The government is said to debating whether to scrap the need for annual MOT checks in order to help ease the cost of living.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson held a cabinet meeting on Tuesday where he was said to have asked his team to come up with some “innovative” ideas to ease the pressure on household finances amid the rising cost of living crisis that do not require government spending, and it is understood that Transport Secretary Grant Shapps posed idea of moving from an annual vehicle check to every two years, reports The Telegraph and Sky News.
The proposed change to move to biennial MOTs could save motorists up to £55 annually, according to reports.
MOT checks can often cost up to £54.85, with necessary repair bills on top.
When asked about the annual cost of an MOT during the Transport Select Committee meeting at the House of Commons, Mr Shapps refused to rule out a move to two-year checks, but did say that any changes would need to meet a “very rigorous safety standard”.
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He continued: “I don’t rule anything out.
The proposed change to move to biennial MOTs could save motorists up to £55 annually / Credit: Flickr
“If you look at things like MOTs, cars have clearly become a lot more reliable than when the MOT, named after the Ministry of Transport, was put in place [and while] I think it’s always right to keep these things under review, there’s a lot of road to cover before we get to that point.”
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Mr Shapps added: “I’m always looking at things that can assist, but I’m certainly not in a position to make specific announcements about those things.”
Following the cabinet meeting, it is understood that not all ministers supported the idea of moving to biennial MOT checks, with Transport Select Committee member, Karl McCartney, telling Mr Shapps he thought it was “an absolutely crap idea”.
On top of that, some industry experts – most-notablly including motoring body, the AA – have also issued warnings that a move to two-year checks could lead to higher repair bills for drivers who do not catch problems early enough.
MOT checks can often cost up to £54.85, with necessary repair bills on top / Credit: Jimmy Nilsson Masth (via Unsplash)
The Prime Minister’s official spokesperson has confirmed that ministers talked through “a number of ideas” to ease the pressure on household finances during the cabinet meeting earlier this week.
These ideas will now “feed in to a more formal process”.
This comes after Number 10 announced that the Prime Minister will chair a committee with the aim of tackling the cost of living crisis “in the next couple of weeks”, as millions of people in Britain are facing an increase in energy bills, council tax, National Insurance, and are feeling the effects of inflation having hit a 30-year-high of 7% earlier this month.
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
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Multiple arrests made for ‘tragedy chanting’ and police officer assault as Man City defeated Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
Multiple people were arrested over the weekend as Manchester City defeated Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during the policing operation at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield as they hosted Manchester City on Sunday 11 October.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police constable, five were on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.
Police are now appealing to the public, and are particularly looking to speak to witnesses of the assault of the officer.
At around 6:35pm, as fans left the stadium, a police officer sustained a ‘serious facial injury’ during the arrest of a man on Anfield Road, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment but is now recovering at home.
Investigating officers are now conducting enquiries, speaking to witnesses, and analysing CCTV and camera phone footage.
Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it’s ‘extremely disappointing’ that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out their duty.
“I hope the arrests send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” Chief Inspector Hobin continued. “Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.
“Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation.”
Manchester City ended up defeated Liverpool 3-0 during the Premier League clash at Anfield.
Emily Sergeant -
27th April 2022 
