Minister to provide update into circumstances of Sue Gray switch to Labour

An update on a review into the circumstances surrounding partygate investigator Sue Gray’s departure from the Civil Service to join the Labour Party is due to be presented to MPs.

A Cabinet Office minister is due to issue a written statement to the House of Commons on Tuesday containing an ‘update into the circumstances leading to the resignation of a senior civil servant’, according to Parliament’s order paper.

The PA news agency understands the statement will shed more light on how former senior official Gray came to switch from her high-ranking Whitehall position to take a job as Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s chief-of-staff. Several reports have suggested Gray, who led a government investigation into allegations of parties being held in Downing Street during the coronavirus lockdown, could be found to have breached the Civil Service Code with her job move.

Final Sudan airlifted evacuees expected to arrive in Britain within hours

The UK’s aerial evacuation mission from Sudan is over with the passengers on the final repatriation flights expected to land in Britain within hours.

Two flights organised by the Royal Air Force (RAF) were expected to land in Cyprus late on Monday.

The evacuees, which include Sudanese doctors working for the NHS, were then expected be transported to the UK within 48 hours of landing at the Larnaca airbase, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said.

Crucial meeting between unions and NHS employers over long-running strikes

A crucial meeting will be held on Tuesday between unions and NHS employers which is expected to pave the way for the government to implement a pay rise aimed at resolving the long-running health workers dispute.

The NHS Staff Council will hear reports from unions which have balloted hundreds of thousands of health workers in recent weeks.

Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and Unite rejected the offer of a five per cent pay rise for this year and a cash sum for last year, leading both unions to hold strikes on Monday.

But other unions – including Unison, the GMB and those representing midwives and physiotherapists – voted in favour.

Food inflation strikes another record high but clothing price rises ease

Shop price inflation eased back slightly from record highs last month despite another surge in food prices.

Food prices soared 15.7 per cent, the highest on record, in April to continue pressure on consumer finances, according to the latest BRC-NielsenIQ shop price index.

However, spring discounting at fashion and furniture stores meant wider retail inflation slowed for the month. The fresh figures reported shop price inflation of 8.8 per cent in April against the same month a year earlier, easing slightly from 8.9 per cent in March.

Business confidence recovering but ‘dark clouds’ on horizon – survey

Business confidence is being restored after plummeting at the end of last year, but ‘dark clouds’ are on the horizon as costs remain high, according to a new report.

Sentiment improved among small business owners and sole traders over the first three months of the year, a welcome step for the wider industry, the Federation of Small Businesses (FBS) found in its survey.

Nevertheless, the FSB’s confidence measure scored minus 2.8 points in the first quarter of the year, which means more firms felt pessimistic than optimistic. But it was substantial improvement from the confidence slump in the final quarter of 2022, which had a negative reading of minus 45.8 points as retailers and hospitality firms were struck by higher costs and dampened consumer spending.

Pubs set for £120m boost from bumper coronation weekend

The coronation of the King is expected to provide a £120m boost for pubs across the UK.

New figures from the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) show local pubs and breweries expect to pour 62m pints over the celebratory coronation bank holiday weekend. It comes as pubs are set to benefit from extended opening hours for the occasion.

The government announced in March that pubs will be allowed to stay open until 1am for the weekend, extending current normal hours by two hours between May 5 and May 7.

RMT didn’t pick out Eurovision final when deciding further strikes, says Lynch

Mick Lynch has said that rail strikes planned for the day of the Eurovision Song Contest final were not deliberately scheduled to prevent people from getting to the event.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will walk out on May 13 after the union’s executive rejected the latest offer aimed at resolving a long-running pay dispute. The strikes will affect 14 train operators across the country on the same day that Liverpool hosts the Eurovision final.

Lynch, the RMT general secretary, said the date was the only one that union members could walk out on due to rules governing when unions can call strikes.

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More than 3,000 coronation street parties taking place this weekend

Communities are preparing to celebrate the coronation at more than 3,000 street parties, new analysis shows.

Councils in England have approved 3,087 road closures for gatherings marking the royal event, according to figures from road management company one.network shared with the PA news agency.

The parties will cover a total of 263 miles. Hampshire and Kent are in joint first place as the most celebratory counties, each with 251 street parties. Many councils have waived their usual street party fees for this weekend.

More than 380 Lamborghini models take to Silverstone to celebrate 60th anniversary

More than 380 Lamborghini models took to Silverstone Circuit for a multi-coloured parade lap that set a new record for the brand in the process.

Acting as a celebration of the firm’s 60th anniversary, the unique parade lap included 382 Lamborghinis and set a record for the firm with the most cars on track at once. In attendance was chairman and CEO Stephan Winkelmann, who said: ‘The UK continues as one of our top markets worldwide with a loyal and growing Lamborghini client and fan base.’

The event also saw the display of Lamborghini’s new Revuelto supercar. As the Italian firm’s first super sports V12 hybrid car, it uses a V12 engine which is combined with three electric motors to produce 1,000bhp. Lamborghini states that it’ll manage the 0-60mph sprint in just 2.5 seconds and carry onwards to a top speed of 217mph.

Weather outlook

A dry day is in store but it’ll be a mostly cloudy one, reports BBC Weather. England and Wales will see outbreaks of sunshine later, though. Highs of 18 degrees celsius.

A breezy night for the south while it’ll be cloudy in northern areas with isolated showers.