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Highways England is considering imposing the UK’s first pollution-linked speed limits to help reduce smog in Sheffield. But why should electric vehicle drivers have to slow down too?

The speed limit proposal in England

If approved, a mandatory 60 mph speed limit would be put in place on the M1, a motorway that runs north-south between London to Leeds, between junctions 32 and 35a in Sheffield, where the M1 is near schools and homes. The speed limit would be in place between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., seven days a week.

The national motorway speed limit is 70 mph, and it’s already 60 mph for buses, coaches, minibuses, vehicles towing things, and certain goods vehicles.

Why a speed limit?

Highways England is heeding a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence study published in December 2016, which concluded:

Accelerating or decelerating too rapidly leads to inefficient driving and fuel consumption with harmful emissions being released into the environment unnecessarily.

Road traffic causes more than 64% of air pollution in urban areas. Air pollution and its health impact also costs the UK up to £18.6 billion a year.

AutoExpress pointed out in October 2020 that “a study of Welsh roads found that reducing the limit from 70 mph to 50 mph reduced pollution by up to 47%.”

How will this be received by the public?

Probably not enthusiastically. Sheffield was identified by the World Health Organization as having dangerously high levels of pollution, but a spokesperson for the AA said [via the Guardian]:

Car users are always the easy hit when it comes to pollution when actually they are not one of the main contributors. There will be people raising their eyebrows about whether this is just an example of the authorities trying to look like they are doing something.

There will be a section of car users, who will see that this is not safety-related, and that they are being penalized for emissions that are likely to have come from other sources as well. That same section will say they pay billions of pounds in taxes … and if we’re contributing that amount of money, why isn’t it being spent on the road network to deal with the issues?

There is a very good chance that the traffic is already moving at that speed during rush-hour.

The AA spokesperson is right about traffic already being slow during rush hour, but someone needs to tell them about the Welsh study, at the very least. Of course, gas cars are a major source of pollution.

What about electric cars?

To point out the obvious, the UK has banned all new gas cars from 2030 – and that’s only 8.5 years away. So why isn’t Highways England using this opportunity to both incentivize and reward EV drivers?

I hold drivers’ licenses in both the US and the UK. When I drive in the UK, it’s a pleasure (unless I’m sitting in a traffic jam on the M25). Drivers are competent and respectful because the driving test is much more rigorous than, say, the Florida driving test.

(Florida drivers are diabolically bad, as a generalization, but that’s not a surprise, seeing how the driving test is a bit of a joke. And it’s the most expensive state in the US for car insurance for a reason.)

Motorway drivers in the UK, as a whole, respect fast and slow lane rules. They use their signals and move out of the fast lane when another car wants to overtake. So there is no reason, seeing how UK electric cars now have green registration plates and are easily identifiable, why electric car drivers shouldn’t be rewarded with the privilege of driving 70 mph in the fast lane between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. in Sheffield if traffic allows. And surely this would serve as yet another incentive to drive an electric vehicle, which is going to be mandatory anyway.

Local businesses in Sheffield can trial an electric van for two months for free. If the driver finds that it comes with the privilege of driving faster, too, it’s going to increase the desire to switch to electric.


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MasterChef presenter John Torode sacked

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MasterChef presenter John Torode sacked

MasterChef presenter John Torode will no longer work on the show after an allegation he used an “extremely offensive racist term” was upheld, the BBC has said.

His co-host Gregg Wallace was also sacked last week after claims of inappropriate behaviour.

On Monday, Torode said an allegation he used racist language was upheld in a report into the behaviour of Wallace. The report found more than half of 83 allegations against Wallace were substantiated.

Torode, 59, insisted he had “absolutely no recollection” of the alleged incident involving him and he “did not believe that it happened,” adding “racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment”.

John Torode and Gregg Wallace in 2008. Pic:PA
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John Torode and Gregg Wallace in 2008. Pic: PA

In a statement on Tuesday, a BBC spokesperson said the allegation “involves an extremely offensive racist term being used in the workplace”.

The claim was “investigated and substantiated by the independent investigation led by the law firm Lewis Silkin”, they added.

“The BBC takes this upheld finding extremely seriously,” the spokesperson said.

