6:54 am, July 28, 2023
Shell and Centrica’s billions spur calls for more action on energy firm profits
Opposition politicians and unions have demanded more action to rein in runaway profits as two of London’s biggest energy companies each said they had made billions of pounds in recent months.
British Gas made a record £1bn in the first six months of the year, helping its parent company Centrica make £2.1bn in adjusted operating profit, up 55 per cent on the year before.
Meanwhile oil giant Shell said that it had made 5.1 billion dollars (£3.9bn) in the three months to the end of June.
The Tesla Model Y was Europe’s most popular car in first half of 2023
Tesla continues to storm the European car market, with the firm’s electric Model Y being the most popular car in Europe across the first six months of 2023.
Figures from automotive analyst firm JATO Dynamics show that 136,564 Model Ys were registered across Europe between January and June. This was a huge 204 per cent increase on the first half of 2022.
It puts the Model Y ahead of cars like the Dacia Sandero (123,408) and Volkswagen T-Roc (111,692), while the Tesla Model 3 was also the second most popular electric car, with 42,588 registrations.
Read the full breakdown here.
Coutts boss resigns after Nigel Farage bank account row
The boss of bank Coutts which shut down Nigel Farage’s bank account, Peter Flavel, will step down immediately, its owner NatWest Group has said.
It follows the resignation of NatWest’s chief executive Dame Alison Rose in the early hours of Wednesday.
Its interim boss, Paul Thwaite, said the resignation was agreed by mutual consent and is the ‘right decision for Coutts and the wider group’.
Judge to give ruling over councils’ High Court challenge against Ulez expansion
A High Court judge is due to give his ruling over a legal challenge brought by five Conservative-led councils against the Mayor of London’s plan to expand the capital’s ultra low emission zone (Ulez).
The outer London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Harrow and Hillingdon along with Surrey County Council launched legal action in February over Sadiq Khan’s proposals to extend Ulez beyond the North and South Circular roads.
At a hearing earlier this month, the local authorities’ lawyers argued the Labour mayor lacked the legal power to order the expansion of the zone by varying existing regulations.
Europe’s markets climb as ECB signals end to rate rises but FTSE underperforms
European markets climbed higher on Thursday after the European Central Bank signalled interest rate hikes could be coming to an end.
All Europe’s top indexes finished higher after the ECB raised rates to record levels but president Christine Lagarde suggested the latest increase – a ninth consecutive hike – could be the last under the central bank as inflation eases.
Traders were therefore positive despite Federal Reserve chair Jay Powell suggesting a day earlier that there could be more tightening ahead.
Thursday’s Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Lookers’ directors agree to takeover offer by Global Auto Holdings after raised bid is tabled
- Troubled used car dealer Cazoo comes under fire from BBC’s Watchdog programme for second time in 15 months
- Golfer gets a Hyundai hole in one at car dealership’s charity day in aid of children with cancer
- Inchcape boss hails ‘excellent performance’ as profit and revenue soar during first half of year
- Motorway appoints Liz Kistruck as first ever chief financial officer
- Welcome boost for UK car industry as data shows production rose by 11.7 per cent in first half of 2023
July set to be hottest month on record – and possibly in last 120,000 years
July 2023 is on track to be the hottest month ever recorded, and may be the hottest month in the last 120,000 years, scientists have said.
Temperature readings of the air and sea as well as losses of Antarctic sea ice have all smashed previous records this summer, manifesting in relentlessly extreme heatwaves and wildfires around the world.
The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and Copernicus, the European Union’s climate watchers, said this July will be the hottest ‘by a significant margin’ despite looking at data from only the first three weeks.
Vigil held for Sinead O’Connor as dozens pay tribute to ‘beautiful soul’
Dozens of people have gathered outside the Wall of Fame in Dublin to pay their respects to the ‘beautiful soul’ of Sinead O’Connor.
Those gathered in Temple Bar spoke about the influence her music had on their lives, and called for her death to ‘light an absolute fire under all of us’ to tackle how mental health and children are treated in Ireland.
O’Connor died on Thursday aged 56.
Updated Mercedes Vito and V-Class revealed
Mercedes has revealed updated versions of its mid-size Vito and V-Class models, which adopt the firm’s latest in-car technology and a bold front-end redesign.
The ‘V’ range sits between Mercedes’ Citan and Sprinter and spawns an extensive line-up, including the commercial Vito model, more premium V-Class MPV, electric EQV and also the Marco Polo camper van.
One of the most noticeable changes is the front end of the models, which features a new grille that comes in various patterns, depending on the version.
Weather outlook…
Today, early cloud and rain in the far north-east will clear away. Most will then see patchy cloud, sunny spells and a few light showers. Thicker cloud moving into the far west by the evening, the BBC reports.
This evening will become mostly dry for a time. Overnight, there will bands of cloud along with sharp showers moving in from the west, but these will be interspersed with drier and clearer interludes.
Tomorrow will see a mix of variable cloud, sunny spells and scattered blustery showers, with a risk of thunder in the north-west. Turning breezy for most, with strengthening south-westerly winds.
