Farage aides step down after undercover report on Reform UK donations

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news Elsewhere in the car sector, Volkswagen’s supervisory board has agreed to back a sweeping overhaul that will cut another 50,000 jobs and could lead to plant closures. WV announced last night that “after intense and constructive discussions”, the Supervisory Board has unanimously approved the comprehensive Future Plan 2030 drawn up by chief executive Oliver Blume. “The Supervisory Board has unanimously approved the Executive Board’s Future Plan presented today. This is a strong signal for the future of the Volkswagen Group. We are taking responsibility for our entire workforce, for our partners and for industrial jobs worldwide. Over the coming years, we will invest a three-figure billion sum to make our iconic brands even more attractive, stronger and more competitive.”..

Exclusive: As millions of people face hosepipe bans, many companies are not required to report, let alone cut, use of public supply Less than 1% of businesses in England use more water than the daily needs of 10 million people, as millions of households face hosepipe bans and three-quarters of the country is in drought. Businesses across England use 2.6bn litres a day from the public water supply, which includes potable and non-potable water provided by water companies. In total, businesses account for about 30% of public supply use, with two-thirds of their consumption in water-stressed areas, according to Mosl, the organisation that operates England’s business water market...

Paris converted tens of thousands of on-street parking spaces into docking stations, fundamentally changing its approach to public space Agustin Guilisasti is founder and CEO of the London ebike operator Forest Shared ebikes have become a key part of London’s transport network. From Hounslow to Greenwich, it’s rare to step on to the street without seeing one, and they now facilitate millions of journeys every month. Forest recorded 3m rides this July alone, a new high. Demand keeps rising, and operators are logging ever-higher ride-per-bike ratios, a key measure of how intensively fleets are being used. This is good news for London, which gains a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable way to get around – one that eases reliance on private car ownership. And, with new research revealing that air-quality improvements driven by the ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) have led to better lung health in children, the benefits of reducing polluting journeys are increasingly clear. Agustin Guilisasti is founder and CEO of the London ebike operator Forest..