“We will not tolerate racist language of any kind… we told Banijay UK, the makers of MasterChef, that action must be taken.

“John Torode’s contract on MasterChef will not be renewed.”

Australian-born Torode started presenting MasterChef alongside Wallace, 60, in 2005.

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Why Gregg Wallace says he ‘will not go quietly’

A statement from Banijay UK said it “takes this matter incredibly seriously” and Lewis Silkin “substantiated an accusation of highly offensive racist language against John Torode which occurred in 2018”.

“This matter has been formally discussed with John Torode by Banijay UK, and whilst we note that John says he does not recall the incident, Lewis Silkin have upheld the very serious complaint,” the TV production company added.

“Banijay UK and the BBC are agreed that we will not renew his contract on MasterChef.”

Read more from Sky News:
BBC reveals highest-earning stars
Men who cut down Sycamore Gap tree locked up
Couple murdered two-year-old grandson

Earlier, as the BBC released its annual report, its director-general Tim Davie addressed MasterChef’s future, saying it can survive as it is “much bigger than individuals”.

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BBC annual report findings

Speaking to BBC News after Torode was sacked, Mr Davie said a decision is yet to be taken over whether an unseen MasterChef series – filmed with both Wallace and Torode last year – will be aired.

“It’s a difficult one because… those amateur chefs gave a lot to take part – it means a lot, it can be an enormous break if you come through the show,” he added.

“I want to just reflect on that with the team and make a decision, and we’ll communicate that in due course.”

Mr Davie refused to say what the “seriously racist term” Torode was alleged to have used but said: “I certainly think we’ve drawn a line in the sand.”

In 2022, Torode was made an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours, for services to food and charity.

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BBC gives update on MasterChef’s future after Gregg Wallace allegations – as annual report released

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MasterChef is 'bigger than individuals' and 'can survive', BBC says

The head of the BBC says MasterChef can survive its current scandal as it is “much bigger than individuals” – but the corporation must “make sure we’re in the right place in terms of the culture of the show”.

Director-general Tim Davie said he “absolutely” thinks the popular cooking contest has a future, with the production’s current deal with the corporation set to run out in 2028, and praised it as “a great programme that’s loved by audiences”.

Speaking as the BBC unveiled its annual report, and following a series of recent controversies, Mr Davie said the corporation’s leadership team will not “tolerate behaviour that is not in line with our values”, and confirmed “senior individuals and people involved in these cases are being held to account”.

On Monday, it was revealed an independent review into “inappropriate behaviour” by MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace had upheld more than half of the allegations against him.

In response, Wallace said he was “deeply sorry” and never set out to “harm or humiliate”.

A few hours later, MasterChef presenter John Torode said an allegation he used “racial language” was upheld in the report as part of a review.

Torode has said he has “no recollection of the incident” and “did not believe that it happened”.

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Pic: Casey Gutteridge/Shutterstock 

John Torode and Gregg Wallace
Childline Ball, Old Billingsgate Walk, London, UK - 26 Sep 2019
This years MasterChef themed Childline Ball took place at 1 Old Billingsgate Walk, London. Guests were joined by MasterChef judges Gregg Wallace and John Torode, with all the money raised during the evening going directly to Childline's vital work supporting children.
Image:
John Torode and Gregg Wallace in 2019. Pic: Casey Gutteridge/Shutterstock

Mr Davie said the BBC’s leadership team would not “tolerate behaviour that is not in line with our values,” while BBC chair Samir Shah acknowledged there were still pockets within the corporation where “powerful individuals” can still “make life for their colleagues unbearable”.

They said several BBC staff members had been dismissed in the last three months following an independent review into workplace culture.

The review found the corporation did not have a toxic culture but there was a minority of people who behaved unacceptably and whose behaviour was not addressed.

Wallace, who was sacked from MasterChef last week, is not included in that count as he was not directly contracted by the corporation, but was employed by independent production company Banijay.

John Torode and Gregg Wallace in 2008. Pic:PA
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John Torode and Gregg Wallace in 2008. Pic: PA

The BBC has yet to decide if the unseen MasterChef series – filmed with both Wallace and Torode last year – will be aired or not.

