6:55 am, November 25, 2022
Thousands of teachers, lecturers and Royal Mail workers on strike
Picket lines were mounted outside schools, universities and Royal Mail centres on Thursday as tens of thousands of workers went on strike in worsening disputes over pay, jobs and conditions.
Union leaders said walkouts were being solidly supported amid a bitter war of words in the industrial unrest sweeping the country.
The general secretary of the Communication Workers Union accused Royal Mail of subjecting its workers to a ‘psychological attack’.
Raab says he has behaved professionally ‘at all times’ despite further claims
Dominic Raab has defended himself against allegations of bullying and using his personal email for government business as Rishi Sunak continued to back his embattled deputy.
The Deputy Prime Minister said he had always adhered to the ministerial code and ‘behaved professionally’ as fresh bullying claims emerged.
Downing Street said on Thursday the Prime Minister still had full confidence in him as a number of Mr Raab’s former private secretaries were expected to lodge formal complaints against his conduct.
Increase in car production as industry returns to growth
UK car production returned to growth last month but is still well below pre-pandemic levels, new figures show.
A total of 69,524 cars were built in October, an increase of 7.4 per cent on the same month a year ago, said the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
The rise followed a fall in September, which came after four consecutive months of growth, which the SMMT said illustrated how supply chain turbulence, in particular global chip shortages, continues to affect UK car manufacturers.
You can read the full story here.
Jeremy Hunt rejects forecasts on Brexit hit to UK economy
Jeremy Hunt has rejected forecasts of Brexit’s hit to the UK economy and that Liz Truss’s mini-budget inflicted long-term damage.
The Chancellor also denied that his autumn statement was an overcorrection that will cost the Tories the next election.
Speaking to Sky’s Beth Rigby Interviews, Hunt repeatedly said he did not accept the Office for Budget Responsibility’s prediction that Brexit will cause a four per cent GDP reduction in the long term.
London treads water as US stock markets close for Thanksgiving
London’s top index was as dull as its cousins in New York on Thursday, despite remaining open while the US indexes closed for Thanksgiving.
By the end of the day, the index had gained just 1.36 points (0.02 per cent) ending at 7,466.6, its highest close since early September.
Things were happier elsewhere in Europe, where the German Dax index gained a healthy 0.8 per cent, while the Cac 40 in Paris rose by 0.4 per cent.
Thursday’s Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- BMWs are the ‘most expensive’ used cars to repair – here’s the top 10
- Hefty increase in online sales helps Motorpoint post record half-year revenues
- Hedin Mobility Group seals deal to buy four dealerships from Mercedes-Benz Retail Group
- Car salesman avoids jail after leaving ex-girlfriend feeling ‘suicidal’ because of stalking campaign
- Used car dealer slammed in national press for taking customer’s car on 22-mile ‘school run’
- Polestar looks to open Space in Glasgow in first venture north of the border
- Family-run Hilton Garage used car supermarket sees profit slip by more than 30 per cent
BMW’s 3.0 CSL celebrates 50 years of M
BMW M is bringing its 50 year anniversary celebrations to a close with a new limited-edition model – the 3.0 CSL.
Limited to just 50 units, the 3.0 CSL harks back to the legendary 3.0 CSL ‘Batmobile’ of the 1970s.
The most recent incarnation uses the most powerful straight-six ever used in a BMW road car, with the 3.0-litre engine kicking out 552bhp and 550Nm of torque, driven to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission.
The iconic 3.0 CSL is back. The model that kick-started the BMW M story and set hearts racing five decades ago. The legend. Reimagined for 2022.
What more can we say, but welcome back?
Discover more: https://t.co/ZJFjGYTDqq#WEAREM #50JAHREBMWM pic.twitter.com/UTAEHwoKdT
— BMW UK (@BMW_UK) November 24, 2022
Shielding households from high energy bills set to cost Government £5bn a month
The price the Government will pay to shield households from enormous energy bills will more than double in the new year to around £5bn a month after Ofgem raised its price cap.
The decision will not increase the amount consumers have to pay to use gas and electricity.
But it will force the Treasury to pay 33p per unit of electricity and nearly 7p per unit of gas that homes across Great Britain use.
Sir Patrick Vallance issues warning over net-zero goal
Sir Patrick Vallance has issued a stark warning about the UK’s ambition to reach its 2050 net-zero goal in the fight against climate change.
The UK’s chief scientific adviser gave the warning at the Lister Memorial Lecture in Edinburgh, where he told the audience that ‘the risk of 2050 is it sounds a long way off’.
‘If you think about the scaling of the implementation challenge, and you take something like replacing all domestic heating or making sure that our houses are properly insulated or coming up with an alternative to cement and concrete, or making that carbon natural, by 2050, you’ve got to start very soon,’ Sir Patrick said.
Albanians make up just over a third of small boat arrivals in 2022 so far
Albanians accounted for just over a third of people detected crossing the English Channel in small boats in the first nine months of the year, new figures have shown.
They also made up nearly half of those detected in July to September.
It is a sharp increase on previous years, with only three per cent of arrivals in 2021 being of Albanian nationality, and just one per cent in 2020.
Weather outlook…
It will be a bright and breezy day for many. Western areas will see the odd shower at times and there will be frequent heavy showers for northern Scotland. The BBC is reporting lengthy sunny spells elsewhere.
Tonight, cloud will thicken through the evening from the west, but there will be plenty of clear spells across eastern and southern England overnight. A few showers are likely in the north-west.
It will turn rather unsettled through the day tomorrow for most as heavy and blustery spells of rain spread in from the south-west. Eastern areas of England will see sunny spells into the afternoon.
