6:54 am, May 14, 2024
Sunak stresses optimism despite ‘storms ahead’ in pre-election pitch to voters
Voters will have a choice between the Conservatives’ “optimistic” view of the future and Labour’s ‘doomsterism’ later this year, the prime minister said in a pre-election pitch to voters.
In a speech to the Policy Exchange think tank yesterday, Rishi Sunak sought to portray himself as the best person to lead the UK through a period of great danger and great opportunity.
He said he remained “confident” that his party could win the general election, as it was ‘the only party really talking about the future’ and offering ‘bold ideas and a clear plan’ rather than ‘lofty platitudes’.
‘No watering-down’ of Labour’s workers’ rights package, Starmer says
Sir Keir Starmer has said there will be ‘no watering-down’ of the Labour party’s new deal for working people.
‘I’m absolutely committed to our new deal for working people,’ he said after a meeting of Labour’s mayors at GTG Training in Wolverhampton.
Sir Keir said: ‘This will be the biggest levelling-up of workers’ rights in a generation, so there will be no watering-down.’
Skywell BE11 e-SUV to make UK debut at Harrogate show
Multi-brand EV distributor Innovation Automotive is to unveil a new electric SUV from China later this month.
The Skywell BE11 will feature ‘razor’ LED front headlights, two-tone 19-inch alloy wheels and full-width rear lights.
Inside are leather-style seats, wood-style veneer and piano-black panelling. Features also include a 12.8-inch touchscreen display, panoramic sunroof, plus keyless entry and start. It’ll debut at the Everything Electric North show, being held at the Yorkshire Event Centre in Harrogate from May 24 to 26.
OpenAI unveils new ‘smarter, faster’ version of ChatGPT
ChatGPT maker OpenAI has unveiled a new flagship version of the technology that powers the AI chatbot. The chatbot can more capably interact with the world using audio, image, and text.
Called GPT-4o, the new model can better understand any input combination of audio, text and images and respond in a similar fashion, while also responding faster and in a more human way, the firm said.
OpenAI said it was making the new, enhanced model available to all ChatGPT users, even those who do not have a paid subscription with the firm, as part of its ‘mission’ to ensure AI technology was ‘accessible and beneficial to everyone’.
Monday’s Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Used car market could hit 7.7m sales this year, says Cox Automotive
- May marks second consecutive month for Peugeot as UK’s fastest-selling used car
- Marshall makes Trevor Fussey group MD in second major appointment from Pendragon
MPs arrested for sex offences face being excluded from Parliament
MPs face being barred from attending Parliament if they are arrested for serious sexual or violent offences, after the Commons voted to reverse moves to water down the measures.
The House of Commons commission initially proposed that a risk assessment would take place on whether an MP should be prevented from attending the parliamentary estate if they were arrested on suspicion of committing a violent or sexual offence.
The proposal was later revised so that the threshold for a ban was at the point of charge.
Eight watches owned by Michael Schumacher up for auction
Eight luxury watches belonging to Formula One star Michael Schumacher are going up for sale at Christie’s.
The sale, organised by Schumacher’s family, features a watch that was given to the German racing superstar by former Ferrari chief executive and ex-motorsports governing body FIA president Jean Todt as a Christmas present in 2004, when Schumacher was the dominant force in F1.
The custom-made timepiece features 18-carat white gold, a red watch face and images of a Ferrari logo, Schumacher’s racing helmet and the number 7 to honour his seven World Championship victories.
FTSE 100 closes lower amid pause in London trading rally
The FTSE 100 stepped back from its recent record-breaking spell yesterday, finishing in the red following a broadly cautious trading session.
London’s top index finished 18.77 points, or 0.22%, lower to end the day at 8,446.46.
The German Dax index was down 0.18% at the close and the Cac 40 in France ended down 0.12%.
Weather outlook…
Today, most of Scotland and much of eastern and northern England will see spells of rain, some heavy. The BBC reports it will be drier and brighter in north.
Tonight, the majority of the rain will ease, but a few spots will persist in Scotland and coastal areas of eastern England, with the odd lingering shower in the far south-west too. Elsewhere will be partly cloudy.
Tomorrow, cloud and a few further showers will affect south-west Scotland and northern and south-eastern England. It’ll be sunnier elsewhere with a few early showers in the south-west, and slightly warmer.
