James May, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond via PAJames May, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond via PA

News Round-Up

Dec 1: Trio leave Grand Tour; MacGowan & Darling die; Hancock gives evidence

  • Here are the headlines on Friday, December 1

Time 6:55 am, December 1, 2023

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May to leave The Grand Tour

Motoring presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are to leave Amazon’s The Grand Tour after a ‘final special’ airs next year.

The trio, who previously starred on the BBC’s Top Gear together for more than a decade, were snapped up by Amazon’s Prime streaming service in 2015 and have done five series’ for the firm, along with various special episodes.

The trio have just returned from Zimbabwe after completing their final special for Amazon. While away on filming, the trio posted after British Airways had cancelled their flight and they were ‘stranded’ on a ‘sunset safari with gin and tonics and meerkats’.


Starmer: Transition to net zero can ‘turbo-charge growth’

The City of London would be transformed into the world’s green financial capital under Labour, Sir Keir Starmer promised at the Cop28 climate summit.

The Labour leader was meeting international investors at the summit to set out his party’s plans if he becomes prime minister next year.

He said Rishi Sunak’s Government was ‘sending the wrong signals’ on the transition to net zero emissions, but under Labour the shift away from fossil fuels would be used to ‘turbo-charge growth’.


Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan remembered as a ‘lyrical genius’

Famous faces from the world of music have remembered The Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan as a ‘lyrical genius’ after his death at the age of 65.

The Irish singer, best known for hit festive song Fairytale Of New York, died ‘peacefully’ at 3am on Thursday with his wife and family by his side, a statement from his relatives said.

MacGowan was discharged last week from St Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin ahead of his 66th birthday on Christmas Day.

Alistair Darling’s ‘calmness in a crisis’ remembered following his death aged 70

Former chancellor Alistair Darling has been remembered for his “calmness in a crisis” and his “wry good humour” following his death aged 70.

Mr Darling, who spent almost three decades as an MP and 13 years in government under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, died after spending time in hospital being treated for cancer.

A statement issued on behalf of his family on Thursday said: ‘The death of Alistair Darling, a former chancellor of the Exchequer and long-serving member of the Labour cabinet, was announced in Edinburgh today.’

Matt Hancock admits protective ring around care homes was not ‘unbroken circle’

Matt Hancock has admitted the so-called protective ring he said had been put around care homes early in the coronavirus pandemic was not an unbroken one, as he insisted he understands the strength of feeling people have on the issue.

The former health secretary, who appeared before the UK Covid-19 Inquiry on Thursday, was questioned on his use of the phrase at a Downing Street press conference on May 15 2020.

On that day, he said: ‘Right from the start, we’ve tried to throw a protective ring around our care homes.’

Thursday’s Car Dealer headlines you might have missed

Musk swears at firms ‘trying to blackmail with money’ and says ‘don’t advertise’

Elon Musk has accused firms who have stopped spending on his social media platform X, formerly Twitter, in response to antisemitic and other hateful material of engaging in ‘blackmail’.

The billionaire’s comments came two days after he visited Israel, where he toured a kibbutz attacked by Hamas militants and held talks with top leaders.

Speaking at The New York Times DealBook Summit, Musk told host Andrew Ross Sorkin: ‘I hope they stop.

‘Don’t advertise. If someone is going to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money, go f*** yourself.”“I hope they stop. Don’t advertise. If someone is going to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money, go f*** yourself.’

Renault reveals details of upcoming 5 E-Tech

Renault’s retro-inspired 5 E-Tech will bring a range of up to 248 miles and utilise an ultra-compact bodystyle when a production-ready version is unveiled early next year.

Measuring in at 3.92m long, it’s considerably shorter than Renault’s Clio which measures in at 4.05m.

It’s thanks to a new AmpR Small platform which helps to create an extremely compact body structure, while new multi-link rear suspension aims to ensure that the 5 can deliver ‘excellent stability and roadholding’, according to Renault.


London market ends November in the green as financial stocks gain

Shares in London’s top index gained on Friday to end November having gained just over 100 points.

The FTSE 100 rose 30.29 points, or 0.41 per cent to end the day at 7453.75.

At the end of the day in Europe, Frankfurt’s Dax index rose 0.30 per cent, while the Cac 40 in Paris had closed up 0.63 per cent.

Wintry showers and sub-zero temperatures set to continue

Parts of the UK could see 5cm of snow on Friday with temperatures expected to drop as low as minus 10C in some areas.

A yellow weather warning for snow and ice will remain in place on Friday for the eastern coast of the the UK, stretching from Scotland to East Anglia. Ice warnings remain in place for Northern Ireland and south-west England.

Hilly areas including the North York Moors and parts of Scotland will see more snow on Friday, forecasters said.

Jack Williams's avatar

Jack joined the Car Dealer team in 2021 as a staff writer. He previously worked as a national newspaper journalist for BNPS Press Agency. He has provided news and motoring stories for a number of national publications including The Sun, The Times and The Daily Mirror.



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