6:40 am, July 19, 2023
NHS planned care will come to virtual standstill this week, senior doctor warns
The NHS is bracing itself for one of the toughest strikes in its history this week, with “routine care virtually at a standstill”, its medical director has said.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis warned of the mass disruption expected across the NHS as consultants move to providing just emergency cover.
Consultant doctors and hospital-based dentists will be on strike for 48 hours from 7am on Thursday until 7am on Saturday. Health leaders have said no other clinicians can provide cover for consultants, so any planned care delivered by junior doctors or other healthcare professionals that requires even remote consultant supervision will need to be rescheduled.
Rishi Sunak’s approval rating hits all-time low, polling suggests
Rishi Sunak is set to face Prime Minister’s Questions and his backbenchers on Wednesday as polling suggests his approval rating is at an all-time low.
Just a quarter of Britons surveyed by YouGov last week hold a favourable view of the PM, while two thirds have an unfavourable opinion. His net favourability has tumbled to minus 40, the lowest level since he took office, the polling firm said.
It is bad news for Sunak ahead of Thursday’s by-elections, with the Tories already bracing for a potential triple defeat.
UN slams immigration Bill as plans for more vessels to house migrants in trouble
The government’s flagship Illegal Migration Bill passed through Parliament but has been denounced by the United Nations while plans for more vessels to house asylum seekers have run into difficulties.
The legislation, central to prime minister Rishi Sunak’s pledge to ‘stop the boats’ crossing the Channel, breaks the UK’s obligations under international law, the UN said in an unusually critical statement on Tuesday.
It came as the Bibby Stockholm accommodation barge was met by protesters as it arrived into Dorset’s Portland Port, while two further cruise ships set to house migrants have reportedly been unable to find a berth.
Retail sales in Scotland hit double-digit growth for first time this year
Demand for suntan lotion has contributed to retail sales growth in Scotland hitting double digits for the first time this year, according to analysis by audit professionals KPMG.
Total sales in Scotland increased by 11.3 per cent in June compared with the same period last year, when they had grown 4.4 per cent.
This was above the three-month average increase of 10.5 per cent and the 12-month average growth of 8.5 per cent. Adjusted for inflation, the year-on-year growth was 2.9 per cent.
Strikes and inflation drag Network Rail down to £1.1bn loss
Network Rail has tumbled to a £1.1bn loss for the past year after it was affected by strike action and higher interest payments on its debts due to inflation.
The body, which owns and manages the infrastructure of most of the UK’s railway network, saw losses grow for the year to March 31 from a £324m profit in the previous year.
It said this was primarily linked to increases in the value of inflation-linked bonds previously issued to fund the railway. Higher inflation levels over the year resulted in significant increases to interest payments on these debts. Net debt grew to £59.1bn from £56.1bn last year as a result.
Company insolvencies rise 27% in June as interest rate hikes hit firms
The number of UK firms entering insolvency jumped last month as businesses came under pressure from higher borrowing costs and waning consumer demand.
Official figures from the Insolvency Service revealed that 2,163 insolvencies took place in June. It said this represented a 27 per cent jump against the same month last year and put the UK on track for the worst quarter for company failures since 2009.
However, this was a monthly reduction after 2,552 company insolvencies were registered in May.
Tuesday Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Experts warn cost of living crisis is leaving more used car buyers open to fraud
- Genesis names dealer groups to create agency sales retail network
- Car buyers want to be left alone to browse and not be badgered by sales staff – research
- F1 driver Carlos Sainz cuts ribbon at new H.R. Owen Ferrari showroom
- Hyundai shows off radical new Santa Fe SUV
First-generation iPhone sells at auction for around 380 times its original price
A first-generation iPhone has sold at auction for 190,373 US dollars (£146,021), roughly 380 times its original price of 499 dollars (£382.75) when the groundbreaking device went on sale in 2007.
LCG Auctions, which hosted the sale, said the 4GB iPhone model was 20 times rarer than the 8GB model released at the same time for 599 dollars (£459.44). That is largely because the 4GB model was discontinued two months after launch given customer preference for the larger memory size.
An 8GB model sold for 63,356 dollars (£48,593) in February and another 8GB model fetched 39,340 dollars (£30,173) in October 2022. All were factory sealed in their original packaging.
Ford Transit gains number of updates for 2024
Ford has announced several updates to its best-selling Transit van for 2024, including a big improvement in technology.
Following on from the electric E-Transit, which arrived on sale last year, the more popular diesel versions now gain additional features seen on the EV. One of the main additions is a new standard-fit 12-inch touchscreen, running Ford’s latest Sync 4 technology that includes various new connected services, such as live traffic information. An eight-inch digital instrument cluster is also provided, along with 5G technology.
Other new features for the Transit include a ‘Delivery Assist’ feature. Designed for couriers, it automates security steps when the vehicle is put into ‘park’, it activates the hazard lights, turns on the alarm and opens and then locks any relevant doors to speed up the process of dropping off parcels. Ford says it helps save 20 seconds from each delivery.
The updated Transit is expected to go on sale later this summer, with first deliveries not expected until 2024.
Weather
Thick cloud for the north with the odd chance of a few spots of rain, reports BBC Weather, but sunnier elsewhere. Later on the sunshine will be mixed with scattered showers and patchy cloud. Highs of 24 degrees in the Midlands.
Showers will clear to leave a dry and clear night for all.
