BUSINESS LIVE: Britons head to the polls; Peel Hunt gets revenue boost; Marston’s appoints new chair

Purchases of new cars by private buyers declined in June compared with the same month last year, preliminary figures show.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said the overall new car market grew slightly year-on-year, due to an increase in purchases for fleets owned or leased by businesses or other organisations.

This means more than half a million new cars were registered in the first half of the year for the first time since 2019.

The overall new car market during the first six months of 2024 was up by around 5 per cent compared with the same period last year.

Aldi has been crowned the cheapest supermarket for a trolley-load of 65 products despite rivals promising to price match, new findings reveal.

In June, the average bill for a trolley of 65 items at Aldi was £118.41, coming in £32.60 less than at Waitrose, which was the most expensive, at £151.01.

Waitrose was found to be nearly 28 per cent more expensive than Aldi for the same products in June.

Britons are heading to the polls in their droves today for the general election. It’s also a public holiday in the US today.

There are updates and business reports from the likes of Marston’s, 3i Infrastucture and Victrix today. The latest construction data is also due to be released at 9.30am.