‘We will make mistakes’

News of the findings in the Gregg Wallace report came on the same day it was revealed the BBC was deemed to have breached its editorial guidelines over a Gaza documentary that was narrated by the child of a Hamas official.

Media watchdog Ofcom subsequently launched its own investigation into Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone, which was removed from BBC iPlayer in February.

While the 2024-25 annual report showed a small rise in trust overall for the corporation, Mr Davie said it had been a year which saw the reputation of the BBC damaged by “serious failings” in the making of the documentary.

He said it was important that the BBC “took full responsibility for those failings and apologised for them” and called the documentary “the most challenging editorial issue” he has dealt with.

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BBC under fire over Wallace and Gaza

Mr Davie said the BBC was “taking action to ensure proper accountability and we’re taking immediate steps to stop a failing like this being repeated”.

Despite a series of controversies in recent months – including livestreaming the controversial Bob Vylan set at Glastonbury, when the band led chants of “death to the IDF” – Mr Davie insisted he can “lead” the BBC in the right direction.

When asked if he would resign, he replied: “I simply think I’m in a place where I can work to improve dramatically the BBC and lead it in the right way.

“We will make mistakes, but I think as a leadership and myself, I’ve been very clear, and I think we have been decisive.”

BBC Director-General Tim Davie. Pic: PA
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BBC director-general Tim Davie. Pic: PA

After what he called a “tough period,” he said the job of director-general was not one to take on “if you want a quiet life or a stress-free existence”.

Mr Shah backed Mr Davie, saying he had shown “very strong leadership throughout all this period and he has my full support”.

The report showed that Mr Davie, who has been in the role since 2020, has had a 3.8% pay rise, with his salary going up from £527,000 last year to £547,000.

BBC’s top-earning stars revealed

The BBC annual report also revealed its on-screen top earners, which saw former Match Of The Day host Gary Lineker top the chart for the eighth year running.

The former Match Of The Day presenter, who left the BBC in May, earned £1.35m in 2024/25, according to the corporation’s annual report.

Last year’s BBC annual review was overshadowed by controversy over flagship show Strictly Come Dancing, while the year before saw disgraced newsreader Huw Edwards named the corporation’s highest-paid news anchor, despite having been suspended for nine months.

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BBC reveals highest-earning stars – as pay list published

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BBC reveals highest-earning stars - as pay list published

Gary Lineker has topped the list of the BBC’s highest-earning stars for the eighth year running.

The former Match Of The Day presenter, who left the BBC in May, earned £1.35m in 2024/25, according to the corporation’s annual report.

Presenter Zoe Ball was the second-highest paid, earning £517,000 for her work on the Radio 2 breakfast show, which she left in December last year.

Her replacement as breakfast show host Scott Mills was just outside the top 10 as the eleventh highest earner – with a salary of between £355,000 and £359,000.

Ball has since returned to a new Saturday afternoon show on Radio 2, which she began hosting in May.

Lineker’s former Match Of The Day colleague Alan Shearer was the third-highest earner, with a salary of between £440,000 and £444,999.

Exact salaries for Lineker and Ball are listed in the BBC’s annual report, but the pay of the rest of the on-air talent is listed in bands.

BBC Radio 1 DJ Greg James was fourth on the list, while presenters Fiona Bruce and Nick Robinson were the joint fifth-highest earners.

The list does not include people who are paid through independent production companies or the BBC’s commercial arm BBC Studios.

Read more:
John Torode says claim he used racist language upheld
BBC gives update on MasterChef’s future
BBC broke editorial guidelines with Gaza documentary

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BBC reputation damaged by ‘serious errors’

The BBC’s annual report comes as the organisation has faced criticism for a series of failings.

They have included the airing of a controversial Bob Vylan set at Glastonbury – where the band led chants of “death to the IDF”, and claims of “inappropriate behaviour” by MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace.

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BBC under fire over Wallace and Gaza

Speaking after the publication of the report, BBC director-general Tim Davie said MasterChef can survive its current scandal as it is “much bigger than individuals”.

But he stressed that the corporation must “make sure we’re in the right place in terms of the culture of the show”.

They said several BBC staff members had been dismissed in the last three months, following an independent review into workplace culture.

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