{"id":594179,"date":"2026-05-20T10:59:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T10:59:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/594179\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T10:59:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T10:59:17","slug":"may-20-unemployment-rate-rises-skoda-epiq-unveiled-hs2-costs-spiral-car-dealer-magazine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/594179\/","title":{"rendered":"May 20: Unemployment rate rises; Skoda Epiq unveiled; HS2 costs spiral \u2013 Car Dealer Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Unemployment rate rises and vacancies slump in first signs of Iran war jobs hit<\/p>\n

Britain\u2019s unemployment rate has risen and vacancies tumbled to a five-year low in the first signs of the Iran war taking its toll on an already under-pressure jobs market.<\/p>\n

Official figures showed the jobless rate rose unexpectedly to 5% in the three months to March, up from 4.9% in the three months to February.<\/p>\n

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed another slowdown in wage growth, while it said vacancies and payroll worker numbers also tumbled amid a sharp pull-back in hiring across hard-hit retail and hospitality sectors.<\/p>\n

\"Advert\"\/
\n<\/a>
\nInvestors challenge Shell over plans for long-term decline in fossil fuel demand<\/p>\n

Investors have repeatedly challenged Shell over its plans for the potential long-term decline in fossil fuel demand at the oil major\u2019s annual general meeting (AGM).<\/p>\n

The company\u2019s board defended its ongoing investments in oil and gas as shareholders gathered at the Sofitel Hotel at Heathrow Airport on Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n

It came after a group of 21 institutional investors, led by Dutch campaign group Follow This, filed a proposal calling for the company to publish a strategy on how it plans to create shareholder value under the scenario that fossil fuel demand falls as the world transitions to clean energy.<\/p>\n

\"Advert\"\/<\/a>
\nSkoda shows off Epiq small electric SUV and confirms \u00a324,950 starting price<\/p>\n

Skoda has revealed its smallest EV yet \u2013 the \u00a324,950 Epiq.<\/p>\n

The newcomer is a small electric SUV that goes head-to-head with models like the Renault 4 and Kia EV2. With prices starting at \u00a324,950, it costs the same as the Skoda Kamiq petrol SUV equivalent.<\/p>\n

The Epiq uses the same new MEB+ platform as the Cupra Raval and Volkswagen\u2019s ID.Polo and ID.Cross models. The quartet represents Volkswagen Group\u2019s attack on the more value end of the EV market.<\/p>\n

The markets<\/p>\n

The FTSE 100 edged higher on Tuesday, but ended well off its earlier heights, after a surprise rise in unemployment and as US bond yields hit their highest mark since 2007.<\/p>\n

The FTSE 100 closed up 6.80 points, 0.1%, at 10,330.55. It had earlier traded as high as 10,408.36.<\/p>\n

In European equity markets on Tuesday, the CAC 40 in Paris ended down 0.1%, and the DAX 40 in Frankfurt advanced 0.4%.<\/p>\n

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Hedin Automotive posted a \u00a37.38m pre-tax loss for 2024 despite turnover nearly doubling to \u00a3412.8m. Bosses blamed recessionary pressures, high funding costs and product recalls, while expressing optimism for improved trading in 2025.<\/p>\n

Car Dealer Power Awards 2026 provide a \u2018trusted benchmark\u2019 for the industry, according to Close Brothers Motor Finance CEO Se\u00e1n Kemple, who says dealer-voted awards help reinforce trust, raise standards and strengthen partnerships.<\/p>\n

Autotrader says buyers are increasingly choosing used electric and hybrid cars, with low-emission models dominating May\u2019s fastest-selling list. The MG ZS hybrid sold quickest, averaging just 10.5 days on forecourts.<\/p>\n


<\/p>\n

HS2 could cost more than \u00a3100bn and may not open until 2039, says minister<\/p>\n

HS2 could cost more than \u00a3100bn and may not open until 2039, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has announced.<\/p>\n

The Cabinet minister told the Commons she was \u2018angry\u2019 about the \u2018obscene increase in time and costs\u2019, which she blamed on \u2018the failures of successive Conservative governments\u2019.<\/p>\n

Ms Alexander said the expected cost of completing the high-speed railway was between \u00a387.7bn and \u00a3102.7bn (in 2025 prices).<\/p>\n

Andy Burnham announced as Labour candidate for Makerfield by-election<\/p>\n

Andy Burnham will be Labour\u2019s candidate for the Makerfield by-election, the party has announced.<\/p>\n

Mr Burnham said he was \u2018proud and humbled\u2019 to be selected, and vowed to ensure the voices of people in Makerfield were \u2018heard loud and clear\u2019.<\/p>\n

The decision sets up a contest between Mr Burnham and Reform UK\u2019s Robert Kenyon, a local plumber who contested the seat for the party in 2024.<\/p>\n

Weather outlook\u2026<\/p>\n

Across the UK today, southern and eastern areas should enjoy another warm day with lengthy sunny spells and only isolated showers.<\/p>\n

The Midlands will see a mix of sunshine and variable cloud, staying mostly dry.<\/p>\n

Northern England becomes cooler and breezier with scattered showers developing, while Scotland looks cloudier overall, with outbreaks of rain in the west and fresher conditions throughout.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Unemployment rate rises and vacancies slump in first signs of Iran war jobs hit Britain\u2019s unemployment rate has…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":594180,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[84,1294,203195,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-594179","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy","tag-business","tag-economy","tag-headline-block-4","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594179","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=594179"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594179\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/594180"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=594179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=594179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=594179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}