6:57 am, January 17, 2023
Anti-strike legislation passes first test but wave of industrial action rolls on
Teachers ‘mean business’ in their fight for better pay, the government has been warned as controversial anti-strike legislation cleared its first hurdle in Parliament.
The education secretary is due to meet the National Education Union (NEU) on Wednesday in a bid to avert seven days of walkouts in February and March. Nine out of 10 teacher members of the NEU – the largest education union in the UK – voted for strike action in a result announced on Monday, and the union passed the 50 per cent ballot turnout required by law.
Business secretary Grant Shapps told MPs the public ‘has had enough of the constant, most unwelcome, frankly dangerous, disruption to their lives’ as the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill was considered in the House of Commons on Monday evening. In Parliament, MPs voted 309 to 249, majority 60, to give the Bill a second reading.
Rishi Sunak ‘bows to Tory rebels’ to boost online safety for children
Rishi Sunak appears to have bowed to pressure from rebel Tory MPs to toughen up punishments for social media bosses who fail to protect children from harm online.
The prime minister was facing a major backbench rebellion as 50 MPs put their names to an amendment to the Online Safety Bill that would make tech chiefs criminally liable if they do not block minors from seeing damaging content on their platforms.
Michelle Donelan has reached a deal with rebels after talks over the weekend, according to a source close to the culture secretary, allowing the prime minister to avoid an embarrassing defeat in the Commons. It is understood the rebels have dropped the amendment ahead of its return to the Commons on Tuesday and the culture secretary is working with them to table it in the House of Lords ‘in a more workable format’.
Met boss apologises for ‘horrific’ failures as officer revealed as serial rapist
The Metropolitan Police Commissioner has admitted ‘horrific’ failures by the force and apologised to victims after an elite armed officer was revealed as one of Britain’s most prolific sex offenders.
Pc David Carrick, 48, attacked at least a dozen women over an 18-year period throughout his career with the Met, using his position to gain their trust and scare them into staying silent.
Carrick, from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, pleaded guilty to 43 charges at the Old Bailey in December and a final six at Southwark Crown Court on Monday.
Public urged to travel only if ‘absolutely essential’ due to freezing weather
Police are advising people to only travel if ‘absolutely essential’ after freezing weather conditions resulted in dozens of road accidents.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), a government health agency, issued a level three cold alert on Monday in response to ‘severe winter weather’.
Avon and Somerset Police said early on Tuesday morning that they are advising the public to only travel if essential after the force received more than 100 reports of road-related incidents in five hours.
Cleverly to urge US to step up support for Ukraine
Foreign secretary James Cleverly is holding talks in Washington as he seeks to bolster support for Ukraine in its struggle against Russia’s invasion.
Cleverly will meet US secretary of state Antony Blinken on Tuesday before travelling to Toronto for talks on Wednesday with his Canadian counterpart, Melanie Joly.
He is expected to use his visit to urge the allies to go ‘further and faster’ in their support for the government in Kyiv, arguing that, with the right equipment, the Ukrainians can prevail against Moscow. His intervention comes after PM Rishi Sunak announced at the weekend that the UK is to become the first nation to supply Ukraine with modern Western tanks – a key demand of president Volodymyr Zelensky.
UK government uses ‘nuclear option’ in Gender Bill block
The UK government has been accused of using the ‘nuclear option’ after Westminster stepped in to block Holyrood legislation aimed at simplifying the gender recognition process in Scotland.
Scottish secretary Alister Jack said he will make an order under Section 35 of the Scotland Act 1998 to stop the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill from going forward for royal assent.
First minister Nicola Sturgeon said the move is ‘a full-frontal attack’ on the Scottish Parliament and ‘its ability to make its own decisions on devolved matters’.
Ford Mustang Mach-E is converted into first electric hearse
A Ford Mustang Mach-E has been converted into a hearse, becoming one of the first electric vehicles of its type.
Created by specialist funeral vehicle supplier Coleman Milne, based in Bolton, it’s thought to be the first hearse based on Ford’s Mustang Mach-E SUV. It uses a ‘Standard Range’ model as its base, with the firm saying it’s ‘capable of delivering an estimated range of up to 200 miles’.
The Mustang Mach-E hearse will be offered in left- and right-hand-drive configurations for the UK and other European markets, with the first test vehicles set to be available from the middle of 2023.
Scots cutting back on dining out and takeaways, survey suggests
More than one million people living in Scotland have cut back on ordering takeaways, eating out and buying groceries, according to research.
The change in spending habits has been caused by rising energy bills, a study by Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) found.
The charity’s analysis of a YouGov poll, which looked at 1,002 adults living north of the border, showed 66 per cent – equivalent to 1.m people if applied to the entire Scottish population – have cut back on eating or drinking out.
More than half (57 per cent) were found to have cut back on ordering a takeaway. And an estimated 61 per cent have cut back on groceries, the research showed. A total of 51 per cent of adults were also found to be limiting costs by cooking less with gas or electric appliances.
Monday Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Mechanic fined £1,300 for issuing fraudulent MOT certificates
- Time is running out to grab early bird ticket prices to Car Dealer Live
- Used Tesla prices continue to tank in January as experts assess big impact of new price drop
- Jaguar wants to compete with Bentley as prices could climb over £100k for new range
- Expert warns there is a ‘bumpy’ road ahead for EVs as talk of 2030 delay continues
- Marshall Motor Group snaps up Jaguar Land Rover dealership from family-run Sturgess
- Cox Automotive backs motor trade to make ‘tentative’ recovery in 2023 despite continued supply issues
- Vertu CEO Robert Forrester says used car demand has risen despite cost-of-living crisis
- Police launch manhunt after thieves ransack Hampshire car dealership
Billions in tax lost as HMRC staff transferred to Brexit and Covid fraud
Billions of pounds in tax has been lost because HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) moved 2,300 tax compliance staff to work on Brexit and Covid schemes.
Treasury minister Victoria Atkins said nearly 1,250 tax compliance officers, who would usually investigate tax dodging and non-compliance, were redeployed to work on Covid-19 pandemic schemes in 2021-22. Another 1,040 were shifted to handle matters relating to the UK’s departure from the EU, she said in response to ministerial questions.
Tax revenue recovered through compliance work was £30.8bn in 2021-22, down £6bn from 2019-20, Atkins said.
Weather outlook
A cold start for all, reports BBC Weather, with the majority of the UK seeing plenty of winter sunshine. There will be scattered showers of sleet and snow in a few western and northern parts, though.
A cold and frosty night for many. Northern Scotland will bear the brunt of strong winds and snow showers, while further south in Northern Ireland, north Wales and western England, there will be snow showers at times.
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