6:55 am, May 20, 2023
Chancellor urges Tories not to talk the country down as he hints at tax cuts
The Chancellor has urged Conservatives ‘not to talk ourselves down’ as he warned that creating an ‘inaccurate narrative’ about Britain could make it into a reality.
Jeremy Hunt said he had noticed an ‘insidious declinism’ creeping in among ‘those who used to be optimists like me’ when it came to topics such as Brexit and UK economic performance.
It follows a week of blue-on-blue attacks in which Tories, including Home Secretary Suella Braverman, former business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg and former Brexit negotiator Lord Frost, used a National Conservatism conference to challenge the Government’s record.
Nationwide to dish out £340m to members after record financial results
Nationwide Building Society has reported its strongest financial results on record and said it will be handing out £340m in payments to eligible members.
But it cautioned over reduced activity in the mortgage market and subdued house prices over the rest of the year.
The mutual lender saw its underlying pre-tax profit surge to £2.2bn in the year to April, from £1.6bn this time last year.
US officials investigate whether Elon Musk’s ‘Twitter Hotel’ plan broke laws
San Francisco officials are investigating Twitter after six former employees allege that owner Elon Musk’s leadership team broke laws in turning the company’s headquarters into a ‘Twitter Hotel’ for workers being pushed to stay up late to transform the social media platform.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that city officials are opening their latest investigation into the company that Musk took over late last year.
That is after the ex-employees, including a former vice president of real estate, alleged in a lawsuit filed in a federal court in Delaware that Twitter did not pay them promised severance.
Friday’s Car Dealer headlines you may have missed
- The motor trade’s richest names are revealed as Sunday Times Rich List is published
- Volvo announces it will close the UK wholesale channel in June and move completely to agency sales
- Sign in for early access: Car Dealer 183 features Rayhanneh Mazinani, Car Dealer Live 2024 latest, Bangers4Ben 2023 launch and much more!
- Government set to fall well short of EV charge point target as public network continues to struggle
- Family-run Sandicliffe joins expanding GWM Ora network with Nottingham showroom
- Autoguard Warranties launches new warranty cover for classic cars
- UK car industry is facing ‘existential crisis’ as argument over EV Brexit deal rumbles on
- Just TWO days to go before Car Dealer Power 2023 voting closes!
London’s FTSE rises but lags behind buoyant global markets
London’s equity markets made gains on Friday but were once again left behind soaring performances from global peers.
The FTSE 100 moved 0.19 per cent , or 14.57 points higher to finish at 7,756.87.
The Dax rose by 0.69 per cent and the Cac 40 increased by 0.61 per cent at the close as a result.
Hyundai’s Pony Coupe Concept recreated after nearly 50 years
Hyundai has unveiled a recreation of its Pony Coupe Concept, which debuted at the 1974 Turin Motor Show.
Revealed as part of the inaugural Hyundai Reunion in Lake Como, Italy, the model is a restored version of the car which the Korean firm cites as one which led to the creation of its Pony range of vehicles – Korea’s first independently developed mass-produced models.
The vehicle has been completed by GFG Style, headed up by father-and-son designer pair Giorgetto and Fabrizio Giugiaro.
Weather outlook…
Today, extensive cloud and some patches of rain will persist over Scotland and Northern Ireland. England and Wales will have a largely sunny day with some patchy cloud developing in the afternoon, the BBC reports.
A cloudy and wet night for Scotland and Northern Ireland as further persistent spells of rain continue to spread south-eastwards. A largely dry and clear night for much of England and Wales.
Tomorrow will be rather cloudy for south and east Scotland and Northern Ireland with a few patches of rain. Drier elsewhere with sunny spells and a few patches of cloud, mainly in the afternoon.
