Tell tale sign (not noticed by me but by my very clever friend who owns Autocare in Blackburn, Lancashire, UK) was my airbag light much dimmer than the rest of the dashboard Xmas tree ! Radio didnt work, courtesy lights in sun visors didnt work either, odd messages on dashboard etc etc. So what was it finally ??? The ignition switch !! One dodgy contact caused all the grief. Simple test..... remove upper and lower screws from steering column plastic shroud, insert key, wiggle wires hard(ish) on the switch block whilst turning key to crank position and that may be enough to allow a wiping of the dodgy contacts, worked for me. £19.95p spent now on Ebay for a new switch back and 1 hour of unscrewing and re-screwing
A BIG thanks to Matt from Autocare and I am back on the road again.