Nissan ‘says Sunderland plant could close’ if UK excluded from Made in Europe rules

The Japanese carmaker Nissan has reportedly said it could be forced to close its plant in Sunderland if the UK is not fully included in new “Made in Europe” manufacturing rules proposed by the EU.The UK car industry trade representative group also said it was “gravely concerned” about the proposals, which it said could damage the £70bn annual cross-channel trade.Under the EU plans, public subsidies to speed up the development of electric vehicles would only be available to EVs made in European plants. Announced by the EU industrial strategy commissioner, Stéphane Séjourné, on Wednesday, the proposed Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) is designed to protect the bloc from cheap competition from China.According to reports on Thursday, Nissan has privately warned the UK government it could be forced to close if the proposals became law

Retailers want ‘delightfully human’ AI to do your shopping, but will the chatbots go rogue?

Major retailers say it won’t be long before sophisticated AI “assistants” plan your meals, organise your parties and do your shopping.But companies, many that are already struggling with their more primitive AI chatbots, will have to balance making the newer, “agentic” bots relatable without them going rogue.AI chatbots were in the news recently when Woolworths reined in its virtual shopping assistant, Olive, after the company’s attempt to have the robot relate to customers on a human level backfired.Customers reported feeling annoyed rather than soothed when Olive told them about its “relatives” over the phone.Sign up: AU Breaking News emailAs one complained on Reddit: “I’m already pissed that I have to call and now I’ve got some robot babbling to me on the phone? Wtf Woolies?”While Woolworths has said it will dial down Olive’s quirky personality, the incident – and further testing by Guardian Australia of a range of retailers’ chatbots – shows the technology still has teething problems

Water firms sent bailiffs to tens of thousands of homes for debts under £1,000

Tens of thousands of people a year have bailiffs sent to their homes by water companies in England and Wales, data shows.Many thousands of these visits by debt collectors were for sums worth under £1,000, according to the data released by the House of Commons environment, food and rural affairs (Efra) committee. Bailiffs are debt collectors instructed by a court, who can seize items from those in debt, including electrical items, jewellery or vehicles.It is a postcode lottery as to whether a water company would send a bailiff to a person’s home to recoup unpaid bills. While Wessex Water has not used bailiffs in 10 years, the water companies that made the most use of bailiffs in 2025 – adjusted for population – were South West Water, Southern Water and Yorkshire Water

Kemi is wrong about everything. Which is almost an achievement in itself | John Crace

Cast your mind forward 10 years or so. Long after Kemi Badenoch has been sacked as Tory party leader without even getting to contest an election. Long after she has been fired from a sinecure in an HR firm for falling out with all her colleagues. Long after she was dismissed from a Tory thinktank for being unable to think. Long after she was forced to take early retirement

Best way forward for Iran would be negotiated settlement, says Starmer

Keir Starmer has said the conflict engulfing the Middle East could continue “for some time” as he insisted the best way forward in the longer term was a negotiated settlement with Iran.The prime minister said the UK was doing “everything we can” to de-escalate the situation, a clear contrast to the US president, who is focused on regime change and has said it was “too late” for Tehran to negotiate.He defended his decision to block initial offensive strikes by the US and Israel at the weekend, saying he stood by his judgment and denying it had damaged the special relationship.Starmer has faced some criticism from Gulf states and Cyprus for not doing enough to protect regional allies and British citizens there from Iranian strikes. He has also been subject to personal attacks from Trump, including that he was “not Winston Churchill”

Actor reaches settlement with Old Vic theatre over Kevin Spacey assault claims

An actor who alleged that he was sexually assaulted by Kevin Spacey has reached a settlement with the Old Vic theatre.Ruari Cannon, who waived his right to anonymity, was an actor at the Old Vic during Spacey’s tenure as artistic director.He claimed that Spacey assaulted him at a theatre after-party at the Savoy hotel and at the Old Vic’s theatre bar on a separate occasion. Spacey has denied the allegations.In a statement, the Old Vic said: “Ruari Cannon and the Old Vic have reached a mutually agreed out-of-court settlement, the precise terms of which are confidential