6:46 am, June 1, 2023
Deadline looms again in Covid inquiry row as Johnson says WhatsApps can be given
The government faces a deadline to either release Boris Johnson’s unredacted messages and diaries to the Covid-19 inquiry or face a legal dispute, with an extension due to come to an end on Thursday.
The Cabinet Office had claimed it did not have access to Johnson’s WhatsApp messages and private notebooks ahead of an earlier deadline on Tuesday.
But the former prime minister said on Wednesday that the material has been handed over to the government, and he urged the Cabinet Office to pass the contents on to Baroness Hallett’s official inquiry.
Illegal migration top of the agenda as Sunak attends European summit
Rishi Sunak is set to use a gathering of European leaders to urge cross-continental co-operation to tackle illegal migration.
The prime minister will join fellow leaders in Moldova for a meeting of the European Political Community, where he is expected to stress the need to address the issue.
While there, he is expected to announce the start of negotiations on a new returns agreement with Moldova to allow the UK to return foreign nationals who have been found to be in violation of immigration law. It comes as a similar deal with Georgia enters into force.
Boy, 17, and girl, 12, die following incident off Bournemouth beach
A 17-year-old-boy and a girl aged 12 have died, and a man in his 40s has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter following an incident off Bournemouth beach, Dorset Police said.
The force said it received a report from paramedics at around 4.30pm on Wednesday afternoon of people requiring assistance on the beach off Bournemouth Pier. Emergency services attended the scene and 10 people were recovered from the water.
The force said that a 17-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl sustained ‘critical injuries’, and later died in hospital. While the other eight people were treated for injuries that are not life-threatening.
NHS staff to begin receiving pay rises as new deal takes effect
More than one million NHS staff in England will start to receive increased salaries and one-off payments from Thursday as the terms of the latest pay deal begin to take effect, the government has said.
Eligible staff on the Agenda for Change contract – which includes nurses, paramedics, 999 call handlers, midwives, security guards and cleaners – will receive a five per cent pay rise, backdated to April.
And as part of the deal, those eligible will also receive a one-off payment for last year and a so-called NHS backlog bonus for this year, the latter worth between £1,250 and £1,600. It comes after protracted pay disputes, with some NHS staff still threatening strike action.
ITV to carry out external review of the facts following Phillip Schofield’s exit
ITV has instructed a barrister to carry out an external review of the facts following Phillip Schofield’s departure from This Morning and subsequent press statements, chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall has said in a letter seen by the PA news agency.
The letter was sent to culture secretary Lucy Frazer, DCMS Committee chair Dame Caroline Dinenage and Ofcom’s chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes, in the wake of Schofield’s departure from ITV last week.
Schofield, 61, resigned from the broadcaster on Friday and was dropped by his talent agency YMU after admitting to an ‘unwise but not illegal’ affair with a younger male colleague.
Glasgow’s controversial low emission zone comes into effect
Glasgow has become the first Scottish city to enforce a low emission zone (LEZ).
From today, all vehicles entering the city centre must be compliant with emission standards or face a fine. Emissions requirements are Euro for petrol cars and vans, Euro 6 for diesel cars and vans, and Euro VI for buses, coaches and HGVs.
Glasgow City Council said the policy will protect public health by tackling ‘unacceptably high’ levels of air pollution, but opposition parties say the policy will affect livelihoods and businesses.
Just Stop Oil protesters arrested in Parliament Square
Just Stop Oil protesters have been arrested for failing to move out of the road in Parliament Square in their latest slow march.
The group said 10 supporters, including a wheelchair-dependent retired cook and members of Christian Climate Action, were detained by police on Wednesday.
They were among a larger group of 56 activists who were staging a slow march near the Houses of Parliament, following earlier protest action in west London when the A4 was blocked during rush hour. The Metropolitan Police later said 12 protesters were arrested in Parliament Square for failing to comply with conditions when imposed, and officers continued to monitor the situation.
Wednesday Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Honda UK will launch agency sales model later this year for its new electric car
- Car Dealer Power 2023: The shortlist revealed for our annual awards
- Work begins on £6m TrustFord Glasgow site after pre-let agreed
- Lawrence Stroll sells £117m of his Aston Martin stake following Geely investment
- Championship endurance racing team goes up for sale – including two iconic BMW race cars
- Dealership boss warns jobs could go because of low-emission zone expansion
- Used EV sales slow in May as stock volumes drop by 10 per cent
- Suzuki boss Dale Wyatt reveals top tips for customer satisfaction and why he’s happy to let dealers be the bigger brand
- Revealed: Five things that car dealers need to think about in the countdown to Consumer Duty
Amazon pays £781m in UK taxes as workforce and revenue swells
Online giant Amazon has revealed it paid £781m in direct taxes last year, a jump of more than £130m from the prior year, as it continued its rapid expansion across the nation.
The global marketplace and technology firm said it invested more and generated higher revenues over 2022.
With a workforce of 75,000 in the UK and more than 100 warehouses and offices, Amazon’s tax bill has amounted to billions over the years. It benefited from a surge in demand for online deliveries during the pandemic, ramping up its operations and going on a recruitment drive to cope with more customer orders.
Fiat’s Topolino channels old-school charm into modern electric quadricycle
Fiat has revealed a first look at its new electric city quadricycle – the Topolino.
Expected to be based on the same platform as the Citroen Ami, the Topolino has been designed to provide an ‘urban mobility solution’ to inner-city drivers.
Exhibiting some of the styling touches that you’d find on the latest Fiat 500 – such as the round headlights and prominent badge on the front – the Topolino comes equipped with a mint-grey exterior colour and a roll-back fabric roof. There’s also a rope to act as a ‘door’ to the vehicle. It’s unclear if the Toppling would ever reach UK shores.
Weather outlook
Cloud will disperse gradually leaving a fine, sunny day for most, reports BBC Weather. Eastern areas of England and Scotland will hang onto the cloud, however. The western side of the UK will have the warmest temperatures – highs of 22 degrees celsius.
It’ll be a dry night for Scotland, Northern Ireland, western Wales and south-west England with clear skies. Elsewhere it’ll be dry but with variable cloud.
