6:46 am, June 4, 2024
Labour set for biggest election victory in party history, poll suggests
Labour is on course for the biggest election victory in the party’s history, surpassing Tony Blair’s 1997 landslide, a poll has suggested.
The party looks set to win as many as 422 seats, with the Tories reduced to just 140, according to YouGov analysis published on Monday.
The poll, using the MRP (multi-level regression and post-stratification) technique and carried out for Sky News, suggests Sir Keir Starmer’s party is on course for a majority of 194 – the largest margin for any party since 1924.
Starmer talks energy and Sunak seeks migration cap, as Farage plans ‘revolt’
Sir Keir Starmer will promise to ‘close the door’ on Vladimir Putin with homegrown energy and Rishi Sunak will aim to close the door on migrants with an annual visa cap, as election campaigning continues on Tuesday.
Both party leaders will also try to close the door on new Reform leader Nigel Farage, who will launch his campaign in Clacton, after a dramatic intervention in the election when he announced not just that he would be standing as a candidate in the Essex constituency, but also that he would be taking over as leader of the party.
On day 14 of the campaign, Sir Keir will say his party would ‘close the door on’ the Russian leader by reducing Britain’s reliance on fossil fuel from overseas. The Labour leader will claim his party’s plan to set up a publicly owned clean energy company, GB Energy, will help to protect the UK from spikes in the price of fuel like those that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Sunak and Starmer urged to set out plans to tackle poverty in first TV debate
Political leaders have been urged to be ‘specific and ambitious’ about tackling hardship, as analysis suggested almost two million people in the UK are just £20 a week from the poverty line.
Prime minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer must use the first head-to-head TV debate of the election campaign on Tuesday evening to lay out their plans to address high levels of poverty, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) said.
The social change organisation described current levels as ‘a stain on the moral conscience of our nation’.
Next government needs plan for growth within 100 days, says CBI
The next UK government must develop a credible plan for sustainable economic growth and draw investment within its first 100 days, according to a leading business group.
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has called for an immediate focus on the economy following the General Election in July, after a turbulent few years for UK businesses.
It comes amid a backdrop of sharply-increased interest rates – which sit at a 16-year-high of 5.25% – and shaky consumer sentiment following soaring inflation over the past two years. The CBI has said the next government must ‘revitalise brand Britain’ in a bid to attract further investment into the country.
Listen to this week’s Car Dealer Podcast
Jon Reay and James Batchelor are joined by the ever-opinionated Swansway director Peter Smyth in this week’s podcast. They chat about the week’s biggest stories including Auto Trader’s results, Hedin’s Q1 financials, and Alfa Romeo ditching off-set number plates. Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Baby found in shopping bag has two siblings who were also abandoned, court told
A baby girl found abandoned in a shopping bag in east London earlier this year has two siblings who were found in similar circumstances in 2017 and 2019, it can now be reported.
A judge at East London Family Court ruled on Monday that reporting restrictions could be changed to allow the publication of the link between the three children, following an application by the PA news agency and the BBC.
It comes after a child, named Baby Elsa by hospital staff, was found by a dog walker in Newham on January 18 this year in sub-zero temperatures. DNA testing has since shown she has a brother and sister, known as Baby Harry and Baby Roman, who were discovered abandoned in similar circumstances in the same area of the capital in 2017 and 2019 respectively.
Consumer card spending slows to three-year low
Consumer card spending growth slowed to a three-year low in May as rising household bills and wet weather led to cautious budgeting, figures suggest.
Spending on cards was up just 1% on the year in May, the smallest rise since February 2021 as even resilient sectors such as airlines and takeaways were knocked by rising household bills, according to the Barclays Consumer Spend report.
April’s price hikes on bills including council tax and broadband affected consumer confidence, with 87% worried about the impact of rising household costs on their personal finances, a survey for the report found. Some 80% reported worries about increasing council tax, followed by broadband and mobile costs (79%), water bills (76%), and dental costs (75%).
Monday Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Used car prices have returned to ‘seasonal norms’ while dealers are still underpricing
- Ford managers to begin nationwide industrial action in row over pay
- Greenhous Group looks to convert former Shrewsbury Waitrose shop into car showroom
- Test quickly, sell quickly: Enhancing used car remarketing with EV battery diagnostics
Dacia’s Spring goes on sale price from £14,995
The Dacia Spring is now available to order priced from £14,995, making it the cheapest electric car currently available.
It’s an electric model available with a range of up to 136 miles during regular driving, though Dacia says it could return up to 186 miles of range when driven around the city predominantly.
Dacia has also teamed up with charging provider Mobilize Power Solutions to incorporate the cost of a home charger into the Spring’s month payments. Having a home charge installed adds just under £20 to the monthly cost of the car overall.
Weather
A band of rain will slowly move southeast across the UK today, leaving a mixture of sunshine and showers behind, reports BBC Weather. Highs of 20 degrees in the southeast but it’ll be a chillier 16 in the north.
The north will see patchy cloud and thundery showers tonight, while the rest of the country will see patchy rain moving on and leaving clear skies.
