Trump acknowledges Biden won US election, even though it was ‘rigged’ November 15, 2020 President Donald Trump appeared to acknowledge publicly for the first time today that Democrat Joe Biden won the US presidential election, even though he asserted that it was “rigged”, reiterating his false claims of widespread voting fraud. Trump acknowledged Biden’s victory in a Twitter post in which he listed unsubstantiated allegations of fraud. Biden defeated [...]
Lobbyists given access to confidential government Covid briefings November 15, 2020 An influential lobbyist was given access to UK government Covid briefings on future restrictions and briefed clients about an upcoming lockdown, it has been revealed. Former Sun political editor, and current chairman of Portland Communications, George Pascoe-Watson worked as an unpaid adviser to the UK government during the first wave of Covid in April. He [...]
Snitches get riches: HMRC payments to tax evasion whistleblowers up 63% in 2019/20 November 15, 2020 HMRC reported a 63% increase in payments to whistleblowers for reporting tax evasion in the 2019/2020 tax year, paying £473,000 to informants during the period. In the previous tax year HMRC paid £290,250 to informants – around £182,000 less than in 2019/20. The figures were published in HMRC’s annual reports and accounts 2019 to 2020. [...]
Brexit: ‘Some progress’ made in trade talks this week, says UK negotiator November 15, 2020 There has been “some progress” this week in UK-EU post-Brexit trade talks, according to UK chief negotiator David Frost. Frost tweeted today that the two sides “largely have common draft treaty texts, though significant elements are of course not yet agreed” and that talks will restart today in Brussels. This week’s soft deadline to get [...]
Labour calls for anti-vax conspiracy theories to be censored on social media November 15, 2020 Labour is calling for anti-vaccine conspiracy theories to be censored on social media. The opposition has called for Boris Johnson to bring forward legislation to “stamp out dangerous anti-vax content” as UK regulators prepare to assess Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine candidate. Labour wants this to include financial and criminal penalties for social media sites that [...]
Labour turns spotlight on Covid deals between government and Tory donors November 15, 2020 The Shadow Leader of the House of Commons, Valerie Vaz, has said a public inquiry is needed following the publication of a ‘map’ of deals between the UK government, multiple Conservative Party donors, several Tory MPs and some of their family members. Vaz, Labour MP for Walsall South, calls for an investigation into claims made [...]
Cummings to leave Downing Street with immediate effect November 13, 2020 Boris Johnson’s chief adviser Dominic Cummings is leaving Downing Street immediately. Cummings will continue to work until mid-December, and another senior aide will serve as temporary chief of staff, Johnson’s office said on Friday. “The Prime Minister has today asked Sir Edward Lister to take on the role of chief of staff for an interim [...]
Treasury advisor sacked by Dominic Cummings wins five-figure payout November 13, 2020 A former government aide who was fired by Boris Johnson’s top advisor Dominic Cummings will receive a five-figure settlement from the government. Sonia Khan, who worked as a media adviser for the Treasury, had been sacked by Cummings in August of last year. She was “frogmarched” out of Downing Street by police, according to a [...]
China urges US to stop ‘arbitrary suppression of investments’ November 13, 2020 China hit back at Trump’s ban on U.S. companies investing in firms linked to the Chinese military. During a press conference earlier today, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin answered a reporter’s question on the ban by saying the US should stop its “arbitrary suppression of investments”. He added that the US government had been [...]
G20 agrees new debt restructuring framework in wake of pandemic November 13, 2020 G20 finance ministers have for the first time agreed a new common framework for restructuring government debt, amid concerns poorer countries will need unprecedented debt relief packages in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. Major creditors including China are expected to follow the fresh guidelines, which set out legislation to reduce or reschedule debt deemed [...]