On May 17, 2024, UK Day will focus on:
● Labor's Starmer announced six commitments after coming to power
● Tesla pushes for the legalization of driverless cars in the UK
● The number of international student applications is declining, and UK universities are at risk of closure
● The UK will introduce new laws to severely punish dangerous cyclists
● The UK's three major banks announced a cut in mortgage rates
Labor's Starmer announced six commitments after coming to power
At an event in Essex on May 16, Sir Starmer, leader of the British Labour Party, outlined six commitments that Labour would make if it won this year's general election and came to power, including:
- Persist in strictly controlling fiscal expenditures to achieve economic stability
- Add 40,000 appointments per week, reducing NHS waiting lists
- A new border security command has been established to prevent criminal smuggling gangs from arranging small boats to cross the border
- 成立名为Great British Energy的公有的清洁能源公司
- Increase community policing to combat anti-social behaviour and impose new penalties for offenders
- Hiring 6,500 additional teachers for public education, funded by the end of the tax deduction for private schools (i.e., the increase in VAT on private schools)
Tesla pushes for the legalization of driverless cars in the UK
According to The Telegraph, Tesla is pushing for the legalization of its self-driving system in the UK and Europe. Last month, Tesla demonstrated its "self-driving (FSD)" technology to officials on European roads, leading attendees for a test drive at a safety conference near Munich.
Tesla is also reported to be closely involved in the United Nations' efforts to update regulations on the use of advanced driver assistance systems, which could pave the way for the technology to be legalized by the end of next year.
The source explained that FSD technology can control the car to stop at traffic lights, automatically change lanes and navigate intersections, but still requires continuous supervision by the driver, so it is considered a "Level 2+ autonomous driving system", compared to a "Level 5 automatic driving system" that means the car can fully drive itself.
Truss said it would take longer to roll out FSD technology in countries where cars drive on the left. At the same time, separate legislation on autonomous driving in the UK is still in the final stages of being passed by Parliament.
International student applications are down and UK universities are at risk of closure
Previously, in order to reduce the number of legal immigrants, the British government announced that most international students would be prohibited from bringing their families to the UK, and the salary threshold for work permits was raised from £26,200 to £38,700, a series of policies that led to a sharp drop in the number of international student applicants at British universities.
On May 16, the Financial Times, citing a report by the Office for Students, the UK's higher education regulator, pointed out that UK universities are facing a looming funding crisis due to a decline in the number of international student applicants. 40% of universities in England are expected to run a deficit in the 2023-2024 academic year, and a growing number of universities are experiencing low levels of cash flow.
Separately, more than 50 UK universities are planning to cut budgets and lay off staff due to rising financial pressures due to a decline in the number of overseas students and a 10-year freeze on tuition fees of £9,250 per year for UK students. The Russell Group, an elite institution, estimates that UK universities lose an average of £2,500 per student a year, and that figure will rise to £5,000 by 2030.
The UK will introduce new laws that will severely punish dangerous cyclists
The UK government website announced on May 15 that it would introduce new laws to severely punish dangerous cyclists, who would face the same penalties as motorists and motorcyclists, with up to 14 years in prison if they cause death or serious injury to another person as a result of their reckless behavior.
The UK's three major banks have announced a cut in mortgage rates
BBC News, Barclays, HSBC and TSB recently announced that they will slightly cut mortgage rates for new transactions today (May 17). But even so, homeowners in the UK are still facing very high levels of borrowing pressure.
The latest data shows that in England and Wales in the first quarter of this year, there were 5,182 home repossession applications, and 759 properties were eventually repossessed by lenders because they could not afford to pay their mortgages, up 4% on the same period last year.
During the same period, the number of applications from lenders for loan recovery (the first step in property recovery) also increased by 28% year-on-year, reaching the highest level since 2019.