6:52 am, May 27, 2023
Covid rule-breaking claims ‘a load of nonsense’, Johnson says
Boris Johnson has branded suggestions he may have taken part in further rule-breaking during the pandemic ‘a load of absolute nonsense’.
The former prime minister would not say who he believes is trying to ‘stitch him up’, having previously claimed he appears to be the victim of a politically motivated plot.
But he insisted that the Cabinet Office decision to hand over entries from his official diary during the pandemic to police without first querying them with him was ‘ridiculous’. No 10 and the Cabinet Office are adamant that ministers were not involved when Whitehall officials passed concerns to the Metropolitan Police and Thames Valley Police.
Bike involved in fatal road collision was birthday present to young victim
Family members of two boys killed in Cardiff while riding an electric bike have said it was an early birthday present to the younger of the victims – an occasion he will never get to celebrate.
Following a community vigil for Kyrees Sullivan, 16, and Harvey Evans, 15, in Ely on Friday night, the younger boy’s aunt and grandmother said next month should have seen his 16th birthday.
Balloons, fireworks and flares were released to remember the teenagers, whose deaths sparked rioting amid claims police were pursuing them shortly before they died. CCTV footage of a marked South Wales Police van following the teenagers as they rode a Sur-Ron electric bike quickly spread on social media after the incident, leading to violent clashes and disorder in Ely.
Schofield resigns from ITV after admitting to ‘unwise, but not illegal’ affair
Phillip Schofield has resigned from ITV – and has been dropped by his talent agency – after admitting to an ‘unwise, but not illegal’ affair with a young male colleague on This Morning.
A spokesperson for ITV said the broadcaster was ‘deeply disappointed’ by the ‘admissions of deceit’ made by Schofield after the presenter admitted to the affair in a statement published by the Daily Mail on Friday.
The veteran TV presenter, 61, said that the affair began while he was still with his wife Stephanie, adding he was ‘very, very sorry’ for having been unfaithful to her.
Sunak and Google CEO discuss ‘striking right balance’ on AI regulation
Rishi Sunak has met with Google’s chief executive to discuss “striking the right balance” between artificial intelligence (AI) regulation and innovation, Downing Street said.
The prime minister spoke to Sundar Pichai, also head of Google’s parent company Alphabet, about the importance of ensuring the right ‘guard rails’ are in place to ensure tech safety, No 10 said.
It follows a similar meeting between Sunak and leading figures in AI about the need for regulation to protect against potential dangers, ranging from disinformation and national security to ‘existential threats’.
Hottest day of the year expected to hit during bank holiday weekend
The warm weather is not expected to relent over the weekend with highs of 24C possible in south-east Wales and around the Bristol Channel on Saturday and Sunday.
Other areas around the UK can look forward to temperatures reaching high teens and early 20s.
Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said the high temperatures for the bank holiday weekend were a rarity in how dry it was expected to be.
Half-term getaway hit as BA flight cancellations reach 175
Half-term holiday plans for thousands of families have been thrown into disarray after British Airways’ flight cancellations due to an IT failure reached 175.
Most of the affected flights were on short-haul routes to and from Heathrow Airport.
British Airways said the ‘technical issue’ was resolved on Thursday night, but disruption continued into Friday because of aircraft and crew being out of position.
Friday Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Supercar dealer Tom Hartley appears in court accused of withholding information from fraud investigation
- Used electric car prices still falling fast as buyers continue to shun EVs
- Aston Martin bosses dub DB12 ‘the world’s first super tourer’ as British firm unveils hotly-anticipated sports car
- EV range could double as Chinese start-up develops battery that can do 1,000km on a single charge
- Regit’s first ever TV campaign boosts website engagement five-fold
- Flagship Snows Group dealership agrees deal to sponsor major food festival
Asos secures £75m fundraising to support turnaround plan
Fast fashion firm Asos has raised £75m to support its turnaround plan.
The group revealed plans on Thursday evening to raise funds in order to strengthen its balance sheet. The online retail business confirmed on Friday that it has completed a share placing, with 17.9m shares at 418.1p each to secure the cash injection.
It comes after Asos earlier this month revealed losses of more than £290m for the half-year to February, as it booked costs from restructuring efforts and lower sales as customer spending comes under pressure.
Listen to the latest Car Dealer Podcast
‘Grumpy Entrepreneur’ and joint chairman and joint CEO of car subscription platform, AAM Group/MyCarDirect, David Murray-Hundley joins the podcast this week. Listen via Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Cadbury Flake deemed too crumbly for 99 cones, say ice cream sellers
The well-known Cadbury Flake synonymous with the 99 cones sold in ice cream vans has been deemed “too crumbly” by vendors.
Vendors claim that the quality of the Cadbury Flake 99 has deteriorated since the production of the sweet treat was moved to Egypt. Parent company Mondelez International said it is looking into the issue, but cautioned that old stock might still be in circulation.
Wholesale boxes contain approximately 144 Flake 99s, but Katy Alston, who operates a van in Bognor Regis and is president of The Ice Cream Alliance, told the BBC that she has had to throw half away in some cases due too broken Flakes.
Tesla opens up its network of chargers to Ford in the United States
Tesla is opening up its network of Superchargers to electric Ford drivers in the United States and Canada as the firms look to accelerate EV adoption.
Tesla is the only car company to establish its own network of electric car charging points, known as Superchargers. Globally the firm now has 45,000 of these chargers, including 12,000 in North America.
Announced as part of a podcast hosted on Twitter between Tesla’s boss – and owner of the social media platform – Elon Musk and Ford’s chief executive Jim Farley last night, Ford owners in the United States and Canada will be able to access these Superchargers from next spring.
Weather outlook
Large swathes of the UK will be sunny today, reports BBC Weather. Some areas will start cloudy before making way for the sunshine later on; light rain for north Scotland to start. Highs of 22 degrees celsius along the spine of the country.
