6:30 am, August 1, 2024
‘Moral obligation’ to build more homes, Angela Rayner tells council chiefs
Angela Rayner has told council chiefs they have a ‘moral obligation to see more homes built’.
The deputy prime minister, who is also the housing secretary, wrote to council leaders and metropolitan mayors on Wednesday to set out plans for 1.5 million new homes by 2029, which she described as ‘radical’.
She warned leaders they may have to tear up draft housing masterplans if they are at an early stage, and said authorities could have to map out new green belt boundaries.
Merseyside Police calls in neighbouring forces to help prevent further riots
Police in Merseyside have called in support from forces across the region to avoid a second night of rioting in tragedy-hit Southport.
Violence erupted near the town’s mosque on Tuesday after false rumours circulated online about the suspect in a mass stabbing that claimed the lives of three girls and left eight more children and two adults injured.
Four people have been arrested over the unrest so far, which saw 53 officers and three police dogs injured.
Over 100 arrests in London as unrest breaks out across UK after Southport attack
More than 100 people have been arrested in London as further protests took place across the country in the wake of the Southport stabbings.
Violent outbreaks have taken place across Britain, including violent unrest in Hartlepool, Manchester, and Aldershot.
A car was set alight in Hartlepool and police were attacked with missiles, glass bottles and eggs; in Manchester protesters gathered outside a Holiday Inn hotel which appeared to be a stand against asylum seekers currently being housed in the hotel; and in Aldershot a peaceful protest outside another hotel descended into intimidating behaviour.
Boy, 17, charged with murders of three young girls in Southport stabbing attack
A 17-year-old boy has been charged with the murders of three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club in Southport.
Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, were fatally stabbed on Monday when a knifeman entered the dance class on Hart Street in Southport, Merseyside.
Eight other children suffered knife wounds – with five of them in a critical condition – while two adults were also critically hurt.
Bank could cut UK interest rates but decision a ‘close call’, experts say
The Bank of England could be encouraged to cut interest rates for the first time in more than four years amid growing evidence that inflation has been tamed, experts have said.
Expectations on financial markets show about a 65% chance of the Bank’s policymakers opting to reduce rates on Thursday.
The UK’s base rate has been held at 5.25% since August last year, the highest level since 2008. Some experts think it could be cut to 5%.
Culture secretary to hold talks with BBC boss following Huw Edwards’ guilty plea
The culture secretary will hold urgent talks with BBC director general Tim Davie in the wake of Huw Edwards admitting to accessing indecent photographs of children, the PA news agency understands.
Lisa Nandy is set to hold a meeting with the BBC boss after the corporation said it was told of the veteran broadcaster’s arrest on ‘suspicion of serious offences’ last November but continued employing him until April.
Following Edwards’ guilty plea, the broadcaster claimed it would have dismissed the presenter ‘immediately’ if he was charged while still an employee at the corporation.
Wednesday Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- ‘The police don’t want to know’: Wheeler Dealer Mike Brewer on how motor traders can protect themselves from scams
- Fresh inquiry announced into 2018 death of car dealer who had heart attack at work
- Dacia Sandero named Europe’s best-selling car for the first half of this year
- New car showroom gets green light in Morecambe as council gives thumbs up to proposals
- Police launch appeal to help find vandal accused of smashing used car dealership window
House sales increased by 8% annually in June – HMRC figures
The number of home sales taking place across the UK in June was 8% higher than in the same month a year earlier, according to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) figures.
An estimated 91,370 transactions were made, which was 8% higher than June 2023 but slightly lower (less than 1%) than in May 2024.
Although the month-on-month fall was only marginal, it marked the first monthly decrease since December 2023, HMRC said.
Electric vehicle charger installations increase by nearly 50% year-on-year
The number of electric vehicle chargers on the UK’s roads has risen by close to 50% since July 2023, new figures show.
Statistics from EV charger mapping service Zap-Map show that a total of 20,612 chargers have been installed since July 2023, a rise of 47 per cent. It means that the number of public devices across the country stands at 64,632, with 4,962 installed since April 2024 alone.
In terms of the region that features the most amount of devices in one area, London was found to have the most at 234 per 100,000 people. Next was Scotland at 103, followed by the West Midlands at 92.
Weather
Outbreaks of heavy rain in England and Wales will ease by noon, reports BBC Weather, to be followed by sunny spells and scatter thundery showers. It’ll be dry and warm with variable cloud elsewhere. Highs of 28 degrees in England and Wales; cooler at 17 in Scotland.
Most showers will dissipate by tonight leaving a dry night. A clear start for tomorrow, which will be another very warm day in the south-east.
