signatories of a convention banning the bombs for their devastating impact on civilians.
Chancellor to outline ‘evolutionary’ pension funds investment reforms
Jeremy Hunt will promise ‘evolutionary not revolutionary’ reforms to get pension funds making billions of pounds of riskier investments in fast-growing firms to boost economic growth.
The chancellor is to use a City of London speech on Monday to detail plans to encourage the financial sector to ‘unlock capital’ and increase returns for pensioners.
Alongside regulatory reforms, he will welcome an agreement with leading pensions firms to put five per cent of their investments, a sum of up to £50bn, into high-growth businesses. Aviva, Legal & General and Phoenix Group are among those understood to be taking part.
Sunak says unaffordable pay rises are ‘short-sighted’ amid Cabinet pressure
Rishi Sunak insisted giving unaffordable pay rises would be ‘short-sighted’ as he faces pressure from Cabinet ministers to accept the recommendations of pay review bodies.
The prime minister said on Saturday he could only give public sector pay rises that abide by his principles of ‘fairness, affordability and responsibility’.
Sunak and his government had spent much of the last year arguing that they had to abide by the recommendations from the independent bodies during a wave of strikes. But now struggling to fulfil his pledge to halve the rate of inflation this year the prime minister said ‘no decisions have been made’ on whether to abide by the proposals.
Police and organisers of British Grand Prix on high alert for climate protesters
Police and organisers will be on high alert over the possibility of climate change protesters at the British Grand Prix.
Five Just Stop Oil protesters invaded last year’s event at Silverstone after they stormed the Wellington Straight, the fastest point of the Northamptonshire track, before sitting down during the opening lap.
Silverstone has worked alongside Northamptonshire Police to beef up security ahead of this year’s event, with a record 480,000 people expected to attend over the weekend, and 150,000 fans in place for the race.
Saturday Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Britain believed to be sweet talking Germany to help delay looming EU electric vehicle levies
- Big Mike: Teflon Ted was nobody’s ‘fuel’ when it came to spotting buyers
Japanese mark anniversary of Shinzo Abe assassination
Politicians have marked one year since the assassination of Japan’s former leader, Shinzo Abe, with prime minister Fumio Kishida pledging to tackle pressing political goals as a way of honouring Abe’s wishes.
At a Buddhist temple in Tokyo, Kishida and his governing Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers, as well as representatives from opposition parties and business leaders, attended a closed memorial service hosted by Abe’s widow Akie Abe and the family.
Kishida said he has tackled policies that could not be delayed ‘as a way of honouring Mr Abe’s last wishes’.
Zelensky marks 500th day of war with defiant message from Snake Island
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has marked the 500th day of war by hailing the country’s soldiers in a video from a Black Sea island that became a symbol of Ukraine’s resilience in the face of the Russian invasion.
Speaking from Snake Island, Zelensky honoured the Ukrainian soldiers who fought there and all other defenders of the country, saying that reclaiming control of the island ‘is a great proof that Ukraine will regain every bit of its territory’.
Russian forces took control of the tiny stony island on February 24, 2022, the day Moscow launched its invasion, in the apparent hope of using it as a staging ground for an assault on Odesa, Ukraine’s biggest port and the headquarters of its navy.
Hopes of British Wimbledon champion end in first week
Hopes of a British Wimbledon champion have ended at SW19 after no UK players made it through to Sunday’s fourth round.
Katie Boulter, the only remaining British singles player in the tournament, was beaten by last year’s champion Elena Rybakina in the third round on Saturday night. But Boulter will play again in the second round of the mixed doubles on Sunday, partnering up with her boyfriend, Australian player Alex De Minaur.
Fans were not put off by the rain on Saturday and continued to have picnics on the Hill, eating strawberries and drinking Prosecco under the shelter of umbrellas.
Weather
Heavy showers in the south-east will clear by the afternoon, reports BBC Weather. A mixture of sun and heavy showers for the rest of the country today. Highs of 24 degrees on the eastern edge of the UK.
It’ll be a dry night with plenty of clear spells.
