6:30 am, May 5, 2023
Tories suffer losses in first electoral test for Sunak
Rishi Sunak’s Tories were on course for heavy losses in the prime minister’s first electoral test as Labour and the Liberal Democrats both made gains in elections across England.
Labour gained control of Plymouth, where the Tories had run a minority administration – a result branded ‘terrible’ by government minister and local MP Johnny Mercer – then did the same in Stoke-on-Trent, another general election battleground. In Hertsmere, where deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden is MP, the Tories lost control of the council, with 13 councillors voted out while Labour gained seven and the Lib Dems six.
Senior Conservatives have sought to present the setbacks as a mid-term ‘blip’, but with the prospect of a general election in 2024 there will be concerns that they have suffered losses in the north, south and the Midlands.
Voters turned away due to new photo ID requirement, Electoral Commission says
New photographic ID requirements have ‘regrettably’ left some voters unable to cast their ballots in a set of elections which are expected to be bruising for Rishi Sunak’s Tories.
The Electoral Commission said that overall the elections were ‘well run’ but the requirement to carry photo ID posed a challenge and some people were unable to vote as a result, although detailed work will be needed to understand the scale of the problem.
Campaigners have reported ‘countless examples’ of would-be voters being turned away from polling stations in the first English elections where photo identification is mandatory.
Calls for tax ‘loopholes’ to be closed as Shell makes £1.4bn more than expected
Shell became the latest oil major to beat forecasts on Thursday as an unexpected £1.4bn boost pushed it to a record first-quarter result.
The government faced further calls from opposition politicians and charities to close ‘loopholes’ in its windfall tax as Shell said it made 9.6bn US dollars (£7.6bn) in adjusted earnings in three months.
It is the highest profit Shell has posted for the first three months of the year in its history, and 5.7 per cent higher than last year. It follows a similar earnings beat from London rival BP on Tuesday, which made 700m US dollars (£560m) more than forecast.
Man arrested outside Buckingham Palace detained under Mental Health Act
A man arrested outside Buckingham Palace after throwing suspected shotgun cartridges into the grounds has been detained under the Mental Health Act.
The 59-year-old was arrested on suspicion of possessing a knife and ammunition on Tuesday after he asked to speak to a soldier before warning police to handle his rucksack carefully.
On Thursday, the Metropolitan Police said he was detained under the Mental Health Act on Wednesday and taken to hospital, where he will remain on bail while receiving medical care.
Ukraine war ‘a warning shot’ for possible future energy shortages
The war in Ukraine is a ‘warning shot’ for the possibility of a future with energy shortages, the new chair of the Commons Energy Security and Net Zero Committee has said.
SNP MP Angus MacNeil has been elected as chairman of the cross-party committee of MPs tasked with scrutinising the work of the new government department of the same name.
Speaking to the PA news agency, MacNeil was critical of what he described as a lack of investment in energy security during the austerity agenda, followed by a lack of focus during the years of Brexit wrangling, and highlighted the importance of renewable energy for future supplies.
Schools ‘increasingly struggling to recruit teachers’
Schools are struggling to recruit teachers, with tens of thousands of vacancies being advertised, according to new research.
The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) said issues over pay were not being addressed. Teachers are embroiled in a dispute over pay which has led to a series of strikes.
REC chief executive Neil Carberry said: ‘Schools are increasingly struggling to recruit this year with more than 46,500 job adverts. This is after the double-digit percentage rise in education vacancies we reported last month. This happens when employers fail to address pay and people’s experience at work.’
Shopper footfall increases but growth weakens, figures show
The number of shoppers at Scotland’s stores has increased, with tourists over Easter helping to provide a surge in footfall in Edinburgh, figures show.
Footfall north of the border rose 7.7 per cent in April compared to the same month last year, the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) said on Friday.
Its data shows that in Edinburgh, shoppers increased by 29.4 per cent last month compared to April 2022, which made it the top performing city in the UK. London, in second place, saw a 10 per cent year-on-year rise in footfall in April.
Thursday Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Lookers expands Volvo footprint with Waterhouse Cars acquisition
- Essex car dealer jailed for drug dealing after pandemic left his business struggling ‘to an extreme extent’
- Volkswagen suffers 30 per cent profit drop caused by dwindling Chinese sales
- In pictures: Car Dealer looks back at some of the King’s automotive visits ahead of this weekend’s coronation
- New car registrations accelerated in April but there’s a ‘cloud’ over EV sales – SMMT
- Recovery in sight for new van market after fourth month of growth, says SMMT
- Supercar dealer heads to London in £500k Zagato to pay tribute to the King
- Eden Motor Group celebrates staff excellence with inaugural awards
Ex-health secretary Matt Hancock declares £10,000 fee for morning TV interview
Matt Hancock received £10,000 for a television appearance in which he said he did not ‘primarily’ go on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! for the money.
The former health secretary declared the fee from ITV for an interview on Good Morning Britain (GMB) in the latest register of members’ financial interests.
He received the payment via Shine Talent Management Limited for two hours of work, according to the entry.
Apple reveals rare drop in revenue in latest results
Apple once again posted an, until now, rare revenue decline in its latest fiscal quarter, but said its overall business improved from the December quarter and sales of its iPhones were solid.
The results reported on Thursday were better than Wall Street’s muted expectations and Apple’s stock inched higher in after-hours trading. The latest numbers come after the company in February posted its first quarterly revenue drop in nearly four years after pandemic-driven restrictions on its China factories curtailed sales of the latest iPhone during the holiday season.
Apple earned 24.16bn US dollars (£19.2bn), or 1.52 dollar per share, in the three-month period that ended April 1.
Peugeot updates 2008 with fresh new design and upgraded technology
Peugeot has redesigned its 2008 SUV, bringing in a new exterior look and upgraded in-car systems.
The exterior has a new wider front end which incorporates Peugeot’s new logo, while a ‘light signature’ first used on the 508 is integrated. It features Peugeot’s three-claw design set into gloss black inserts on the bumper. Around the back, the rear lights have been sharpened too. Inside all cars now get a 10-inch infotainment screen as standard.
Peugeot says that a range of powertrains will be available for the 2008 – including a hybrid version from 2024 – while the electric e-2008 gains a larger 54kWh battery enabling a range of up to 252 miles – an increase on the 214 miles offered by its predecessor.
Weather outlook
A cloudy day for most of the UK today with heavy, thundery showers in places, reports BBC Weather. Some areas will see glimpses of sunshine – in these places it’ll be a pleasant 16 to 18 degrees celsius.
Tonight will be a similar picture of cloudy and heavy showers. Towards dawn it’ll become drier for most although the south-west will still see heavy spells of rain.
