6:46 am, February 17, 2023
Rishi Sunak to meet Stormont leaders over Northern Ireland Protocol
Prime minister Rishi Sunak is to hold talks with Stormont leaders over the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Sunak and Northern Ireland secretary Chris Heaton-Harris will meet the politicians near Belfast amid growing speculation over a deal within days on the post-Brexit trading arrangement.
Newspaper reports have suggested the PM could brief his Cabinet on the deal and announce it in Parliament on Tuesday.
Ambulance workers to stage new strike in pay wrangle
Ambulance workers will stage a fresh strike on Friday in the long-running dispute over pay and staffing.
Members of the GMB and Unite in the West Midlands will mount picket lines outside hospitals across the region.
Stuart Richards, GMB senior organiser, said: ‘West Midlands ambulance workers are on strike over this year’s pay. But ministers seem to think GMB members will be fobbed off by pretending this year’s cost of living crisis hasn’t happened. They are wrong.’
Border Force workers to stage strike in pay dispute
Border Force workers, meanwhile, will also stage a fresh strike on Friday as part of the increasingly bitter dispute over pay, jobs, pensions and conditions in the civil service.
Members of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) in Dover and French ports including Calais will walk out from Friday and over the weekend.
The union claimed inexperienced staff were being brought in to cover for striking Border Force workers.
Home secretary demands ‘explanation’ over Nicola Bulley private life disclosure
The home secretary has demanded an ‘explanation’ from Lancashire Police as to why aspects of missing Nicola Bulley’s private life were disclosed at a press conference, a source close to Suella Braverman said.
Braverman was reportedly ‘concerned’ after the force told reporters Bulley suffered ‘some significant issues with alcohol’ in the past, which had resurfaced over recent months.
According to a source close to the home secretary, she received an explanation from police on Thursday evening.
Six-week race to replace Sturgeon as independence conference postponed
The race to replace Nicola Sturgeon as leader of the SNP will last less than six weeks, the party has announced, as it postponed plans for a special independence conference.
Health secretary Humza Yousaf is expected to announce he is running to become Scotland’s next first minister but deputy first minister John Swinney and MP Joanna Cherry have ruled themselves out of the battle.
After a meeting of the party’s national executive committee those eying the top job have until February 24 to submit their nomination, with the vote open between March 13 and 27.
Thursday Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Nissan gets tongues wagging with FOUR-HOUR Ariya advert
- How will EVs disrupt the car dealer status quo? Auto Trader at Car Dealer Live
- Driver admits killing woman after his Range Rover ploughed through Tesla dealership and on to railway track
- Just two in ten motorists currently planning to go electric, according to new survey
- DVLA staff to stage five-day strike due to bitter dispute over pay, jobs, pensions and conditions
- Volkswagen puts upcoming Touareg through its paces as SUV enters final stage of testing
- Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV goes on sale in UK
UK charities ‘hugely thankful’ to Bruce Willis for sharing dementia diagnosis
UK charities say they are ‘hugely thankful’ to Bruce Willis for publicly sharing his diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia, as it will help raise awareness of the condition.
The announcement by the 67-year-old Hollywood actor’s family will help ‘shine a light’ on the disease, also known as FTD, and ‘encourage others to seek advice’, the charities said.
Last year Willis’s family revealed he had been diagnosed with the cognitive condition aphasia, and would be stepping back from his acting career.
M&S nudges out Waitrose and Aldi in annual supermarket satisfaction survey
M&S has topped an annual supermarket satisfaction survey, beating Waitrose and fighting off competition from discounter Aldi.
The traditional ‘big four’ of Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons fell to the bottom half of the ranking of the 10 major grocers for their in-store experience, suggesting that the middle ground between quality and affordable food is less appealing to shoppers during a cost-of-living crisis, Which? said.
Co-op was the worst performer, achieving 61 per cent and just one star for value for money and two stars for availability, range and quality. M&S got the highest overall customer score of 77 per cent for its in-store offer, earning praise for the quality of its own-label and fresh products, customer service and store appearance.
‘Goodwood 75’ celebrates series of anniversaries for motor circuit
Goodwood looks set to celebrate a number of historic milestones throughout 2023.
‘Goodwood 75’ will incorporate a range of celebrations, including 75 years since the historic motor circuit opened and 30 years since the first Festival of Speed event was held.
Alongside the Festival of Speed, the Goodwood Revival will also be celebrating a significant milestone, with 2023 marking 25 years since its first event. This year’s event, which takes place between September 8-10, will honour Carroll Shelby who would’ve celebrated his 100th birthday in 2023.
Weather outlook
A very windy day across the north and east with strong gales, reports BBC Weather. Blustery showers, too, but these will ease by the afternoon. Drier in the south but there will also cloud.
Showers, heavy at times, will continue tonight in the north. It’ll be dry in the south.
Car Dealer Live – the future of the car dealer – exclusive conference features talks from leading car dealers, Google and Auto Trader among much more. Find out the full event details and book tickets.
