6:54 am, September 9, 2022
Nation begins period of mourning for its ‘rock’ the Queen
The Queen will be commemorated by pomp and ceremony as the nation begins a period of mourning to mark the death of its former monarch.
Gun salutes will ring out in the capital and bells will toll across the country, with churches, chapels and cathedrals encouraged by the Church of England to open for prayers or a special service for mourners.
The Queen’s son and successor King Charles III spoke of his grief soon after Buckingham Palace announced the death of the 96-year-old monarch, who died ‘peacefully’ on Thursday afternoon at Balmoral.
Charles to be formally proclaimed King at historic Accession Council
The new King will be formally proclaimed monarch at a historic Accession Council on Saturday.
Charles has automatically become King on the death of his mother, but an Accession Council is usually convened at St James’s Palace in London within 24 hours of the death of a sovereign.
It will be later following the death of the Queen because the announcement of her death did not come until early evening on Thursday, meaning there was not enough time to set the plans in motion for Friday morning.
Liz Truss: Queen was the very spirit of Britain and that spirit will endure
Liz Truss hailed the Queen as the ‘rock on which modern Britain was built’, as she led tributes to the country’s longest-serving monarch.
The Prime Minister said the death of Elizabeth, aged 96, was a ‘huge shock’ to the nation and to the world.
Speaking in Downing Street, Ms Truss described the Queen as the ‘very spirit of Great Britain’ before declaring: ‘That spirit will endure.’
Notes with Queen’s portrait will remain legal tender, Bank of England says
Current bank notes featuring a portrait of the Queen will continue to be legal tender, the Bank of England has reassured consumers.
A further announcement regarding notes will be made once the period of mourning has been observed following the Queen’s death.
The Queen was the first monarch to feature on Bank of England banknotes, Threadneedle Street said.
Organisers of weekend sporting events to decide on schedules after Queen’s death
Organisers of the weekend’s sporting events are to be left to decide whether to postpone their schedules in the wake of the death of Her Majesty the Queen.
Decisions on whether to go ahead will be made following consideration of official mourning guidance, set to be issued by the Cabinet Office.
All of today’s EFL matches have been cancelled, with day two of England’s test match against South Africa also postponed.
London markets make gains as PM unveils huge energy support package
London’s top markets were all in the green on Thursday after the Prime Minister committed to spending billions of pounds on freezing energy bills for households across the UK.
The FTSE 100 closed the day 24.23 points higher, or 0.33 per cent, at 7,262.06.
However, sterling had slipped again at the end of the day and was down 0.22 per cent against the US dollar, to 1.1465, and 0.12 per cent against the euro, at 1.1528, when European markets closed.
Thursday’s Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Cazoo to pull out of mainland Europe to focus on UK market
- Car Dealer Power 2022: These are the firms that have made the shortlist for this year’s awards
- It’s green for go as Oodle poised to take over G3 auction lane for the day again
- Ageing used cars pose a risk to consumers, Halfords boss warns
- Stripping down with a difference! It’s the bare essentials at Pebley Beach for special handover of cars
- Family-run dealership Halliday’s of Bushmills looks to double annual turnover and create 40 more jobs in next five years
- Ferrari confirms highly anticipated Purosangue SUV will be unveiled on September 13
- Dealers need to beware of ransomware attacks rather than hackers wanting data, warns expert
Drivers ‘risk being priced out of the electric revolution’
Demand for electric cars is at risk of stalling due to a lack of affordable models and high energy prices, new analysis warns.
A report by consumer website Electrifying.com stated that there are just seven new electric cars on sale in the UK for under £30,000.
That compares with 107 petrol or diesel cars in the same price bracket.
Strikes suspended after Queen’s death
A leading rail workers union has suspended strikes planned for next week as a result of the Queen’s death.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union were due to walk out on September 15 and 17 in a long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.
A planned strike by Royal Mail workers on Friday has also been called off following the news.
Energy support not the ‘solution’ to the gas crisis, energy boss says
The Government has bought itself two years to insulate millions of British homes, plant solar and wind farms across the country and install heat pumps, the boss of a major energy supplier has said.
Keith Anderson, who leads ScottishPower, said that the Government had helped customers with an announcement that bills will be guaranteed not to rise above £2,500 for the average household.
‘Hats off to the Government, they have made a big, big intervention,’ he told the PA news agency.
Ford reveals more details about upcoming E-Transit Custom
Ford has revealed more details about its hotly anticipated E-Transit Custom, which is due to be released next year.
The Blue Oval unveiled its second electric van in May but only gave limited information about it at the time.
Ford Pro, the firm’s newly formed commercial division, says the van will have a 400-volt, 74kWh battery pack, offering a targeted range of 236 miles.
This is the All-New #FordETransit Custom.
⚡️ It has a ground-up new design for the electric era and is powered by #FordPro to accelerate productivity.
Discover More 👉 https://t.co/zopHsJOtuI pic.twitter.com/XTg5HZdkpg
— Ford UK (@forduk) September 8, 2022
Weather outlook
Today showers are expected for many, these heavy at times. Longer spells of rain in southern and eastern Scotland and the far north of England. Drier with sunshine in north-west Scotland, the BBC reports.
This evening will see showers gradually ease for most, with a mix of variable cloud and clear spells likely overnight. It will stay cloudy with further spells of rain in south-east Scotland, however.
A drier day for much of the UK tomorrow, with a mix of patchy cloud and sunny spells. A few showers developing in southern and eastern England, with the best of the sunshine to the north and west.
