6:57 am, March 12, 2024
Anderson says Tory Party ‘stifles free speech’ as he defects to Reform
Lee Anderson accused the Conservative Party of stifling ‘free speech’ by suspending him amid an Islamophobia row, as he announced his defection to Reform UK.
The Ashfield MP, who lost the Tory whip last month after making widely criticised remarks about Sadiq Khan, said he found it ‘unpalatable’ that he had been disciplined for ‘speaking my mind’.
In an open attack on the party that had formerly elevated him to deputy chairman, he claimed other Tory MPs share his views but will not stick their heads ‘above the parapet’.
Prince of Wales makes first public appearance since edited photo controversy
The Prince of Wales was all smiles at the Commonwealth Day service as he made his first public appearance since his wife admitted to “editing” their Mother’s Day picture.
The event celebrating the family of nations is a major fixture in the royal year but has been overshadowed by the Princess of Wales’ statement she manipulated a family photo released on Sunday.
The prince, who was spotted with Kate in his car while in London, arrived at Westminster Abbey alone before the Queen, and was greeted by the Dean of Westminster David Hoyle, shaking his hands with the senior cleric.
Drivers urged to ignore satnavs to prevent gridlock during M25 closure
Drivers are being urged to ignore satnavs and only follow official diversion routes to prevent causing gridlock during an ‘unprecedented’ closure of the M25 this weekend.
National Highways issued the alert as it prepares to close a five-mile stretch of the motorway in Surrey from 9pm on Friday until 6am on Monday.
The Government-owned company estimates that drivers who follow signs for diversion routes on A-roads will have an hour added to their usual journey times between junctions 10 and 11, which will be shut in both directions.
Temporary exemption certificates to be considered amid long waits for MOT tests
Temporary exemption certificates and biennial MOT tests are among the measures to be considered amid spiralling waiting times for vehicle testing in Northern Ireland.
Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd made the announcement in the Assembly as MLAs called for action to address the situation where some motorists are waiting until August for a test date.
DUP MLA Deborah Erskine proposed a motion to the Assembly to ‘stress the importance of fair and timely access to vehicle testing across Northern Ireland”, and “believes it is unacceptable that many motorists are facing lengthy delays to secure an MOT appointment’.
Monday’s Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Leak reveals Cazoo boss wants to be ‘strong number two’ in used car ad space
- ‘Omnichannel has killed online’: Catherine Faiers discusses Cazoo and the future of used car sales
- Martin Lewis’s car finance complaint tool tops one million enquiries in just one month
- Consumer car finance new business volumes and value both fell by 3% in January
- Peter Waddell reveals how heartbreaking childhood motivated him for success but future remains unclear
Famous cars with connections to Winston Churchill and Lord Mountbatten heading for auction
Two significant cars that belonged to Lord Mountbatten and Winston Churchill will be going up for auction in Birmingham.
The first car – a 1975 Rover P6 3500S – belonged to Lord Mountbatten and has certainly led an interesting life.
The second car belonged to Winston Churchill, during his stint as Lord of Admiralty. His 1939 Daimler DE27 Limousine was the first Limousine of its kind, but sadly a lot of the car’s history was lost during the Second World War, when the Daimler factory was struck during the Blitz in 1940.
Shrinking proportion of comprehensive cover policies ‘fully cover windscreens’
Motorists are being warned to check the small print in their insurance policies, after research found that a shrinking proportion of “comprehensive” deals fully cover replacement windscreens.
Defaqto, which maintains a financial product database, found in late February that just over half (53%) of comprehensive insurance products would pay out the full costs to replace a windscreen, subject to any policy excess (the amount the customer pays towards the cost of the claim) which applies.
This proportion has reduced from just over seven in 10 (71%) products five years ago which would pay out for windscreens in full, subject to the policy excess.
London stocks swing to gains after metal prices help afternoon rally
The FTSE 100 inched higher at the close of trading after a late upturn, despite spending almost all of the session in the red.
After a poor morning session London’s top flight closed 9.49 points, or 0.12%, higher to end the day at 7,669.23.
The German Dax index was down 0.38% at the close and the Cac 40 in France closed down 0.1%.
Weather outlook…
Today, largely cloudy across the UK, with occasional bright spells in the north-west. Northern areas will stay mostly dry, with some patches of rain. The BBC reports that the south will see a band of rain sweep eastwards.
Tonight, a band of rain will move into Northern Ireland and Scotland. Wales will be cloudy with a few patches of rain. England will be mostly cloudy and dry. A breezy night, windy in the north.
Tomorrow, the band of rain will sink south to northern England and northern Wales, leaving behind bright spells and isolated blustery showers. In the south, it will be mostly cloudy, dry, and mild.
