6:54 am, December 20, 2022
Government announces plans for £400 energy support for 900,000 households
Close to one million households who initially slipped through the cracks of a programme designed to help people with their energy bills will be able to apply for support from the start of next year.
Care home residents, people who live on houseboats or in park homes and those who live off-grid will be able to get £400 in support – matching what is being paid out to millions of households with a more traditional energy set-up.
The support – which will also allow Travellers access to the cash for the first time – will extend to the 900,000 households in Great Britain that do not have a direct relationship with an energy supplier.
British manufacturing output falls at fastest pace since 2020, says CBI
British manufacturers’ output fell at the fastest pace in more than two years over the past three months, according to a survey from the UK’s largest business group.
The volume of goods and services produced by factories fell by nine per cent in the three months to December, the Confederation of British Industry’s survey of 220 manufacturing firms found.
This was a steep drop from the 18 per cent rise in output reported in the previous three months to November, and means it contracted at the fastest pace since September 2020.
Ipso receives more than 12,000 complaints over Jeremy Clarkson article
The Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) has received more than 12,000 complaints over an article written by Jeremy Clarkson about the Duchess of Sussex.
In the piece, published in The Sun on Friday, the former Top Gear presenter wrote he had dreamed of Meghan being paraded through British towns and publicly shamed, adding that ‘everyone who’s my age thinks the same way’.
The article, which attracted criticism from high-profile figures and his own daughter, was removed from The Sun’s website on Monday afternoon at Clarkson’s request. The 62-year-old said he was ‘horrified’ by the hurt the article caused.
‘UK recession to last until end of next year’
The UK economy is on track to shrink by 1.3 per cent in 2023 amid a recession which is set to last until the end of next year, according to a new economic forecast.
Economists at KPMG have predicted that the UK has already entered a ‘shallow but protracted’ recession amid continued inflation and higher interest rates.
Yael Selfin, chief economist at KPMG UK, said increases in food and energy costs this year have dragged back households’ spending power.
Musk: Future policy-related polls only open for Twitter Blue subscribers
Elon Musk has said only Twitter Blue subscribers will be able to vote in future policy-related polls on the platform in his first comments since millions of users voted for him to step down as chief executive of the site.
On Sunday, the Tesla boss said he would “abide by” the result of a poll, which he created, asking Twitter users whether he should step down.
The result was confirmed on Monday morning, with 57.5 per cent of the more than 17.5 million accounts that voted saying he should withdraw from his role.
Should I step down as head of Twitter? I will abide by the results of this poll.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 18, 2022
UK stocks stabilise as energy gains offset retail losses
Energy and industrial stocks helped lift London’s top index higher on Monday, starting the week off on a more optimistic note as investors prepare to wind down for the Christmas holidays.
The FTSE 100 reversed heavy losses suffered last week to close 0.4 per cent higher, or 29.19 points, at 7,361.31.
Elsewhere in Europe, the German Dax was up 0.36 per cent and the French Cac was up 0.32 per cent.
Monday’s Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Exclusive: Car dealer profits soar to record levels thanks to ‘Carlsberg year’ for motor trade
- How much profit do car dealers make? Car Dealer Top 100 2022 list in full
- Snows dealership lays on special dog-friendly fundraiser
- Used car dealers urged to prepare now for tougher trading conditions to stay profitable next year
- Cazoo share price tanks to record low valuing used car dealer at just £79m
- Lookers chairman Ian Bull to step down for personal reasons
- Vertu Motors completes acquisition of lion’s share of family-run Helston Garages
Isuzu tracks down highest-mileage D-Max in the country
Pick-up maker Isuzu has managed to track down its highest-mileage vehicle in the country, with the D-Max in question covering more than 350,000 miles.
The Japanese firm’s UK division launched a campaign in Autumn to try and find the version of its D-Max pick-up that had covered the most miles, with the winning model – a 2014 D-Max Eiger 2.5TD – having clocked up 351,364 and remaining in daily service.
This equates to an average of 43,750 miles per year.
Home Secretary: ‘We will send migrants to Rwanda as soon as possible’
The Home Secretary has said she is ‘committed’ to sending migrants to Rwanda as soon as possible after judges ruled the multi-million pound deal to curb Channel crossings was lawful.
Suella Braverman told MPs the High Court judgment ‘thoroughly vindicated’ the Government’s policy – which she insisted is ‘compassionate’, ‘pragmatic’ and ‘rational’.
Several court challenges were brought against the proposals announced by then-home secretary Priti Patel in April, which she described as a ‘world-first agreement’ with the East African nation to deter people from making the journey across the Channel to the UK.
UK staff quitting workforce at a higher rate than nearly all developed countries
The proportion of the workers who exited the workforce during the pandemic and have not returned since is higher in the UK than in nearly any other developed economy, new data has revealed.
Official figures released on Monday show that the rate of economic inactivity rose by 0.9 per cent in the UK between the end of 2019 and the middle of 2022.
It means that around 565,000 people who were previously either in work or looking for work are now doing neither.
Government sues controversial PPE firm over gowns contract
The Government has issued civil legal proceedings against PPE Medpro, a firm at the centre of a row over the supply of personal protective equipment during the coronavirus pandemic.
The firm said the case over the supply of sterile gowns would be ‘rigorously defended’ and accused the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) of a ‘cynical attempt to recover money from suppliers’ who acted in good faith.
The DHSC said it had issued breach of contract proceedings over the 2020 deal on the supply of gowns.
Christmas getaway traffic to build throughout week as 20m journeys expected
UK drivers are embarking on an estimated 20 million car trips to see friends and family in the run-up to Christmas Day.
The RAC said leisure traffic will build steadily from Monday before peaking on Friday and Saturday, which is Christmas Eve.
Pressure on the roads will be heightened due to a strike by thousands of members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union at Network Rail from 6pm on Christmas Eve.
Weather outlook…
Today will see cloud and rain clear the south-east to leave a dry, bright and breezy day for most. North-western areas will be windier with scattered blustery showers, however. The BBC reports it will remain fairly mild.
A clear start to the night for most, but showers continuing in the north-west. Overnight, cloud and rain will develop for most, but north-east Scotland will remain largely dry. Staying breezy.
Tomorrow morning, cloud and rain will clear eastern England, and it will be dry and bright here. Elsewhere across the UK will see variable cloud and showers, these most frequent in the north-west.
