6:30 am, October 6, 2023

Labour wins Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election

Labour has overwhelmingly won Scotland’s first recall by-election, with the party’s Michael Shanks taking the Rutherglen and Hamilton West seat from the SNP.

Shanks was declared the new MP for the area this morning after defeating the SNP’s Katy Loudon by 17,845 votes to 8,399.

Margaret Ferrier won the seat for the SNP in 2019 with a majority of 5,230 over Labour but was suspended from the House of Commons for a breach of Covid rules, sparking the recall petition that forced yesterday’s poll.

Broadband customers face £150 hikes because of ‘outrageous’ rises – Which?

Broadband customers could pay £150 more than they expected to over two years because of ‘outrageous’ mid-contract price rises, Which? has warned.

The consumer group wants regulator Ofcom to ban the practice altogether as it found that BT, EE, Plusnet, Shell Energy, TalkTalk and Vodafone customers could see increases of more than 8% on average in 2024, while Virgin Media customers could see rises of more than 10%, based on analysis of Bank of England inflation forecasts.

Many of the biggest broadband firms raise prices every April in line with the Consumer Price Index or Retail Price Index plus an additional 3%, 3.7% or 3.9%. Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy, said: ‘It’s outrageous that unpredictable mid-contract price hikes have been allowed to continue in the telecoms industry for so long.’

Nearly two-thirds of bosses predict return to office within three years

A little under two-thirds of chief executives in the UK and around the world think people will have returned to the office by 2026, a new survey has suggested.

A poll of 1,325 bosses, 150 of whom are in the UK, found that 64% predict a full return to in-office working within the next three years.

But Jon Holt, chief executive of KPMG in the UK, warned companies that to attract good workers they might have to offer some kind of hybrid model in the future.

BA pilots to vote on pay offer after ‘agreement in principle’

British Airways has reached a deal in principle for pay increases for its pilots until 2027.

A spokesperson said: ‘The British Airline Pilots’ Association will now ballot its members.’

According to Sky News, they’ll get staged increases starting at 4% this year backdated to June, ending with a 2.5% rise in June 2026, plus a one-off payment of £1,000 next month, said a source.

US regulators seek to force Elon Musk to testify in Twitter acquisition probe

The Securities and Exchange Commission has said it is seeking a court order that would compel Elon Musk to give evidence as part of an investigation into his purchase of Twitter, now called X.

The SEC said in a filing in a San Francisco federal court that Musk had failed to appear to give evidence on September 15 despite an investigative subpoena served by the commission and him raising no objections at the time it was served.

BBC reaches settlement with murdered girl’s mother over lost clothing

The BBC has reached a settlement with the mother of a murdered schoolgirl who said Martin Bashir took her daughter’s clothes and never returned them.

In 1991, Michelle Hadaway gave the clothes to the then BBC reporter for DNA tests for BBC Two’s social affairs programme Public Eye, but the investigation didn’t air and her calls to the broadcaster were ignored.

The clothes belonged to nine-year-old Karen Hadaway, who was found sexually assaulted and strangled alongside Nicola Fellows, also nine, in a woodland den in Brighton in 1986. Russell Bishop was jailed in 2018 for a minimum of 36 years after being convicted of the girls’ murders. He died in January 2022 aged 55.

Turtle returned to wild after being found on Scottish beach

A malnourished and dehydrated turtle that washed up on a beach in Scotland last year more than 1,000 miles from her natural habitat has been restored to good health and released back into the wild.

She wasn’t expected to make the night after being found in 10C water off the island of Iona – after which she was named – in January 2022.

Iona was spotted by a passer-by before the British Divers Marine Life Rescue contacted Sea Life in Loch Lomond to take her for rehabilitation. She was relocated to Sea Life in Scarborough in May 2022 for further care then taken to the Azores this month for her return to the sea.

New Skoda Kodiaq has more space and plug-in hybrid setup

Skoda has unveiled its second-generation Kodiaq, bringing extra space, a more striking exterior design and plug-in hybrid power to the large SUV.

The Kodiaq has grown by six centimetres, resulting in more passenger and luggage space. It also has a more sculpted bonnet, a new hexagonal grille and slimmer headlights.

Arriving next year, it’ll have plug-in and mild-hybrid engines. The former uses a 1.5-litre petrol engine with an electric motor and battery, while Skoda claims it can travel for up to 62 miles on electric-only power. There’ll also be four-cylinder diesel and petrol engines. Full story here

Yesterday’s headlines on Car Dealer you might have missed

Market movements

The FTSE 100 closed 39.09 points up yesterday to end the day on 7,451.54. The Cac 40, meanwhile, was up 1.52 points at 6,998.25, the Dax was down 29.70 points at 15,070.22, and the Dow Jones was down 9.98 points at 33,119.57.

Weather outlook

Today will see thick cloud and rain across central parts, says BBC Weather, and after a dry and bright morning for northern Scotland, rain will gradually move from the west. Further south, it’ll be dry with sunshine but breezy.

Rain will continue for Scotland on Saturday, at times moving into the far north of England. Elsewhere, it’ll be dry with sunshine and very warm for the time of year, particularly towards the south-east.