6:51 am, January 25, 2023
Rishi Sunak to come under fresh pressure over Nadhim Zahawi at PMQs
Rishi Sunak will come under fresh pressure over Nadhim Zahawi as he resists firing the Tory party chairman despite him being under investigation over his tax affairs.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is likely to seize on the fallout from Zahawi’s multi-million pound settlement at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday.
The PM ordered his ethics adviser to investigate whether Zahawi broke ministerial rules over the estimated £4.8m bill he settled with HMRC while chancellor. Sunak admitted there are ‘questions that need answering’ as the inquiry was launched but it was unclear what he knew when appointing Zahawi to the Cabinet-attending role.
Sunak urged by MPs to abandon ‘damaging’ Bill of Rights
Rishi Sunak is facing calls to abandon the government’s controversial attempt to overhaul human rights legislation amid a warning that it would seriously damage people’s ability to enforce their rights.
A cross-party committee of MPs and peers said the Bill of Rights showed a ‘disregard’ for the UK’s international legal obligations and would lead to more cases going to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
Ministers say the Bill – which would replace the Human Rights Act which enshrines the European Convention on Human Rights in UK – is intended to curb abuses of the current system. However the parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights said the Bill would create new barriers which make it harder for people to enforce their rights inside and outside courts.
US poised to approve Abrams tanks for Ukraine
The Biden administration is poised to approve sending M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, US officials said Tuesday, as international reluctance to send tanks to the battlefront against the Russians begins to erode.
The decision could be announced as soon as Wednesday, though it could take months or years for the tanks to be delivered.
The US announcement is expected in co-ordination with an announcement by Germany that it will approve Poland’s request to transfer German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, according to one official.
North of England sees lowest investment of advanced economies – think tank
The north of England receives one of the lowest levels of investment among advanced economies, a think tank has said.
If the region were a country, Greece would be the only OECD nation to see less public and private investment, according to the IPPR North’s State of the North report.
The UK and the north are being held back by ‘vast inequalities’ and ‘systematic underinvestment’ in research and development, social infrastructure and transport, IPPR North said. The report highlights the extent of regional disparities, including that productivity is around £7 lower per hour worked in the north than the England average, and hourly pay is £1.60 lower than in the rest of England.
Amazon workers walk out in UK first for company’s staff
Amazon workers are staging their first ever strike in the UK in a dispute over pay.
Members of the GMB at the company’s fulfilment centre in Coventry voted to walk out on Wednesday in protest against a pay rise the union said is worth 50p an hour.
Stuart Richards, GMB senior organiser, said: ‘After six months of ignoring all requests to listen to workers’ concerns, GMB urges Amazon UK bosses to do the right thing and give workers a proper pay rise.’
Hybrid working keeps high street footfall 18 per cent down on pre-pandemic 2019
The shift to hybrid working kept high street footfall 18 per cent down on pre-pandemic levels last year amid predictions it may never fully recover, according to a report.
Overall, UK footfall for all destinations was down 14.2 per cent in 2022 on pre-pandemic 2019, despite a slow but steady recovery, analysts Springboard said.
Footfall rose 10.8 per cent between May and December across all retail destinations compared with the same months in 2021 – when all stores had re-opened after pandemic restrictions – despite the challenges posed by the cost-of-living crisis. However hybrid working hit the high street, with weekday footfall remaining 18.2 per cent down on 2019 levels throughout last year.
Tuesday Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Stellantis chief lays out vision for future saying firm remains committed to car dealers ‘long-term’
- Sales manager prosecuted for forging solicitors’ letters in MOT garage fraud
- Suzuki’s Dale Wyatt and IMDA founder Stuart Saunders join Car Dealer Live line-up
- German union warns Ford is planning mass cull of jobs in both mainland Europe and UK
- Toys R Them… Close Brothers Motor Finance staff raise more than £6,000 for children’s charity
- Lookers Braintree hands over Funky Cat to Gridserve site for test drives
- Ford Fiesta was the most commonly sold used car in 2022
- Used car salesman who starred on Channel 4 dating show jailed for role in £1.5m heroin ring
Steve Barclay and Sadiq Khan clash over London Ulez expansion
Health secretary Steve Barclay appeared to criticise the Labour Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s planned ultra-low emissions zone expansion for imposing an ‘additional cost’ on NHS staff and others.
But a spokesperson for Khan said it was ‘surprising for a health secretary to ignore the advice of their own chief medical officer’ on the dangers of air pollution.
London’s ultra-low emissions zone (Ulez) is due to be expanded to cover the whole of the capital from August 29 to boost air quality, with a £12.50 daily fee for vehicles not meeting minimum standards.
Polestar updates 2 with more performance and extra range
Polestar has announced a major update for its 2 electric vehicle.
Battery sizes have been increased to 69 and 82kWh, leading to range increases. The Long Range can now do 368 miles on a full charge – 65 more than before.
Single motor cars will switch from front- to rear-wheel drive, and now develop 220kW – 50 more than before. Dual-motor versions have seen power and torque increased to 310kW and 740Nm, plus, the front motor can now be disengaged entirely when not in use, helping to boost efficiency further.
The styling has been tweaked, too, with nods to the larger Polestar 3. Prices start at £44,950.
Weather outlook
A band of showers will push south-eastwards during the day, reports BBC Weather. Behind this there will be bright spells.
Tonight the rain will clear leaving clear spells. There could be the odd shower in northern Scotland, and eastern and western coastlines.
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