6:18 am, July 7, 2024
PM seeks ‘immediate reset’ of relationship with devolved nations
The prime minister said he was seeking an ‘immediate reset’ of the relationship between the Westminster government and devolved nations as he embarks on a tour of all four corners of Britain.
Sir Keir Starmer insisted ‘respect’ would be the key ingredient in the bond between the new UK administration and its Irish, Scottish and Welsh counterparts.
His first visit will be to Edinburgh on Sunday, where the PM will say he wants to ‘turn disagreement into co-operation’ with the SNP north of the border.
‘People across the United Kingdom are bound by shared beliefs. Fundamental values of respect, service and community which define us as a great nation,’ Sir Keir said.
Pagani reveals one-off special with Huayra Epitome
Pagani has revealed a one-off special edition of its iconic Huayra hypercar – the Epitome.
Created by Pagani’s special project division, Grandi Complicazioni, what makes this model unique is that the Epitome is the first Huayra to feature a manual gearbox.
Powering the car is the firm’s AMG-derived V12 twin-turbocharged engine that produces 851bhp and 1,100Nm of torque. A 0-60mph time hasn’t been revealed, although it boasts a top speed of 217mph.
Turnout at General Election lowest for more than 20 years
Turnout at the General Election was the lowest for more than 20 years and with all 650 results declared, the overall turnout was 59.9%.
This is down sharply from 67.3% at the last election in 2019.
It is also the worst turnout at a general election since 2001, when the figure slumped to 59.4%: the lowest since before the Second World War.
Goldman Sachs upgrades UK growth forecast
Goldman Sachs has upgraded its economic growth forecasts for the UK after the Labour Party swept to victory in the General Election.
The investment bank lifted its forecast for the UK’s gross domestic product by 0.1 percentage points to 1.6% in 2025 and another 1.5% in 2026.
Economists said they expect Labour’s policy plans to give a ‘modest boost to demand growth in the near-term’.
They said: ‘Reforms to the planning system could boost house-building and productivity; higher public sector investment could lift potential output; and closer trade ties with the EU could mitigate some of the costs of Brexit.’
Saturday’s Car Dealer headlines you might have missed:
- Get your tickets for the Car Dealer Podcast Live on September 4 and be part of the show
- Car Dealer Weekly Briefing: Waddell, Maria and ZEV Mandates – the biggest headlines in one place
Samsung expects profits to jump nearly 15-fold
Samsung expects its Q2 2024 profits to rise almost 15-fold compared to the same period last year.
The Korean technology giant said it estimates profits for the three months to June to rise to 10.4 trillion won (£5.9bn), from 670bn won (£380m) last year.
It follows a similar jump reported by the firm for the first three months of this year, when it saw a more than 10-fold rise in profits.
The boost in profits and sales is being driven by the boom in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, which has sparked a rise in the prices of advanced computer chips – needed to power advanced AI products.
Government already started on work to fix ‘broken’ NHS
The newly-elected Labour Government has already started on the work to fix the “broken” NHS, Sir Keir Starmer has said.
The Prime Minister told journalists at a press conference in Downing Street that the “raw honesty” about the state of the health service is “tough” to hear for those working in the NHS, but that the candour is necessary to fix it.
He added that the work to get 40,000 extra NHS appointments a week as pledged “starts straight away”.
Heavy rain on way again
Heavy rain is forecast which could affect Wimbledon and the British Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon, the Met Office said.
Temperatures across the UK were below average for the time of year on Saturday by 2-3C, with a high of 21C being reached in Northern Ireland, the forecaster said.
Similar temperatures are expected on Sunday, along with heavy rain and the potential for disruption to Wimbledon and the British Grand Prix in the afternoon.
