6:53 am, September 4, 2023
Money for school repairs can come from existing budgets – Treasury
Money to repair school buildings at risk of collapse will come from the Department for Education’s (DfE) existing capital budget, it is understood.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt promised on Sunday to ‘spend what it takes’ to make classrooms safe after many were forced shut at the start of the new term over concerns about reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac).
The Chancellor moved on the weekend to reassure parents that an ‘exhaustive process’ has been carried out to identify any unsafe buildings, amid accusations ministers failed to act quickly enough to mitigate risks raised in 2018.
Hunt: We may see inflation blip in September
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has said there may be a ‘blip’ in inflation in September.
The concession from the Chancellor comes despite his insistence that the Government’s plan to reduce inflation is working.
Inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has eased back to 6.8 per cent from a recent eye-watering peak of 11.1 per cent last October, but is still far from the Bank of England’s two per cent target.
Starmer ‘to reshuffle shadow cabinet on Monday’ as Sue Gray starts Labour role
Keir Starmer is reportedly set to reshuffle his shadow cabinet today as MPs return to Parliament after summer recess.
The pre-election shake-up will come on the same day that former top civil servant Sue Gray starts her new role as the Labour leader’s chief of staff, the BBC reported.
All eyes will be on what role Angela Rayner is left with following any changes, after recent speculation that she may lose some of her duties.
Drivers hit by one of the largest monthly fuel price hikes in 23 years
Drivers were hit by one of the biggest monthly fuel price rises in more than two decades in August, new figures show.
The RAC said the 7p per litre spike in the average cost of petrol in August was the fifth largest monthly increase in 23 years.
The 8p per litre hike in diesel prices was the sixth largest over the same period.
Weekend’s Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
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- Revealed: The top 10 fastest-selling used cars on Motors.co.uk in August
- Ford dealer group Gates sees pre-tax profit top £8.8m
- Will new technology change the face of car design?
- Peter Vardy Group expands MG portfolio after buying Gillanders Motors franchises
- New car registrations rise again in Europe, boosted by 61% increase in EV sales
- No point in making electric supercars just yet, says McLaren boss
- Interest in used electric cars dwindling but London bucks national trend as a result of Ulez – analysis
Volkswagen’s GTI enters the electric age with ID. GTI Concept
Volkswagen is making sure its celebrated GTI brand continues in an electric future with the reveal of a new sporty concept car.
Revealed at the Munich motor show (known as the IAA Mobility), Volkswagen says the ID. GTI Concept will enter production and be ‘built as a sports car for the electric age that is suitable for everyday use’.
Volkswagen’s GTI nameplate was first used in 1976 on the Golf GTI and has been continuously used ever since, also appearing on other affordable VW hot hatches over the years like the Polo, Up! and Lupo. While GTI has previously stood for ‘Grand Touring Injection’, the latter word now becomes ‘Intelligence’ for electric GTI models.
Heatwave predicted with temperatures set to hit 32C at start of new school term
Temperatures could soar to 32C this week with a heatwave just as pupils across the country are returning to the classroom for the start of the new school year.
Forecasters are predicting a ‘last dose of summer’, with warm spells reaching 30C on Tuesday in southern areas of England, and 32C on Wednesday and Thursday in central and southern England.
The news will be welcomed by many Britons underwhelmed by one of the wettest July months on record, followed by a mixed bag of sunshine and rain in August.
Russian cyberattacks ‘relentless’ as threat of WW3 grows, expert warns
Cyberattacks by the UK’s enemies are becoming ‘relentless’ as we enter a ‘new era’ of global conflict, an expert has warned.
It comes after Russian hackers allegedly acquired top secret security information on some of the country’s most sensitive military sites, including the HMNB Clyde nuclear submarine base on the west coast of Scotland and the Porton Down chemical weapon lab.
The ‘potentially very damaging’ attack last month by hacking group LockBit, which has known links to Russian nationals, saw thousands of pages of data leaked onto the dark web after private security firm Zaun was targeted, the Sunday Mirror newspaper reported.
HS2 train designs recognised for environmental credentials
Designs of HS2’s 225mph trains have been recognised for their environmental credentials, according to the company building the high-speed railway.
HS2 Ltd said its trains are the first in the world to achieve the British Standard Institute’s PAS 2080 global accreditation, which assesses carbon management in infrastructure.
A joint venture between Hitachi and Alstom has designed the trains to ‘optimise’ their weight and prioritise the use of recycled and recyclable material, HS2 Ltd said.
