6:52 am, February 13, 2023
UK to conduct security review after suspected spy balloon downed by US military
Ben Wallace has announced the UK will conduct a security review after a series of objects in Western airspace were shot down by the US military, including a suspected Chinese spy balloon.
The defence secretary announced the intended review on Sunday.
It comes after US fighter jets shot down an ‘unidentified object’ over Lake Huron on Sunday – the fourth object to enter US or Canadian airspace in just over a week.
Tories put pressure on Hunt to offer Budget tax cuts
Allies of Liz Truss will present Jeremy Hunt with a blueprint for tax cuts before his March budget, in a move which underlines Tory splits on the economy.
The Conservative Growth Group (CGG) – which champions the low-tax, low-regulation policies Truss had promised – is ‘gathering strength’, one prominent member said.
The group is reported to be preparing to submit its plans to the chancellor before the March 15 Budget, but Hunt has warned that the state of the public finances mean it is unlikely there will be significant tax cuts as he focuses on getting inflation down.
Teenage boy and girl arrested over fatal stabbing of Brianna Ghey in park
A boy and girl, both aged 15, have been arrested on suspicion of murder following the fatal stabbing of 16-year-old Brianna Ghey.
The victim, from Birchwood in Warrington, was found by members of the public as she lay wounded on a path in Linear Park, Culcheth, at around 3.13pm on Saturday.
Emergency services attended but she was pronounced dead at the scene, Cheshire Constabulary said. The arrested teenagers are from the local area and they are being held in custody.
Plans for sewage penalties ‘could be watered down’ in consultation
Therese Coffey is reportedly backing away from plans to hit water companies with fines of up to £250m for spilling sewage into rivers and seas.
The environment secretary wants to look at a ‘range of options’, although sources insisted the £250m proposal remained on the table.
Coffey’s Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said water companies ‘must be held to account’ for poor performance and record fines totalling £101m were handed out in 2021.
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Pressure on BBC’s Sharp after MPs warn Johnson loan row could damage trust
BBC chairman Richard Sharp is facing calls to quit after MPs found he made ‘significant errors of judgment’ by acting as a go-between for a loan guarantee for Boris Johnson.
A cross-party committee was furious that Sharp failed to declare to MPs his role in facilitating the arrangement when he was applying for the job of BBC chairman and said he should ‘consider the impact his omissions will have’ on trust in the broadcaster.
They said his actions ‘constitute a breach of the standards expected of individuals’ applying for prominent public appointments.
Weekend Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Used car prices rise for the seventh month running as average reaches record high
- Honda cuts sales forecasts despite better-than-expected Q3 profits
- Volvo boss says Swedish firm has no intention of joining Tesla in cutting EV prices
- Family-run Vospers to represent Vauxhall in Plymouth after Evans Halshaw deal comes to an end
Heathrow workers to vote on strike action in pay dispute
Workers at Heathrow airport are to vote on whether to strike in a dispute over pay.
Unite said over 3,000 of its members working as security guards, engineers and firefighters will begin balloting for strike action on February 17. The ballot will close a month later.
The workers have rejected a 10 per cent pay increase, which Unite says is a pay cut, because of the rate of inflation.
More pubs and bars call last orders as costs spiral and sales sink
The number of pub and bar companies calling last orders has risen by more than 200 in a year, new figures suggest.
Insolvencies rose from 280 in 2021 to 512 last year, accountancy group UHY Hacker Young said.
The cost-of-living crisis and interest rate rises have affected spending on drinks and meals in pubs, while rail strikes have stopped punters from travelling into city centres.
Weather outlook
A dry day in store which will start with mist clearing and bright spells interspersed with cloud, reports BBC Weather. Sunshine will be prevalent later on.
A mostly dry night too, with areas of mist and fog in the south-east. It’ll be cloudy in Northern Ireland and south-west Scotland, with the odd spell of rain.
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