6:50 am, June 29, 2024
Sunak says ‘racism stings’ as Farage refuses to apologise for activist’s slur
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said ‘racism stings’ in response to a slur used against him by a Reform UK canvasser, which Nigel Farage has refused to apologise for and denounced as a ‘political set up’.
Campaigners for Mr Farage’s party Reform UK were recorded making racist comments, including about the Prime Minister who is of Indian descent.
The footage, made by an undercover Channel 4 reporter, showed Reform campaigner Andrew Parker using the racist term about Mr Sunak and suggesting migrants should be used as ‘target practice’.
UK economy grew more than first thought at start of 2024, says ONS
The UK economy’s recovery from recession was stronger than previously thought, according to updated data.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed in revised figures on Friday morning that UK gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 0.7% between January and March.
In May, the statistics body estimated that the economy had grown by 0.6% over the quarter.
Polestar adds new single motor variant to 3 SUV
Polestar has bolstered the number of powertrains available on its new 3 SUV with the introduction of a single motor version.
The new Long range Single Motor 3, which is priced from £69,900, comes accompanied by a claimed range of up to 403 miles. Up until now, the 3 has only been available in a dual-motor setup, though all versions get the same 111kWh battery.
Polestar says that the 3’s 250kW peak charging capability allows a 10 to 80 per cent charge to be completed in 30 minutes.
The #Polestar3 will be available as a Long range Single motor variant in Europe, starting from today.
It marks another way for Polestar fans to get behind the wheel of our SUV for the electric age.
This entry-level Polestar 3 Single motor, which will also be built in the USA,… pic.twitter.com/xXAtoHzXNy
— Polestar (@PolestarCars) June 27, 2024
Labour continues to out-fundraise Tories as party rakes in another £3.3m in week
Labour has continued to rake in campaign donations while the Conservatives are still struggling to raise funds, figures from the Electoral Commission show.
Figures published on Friday showed Labour raised £3.3m in the third week of the campaign, far outstripping the £375,000 raised by the Conservatives in the same period.
The opposition’s coffers were boosted by a £1.49m donation from the trade union Unison, along with £500,000 from venture capitalist Stuart Roden, £300,000 form the trade union Usdaw, and £250,000 from Danny Luhde-Thompson.
Friday’s Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Motors buys Cazoo brand and plans to make it a mobile-first digital marketplace for used cars
- Carshop shake-up continues as Swindon site is rebranded as ‘Sytner Select Used Cars’
- Adam Wood appointed new boss of Renault UK following departure from Stellantis
- Car Dealer Briefing June 28: What’s in this week’s subscriber-only Substack newsletter?
- Brayleys’ turnover rises but profit dips as higher costs and falling used car prices take their toll
Van traffic up 8% from pre-pandemic levels
Van traffic has risen by 8% since the start of the coronavirus pandemic to reach record levels, new figures show.
Light commercial vehicles clocked up 58.2bn miles on Britain’s roads in the year to the end of March, according to provisional Department for Transport data.
That is up from 57.6bn miles during the previous 12 months and 53.7bn miles in the 12 months to the end of March 2020, which was mostly before the virus crisis began.
Dua Lipa says headlining Glastonbury Festival was ‘dream come true’
Dua Lipa said she was living out a dream as she performed hit after hit during her headline Glastonbury Festival slot.
The pop star described the experience as ‘the maddest night of my life’ as she treated revellers to a selection of her popular tracks, including These Walls, Break My Heart, Hallucinate, Electricity, Physical and Don’t Start Now.
The 28-year-old opened and closed her Pyramid stage performance with tracks from her third studio album Radical Optimism, kicking off with Training Season and finishing with Houdini, as fireworks shot through the air.
Customers of major UK banks hit by pay day delays
The UK’s biggest banks have been hit by glitches affecting digital banking, leaving some customers unable to send and receive money on what is commonly pay day for workers across the country.
Nationwide, HSBC, Barclays and Virgin Money were among those apologising on Friday to customers over the issues.
HSBC UK said there had been a ‘separate payments issue affecting multiple banks’, and Nationwide blamed a ‘third-party payments issue’ for the glitches.
Biden concedes debate fumbles but declares he will defend democracy
US President Joe Biden forcefully tried on Friday to quell Democratic anxieties over his unsteady showing in his debate with former president Donald Trump, as elected members of his party closed ranks around him in an effort to shut down talk of replacing him.
Mr Biden’s halting delivery and meandering comments, particularly early in Thursday evening’s debate, fuelled concerns from even members of his own party that at the age of 81 he is capable of leading the country for another four years.
Even before the debate, Mr Biden’s age had been a liability with voters, and Thursday’s debate appeared to reinforce the public’s deep-seated concerns before perhaps the largest audience he will garner before ballots are cast.
London’s top share index ends lacklustre week in the red
London’s FTSE 100 edged lower on Friday to end a muted week of trading, despite revised economic growth figures painting a slightly rosier picture of the UK economy.
The index was hovering around zero at the end of the session but closed 15.56 points lower, or 0.19%, at 8,164.12.
It was a mixed session for other top European indices, with Germany’s Dax edging 0.13% higher while France’s Cac closed 0.68% lower.
