6:44 am, July 20, 2023
Consultant strike will have ‘biggest impact yet’ on NHS
Thousands of consultants in England are going on strike over pay, with the action expected to cause mass disruption across the NHS.
Consultant doctors and hospital-based dentists will strike for 48 hours from 7am on Thursday morning until 7am on Saturday.
Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents health trusts, told the PA news agency: ‘The impact of this strike on patients and services is likely to be the biggest yet. The NHS cannot fully function without consultants.’
Tories braced for defeats in triple by-election contest
Rishi Sunak has braced Conservative MPs for possible defeats in Thursday’s triple by-election contest.
The prime minister told a meeting of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers on the eve of the polls that they face a ‘tough battle’ in what were seen as safe seats for his party.
Labour hopes to snatch Uxbridge and South Ruislip, which was Boris Johnson’s seat until he quit, and Selby and Ainsty – vacated by his ally Nigel Adams’ resignation. The Liberal Democrats are eying victory in the contest in Somerton and Frome that was triggered by David Warburton quitting after admitting cocaine use amid allegations of sexual harassment.
Rail passengers facing further strikes from Thursday
Rail passengers are being warned of disruption to services from Thursday because of fresh industrial action by train drivers and other workers in long running disputes over pay, jobs and conditions.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will strike on July 20, 22 and 29 while drivers in Aslef are banning overtime this week.
RMT members including station staff, train managers and catering staff will be involved in the action. Passengers were advised to check their travel arrangements in advance as the level of service will vary across the country.
Banks ‘could lose licences for banning customers over their political views’
Banks could lose their licences if they close customers’ accounts over their political views, it has been reported.
According to The Times, ministers are considering making new laws that stop banks turning customers away in an effort to protect free speech.
The Treasury will also reportedly announce plans as soon as next week to extend the notice time given to customers to close their accounts from one month to three months. Banks will also have to give an explanation of why the accounts are being closed and customers will be able to appeal the decision. It comes after Nigel Farage’s bank accounts were closed by Coutts because his views ‘did not align with’ the bank’s values.
Tech-savvy UK businesses to invest in AI to replace staff and cut costs – HSBC
Nearly a third of UK businesses which are focused on becoming more tech-savvy want to use artificial intelligence (AI) and automation to bolster their workforce and replace staff, a survey has found.
A majority of firms are targeting technology to further their growth plans, but smaller businesses who have conflicting priorities are at risk of being left behind in the race to automate, according to a survey by banking giant HSBC UK.
Some 45 per cent of all businesses surveyed said technology was an important area of strategic focus, and a quarter planned to invest in AI and machine learning to boost efficiencies and tackle staffing and cost challenges.
Wednesday Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Investigation: Which car makers are switching to haggle-free, fixed price agency sales and when?
- Official: JLR owner confirms it will invest more than £4bn building new gigafactory in Somerset
- Losses at Lotus deepen as ‘production challenges’ bite
- Falling used EV prices show sector is settling down – report
- TomTom moves to protect data after being targeted by ransom group in cyber attack
Teenagers now favouring TikTok as single source of news, Ofcom says
TikTok is now the most used single source of news across all platforms for teenagers in the UK, new research from Ofcom has found.
The regulator’s News Consumption In The UK 2022/23 report found TikTok is the favoured single news source among 12 to 15-year-olds. TikTok is most popular with young people and used by 28 per cent of teenagers, followed by YouTube and Instagram, both at 25 per cent, according to the figures.
But, taking into account all news content across its platforms, the BBC still has the highest reach of any news organisation among this age group – used by 39 per cent of teenagers.
Netflix subscriber growth surges after password sharing crackdown
Netflix has enjoyed its biggest spring-time spurt in subscribers since the early days of the pandemic three years ago.
The video streaming service added 5.9m subscribers during the April-June period, according to numbers released on Wednesday along with its latest quarterly financial results.
The gains easily surpassed the roughly 2.2m additional subscribers that analysts surveyed by FactSet Research had anticipated. Netflix ended June with 238.4m worldwide subscribers. The subscriber surge is the latest sign that a recent crackdown on password sharing and the roll-out of a cheaper version of its video streaming service are paying off.
Updated Vauxhall Corsa to start from £19,625
Vauxhall has announced pricing and specifications for the facelifted Corsa, with the supermini available from £19,625.
Most noticeable of the changes are its new ‘Vizor’ front end, while there’s also a new 10-inch touchscreen and a larger 51kWh battery for the Corsa Electric.
Prices are £500 more than the pre-facelift model. They start at £19,625 (or £32,445 for the electric) and rise to £25,685 for the petrol, or £38,585 for the Corsa Electric. Deliveries are expected by the end of the year.
Weather
A day of cloud and scattered showers for the vast majority of the country, although these will ease off in the evening, reports BBC Weather. Despsite the rain it won’t be cool, though, with temperatures ranging from 17 to 22 degrees.
Showers will linger in the far north but it’ll be a dry night for most areas with clear skies.
