6:55 am, September 22, 2022
Bank of England set for bumper interest rate hike
Markets think the Bank of England will unveil the biggest hike in interest rates for over three decades when its decision makers meet on Thursday.
The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is expected to increase rates by 0.75 percentage points to 2.5 per cent.
It would be the highest interest rate that the UK has had since the financial crisis. In December 2008, the base rate was slashed from three per cent to two per cent. It would also be the highest single increase to interest rates since 1989.
Patients to see a GP within two weeks, Coffey to say
All GP patients in England are to be offered an appointment for non-urgent needs within two weeks under new plans to help improve access to care.
Health and social care secretary Therese Coffey will also outline plans for patients to be able to look at how local surgeries are performing compared to each other with regard to patient access.
But leading GPs have slammed the plans saying they will have ‘minimal impact’ on patient care. And publishing ‘league tables’ of surgeries will not ‘improve access or standards of care’, the Royal College of GPs said.
Truss hits out at ‘catastrophic failure’ of Putin in Ukraine in UN speech
Vladimir Putin is desperately trying to justify a ‘catastrophic’ failure in Ukraine, Liz Truss has said, accusing the Russian president of ‘sabre rattling’ after he warned his country would use ‘all the means at our disposal’ to protect itself.
It comes as world leaders gather at a United Nations summit in New York to discuss the ongoing Russian assault on Ukraine.
The Russian president’s comments in a televised address to the nation appeared to suggest the conflict in Ukraine could spiral into a nuclear crisis. He announced a partial military mobilisation, with 300,000 reservists set to be called up as the Kremlin attempts to regain ground in the face of a counter-attack by Ukraine’s forces.
New pay rates announced for voluntary ‘real living wage’
Increases in the voluntary ‘real living wage’ have been brought forward, giving a pay boost to almost 400,000 workers.
The hourly rates are rising by £1 to £10.90 across the UK and by 90p to £11.95 in London.
The rates are higher than the statutory £9.50 an hour for adults, and are paid by more than 11,000 employers accredited by the Living Wage Foundation.
Watchdog raises ‘serious concerns’ over Met Police performance
A watchdog has raised ‘serious concerns’ about the performance of the Metropolitan Police after it found the force was ‘failing’ in several areas of its work.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) said Scotland Yard must make urgent improvements as it published its findings, just days after Sir Mark Rowley took over as Commissioner.
The force said it was ‘committed’ to tackling the problems highlighted in the report, with new deputy commissioner Dame Lynne Owens saying their pledge to London was ‘more trust, less crime, high standards’.
Caterham’s new Super Seven models bring classic styling with modern performance
Caterham has reintroduced its heritage range of cars with two new classic-inspired models – the Super Seven 600 and Super Seven 2000.
Priced from £29,990 and £39,990 respectively, the pair of Sevens arrive ahead of Caterham’s 50th anniversary next year. They take inspiration from the Super Sevens of the 1970s and 80s, incorporating classic looks but with very modern performance.
The Super Seven 600 is powered by a 660cc Suzuki-sourced turbocharged petrol engine with 85bhp, while the Super Seven 2000 uses a 180bhp 2.0-litre Duratec engine. Both get flared wings, a Moto-Lita steering wheel and buyers can choose from a range of colours for the bodywork, carpets and seats.
Wednesday Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- BMW dealership manager stole £62,000 from his own employers
- Peter Vardy Group celebrates record-breaking 2021 as firm announces £26.1m profits
- Pendragon in ‘advanced discussions’ with Chinese EV firm BYD over potential partnership
- Government to help car dealers by picking up half the tab for business energy bills
- Pendragon reveals ‘strong’ results for first half of the year despite dip in pre-tax profit
- One Bentley customer’s request led to £8k business class rear seat option
- Four-day working week moves a step closer as firms give trial the thumbs up
- Huge rise in energy prices putting off buyers switching to electric vehicles
BT and Openreach workers to stage fresh strikes in pay dispute
BT and Openreach workers are to stage fresh strikes in a long-running dispute over pay.
The Communication Workers Union (CWU) said its members will walk out on October 6, 10, 20 and 24.
The action will include the tens of thousands of Openreach engineers and BT call centre workers who have walked out in previous months. The dispute centres on workers opposing the imposition by company management of an “incredibly low” flat-rate pay rise of £1,500 which the union said was a real-terms pay cut because of the soaring rate of inflation.
Weather outlook
Rain for the north and west which will turn south-eastwards during the day, leaving drier and brighter conditions, reports BBC Weather. The south-east of England will be dry with sunny spells.
The band of rain will push across Wales and into central and southern England. Clear in the north and west although there will be rain in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
