6:42 am, December 21, 2022
Elon Musk to step down as Twitter chief
Elon Musk says he’ll quit as chief executive of Twitter – as soon as he finds someone ‘foolish enough to take the job’.
More than 57 per cent of the 17.5m users who voted in a Twitter poll he posted on Sunday said he should step down – a result he said he would abide by.
The Tesla boss questioned the result, but confirmed in a tweet early today that he would relinquish his role as head of the social media platform once he finds a successor.
Royal Mail strikes to go ahead after company ‘rejects union offer of pay talks’
Strikes by Royal Mail workers will go ahead in the days before Christmas after their union said the company had turned down an offer of negotiations to resolve a dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.
The Communication Workers Union (CWU) said its members will walk out on Friday, December 23 and Saturday, December 24.
‘An offer extended to the company to suspend the strikes and establish a period of calm from now until 16 January 2023, as well as the union and the company both signing a joint statement incorporating Royal Mail’s latest promise of no compulsory redundancies, was rejected almost immediately,’ said the CWU.
Amazon to make big business changes in EU settlement
Amazon is to make major changes to its business practices to settle anti-trust investigations that found it had given itself an unfair advantage over rival merchants, European Union regulators said yesterday.
The ecommerce giant promised to give products from rival sellers equal visibility in the ‘buy box’ premium place on its website that leads to higher sales.
It also agreed not to discriminate against sellers in its Prime membership service and let Prime members freely choose any delivery service.
Sunak refuses to rule out fuel duty hike
Rishi Sunak has refused to rule out the prospect of motorists facing a 12p-a-litre hike in fuel duty in March.
A 23 per cent increase in the duty is pencilled in for March, but chancellors have repeatedly frozen the levy in the past.
Asked to confirm that the rise will not go ahead, the prime minister told MPs he wouldn’t comment on matters that are the responsibility of chancellor Jeremy Hunt.
London bus drivers to stage fresh wave of strikes
Bus drivers in London are to stage a fresh wave of strikes in a dispute over pay.
Members of Unite employed by Abellio in south and west London will strike for 11 days in late December and throughout January.
The bus drivers have already taken 10 days of strike action. The new strikes will take place on December 24, 27 and 31 and January 4, 5, 10, 12, 16, 19, 25 and 26.
Virgin Orbit secures licences for UK’s first space launch
Virgin Orbit has been awarded licences to operate the UK’s first space launch.
The Civil Aviation Authority said Sir Richard Branson’s company demonstrated it had ‘taken all reasonable steps to ensure safety risks arising from launch activities are as low as reasonably practicable’.
Virgin Orbit is planning a launch from Spaceport Cornwall at Cornwall Airport Newquay in the coming weeks. The mission has been named Start Me Up in tribute to rock band The Rolling Stones.
Nursing unions to announce post-Christmas strikes by Friday unless deal is made
Nurses will announce post-Christmas strikes by the end of the week unless the government agrees a deal on pay, a union chief has said.
A ‘clock is running’ for the prime minister to enter negotiations after a second strike yesterday, Royal College of Nursing general secretary Pat Cullen said.
The 12-hour walkout saw around 10,000 NHS nurses across England, Wales and Northern Ireland stay away from work. Many took to picket lines to express their concern over pay, staffing levels and patient safety.
Clarkson to stay as Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? host for ‘the moment’
ITV boss Kevin Lygo said Jeremy Clarkson’s comments about the Duchess of Sussex were ‘awful’ but the broadcaster plans to keep him as host of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? ‘at the moment’.
In a recent column for The Sun newspaper, Clarkson, 62, said he feels ‘hate’ for Meghan and dreams of seeing her publicly humiliated.
Asked at a Broadcasting Press Guild event in London yesterday if Clarkson represents ITV’s values, Lygo replied: ‘No, of course he doesn’t in that instance.’
Alfa Romeo Giulia SWB Zagato one-off celebrates 100-year partnership
Alfa Romeo and legendary coachbuilders Zagato are commemorating a 100-year partnership with a special one-off model.
The Giulia SWB Zagato has been directly influenced by Alfa’s historic vehicle SZ line-up that stretches back to 1961 but incorporates some of the very latest features.
It’s already been snapped up by an unnamed German customer, selected from Zagato’s clientele, who is said to have many Alfa Romeos, including an 8C Competizione. The price of the Giulia SWB Zagato hasn’t been revealed.
Tuesday’s headlines on Car Dealer you might have missed
- What’s Eddie Hawthorne’s secret? How did Arnold Clark clock up £398m in profits? – Car Dealer Top 100
- Sign in for early access: Car Dealer 178 features full UCA coverage, the Top 100 most profitable UK dealers, Ora’s Funky Cat and more!
- Google research reveals what buyers want to do online and in car dealerships
- Luscombe’s sees profit rise to more than £2m and eventual successor to boss is revealed
- Fiat opens metaverse-powered car dealership in world first that could change the industry
- Bristol Street Motors gets festive with Christmas donation to hospital charity
- Two-thirds of buyers use car search websites to make first contact with dealers, new study finds
- Revealed: The manufacturers that are predicted to do well for car dealers in 2023
Market movements
The FTSE 100 closed 9.31 points up yesterday at 7,426.17. The Cac 40 was down 22.86 points at 6,450.43, the Dax was down 58.21 points at 13,884.66 but the Dow Jones was up 92.20 points at 32,849.74.
Weather outlook
Rain will clear eastwards today, leaving Wales and England mostly bright and dry in the afternoon, says BBC Weather. Elsewhere will be cloudier with showers, mainly frequent and possibly heavy in the north-west.
Thursday will have variable cloud and some showers at first but longer, heavier bouts of rain will move south during the afternoon. Some spells of winter sunshine will be likely in the north.
