6:15 am, July 5, 2024
UK’s next prime minister Sir Keir Starmer says ‘change begins now’
Sir Keir Starmer said the UK was again experiencing the ‘sunlight of hope’ after a Labour landslide propelled him to be the next prime minister.
At a victory rally held at the Tate Modern gallery in London shortly after Rishi Sunak publicly conceded defeat, Sir Keir said the country could now ‘get its future back’. He told jubilant activists: ‘We did it’, adding: ‘Change begins now.’
A record 12 ministers attending Cabinet lost their seats, including defence secretary Grant Shapps, House of Commons leader Penny Mordaunt and education secretary Gillian Keegan. At the time of publication, Labour had 392 seats, with 57 yet to be declared – it needed 326 for a majority.
Labour victory signals demise of Rwanda plan
The Labour election victory signals the demise of the Conservatives’ stalled multi-million-pound plan to send migrants to Rwanda, without a single asylum seeker being deported from the UK.
Sir Keir Starmer’s party vowed to scrap the problem-plagued policy – condemned by critics as being absurd and inhumane – ‘on day one’ if elected.
Fresh High Court legal challenges against elements of the policy are still under way, amid sustained concerns about the east African nation’s human rights record.
Cineworld plans to shut around a quarter of cinemas – reports
Cineworld is planning to shut around a quarter of its UK cinemas in its latest restructuring, according to reports.
The cinema chain, which currently runs around 100 sites across the country, is expected to launch closures as part of a formal restructuring plan.
Sky News reported that the group, which was taken private last year, will also seek renegotiated rents on around 50 other cinemas, with the remaining roughly 25 sites untouched by the process. The PA news agency has contacted Cineworld for comment.
Lucy Letby to be sentenced for attempted murder of baby girl
Child serial killer nurse Lucy Letby will be sentenced today for the attempted murder of a baby girl.
Letby, 34, of Hereford, was found guilty on Tuesday at Manchester Crown Court of the attack on the newborn infant during a night shift at the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neo-natal unit in February 2016.
She is already serving 14 whole life terms for seven murders and seven attempted murders of babies, with two bids to kill one child, at the unit between June 2015 and June 2016.
Security guard guilty of hatching Holly Willoughby kidnap, rape and murder plot
A security guard wept in the dock yesterday as he was found guilty of masterminding graphic plans to kidnap, rape and murder TV presenter Holly Willoughby.
Gavin Plumb, 37, from Harlow, developed an obsession with the star over a number of years and assembled an ‘abduction kit’ – complete with handcuffs and metal cable ties – to help carry out his attack.
A Chelmsford Crown Court jury took 12 hours and 19 minutes to unanimously convict him of soliciting murder and inciting rape and kidnap. He will be sentenced there next Friday.
Steel giant Tata shuts down one of two blast furnaces at Port Talbot plant
Steel giant Tata has shut down one of two blast furnaces at its biggest plant under its plans to switch to a greener form of production.
The company said it had ceased operations of Blast Furnace 5 in Port Talbot as part of its restructuring programme to stem ‘unsustainable’ losses of more than £1m a day.
The decommissioning of Blast Furnace 5, which began operating in 1959, started immediately after the last liquid iron was produced yesterday. The second blast furnace is due to be shut down in September.
German city temporarily renamed in Taylor Swift’s honour ahead of Eras Tour gigs
The Swifties are about to take over the German city of Gelsenkirchen, where American superstar Taylor Swift is set to perform at three Eras Tour concerts later this month.
The city has temporarily renamed itself Swiftkirchen – which loosely translates as Swift’s Church – in honour of the singer to welcome the tens of thousands of fans who are expected to come for her shows on July 17, 18 and 19.
A yellow city sign with the new name was unveiled by teenage schoolgirl and superfan Aleshanee Westhoff, who suggested the name to the city’s mayor and started a petition a few weeks ago.
New Mini John Cooper Works E to debut at Goodwood
Mini will bring a prototype version of its new John Cooper Works E to the Goodwood Festival of Speed later this month.
It’s expected that the new model, which becomes the first electric Mini to wear the John Cooper Works badge, will tackle the famous hill climb in camouflaged form.
The performance-orientated model will have a tweaked electric powertrain to give more power and deliver a more involving driving experience than the standard car. The festival runs from July 11 to 14.
Yesterday’s headlines on Car Dealer you might have missed
- Exclusive: Stellantis UK boss on potentially pulling UK production, her love for the 2030 ban and what she needs to fix next
- It may be impossible to order petrol and diesel cars later this year – Stellantis UK boss
- Stellantis UK boss on late dealer bonus payments, cars stuck at ports and agency sales delay
- Used car dealer ordered to pay out thousands for fraudulently selling sub-standard vehicles
- New car sales to retail buyers fall again as market hits one million mark
- Van market’s June fall of 4.5% ends growth run of 17 months
- Richmond Motor Group signs ‘special’ new sponsorship deal with Portsmouth FC
- Car buyers splash the cash as drivers spend £57.4bn on vehicle purchases in 2023
Market movements
The FTSE 100 closed 70.14 points up yesterday to end the day on 8,241.26. The Cac 40 was up 63.70 points at 7,695.78, the Dax was up 75.95 points at 18,450.48, but the Dow Jones was down 23.85 points at 39,308.00.
Weather outlook
Today, southern areas of England and Wales will be cloudy with patchy and, towards the evening, heavy rain, says BBC Weather. Scotland and Northern Ireland will have scattered showers, but it’ll be mostly dry and bright for the rest in between.
Saturday will see unsettled weather with scattered showers for most but getting drier and brighter towards the evening in the south. It’ll also be rather windy in most places.
