6:34 am, May 30, 2024
Labour’s candidate chaos overshadows campaign as Starmer accused of purge
Labour’s General Election campaign has been overshadowed by internal chaos as Sir Keir Starmer was accused of trying to purge the party’s left.
Questions about whether Diane Abbott will be barred from standing again remain as the party suspended one candidate and declined to endorse another.
Lloyd Russell-Moyle, who was MP for Brighton Kemptown, said he has been suspended by Labour over what he called a ‘vexatious and politically motivated complaint’ against him, and that he cannot stand under the Labour banner at the election. And the PA news agency understands that Faiza Shaheen has not been endorsed to be the Labour candidate for Chingford & Woodford Green in north-east London. All three are on the left of the party.
Rishi Sunak urged to deselect Liz Truss over appearance on ‘far-right’ platform
Rishi Sunak has been urged to deselect Liz Truss as a Conservative candidate over her appearance on a ‘far-right’ platform founded by a commentator who joked about raping an MP.
An interview with former prime minister Truss is due to be streamed on Wednesday on Lotus Eaters, set up by Carl Benjamin.
Jess Phillips, the former shadow minister for domestic violence and safeguarding, has written to Sunak to criticise the move.
Green Party to set out solutions to cost-of-living crisis, housing, and the NHS
The Green Party is expected to set out ‘practical solutions’ to the cost-of-living crisis, housing, and the NHS, in addition to plans to clean up the UK’s toxic rivers and seas.
Launching its General Election campaign from Bristol later, the party will commit to ‘offering real hope and real change’.
Following success at the local elections, where the number of Green councillors was boosted to 812, the party said it hopes to elect four Members of Parliament on July 4.
Junior doctors to stage pay strikes during election campaign
Junior doctors in England are to stage a five-day strike in the run-up to the General Election.
Talks had recently reopened with a view to ending the long-running dispute over pay between medics in training and the government.
After the July 4 election was called last week, the British Medical Association (BMA) gave the government ‘a final opportunity to make an offer and avoid strikes’ but ‘this opportunity has not been taken up’.
Three adults and a child injured in Hackney shooting
Three adults and a child have been injured in a shooting near a restaurant in Hackney.
Metropolitan Police said the child is in a serious condition and that they are awaiting updates on the condition of the adults after the shooting on Kingsland High Street. The four were taken to an east London hospital with ‘gunshot injuries’.
Police said they were called to the scene at around 9.20pm on Wednesday with specialist firearms officers attending.
Majority want maintenance grants reintroduced for poorest students – poll
More than half of Britons want maintenance grants to be reintroduced for the poorest university students, a survey suggests.
A poll for the Sutton Trust charity found 87% of Britons agree that the government should provide financial support for students from low-income households while at university.
The survey, of more than 2,000 adults in England, Scotland and Wales, found the majority (53%) want to see maintenance grants for students from low-income households reinstated. Maintenance grants for disadvantaged students in England were replaced in 2016 by loans which have to be paid back.
Wednesday Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Falling used electric car prices sees Hedin Mobility book hefty loss in Q1
- Alfa Romeo to ditch famous off-set numberplates due to EU rule change
- Bentley appoints Porsche vehicle development chief as new chairman and CEO
- Nissan announces pricing for updated Qashqai as Sunderland plant ramps up EV production
- Dacia to open new flagship dealership as brand prepares to put Spring EV on sale
Royal Mail owner accepts £3.57bn takeover offer from Czech billionaire
Royal Mail owner International Distribution Services (IDS) said it has agreed to a £3.57bn takeover offer from Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky’s EP Group.
The offer would see EP Group buy IDS for 370p per share, while offering a series of ‘contractual commitments and intentions’ to protect public service aspects of the Royal Mail.
IDS said if the deal goes through Royal Mail would continue its universal service obligation to one-price-goes-anywhere first-class post six days a week, and keep the company’s branding and UK headquarters.
Homes for sale at eight-year high as sellers return to market
Britain’s supply of homes for sale is at its highest point in eight years, according to research, in a trend which experts say will limit house price rises for the rest of 2024.
Zoopla, the property website, said the average estate agent has 31 homes for sale, up 20% on the same point last year and the highest number since 2016.
The statistic equates to about £230bn-worth of homes on offer, as sellers continue returning to the housing market in growing numbers.
BMW 3 Series update says yes to more tech and no to diesel
BMW has updated one of its most successful models – the 3 Series.
Not a lot has changed with the exterior with the exception of some new paint finishes and alloy wheel designs, however there are more tweaks to the interior with the addition of BMW’s latest 8.5-inch curved display. New steering wheel designs, trim elements and interior lighting complete the changes.
There are just three petrol engines now on offer with BMW deciding to ditch diesel power for the UK market with this round of updates. UK deliveries begin in the summer with prices starting at £39,045 for the standard 320i and rising to £59,645 for the M340i xDrive Touring.
Weather
A breezy day is in store with patchy cloud and scattered showers – these could be thundery in the south east, reports BBC Weather. The west will be the warmest with 19 to 20 degrees.
The showers and cloud will become confined to the east overnight, while the rest of the UK will be clear.
