UK economy to stage ‘welcome recovery’ thanks to consumer rebound January 6, 2025 The firm forecast that GDP will increase by 1.7 per cent over 2025, double the 0.8 per cent expansion anticipated for 2024.
Elon Musk’s attacks on Jess Phillips a ‘disgraceful smear’, Streeting says January 5, 2025 Wes Streeting has said attacks made by Elon Musk on Jess Phillips over grooming gangs are a “disgraceful smear” considering the Labour minister’s efforts to support victims of abuse. The billionaire owner of social media platform X, Tesla and Space X suggested the safeguarding minister “deserves to be in prison” for denying requests for the [...]
Musk says Farage ‘doesn’t have what it takes’ to lead Reform UK January 5, 2025 Elon Musk has said Nigel Farage “doesn’t have what it takes” to lead Reform UK, just weeks after the pair had a “great” meeting in the US. The owner of Tesla and X – the social media site formerly known as Twitter – met with Farage in December at US President-elect Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, [...]
Ukraine to seek allies’ help to boost air defences, says Zelensky January 5, 2025 Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he will again call on allies to boost its air defences at this week’s meeting in Germany, as US President-elect Donald Trump takes over later this month with a vow to end the almost three-year war quickly. Zelensky said dozens of partner countries will participate in the meeting of [...]
Lack of winter fuel payment ‘might be unpopular’ as snow falls, Streeting admits January 5, 2025 Wes Streeting has acknowledged withdrawing winter fuel payments from pensioners “might be unpopular” following health service advice to keep home heated during this weekend’s cold snap. The Health Secretary faced questions on Sunday about his advice to “turn the heating on”, after heavy overnight snowfall of up to 12cm in parts of the country. Conservative [...]
Tesco and Sainsbury’s to shed light on Christmas sales performance January 5, 2025 The UK’s biggest supermarket groups will shed light next week on how they fared over the key Christmas period amid pressure on shoppers’ budgets. Tesco and Sainsbury’s will both provide third-quarter updates for investors and analysts, where they will reveal their sales for the weeks running up to Christmas. Both grocers are expected to reveal [...]
Reform UK chair says 46,000 members joined in last half of December January 4, 2025 More than 46,000 people joined Reform UK in the last two weeks of December, the party chairman told supporters amid a spat with the Tories over membership numbers. Zia Yusuf asked party members at a Reform UK conference in Chelmsford, Essex – part of Kemi Badenoch’s North West Essex constituency – to give a “big [...]
Emergency declared in Crimea as oil spill reaches Sevastopol January 4, 2025 Officials in Moscow-occupied Crimea have announced a regional emergency after oil was detected on the shores of Sevastopol, the peninsula’s largest city. Fuel oil spilled out of two storm-stricken tankers nearly three weeks ago in the Kerch Strait, close to eastern Crimea – some 155 miles from Sevastopol, which lies on the south-west of the [...]
Tulip Siddiq reportedly given London flat linked to deposed Bangladeshi leader January 4, 2025 City minister Tulip Siddiq was reportedly given a London flat by a person with links to the deposed Bangladeshi leader. Siddiq, who serves as economic secretary to the Treasury with a brief including “countering economic crime, money laundering and illicit finance” was reported to have been given the two-bedroom property near King’s Cross in 2004, [...]
New car market in UK up 2.6 per cent in 2024, figures reveal January 4, 2025 The UK’s new car market recorded its second successive year of growth with a 2.6 per cent rise in registrations in 2024, new figures show. Industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said around 1,953,000 new cars were registered last year, compared with 1,903,000 in 2023. Growth was delivered entirely by purchases [...]
