6:54 am, May 10, 2023
Energy bills to drop from July, experts say
Energy bills are expected to drop significantly from the start of July, according to new analysis released on Tuesday.
Energy industry consultancy Cornwall Insight said it thinks the price cap on energy bills will fall by more than £1,200 for the average household when it is next updated.
However, because the Government bill support, which has artificially lowered bills, will fall away, households will only be around £437 better off per year on average.
Met chief defends coronation arrests despite heavy criticism
Britain’s most senior police officer has defended the arrest of six anti-monarchy protesters and hit out at ‘ill-informed commentary’ amid fierce criticism of the action taken.
Writing for the Evening Standard, Metropolitan Police chief Sir Mark Rowley said it was ‘unfortunate’ that the demonstrators were unable to join fellow activists on Saturday following their detention.
The six were the first arrests to be made under the sweeping Public Order Act, under suspicion of going equipped to ‘lock-on’ – a measure protesters use to make it harder for police to move them.
Alain Prost’s Ferrari F40 to go under the hammer at auction
A Ferrari F40 once owned by four-time Formula 1 world champion Alain Prost is to go to auction this week.
The lightweight supercar – which was seen as one of the fastest cars of its time – was delivered to Prost shortly after he joined the Scuderia Ferrari racing team from McLaren.
First registered at Prost’s home in Meribel France, in February 1990, the car was ‘never used’ by Prost – according to a recent interview with auction house RM Sotheby’s – and it was sold very shortly after the racer took delivery of it.
Jury finds Donald Trump liable for sexual abuse and awards accuser £4m
A jury has found Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing advice columnist E Jean Carroll in 1996, awarding her 5 million dollars (£4 million) in a judgment that could haunt the former president as he campaigns to regain the White House.
The verdict was announced in a federal courtroom in New York City on the first day of jury deliberations.
Jurors rejected Ms Carroll’s claims that she was raped, but found Mr Trump liable for sexual abuse and for defaming her after she made her allegations public.
Builders help drag down FTSE after house prices stall
London’s FTSE 100 lost ground after new figures revealed house prices have slipped, sending shares in the UK’s top listed builders lower.
The British stock index closed 14.29 points lower, or 0.18 per cent, at 7,764.09.
Meanwhile, European markets saw a subdued session with the Cac 40 declining 0.59 per cent, and the German Dax eking up by just 0.02 per cent.
Tuesday’s Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Consumer interest in used electric cars is accelerating despite falls in prices
- Who should be crowned in Car Dealer Power 2023? Time’s running out for you to decide!
- Cox Automotive calls for government incentives to boost used EV market further
- Lloyd Kia Carlisle moves to temporary home as work begins on major refurbishment project
- Abarth says UK pricing for new 500e will start at £34,195
Direct Line sees ‘challenging’ earnings outlook amid soaring motor claims costs
Insurer Direct Line said its earnings outlook remains ‘challenging’ due to the soaring cost of claims – despite ramping up prices across its motor and home policies.
The group said it was seeing a further impact of the rising cost of motor repairs due to inflation, which is expected to put pressure on earnings this year.
In response, it said it was hiking car cover prices, which pushed up average motor renewal premiums by nearly a fifth – 19% – year-on-year in the first quarter.
LinkedIn axing 716 jobs in fresh tech cuts
Professional networking platform LinkedIn has said it is laying off more than 700 workers and closing down its China jobs app, in the latest round of tech industry downsizing.
LinkedIn blamed ‘shifts in customer behaviour and slower revenue growth’ for the cuts, which it announced in a blogpost late on Monday.
Technology companies have resorted to recurring waves of layoffs over the past year, in a new phenomenon to hit the industry that reverses more than a decade of mostly unbridled growth.
Rishi Sunak flies to Southampton and back on taxpayer-funded helicopter
Rishi Sunak has flown by helicopter to Southampton and back to London, in the latest short trip the Prime Minister has made by air rather than by car or train.
Downing Street said taking the aircraft to visit a pharmacy on the south coast on Tuesday was justifiable as it made the most effective use of his busy schedule.
Mr Sunak told receptionists at Weston Lane Surgery he would be going on to visit his family in Southampton, the city where he grew up.
Average UK house price fell by about £1,000 month-on-month in April – Halifax
The average house price fell by about £1,000 in April, following three months of increases, according to an index.
Across the UK, the typical property value fell by 0.3 per cent month-on-month, taking it to £286,896 in April, Halifax said.
In cash terms, this was a £995 decrease compared with an average house price of £287,891 recorded in March.
Weather outlook…
Today, variable cloud with heavy and thundery showers for much of England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. Also, the BBC reports, showers in Wales and south-western England but becoming sunnier later in the afternoon.
Tonight, most of the showers in Scotland, England and Wales will ease and clear spells will develop for many. Northern Ireland and the far north-east of Scotland will be cloudy with frequent showers.
Tomorrow will see another day with a mix of sunny spells and showers, these developing mainly in the afternoon with a risk of thunder. The far north of Scotland will be cloudy but with fewer showers.
