6:40 am, June 10, 2023
Partygate panel to publish inquiry report after Boris Johnson quits as MP
A report into whether Boris Johnson misled MPs over his partygate assurances will be published ‘promptly’ after the former prime minister’s dramatic decision yesterday to quit the Commons.
The Commons privileges committee said the cross-party panel of MPs will meet on Monday to complete its inquiry.
It comes after Johnson launched a blistering attack on the Tory-majority committee, comparing it to a ‘kangaroo court’ and a ‘witch hunt’, as he announced his intention to stand down as the MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip with immediate effect, triggering a by-election.
King’s charity ‘has insufficient funds’ for child sexual abuse payments
Survivors of farm schools where British children suffered physical and sexual abuse are imploring the King to intervene after they were told his charity, the Prince’s Trust, had ‘insufficient monies’ to adequately pay compensation.
The Prince’s Trust became liable for the Fairbridge Society in 2012 when it absorbed the charity that for 70 years sent tens of thousands of British children to farm orphanages in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the former Rhodesia, where subsequent inquiries found they suffered cruelty, mistreatment and sexual abuse.
David Hill, a former child migrant who was sent to the Molong school in New South Wales as a 12-year-old in 1959, implored the King to intervene and ‘correct the injustice’ against survivors. They have been told they will only receive about one per cent of the £204,000 each that the High Court of Justice determined was a reasonable amount.
Greggs ‘on track’ with plan to open 150 new shops
Greggs boss Roisin Currie has said the bakery chain is on track with plans to open 150 new shops across the UK.
The sausage roll seller said it will open new stores in Cornwall and other areas where it currently has fewer sites as part the group’s rapid expansion plan.
Greggs currently runs around 2,300 shops across the UK but said it hopes to expand to more than 3,000 as part of its long-term growth strategy.
UK tax system is ‘very progressive’, says Sunak
Rishi Sunak has insisted the UK’s tax system is ‘very progressive’ as he brushed off questions about his own financial affairs.
The PM paid an effective rate of around 22 per cent on his substantial income because the majority came from capital gains rather than earnings.
But Sunak insisted the tax system was fair for lower earners, many of whom had been taken out of tax as a result of threshold increases since the Tories came to power in 2022. He made nearly £2m through income and capital gains in 2021/22.
Activists to stage protests across Scotland against Rosebank oil field
Hundreds of demonstrators will descend on beaches and take to the sea across Scotland today to protest against the planned development of the Rosebank oil and gas field.
Activists from all over the country will set out on boats, kayaks and paddleboards to highlight their concerns over the potential impact drilling into the reservoir 80 miles north-west of the Shetland isles could have on local marine life.
UK energy security secretary Grant Shapps is expected to reach a decision soon on whether to approve the development of Rosebank, which is believed to be the UK’s largest undeveloped oil and gas field and thought to be capable of producing up to 500m barrels of oil.
£150m fund aims to help Ukrainians into their own homes
A UK government fund of £150m to help Ukrainians into their own homes and to continue sponsorship arrangements has been announced.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year, more than 124,000 people have arrived in the UK under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
The new money will go to councils to help Ukrainian families into private rented accommodation and find work. It will also go towards continuing sponsorship arrangements, as many guests are in their second year in the UK.
Kevin Spacey sex allegations trial to start later this month, court told
Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey’s trial for alleged sex offences will see a jury sworn in on June 28, a court has been told.
Mr Justice Wall told a hearing at Coventry Crown Court yesterday that a second ‘overflow’ courtroom would be set up at London’s Southwark Crown Court for Spacey’s trial, to accommodate members of the press and other interested parties.
Spacey wasn’t required to attend the pre-trial hearing, which saw prosecutor Christine Agnew KC and defence counsel Patrick Gibbs KC both appear via videolink. Spacey denies a total of 12 charges, alleged to have taken place between 2001 and 2013, relating to four men.
Jaguar E-Type owned by Noel Edmonds’ wife heading to auction
A Jaguar E-Type owned by radio and TV star Noel Edmonds’ wife is estimated to sell for more than £50,000 when it goes under the hammer next week.
The 1970 E-Type Roadster was bought by the TV presenter for his then-wife Gillian in 1978 when he was one of the most recognisable stars in the country, hosting Top of the Pops, Swap Shop and the Radio 1 Breakfast Show.
The Jag – whose provenance includes the logbook showing Mrs Edmonds’ ownership plus MOTs dating back to 1978 at 76,835 miles – is a sought-after Series II and one of just 776 roadsters built in right-hand drive. The E-Type is heading to auction on Wednesday at the H&H Classics sale at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford.
Yesterday’s headlines on Car Dealer you might have missed
- Judge jails ‘dishonest’ used car dealer for nearly five years for clocking 33 used cars
- Revealed: The used car prices that went up the most last month as list is dominated by cheap and cheerful models
- Pagani partners with car dealer group Sytner to sell million-pound motors
- Used car sales show signs of recovery in May after April saw huge slides for Top 200 dealers
- Swarm of bees move in to Ford Mondeo at car dealership
Market movements
The FTSE 100 closed 37.38 points down yesterday to end the week on 7,562.36. The Cac 40 was down 9.01 points at 7,213.14, the Dax was down 40.12 points at 15,949.84 but the Dow Jones was up 43.17 points at 33,876.78.
Weather outlook
Today will be very warm with extensive sunshine, says BBC Weather, but the south-west will have a risk of more widespread showers and thunderstorms. Central areas are also likely to have the occasional thundery shower.
Sunday will see heavy showers and sunny spells for many. They’ll be thundery and most frequent in the west and south, but it’ll stay drier in the east.
