6:14 am, April 16, 2023
Sunak bans new smart motorways
The building of new smart motorways is being cancelled as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak acknowledged concerns about safety and cost.
Fourteen planned smart motorways – including 11 that are already paused and three earmarked for construction – will be removed from Government road building plans, given financial pressures and in recognition of the lack of public trust.
Campaigners welcomed the move, but demanded the Government now return the hard shoulder on existing conversions.
Hundreds of Amazon workers to walk out amid pay dispute
Hundreds of workers at online giant Amazon will launch a strike this weekend in a long-running dispute over pay.
Members of the GMB union at the company’s Coventry fulfilment centre will walk out on Sunday for three days.
Further strikes are planned from April 21 to 23.
Amanda Gearing, GMB senior organiser, said: ‘GMB members are worth more; they will not accept a pay rise of pennies from one of the world’s wealthiest corporations.’
Steve McQueen’s Ferrari 275 GTB heads to auction
A 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 first delivered to Hollywood star Steve McQueen is heading to auction later this year.
The 275 GTB/4 by Scaglietti is already considered one of the most desirable classic Ferrari models around, but this 1967 adds even further provenance as it was first delivered to Steve McQueen, who owned the car for more than four years.
The car was brought back to its original ‘McQueen’ specification by Ferrari Classiche – the supercar firm’s in-house restoration service – between 2010 and 2013. Since then, it has been displayed in Ferrari’s official museum in Maranello, as well as appearing at the Villa d’Este Concorso d’Eleganza.
It’s being sold by RM Sotheby’s at its sale coinciding with Monterey Car Week in California on August 18 and 19, with an estimate of $5m-$7m (£4m-£5.6m).
ScotRail spent £200,000 on replacement taxis in 10 months
ScotRail bosses have forked out more than £200,000 on taxis for travellers after train services were cancelled since the service was taken into public ownership, figures show.
Data obtained by the Scottish Liberal Democrats through freedom of information requests reveals that on one occasion, the publicly-owned rail operator spent £798.30 to send an eight-seat taxi from Wick to Inverness, with the vehicle stopping at all train stations in between.
The party found the total amount spent on taxis to replace train services in the 10 months from April 2022 totalled £205,854.41.
Royal Mail and CWU reach agreement
Royal Mail and union leaders have come to an agreement after a bitter dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.
The Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) and the postal service announced they have come to an agreement in a joint statement on Saturday.
Royal Mail said it had reached a negotiators’ agreement in principle with the CWU, with more details expected to be confirmed next week.
Saturday’s Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Car dealership pulls out of new car sales completely following the loss of third franchise this year
- Hendy Group given green light to turn ex-John Lewis site into £5m multi-franchise dealership
- Revealed: The cheapest and most expensive garage labour rates across UK
WH Smith growth expected as travel rebound continues
WH Smith shareholders will be hoping the stationery-to-snacks retailer posts higher sales when it reveals its performance for the past half-year next week.
The group, which has shifted focus further from the high street to travel sites in recent years, is expected to be boosted by the continued recovery in traveller numbers at airports and train stations.
Analysts at Numis have forecast that travel revenues will have increased by around 70 per cent year-on-year, amid comparisons with sales which were weighed down by the spread of the Omicron variant of coronavirus in the previous period.
Details released of next week’s UK mobile emergency alert system test
A message will appear alongside a loud alarm on millions of mobile phones across the UK at 3pm on April 23 in a nationwide test of a new public alert system.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Oliver Dowden said: ‘At 3pm next Sunday we’ll be doing a nationwide test of our new Emergency Alerts system.
‘Getting this system operational means we have a vital tool to keep the public safe in life-threatening emergencies. It could be the sound that saves your life.’
Warmer than yesterday
Today will be warmer than yesterday and many areas will enjoy sunny spells, according to the Met Office.
The best sunshine will be in the east of England and the west will see more cloudy skies and some rain.
There will be a fair amount of cloud for many overnight tonight and patchy rain and drizzle over western hills.
