PROUD MEDIA NEWS CENTRE

  Consumer confidence improved marginally in June despite the “dark shadow” of inflation and turmoil in the Middle East, figures show. GfK’s long-running Consumer Confidence Index rose two points but remains firmly in negative territory at minus 18. Confidence in the general economy over the coming year rose five points, driving the improvement, but still remains at minus 28 – 17 points worse than last June. The forecast for personal finances over the next 12 months remained unchanged at positive two – two points down on this time last year. The major purchase index, an indicator of confidence in buying big ticket items, also remained unchanged at minus 16, seven points better than last June. Neil Bellamy, consumer insights director at GfK, said: “Consumers have been resolute in their views on their wallets, with June’s personal financial situation scores – past and future – unchanged from May. “Yet confidence is still fragile because the dark shadow of inflation is a day-to-day ch...

  R&B singer Chris Brown has pleaded not guilty to attempting to cause grievous bodily harm in an alleged bottle attack at a London nightclub. The American musician, 36, is accused of attempting to unlawfully and maliciously cause grievous bodily harm with intent to Abraham Diaw at the Tape venue in Hanover Square, Mayfair, on February 19 2023. His co-defendant, US national Omololu Akinlolu, denied the same charge in a plea and trial preparation hearing at Southwark Crown Court on Friday morning. Brown was able to continue his international tour after he was freed on conditional bail last month. The Go Crazy singer had to pay a £5 million security fee to the court as part of the bail agreement, which is a financial guarantee to ensure a defendant returns to court and may be forfeited if they breach bail conditions.

  New measures are being introduced to tackle sexual offences against women and girls at concerts in London, the Metropolitan Police said. It comes ahead of 51 large-scale music events planned in London this summer, with more than three million people set to attend shows at Wembley Stadium alone. The Met has introduced new violence against women and girls (VAWG) patrols alongside the V100 project, a new data-driven approach to identify serious sexual offenders and prevent crimes. The operation began on June 5 at US singer Beyonce’s concert at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and led to the removal of an individual on suspicion of stalking and threatening behaviour, as well as the arrest of a man for upskirting, who remains on police bail. Ben Russell, Deputy Assistant Commissioner for the Metropolitan Police, said: “The V100 is our approach to identifying those men who are at the top end of carrying out the most serious and harmful attacks against women and girls – that’s multiple ser...

  Pro-Palestinian activists have broken into an RAF base and sprayed two military planes with red paint. Footage posted online by Palestine Action on Friday morning shows two people inside RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. The clip show one person riding an electric scooter up to an Airbus Voyager air-to-air refuelling tanker and appearing to spray paint into its jet engine. The incident was condemned by the Ministry of Defence who said the vandalism was being investigated by police. A spokesman for the campaign group said: “Despite publicly condemning the Israeli Government, Britain continues to send military cargo, fly spy planes over Gaza and refuel US/Israeli fighter jets. “Britain isn’t just complicit, it’s an active participant in the Gaza genocide and war crimes across the Middle East. “By decommissioning two military planes, Palestine Action have directly intervened in the genocide and prevented crimes against the Palestinian people.” RAF Brize Norton serves as the hub for U...

The Monetary Policy Committee meets on Thursday The Bank of England is predicted to keep UK interest rates at 4.25% on Thursday amid rising food inflation and the threat of surging oil prices pushing up the cost of living. Most economists think the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will opt to keep rates on hold when it meets on Thursday. The MPC has voted to cut rates at every other meeting since it started easing borrowing costs last August, from a peak of 5.25%. This has been possible while the rate of UK inflation has been steadily falling from the highs reached in 2023, at the peak of the cost-of-living crisis. Interest rates are used as a tool to put a lid on unruly inflation, in line with the Bank’s task of keeping the rate of Consumer Prices Index (CPI) at 2%. However, rising food prices have been putting pressure on overall inflation recently, with the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showing food and non-alcoholic drink prices rose by ...

They have released financial details for the quarter to May 29th Premier Inn owner Whitbread has posted falling sales amid a “challenging” UK market and a major restaurant overhaul. The group, which also owns the Beefeater and Brewers Fayre chains, reported a 2% drop in total accommodation sales across the UK in its first quarter to May 29, with food sales plunging by 16% as it revamped its restaurants business. Food and drink sales have been impacted by a restructure that Whitbread started in April last year, which includes cutting back its restaurant business to build more hotel rooms. The £500 million plan, which executives dubbed “Accelerating Growth”, involves converting 112 branded restaurants into new hotel rooms and selling 126 more. The plans announced in April 2024 will also see around 1,500 jobs axed as it looks to save about £150 million over the next three years. Whitbread said on Thursday it was on track to save £60 million in this financial year. On a like-for-like basis...