‘Black hole in government finances’; Badenoch Tory leadership campaign; Gladiators referee dies – Car Dealer Magazine

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves will announce immediate measures to cut costs on Monday as she is expected to reveal a black hole of around £20bn in the accounts.

On Monday afternoon, she will outline the previous government’s spending legacy and announce the date of her first autumn budget, promising to “restore economic stability.”

She will say that a Treasury spending audit she commissioned shows the previous government overspent this year’s budget by billions of pounds after a series of unfunded promises. She will also accuse the previous Conservative government of “covering up the true state of the public finances”.

GPs have threatened to bring the NHS ‘to a standstill’ with unprecedented strikes.

GPs across England are being polled by the British Medical Association (BMA) on whether they support industrial action amid a row over the new contract for GP services in England. Voting closes on Monday and if medics vote in favour of industrial action it will begin on 1 August and could go on for ‘months’.

This collective action could potentially lead to GPs limiting the number of patients they see per day to 25, deciding not to do work for which they are not formally employed, and ignoring ‘rationing restrictions’ by ‘prescribing what is best for the patient’.

Kemi Badenoch has thrown her hat into the ring and Suella Braverman has withdrawn as nominations for the Conservative Party leadership near their closing date.

Badenoch, an early favourite with bookmakers, joins Dame Priti Patel, Mel Stride, Tom Tugendhat, James Cleverly and Robert Jenrick in the fight for the top job. Under rules drawn up by the 1922 Committee of Tory MPs and the party executive, nominations close at 2.30pm on Monday.

Badenoch wrote in The Times that “incoherent” policies were to blame for the party’s worst showing at the general election.

The French border control zone at the port of Dover is being expanded to reduce the risk of queues at peak times when new EU rules come into force.

Under the EU Entry/Exit System (EES), expected to come into force in the autumn, travellers entering the EU from the UK and other non-EU countries will be required to register their details at the EU border and provide biometric data.

As the government prepares for the change, Home Secretary Seema Malhotra will introduce a statutory instrument to parliament on Monday to allow French border guards to operate in an extended zone at the Port of Dover.

James Baggott and Jon Reay are joined by journalist and Auto Trader editorial director Erin Baker to chat about the week’s headlines. You can listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Tommy Robinson was arrested under anti-terror laws after a protest that reportedly involved the screening of a film that ignored court orders, according to his supporters.

His arrest was made public in a post on his verified X account and follows a march led by Robinson and a counter-protest in central London on Saturday that attracted thousands of people.

Later, a complaint was filed about a film that was allegedly shown to the public in violation of a Supreme Court order. Police said officers were investigating further.

Gladiators referee John Anderson has died at the age of 92, the TV show reports.

The Scottish sports coach was best known for his role as a referee in the original ITV show, between 1992 and 2000, and the short-lived Sky series.

He also trained more than 100 Olympians and was inducted into the Coaching Hall of Fame in 2002.

Another dry and warm day for southern England, BBC Weather reports, while the north will be cloudier with occasional showers. Highs of 28 degrees in the south-east.

A clear night for most, although there will be occasional showers in the north.