14 h. ago Government crackdown on car industry perk could drive up used car prices

Employee Car Ownership Schemes set to be targeted by HMRC, but it could hurt industry, government revenue and car buyers

Politics

61 h. ago Government defeated as Lords demand tougher crackdown on benefit fraud

Peers supported by 200 votes to 194, majority six, a Conservative amendment to the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill.

Politics

3 d. ago Exiled Hong Kong dissidents say UK plan to restart extraditions puts them in danger

Legislative change comes five years after treaty suspended in response to city’s crackdown on pro-democracy activistsExiled Hong Kong dissidents say they fear UK government plans to restart some extraditions with the city could put them in greater danger, saying Hong Kong authorities will use any pretext to pursue them.An amendment to UK extradition laws was passed on Tuesday. It came more than five years after the UK and several other countries suspended extradition treaties with Hong Kong in response to the government crackdown on the pro-democracy movement, and its imposition of a Beijing-designed national security law. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Exiled Hong Kong dissidents fear UK plan to restart extraditions will put them in danger

Legislative change comes five years after treaty suspended in response to city’s crackdown on pro-democracy activistsExiled Hong Kong dissidents say they fear UK government plans to restart some extraditions with the city could put them in greater danger, saying Hong Kong authorities will use any pretext to pursue them.An amendment to UK extradition laws was passed on Tuesday more than five years after Britain and several other countries suspended extradition treaties with Hong Kong in response to the government crackdown on the pro-democracy movement, and its imposition of a Beijing-designed national security law. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago SNP demands MORE immigration: John Swinney says Scottish Government will sponsor visas for foreign care workers

The First Minister and SNP leader set out his 'solution' to the UK Government's immigration crackdown, which he claimed had left care homes 'crying out for staff'.

Politics

9 d. ago Lloyds warns of ‘material’ extra provision needed for car finance payouts

Lloyds has significant exposure to the car finance industry.

Events

1 week ago California and Oregon to fight Trump as both sue over deployed national guard

Governors Newsom and Kotek push back on Trump administration as it looks to escalate crackdown in PortlandCalifornia’s governor, Gavin Newsom, said on Sunday he would go to court to fight the move by Donald Trump to send national guard members from his state to Oregon, where protesters have gathered near a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) building in Portland.Oregon’s governor, Tina Kotek, said 101 California national guard members arrived in her state on Saturday night by plane and more were on the way. Kotek said there has been no formal communication with the federal government about the deployment. A day earlier, a judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deploying 200 members of Oregon’s guard to Portland. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago UK manufacturing activity shrinks at fastest pace for five months

Firms linked to the car industry warned that their supply chains were impacted by production shutdowns at Jaguar Land Rover.

Politics

2 w. ago US energy department cracks down on workers’ use of climate crisis language

Efficiency employees reportedly told to avoid ‘climate change’ and similar terms in their work in latest clampdownThe US Department of Energy has told employees in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to avoid using the words “climate change” in what seems to be the latest incident in a crackdown on discussing the climate crisis in the US government.“Please ensure that every member of your team is aware that this is the latest list of words to avoid – and continue to be conscientious about avoiding any terminology that you know to be misaligned with the Administration’s perspectives and priorities,” says an email from an agency acting director obtained by Politico. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago German identity doesn’t rely on cars – Brussels should face down the mighty automakers

Mercedes-Benz and other big manufacturers want to overturn the EU’s 2035 ban on petrol cars. This would be as disastrous for jobs as for the climateThere is something rather old-fashioned about the way Germany views its car industry. When the prime minister of Bavaria, Markus Söder, calls the car the destiny of Germany and the heart of its economy, and says that “without the car, collapse is imminent”, the vehicle he seems to be describing is one with a combustion engine, running on fossil fuels or their derivatives. This nostalgic attachment to the heavy-duty, polluting industries of the 20th century is now colliding with the urgent realities of the climate crisis.Earlier this month, heads of European automotive companies gathered in the Berlaymont building, the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels, for a meeting with its president, Ursula von der Leyen. German car manufacturers came with two demands: to reverse the EU ban on the manufacture of new cars with CO2-emit...

Politics

2 w. ago German identity doesn’t rely on cars – Brussels should face down the mighty automakers | Tania Roettger

Mercedes-Benz and other big manufacturers want to overturn the EU’s 2035 ban on petrol cars. This would be as disastrous for jobs as for the climateThere is something rather old-fashioned about the way Germany views its car industry. When the prime minister of Bavaria, Markus Söder, calls the car the destiny of Germany and the heart of its economy, and says that “without the car, collapse is imminent”, the vehicle he seems to be describing is one with a combustion engine, running on fossil fuels or their derivatives. This nostalgic attachment to the heavy-duty, polluting industries of the 20th century is now colliding with the urgent realities of the climate crisis.Earlier this month, heads of European automotive companies gathered in the Berlaymont building, the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels, for a meeting with its president, Ursula von der Leyen. German car manufacturers came with two demands: to reverse the EU ban on the manufacture of new cars with CO2-emit...

Politics

2 w. ago UK drivers warned about autumn fire risk if they make one common mistake

Industry insiders strongly advise making a quick check around your car when parking — it could prevent costly repairs and reduce the risk of a potentially devastating fire

Events

3 w. ago Thousands of illegal Spanish tourist flats shutdown in major crackdown

In a crackdown against unregulated tourist accomidation, the Spanish government have removed over 50,000 flats on booking platforms, and are turning them into residental properties instead

Events

3 w. ago Government launches crackdown on ‘inappropriate’ Civil Service events

Mandarins will now need approval from senior managers before holding such events.

Politics

4 w. ago 1.5 MILLION drivers will be forced to share medical information with Government under new crackdown

Drivers have been warned of the dangers of driving with a common sleep disorder, as DVLA introduces strict penalties for those caught behind the wheel with undisclosed health conditions.

Politics

4 w. ago New driving rules mean 'blinding' headlights and touchscreens in cars face ban

New rules are driving changes in the automotive industry, and several car features we take for granted today might not be around for much longer

Transport

last month China’s ‘temple economy’ in the spotlight as scandals rock influential religious leaders

Powerful Buddhist monks who have previously escaped punishment are the latest target of the government’s crackdown on excess wealth and alleged corruptionFor a religious leader, the allegations were scandalous. Mistresses, illegitimate children, embezzlement. But in 2015, the head abbott of Shaolin monastery, the cradle of Zen Buddhism and kung-fu in China, was untouchable. Shi Yongxin, the so-called “CEO monk” who turned the 1,500-year-old monastery into a commercial empire worth hundreds of millions of yuan, held firm. Soon he was cleared of all charges.But 10 years later, the 60-year-old monk was not so lucky. In July, not long after Shi returned from a trip to the Vatican to meet the late Pope Francis, the Shaolin Temple released a statement saying that he was being investigated for allegedly misappropriating funds and for fathering illegitimate children with multiple mistresses. Less than a fortnight later he was dismissed and stripped of his monkhood. He has not been heard fro...

Politics