6:57 am, June 28, 2023
Matt Hancock ‘profoundly sorry’ for every death caused by Covid-19
Matt Hancock has said he is ‘profoundly sorry’ for every death caused by Covid-19 as he said it was a ‘colossal’ failure to assume the spread of the virus could not be stopped.
The former health secretary told the UK Covid-19 Inquiry in London he understood why some people would find it difficult to accept his apology, although he said it was ‘honest and heartfelt’.
Under questioning from Hugo Keith KC, lead counsel to the inquiry, for three hours Hancock repeatedly said it was his view that the UK and the western world had been too focused on planning for a ‘disaster’, such as the numbers who would die from infection and whether there were enough ‘body bags’.
Boots to shut 300 stores across UK over next year
Boots has said it will shut 300 of its stores across Britain over the next year.
The retailer revealed the raft of closures despite posting stronger sales over the latest quarter.
The move, which it said will impact on stores in close proximity to other sites, will reduce its estate from 2,200 to 1,900 stores.
Watchdog bans Hyundai and Toyota car ads over ‘misleading’ charging claims
Ads for Hyundai and Toyota electric cars have been banned for exaggerating the speed of recharging and failing to mention the limited availability of the fastest chargers across the road network.
Three ads for Hyundai’s Ioniq 5, seen in January last year, all stated that the car could be charged from 10 per cent to 80 per cent in 18 minutes using a 350kw ‘ultra-fast’ charger.
Three complainants, who believed there were significant limitations to achieving the advertised charging rate including low temperature, said the claim was misleading. Full story here
‘Damning’ report shows government failing on net zero, say MPs and campaigners
The UK risks failing on decarbonisation targets as well as losing its place as a climate leader following a ‘damning’ report from the government’s climate advisers, MPs and campaigners have said.
The Climate Change Committee’s (CCC) 15th progress report into emissions reductions found that most policies are not on track towards meeting 2030 targets that the government has set itself.
Industry, transport, buildings and fuel supply are the sectors most in need of attention, the CCC said. Full story here
June 2023 shaping up to be hottest on record
This June is set to be the hottest on record, the Met Office has said.
A cooler forecast for the remaining few days won’t be enough to prevent June 2023 from exceeding the previous mean average record of 14.9C set in 1940 and 1976.
The Met Office has not recorded a June this hot since it began collecting temperature data in 1884.
Tuesday’s Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Wheeler Stealers: Thieves pinch Mike Brewer’s star Ford Fiesta from hotel car park
- EVs dominate list of biggest price drops seen this year as seven of biggest annual fallers are electric
- Interest in buying EVs goes up and outstrips desire for ICEs, new study finds
- Automotive industry urges cross-party support to bag ‘£106bn EV prize’
- Ex-Audi boss fined and handed suspended jail sentence over emissions test fraud
- Agency ban, alligators and fraud – read the latest car dealer headlines from around the world
- Renault and Dacia’s top UK retailers are honoured at awards ceremony
- Streamlining efficiency and security in the automotive industry
- Fiat announces it will no longer sell grey cars as it wants to be known as ‘brand of joy, colours, and optimism’
FTSE treads water as it looks past Russian turbulence
Shares in London’s top index treaded water yesterday as the capital’s financial companies managed to only just keep the FTSE 100 above water.
By the end of the day, the FTSE had gained 0.1 per cent, closing up just 7.88 points at 7,461.46.
Elsewhere, the French Cac 40 index rose 0.4 per cent while Frankfurt’s Dax closed up 0.2 per cent.
Supermarkets say they are doing everything they can amid ‘profiteering’ quiz
Tesco has told MPs it is the ‘most competitive we have ever been’ as supermarket chiefs were quizzed on allegations of profiteering during the cost-of-living crisis.
Asked about its profit figures, Tesco commercial director Gordon Gafa told the business and trade committee: ‘We have not made more profit year on year.
‘We have actually made seven per cent less profit versus our last financial year. It’s important to be clear on that from the outset.’
Water firms given go-ahead for £2.2bn of upgrades
Water companies will be allowed to spend another £2.2bn upgrading their networks after projects were approved by regulator Ofwat.
The businesses – mainly United Utilities – will invest in 33 infrastructure schemes, with work starting in the next two years.
It is around £600m more than Ofwat initially said it would allow the companies to spend, after it emerged that United Utilities’ projects would cost a lot more than it had previously agreed to.
Weather outlook
Today, Northern Ireland and southern Scotland will see spells of rain in the morning, these pushing south-eastwards later but not reaching south-east England. The BBC reports it will brighten in the north-west later.
Tonight, the south-east will turn increasingly cloudy with spells of heavy rain lingering in the early hours. Elsewhere, it will become mainly clear with just some patches of cloud in the far west.
Heavy rain lingering in the south-east tomorrow, with some thunder locally, this only clearing by the evening. Patchy cloud, sunny spells and scattered showers elsewhere. Breezy in the west.
