6:53 am, February 21, 2024
Cameron to set out consequences for Russia over Navalny death
The UK is poised to set out its response to the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, with foreign secretary Lord Cameron telling Vladimir Putin: ‘We match our words with actions’.
Lord Cameron will also condemn Russia’s war in Ukraine and stress the need for nations to adhere to the rules-based international order when he speaks at a meeting of foreign ministers from the G20 nations in Rio on Wednesday.
The former prime minister will also use his appearance at the summit to reiterate his call for an immediate pause in fighting in Gaza to get more aid to the beleaguered population who have suffered under Israel’s military onslaught and to allow the release of the hostages seized by Hamas.
Government amendment on Gaza ceasefire vote puts Labour in a bind
The UK government has put forward an amendment to counter the SNP’s Gaza ceasefire motion in a move that could expose Labour splits over the Middle East conflict.
Labour had looked to avoid another possible rebellion over the Israel-Hamas war by tabling an amendment to the Scottish nationalists’ motion demanding an immediate ceasefire.
Sir Keir Starmer’s party on Tuesday publicly shifted its stance to back a call for an ‘immediate humanitarian ceasefire’, giving MPs who were unhappy with the leadership’s previous handling of the issue a wording to rally behind. But the government’s decision to table its own counter-amendment to the motion increases the likelihood that the Commons Speaker will not choose the Labour amendment for debate on Wednesday.
Junior doctors in Wales begin 72-hour walkout in fresh strike action over pay
Thousands of junior doctors across Wales were beginning another round of strike action on Wednesday, demanding a ‘credible pay offer’ from the Welsh government.
The 72-hour full walkout was expected to see more than 3,000 doctors taking industrial action, with appointments at hospitals and GPs set to be postponed across the county.
The strike was starting at 7am on Wednesday and would last until 7am on Saturday.
Blanket 20mph speed limits working, says Welsh government
Blanket 20mph limits are helping cut speeds and will save lives, the Welsh government has insisted.
Drivers are travelling on average 4mph slower – from 28.9mph to 24.8mph – on main roads in Wales since the rollout of a new lower speed limit for built-up areas, data collected by Transport for Wales (TfW) shows.
The Welsh Labour government, which implemented the change in September last year, insists the lower speeds will lead to fewer collisions and people injured. But the change has seen fierce opposition from the Conservatives in the Senedd, who have branded it a ‘waste of time and resources’.
Tuesday Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Meet the sports stars who have turned their hands to the motor trade since hanging up the boots
- Family-run Sturgess Motor Group hooks up with Chinese EV maker BYD
- Vospers bolsters Stellantis partnership as it invests in showrooms and adds brand
- Government U-turns on plan to close VAT loophole on double-cab pick-ups
- Unravelling the mystery of what car buyers really want from online car sales at Car Dealer Live
- Fiat calls on government to reinstate plug-in car grant to boost EV demand
- Family-owned Alan Day Motor Group backs £1.25m food banks campaign
- Aston Martin looks to put delays behind it by boosting production with 400 new recruits
Body Shop to cut almost 300 jobs and shut almost half of shops
The Body Shop is set to shut nearly half of its 198 UK shops after the cosmetics chain fell into administration last week.
It will also cut around 270 head office jobs as part of a heavy restructuring, leaving it with around 400 workers at its London headquarters. The group also employs around 1,500 workers across its UK shops, with hundreds of these workers expected to face redundancy as a result of the proposed closures.
Administrators for the business said seven of its shops would shut their doors for good yesterday. The group’s other stores will continue to trade until further updates from insolvency experts overseeing the process.
Petrol prices up 3p per litre in three weeks
Average fuel prices have risen by more than 3p per litre in three weeks, new analysis shows.
The RAC said the average price of a litre of petrol increased by 3.2p from 140.0p on January 29 to 143.3p on Monday. Diesel prices have also surged by 4.0p per litre over the same period, from 148.0p to 152.0p.
It follows a three-month downward trend in fuel prices up to mid-January. The pump price hikes have been attributed to a jump in the price of oil, which has been trading above 80 US dollars a barrel for most of the last four weeks.
Weather
A band of heavy rain will cover most of the country today, reports BBC Weather. It’ll slowly spread eastwards leaving bright spells and scattered showers in its wake. Very mild at 11-13 degrees but a strong wind will make it feel colder.
Tonight will start dry but a bad of rain from the northwest will push in. It’ll also drag in colder air meaning on some high places the rain will be wintry.
