6:41 am, July 29, 2024
Chancellor to announce cost-cutting steps as she pledges to fix public finances
Chancellor Rachel Reeves will announce immediate steps to cut costs on Monday as she is expected to unveil a black hole in the accounts of around £20bn.
She will lay out the spending inheritance left by the previous government – and announce the date of her first autumn Budget – on Monday afternoon as she pledges to ‘restore economic stability’.
She will say that a Treasury spending audit she commissioned shows that the previous government overspent this year’s budgets by billions of pounds after making a series of unfunded promises. She will also accuse the previous Conservative government of ‘covering up the true state of the public finances’.
First industrial action by GPs in 60 years would bring NHS to a standstill – BMA
GPs have threatened to bring the NHS to a ‘standstill’ with unprecedented industrial action.
Family doctors across England are being balloted by the British Medical Association (BMA) on whether they are in favour of staging collective action amid a row over the new contract for GP services in England. The ballot will close on Monday and, if medics vote in favour of collective action, it will start on August 1 and could last for ‘months’.
This collective action could potentially mean GPs limit the number of patients they will see each day to 25, they may choose to stop performing work they are not formally contracted to do, and they could potentially ignore ‘rationing’ restrictions by ‘prescribing whatever is in the patient’s best interest’.
Kemi Badenoch launches Tory leadership bid as nominations set to close
Kemi Badenoch has thrown her hat in the ring and Suella Braverman has bowed out as nominations are set to close in the Conservative Party leadership race.
Badenoch, an early favourite with bookmakers, joins Dame Priti Patel, Mel Stride, Tom Tugendhat, James Cleverly and Robert Jenrick to compete for the top job. Under rules drawn up by the 1922 Committee of Tory MPs and the party board, nominations close at 2.30pm on Monday.
Writing in The Times, Badenoch said an ‘incoherent’ set of policies were to blame for the party suffering its worst general election result.
French border control zone at Dover to be expanded ahead of new EU rules
The French border control zone at the Port of Dover will be expanded to reduce the risk of queues at peak times when new EU rules come into force.
Under the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES), expected to come into force in the autumn, travellers entering from the UK and other non-EU countries will have to register their details at the EU border and provide biometric data.
As the government prepares for the change, Home Office minister Seema Malhotra will lay a Statutory Instrument in Parliament on Monday to allow French border officials to operate in an expanded zone at the Port of Dover.
Listen to the latest Car Dealer Podcast
James Baggott and Jon Reay are joined by journalist and Auto Trader editorial director Erin Baker to chat about the week’s headlines. You can listen via Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Tommy Robinson ‘arrested under anti-terror laws’ following film complaint
Tommy Robinson has been arrested under anti-terror laws, according to his supporters, after a protest at which a film was allegedly screened in contempt of court.
His detention was made public in a post on his verified X account and follows a march led by Robinson and a counter-protest in central London on Saturday which attracted thousands of people.
A complaint was later made over a film which was allegedly shown to the crowd in breach of a High Court order, with police saying officers were making further inquiries.
‘Iconic voice’ hailed as Gladiators referee John Anderson dies aged 92
Gladiators referee John Anderson has died aged 92, the TV show said.
The Scottish sports coach was best known for his role as the umpire in the original ITV show, between 1992 and 2000, and the revamped short-lived Sky series.
He also trained more than 100 Olympians, and was inducted into the Coaching Hall of Fame in 2002.
Weather
Another dry and warm day for the south of England, reports BBC Weather, while the north will be cloudier with the odd spot of rain. Highs of 28 degrees in the south-east.
A clear night for most although the far north will see the odd shower.
