6:56 am, September 11, 2021
Lawyers representing Virginia Giuffre claim Andrew has been served papers
Lawyers for the woman suing the Duke of York over sexual assault allegations have claimed to have served legal papers on him, according to a document filed in a New York court.
The legal counsel, who represent Virginia Giuffre, say in the document that the civil lawsuit was handed to a Metropolitan Police officer who was on duty at the main gates of The Royal Lodge, Windsor Great Park, on August 27 at 9.30am.
Giuffre has sued the Queen’s son for allegedly sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager. The PA news agency understands lawyers for the duke do not accept the papers have been served to him.
Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer praise global resolve on 20th anniversary of 9/11
Boris Johnson and Sir Keir Starmer have marked the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks by praising the international resolve that has grown from the al Qaida-led tragedy.
In a defiant message to be played a memorial event at the Olympic Park in east London on Saturday, the prime minister said: ‘The fact that we are coming together today – in sorrow but also in faith and resolve – demonstrates the failure of terrorism and the strength of the bonds between us.’
Labour leader Sir Keir said the consequences of the attacks were ‘still being felt to this day’, adding the tragedy was ‘still so raw’.
GPs in England ‘finding it challenging to maintain a safe service’
General practitioners are finding it difficult to ‘maintain a safe service’ to patients due to the amount of pressure they are under, the chairman of the Royal College of GPs has said.
Prof Martin Marshall said a combination of a drop in numbers of staff and an increase in demand for services from GPs, including for things such complex consultations and the vaccination programme as well as a growing population, has made things difficult for doctors.
He told the Guardian newspaper: ‘The fact that general practice is under such enormous pressure means it can’t deliver the patient-centred services that it wants to. Many GPs are even finding it challenging to maintain a safe service.’
Boris Johnson ‘aims to beat Thatcher’s 11 years in office’
Boris Johnson is hoping to be prime minister for another decade as he aims to outlast Baroness Margaret Thatcher’s 11-year tenure in No 10, newspaper reports have claimed.
The Times said that Johnson wanted to build a legacy, with a view that reforms to the NHS and social care – through a rise in national insurance – announced this week playing a part in that. And the newspaper reported that Johnson, who became PM in 2019, wanted to fix the economy and use Brexit in the next election, expected in 2024.
One Cabinet member reportedly told The Times: ‘Boris will want to go on and on. The stuff Dom (Cummings) was saying about him going off into the sunset was nonsense. He’s very competitive. He wants to go on for longer than Thatcher.’
Friday Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Investigation: Customers get sniffy with new car delays as dealers bear brunt of chip shortages
- Make a date in your diary for this year’s Car Dealer Power – it’s taking place on October 13!
- Italy is seeking a combustion engine ban exemption for its supercar makers
- One of UK’s largest independent car supermarkets opens showroom after securing Santander funding
- Car salesman avoids jail after conning business associate out of £35,000 to pay gambling debts
- eStar Truck & Van celebrates first birthday after ‘exceptional growth’
- Volvo introduces new plug-in hybrid powertrain that increases electric-only range
Fines of up to £10,000 for Covid travel test ‘cowboys’ – Javid
Companies ‘messing around with costs’ of PCR tests for holidaymakers will face fines of up to £10,000, the health secretary has said following a review by the UK competition regulator.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) warned there is a ‘race for the bottom’ in the PCR testing market which could see travellers lose out and called on the Government for an ‘interventionist’ response.
The CMA advised that the Government should create a one-stop shop list of ‘approved test providers by significantly improving the basic standards to qualify for inclusion and remaining on the gov.uk list’.
Volkswagen prices up Polo
Volkswagen has announced that its updated Polo – which gets tweaked looks, a more upmarket interior and additional tech – will start from £17,885
The range kicks off with ‘Life’ trims, bringing LED headlights, adaptive cruise control and an eight-inch digital cockpit display as standard. Style trim adds nav, two-zone climate control and 16-inch alloys, while R-Line gets sportier looking bumpers and sports seats. Both Style and R-Line start at £20,785 and the range will expand with a GTI Performance later this year.
Buyers are able to personalise their vehicles through a list of options which includes additional paint shades such as ‘Vibrant Violet’, and a Sports Suspension Pack adds ‘dynamic’ suspension and an XDS electronic differential lock which has also seen use on the Golf GTI. Engines comprise a 1.0-litre petrol with 79bhp and a 1.0-litre turbo with outputs ranging from 94bhp to 108bhp.
Days when shoppers could get anything from supermarkets over – trade body boss
The boss of the Food and Drink Federation has said that the days when UK consumers could expect to pick up nearly whatever product they want whenever they want from supermarket shelves are over.
Ian Wright, the body’s chief executive, said that a shortage of lorry drivers is in part due to them moving to online retailers and starting to deliver for Amazon and Tesco.
These jobs often have better hours and pay, he added. The farm to fork supply chain is missing around half a million of the four million people that usually work in the sector.
Humid and bright
A dry day for most with plenty of sunny spells with just the odd isolated shower, reports BBC Weather. The far north of Scotland, however, will see heavy spells of rain throughout the day.
Tonight, rain in northern Scotland will ease leaving a few light showers. Elsewhere it’ll be dry and clear.
