UK retail sales slow to six-month low, shoppers delay buying winter clothing

Business correspondent(wp/Reuters):
British retail sales growth unexpectedly slowed to a six-month low last month, as shoppers held off winter clothing purchases due to mild weather and cut back on other goods after a heavy-spending summer.

Retail sales volumes in October alone dropped by 0.5 percent from September, in contrast to average forecasts in a Reuters poll of economists for them to rise by 0.2 percent.

Year-on-year growth slowed to 2.2 percent from an upwardly revised 3.3 percent in September, the slowest since April and weaker than economists’ forecasts for it to hold at September’s original 3.0 percent reading.

“Retail sales slowed after a buoyant summer with the mild autumn hitting winter clothes sales,” ONS statistician Rhian Murphy said, adding that household goods sales also fell after strong growth in the two previous months.

Looking at the three months to October as a whole, which smooths out some monthly volatility, sales growth slowed to 0.4 percent from 1.2 percent, also the weakest growth since April.

Britain’s economy has slowed since June 2016’s Brexit vote but enjoyed a solid summer, with household spending growing by 0.5 percent in the three months to September.

Less than five months before Britain is due to leave the European Union, there have been signs this week of some respite for households, with underlying pay growth picking up to its fastest since 2008 at 3.2 percent and inflation holding at an 18-month low of 2.4 percent.

But October data from the British Retail Consortium and Barclaycard showed households were continuing to shop cautiously after reining in spending in September, and that some shoppers were delaying purchases ahead of anticipated Black Friday discounts in November.

Thursday’s ONS data showed the sharpest monthly fall in purchases of household goods, such as electronics and home appliances, since December 2017.

Year-on-year growth in fuel sales was the weakest since March 2017.

Many British retailers have reported difficult trading conditions.

Last week Marks & Spencer (MKS.L) warned of an increasingly tough trading environment after disruption from the latest attempt to reinvent Britain’s most famous retailer dented first half sales and profit margins in both its food and clothing businesses.

And British bicycles-to-car parts retailer Halfords (HFD.L) reported a 17 percent fall in first-half profit, hurt by higher operating costs and a challenging consumer environment.

Type 2 diabetes: Symptoms, treatment and difference from type 1 for World Diabetes Day 2018

Health reporter(wp/es):

In August of this year, the number of people being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes reached epidemic levels, according to figures released by a charity.

The British Heart Foundation predicted that over the next two decades, the number of people with diabetes in England will increase from four million to five million.

This will, in turn, lead to an increase in the number of heart attacks and strokes as a result of the condition.

This increase is partly because of the rising number of those who are becoming obese, and the charity has said "bold action" is needed to tackle the obesity epidemic.

Here's everything you need to know about the symptoms of diabetes, what causes it and how the condition is treated: 

What is Type 2 diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes is a condition that causes the level of sugar in the blood to become too high, caused by problems with the body's level of insulin.

It can lead to potentially serious problems such as:

• heart disease or stroke
• nerve damage
• foot sores and infections
• partial sight or blindness
• miscarriage and stillbirth
• kidney problems

What's the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes?

People with Type 1 diabetes don't produce insulin, whereas people with Type 2 diabetes don't respond to insulin as well as they should and later don't make enough insulin.

Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90 per cent of cases, which is linked to obesity and overall poor health.

Type 1 diabetes makes up 10 per cent of cases, which has nothing to do with lifestyle choices and is neither preventable nor reversible.

What are the symptoms of Type 2 diabetes?

Many people develop type 2 diabetes without realising. However, some of the symptoms to look out for include:

• peeing more than usual, particularly at night
• feeling thirsty all the time
• feeling very tired
• losing weight without trying to
• itching around the genitals, or repeatedly contracting thrush
• cuts or wounds taking longer to heal
• blurred vision

• Why is Type 2 diabetes linked to heart attack and stroke?

  Studies suggest that type 2 diabetes greatly increases the risk of heart attack or stroke.
  This is because people with type 2 diabetes may develop a number of conditions, such as high blood pressure and cholesterol, which contribute to their risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
  The British Heart Foundation has said that the diabetes epidemic could lead to a 29 per cent increase in heart attacks and strokes linked to diabetes.

  How is Type 2 diabetes treated?

  Once you're diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, you will usually be offered metformin tablets first, which work by reducing the amount of sugar your liver releases into your blood.
  If your blood sugar levels don't lower within 3 months, you may need another medicine.
  Over time, you may find you need a combination of medicines to treat the condition.
  There is a range of diabetes medication available, so speak to your GP who can advise you on what treatment is right for you.
  A healthy diet and keeping active will also help manage your blood sugar level.

Business chiefs react to Theresa May's proposed deal

Business correspondent(wp/es):

Chief executives from across different business sectors share their initial thoughts on the latest Brexit deal….

