A.M. Debate: Should drinking alcohol be banned in parliament? November 23, 2020 Matthew Jukes, wine taster and founder of Jukes Cordialities, says YES The most notorious bill in the Palace of Westminster is the bar bill. It’s no secret: while parliament’s bars are temporarily closed during lockdown, in normal times our MPs are knocking it back, left, right and centre. Don’t get me wrong, I am as [...]
Love him or hate him, Trump is right to wind down America’s endless wars November 23, 2020 In my last book, To Dare More Boldly: The Audacious Story of Political Risk, each chapter represents a key precept, based on a specific historical story, as to how to do political risk analysis right. One of my favourite of these 10 commandments is what I term “the Losing Gambler’s Syndrome”. This directly relates to [...]
Tory mayoral candidate pledges to build 100,000 homes for young Londoners November 22, 2020 Young Londoners will be able to buy new homes for £100,000 in the capital with a deposit of just £5,000 if Tory mayor candidate Shaun Bailey is elected next year. Bailey will announce tomorrow that if victorious in the May poll that he will build 100,000 “Millennial homes” that can only be bought by young [...]
Bubbles and baubles: UK Covid restrictions set to be lifted for Chistmas November 22, 2020 The government is set to lift Covid restrictions on Christmas eve to allow for up to four households to form holiday bubbles. People in the four-household bubble will be able to interact indoors anywhere, including in pubs and restaurants. Downing Street has reportedly been in touch with the devolved governments of Wales, Northern Ireland and [...]
Matt Hancock hired close friend as Health Department adviser November 22, 2020 Health secretary Matt Hancock appointed a close friend, who works as a high profile lobbyist, to a £15,000-a-year government role, it has been revealed. Hancock failed to declare that he had given university pal Gina Coladangelo, 42, an unpaid paid advisory role and then later appointed her to the board of the Department of Health [...]
Brexit: London Lord Mayor says government ignored City of London in negotiations November 22, 2020 The government has neglected the City of London in Brexit negotiations, according to the Lord Mayor of London. Lord Mayor William Russel, a former investment banker, said he had been disappointed by the government’s approach and that it had “missed the point” of the City of London. Russell is the 692nd Lord Mayor and acts as [...]
China lobby tells UK: Embrace Beijing or ‘suffer’ business backlash November 22, 2020 The UK will lose billions of pounds in private sector investment if it does not reverse its growing hostility toward China, according to a pro-Beijing business lobby. The China Chamber of Commerce in the UK – which counts Huawei, ZTE and Air China as members – warned that its members may rethink their future UK [...]
Rishi Sunak set to raise taxes in spring to pay off Covid debt bill November 22, 2020 Rishi Sunak has signalled that he will raise taxes in the spring of next year to pay off the country’s Covid spending bill. The chancellor told the Sunday Times today that by spring the conutry must start “returning to sustainable public finances”, after spending more than £200bn on the Covid crisis. This year’s deficit is [...]
Rishi Sunak confirms end of England Covid lockdown on 2 December November 22, 2020 Rishi Sunak has confirmed England’s national Covid lockdown will end on 2 December and that the country will instead move into regionalised restrictions. The chancellor said this morning that Boris Johnson will make an announcement tomorrow setting out the details of the post-lockdown Covid plan. A statement from Downing Street this morning said that the [...]
In pictures: Westminster gets festive as parliament unveils Christmas tree November 21, 2020 Westminster is gearing up for the start of the festive period after parliament’s mammoth Christmas tree was unveiled. The 43-feet tall Sitka spruce took up its traditional place in the grounds of the historic House of Commons. The prodigious plant began its life in Northumberland’s Kielder Forest, before being transferred to SW1 by Forestry England. [...]