UK unveils plans for frictionless post-Brexit trade between UK nations July 15, 2020 The government will tomorrow outline plans to ensure post-Brexit regulatory alignment on trade across the four UK nations in a bid to ensure frictionless internal trade. The white paper will propose a principle of “mutual recognition” whereby regulations that are set by devolved governments are recognised across the country to allow for internal trade. It [...]
Chris Grayling loses committee chair vote in Tory rebellion July 15, 2020 Former cabinet secretary Chris Grayling has failed to win the chairmanship of the Intelligence and Security Committee, despite being handpicked by Boris Johnson for the role, with fellow Tory MP Julian Lewis instead elected. The ex-transport secretary was expected to be voted into the role, however some Conservative MPs on the committee rebelled and instead [...]
Rishi Sunak shoots down speculation he will raise capital gains tax July 15, 2020 Rishi Sunak has distanced himself from reports that he is looking at increasing capital gains tax to help pay for the government’s Covid-19 spending. The Treasury announced yesterday it was commissioning the Tax Simplification Office to conduct a study “asking for “evidence to seek views about capital gains tax”, prompting speculation from financial services firms [...]
US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand may copy UK Hong Kong visa, says Patel July 15, 2020 Canada, the US, Australia and New Zealand are looking at creating bespoke long term visas for Hong Kong residents escaping new security laws, according to home secretary Priti Patel. Patel told a parliamentary committee today that the UK’s Five Eyes security partners were looking at following the UK by making emergency visas available to Hong [...]
English lockdown reduced Covid-19 rates more than thought, study finds July 15, 2020 The reproductive number of Covid-19 in England could have been lower than experts originally thought in May, suggesting that the lockdown was successful in driving down cases, according to the latest scientific research. The research indicated that infection rates fell during the last full month of lockdown before the Prime Minister began easing restrictions in [...]
Google ousted from NHS coronavirus data project July 15, 2020 Google has been dropped from a partnership deal with the NHS to populate its coronavirus database, posing a setback for the tech giant’s plans to integrate into the UK’s digital infrastructure. The health service’s digital arm NHSX signed a contract with Google in April to consult on the project, but the deal was terminated last [...]
Boris Johnson commits to independent coronavirus inquiry July 15, 2020 Boris Johnson has committed to hold an independent inquiry into the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic at today’s Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs). Johnson told the House of Commons at Prime Minister’s Questions that there would be an inquiry, marking it the first official confirmation that the government’s response would be officially scrutinised. The format [...]
Tube cleaners accidentally scrub out Banksy coronavirus artwork July 15, 2020 Artwork worth potentially hundreds of thousands pounds by street artist Banksy was removed from a London Tube carriage accidentally, after cleaners had no idea about the value of the works. Transport for London (TfL) removed the artwork, after the world-renowned artist painted a series of his trademark rats posing with face masks, due to TfL’s [...]
The Huawei ‘U-turn’ isn’t enough to keep Britain safe July 15, 2020 Yesterday, the UK government announced the results of its long-awaited review into Huawei’s role in our country’s 5G system. Following months of speculation and increasingly public and political concern about the influence of China, the new plan revises the January 2020 decision giving the Chinese telecoms giant a 35 per cent stake in Britain’s network [...]
Rishi Sunak orders review into UK capital gains tax July 14, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has commissioned a report into capital gains taxes, which could lead to the government increasing the tax burden to help pay for its coronavirus spending. Sunak has asked the Office of Tax Simplification to conduct the review, with the body launching a survey today asking for “evidence to seek views about capital [...]