Patrick Dardis at Young’s: 

“We wanted to avoid a cliff edge. This is great news for business. We have to press upon politicians to grab this opportunity and put aside personal ambitions and support this deal.

We have got as much as we can from a business perspective and we need politicians to support this.”

Franco Manca parent’s Fulham Shore’s chairman David Page:

“Plenty more agony and indecision to come I’m afraid… This country’s wealth and health rely on a stable political environment - the last two years have been a chaotic disaster. The last 24 hours even worse. 

Our employees and customers need a secure financial environment, the trust in our national political system is currently at zero.”

Helen Brocklebank at luxury goods trade body Walpole:

“We’re encouraged there’s a customs union with the EU until the end of 2020. We are resigned to it being the best deal we could expect. We’re relieved there is finally some kind of clarity. But the fact remains it was never going to be as helpful to British luxury businesses as we had as a member of the EU, and that’s the tragedy of Brexit.”

Jon Di-Stefano at Telford Homes:

“We are looking at the agreement with cautious optimism. We really need certainty that there will be a stable outcome and this is a significant step in the right direction.

I suspect market sentiment will not improve until, and if, it gets the backing of parliament as a whole and so that is the next big question.”

Bellway boss Jason Honeyman:

“The London residential market tends to be the most sensitive to the potential impact of Brexit. As the political picture becomes clearer it gives Bellway more confidence to invest in London albeit there is still long way to go.”

Gerry Hughes, boss of property agent giant GVA:

“I am pleased to see a step towards establishing the greater certainty that the real estate industry craves. Although the market has been more resilient than many would have feared over the last 2 years it is has been a difficult time. The worst outcome would be a no deal Brexit as this sets up a very uncertain  future. A small step forward, but a long way to go.”

Helen Dickinson OBE, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium:

“Until a withdrawal agreement is approved by both Parliament and EU member states, we have continuing uncertainty and the risk remains of consumers facing higher prices and reduced availability of products in March 2019.

We urge Parliament to come together to secure a withdrawal agreement that can protect frictionless, tariff-free trade throughout the transition period.”

prep school teacher accused of child sex abuse over two decades

Pic:Peter Wells(wp)
Crime reporter(wp/es):

A former teacher at a £15,000-a-year prep school groped a pupil in a Second World War bunker during child sex abuse which stretched over two decades, a court heard.

Peter Wells, 72, is accused of abusing two pupils while teaching at Keble prep school in Winchmore Hill, north  London, and indecently assaulting a third boy when he was a Scout master in the Seventies.

It is alleged that Wells, a science and games teacher, regularly stripped off in front of pupils as they showered after sports sessions.

“The allegations relate to sexual abuse of three boys when Mr Wells was in a position of trust,” prosecutor Richard Merz told Wood Green crown court.

One boy claimed he was abused dozens of times by Wells over the course of eight years, during school trips and after athletics sessions.

“The defendant became something of a role model for him, taking on a fatherly role,” said Mr Merz. The boy claimed he was abused in the late Seventies and early Eighties, from the age of nine to 16, but Wells told him it was “their secret and he shouldn’t tell anyone about it”.

A second pupil claimed Wells abused him over four years, ordering him to always wear shorts rather than a tracksuit during sports sessions.

The alleged victim claims the teacher groped him during a school trip after talking to him about sex, and he told police about another incident on a visit to some Second World War bunkers.

“It started raining, the defendant took him into one of the bunkers, hugged him, and touched his private parts. [The boy] told him he was bad for doing that, and the defendant became angry,” Mr Merz said.

The third alleged victim claims he was abused in the Seventies by Wells, who was a leader of his Scout group. He told police he first complained in 2014 when one of the movement’s leaders claimed that child abuse in the Scouts was “rare”.

Questioned last year, Wells, who was a teacher at Keble school between 1976 and 1994, denied sexually abusing the boys. 

Wells, of Cheshunt in Hertfordshire, denies seven counts of indecent assault on a male, five charges of indecency with a child and one count of buggery. The trial continues.

Theresa May's leadership plunged into crisis over EU withdrawal deal as Jacob Rees-Mogg submits no confidence letter

Political reporter(wp/es):

Therea Maysleadership was plunged into crisis today amid a fierce backlash to her Brexit divorce deal plans.

Leading Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg submitted a letter of no confidence in the Prime Minister and several high-profile ministers including Dominic Raab and Esther McVey quit in protest at the Brexit plans.

The embattled Prime Minister was briefing MPs in the House of Commons on the draft deal on Thursday morning amid rumours that the number of letters submitted by Tory MPs to the 1922 committee was nearing the 48 needed to trigger a confidence vote.  

Mrs May is facing a battle to get the deal, which was passed by Cabinet on Wednesday night, through Parliament with Brexiteer Conservative MPs, Remainers, the Labour party and the DUP all saying they will vote down the plan. She has been accused of breaking promises and handing control back to Brussels.