Brexit: UK ‘ready to be flexible’ to strike a trade deal in July June 16, 2020 The UK is “ready to be flexible” in post-Brexit trade negotiations with the EU in an attempt to secure a deal by next month, according to Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove. Gove, the defacto Brexit minister, told MPs today that there was enough time to “bring a deal home” before the 31 December deadline, despite [...]
David Cameron hits out at Boris Johnson’s DFID-Foreign Office merger plan June 16, 2020 Former Prime Minister David Cameron has hit out against Boris Johnson’s plans to merge the Department for International Development with the Foreign Office, calling the decision a “mistake”. Writing on Twitter, Cameron said: “The Prime Minister is right to maintain the commitment to 0.7 (the percentage of national income spent on global aid) – it [...]
Department for International Development merges with Foreign Office June 16, 2020 The Department for International Development will be folded into the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in a major Whitehall shake up. Prime Minister Boris Johnson made the announcement during a statement in the House of Commons today, with the new department to be called the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Foreign secretary Dominic Raab will now [...]
Marcus Rashford scores! Summer free school meals announced for 1.3m students June 16, 2020 An estimated 1.3m children in England will be given free school meal vouchers throughout the summer, after pressure from Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford. Students on the free school meals programme will receive vouchers for the six-week break and they will be worth £15 per child a week, which is in line with existing support. [...]
Boris Johnson expected to merge Foreign Office and International Development Department June 16, 2020 Boris Johnson is expected to announce today that the Department for International Development (DFID) will be folded into the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). The Prime Minister is slated to make an announcement today in the House of Commons on “global Britain”, with the BBC now reporting that he will announce the merger of the [...]
Labour calls for emergency ‘back to work’ summer Budget June 16, 2020 Labour shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds is calling for an emergency summer Budget and stimulus package that focuses on job creation. Dodds has dubbed it a “back to work Budget” and has called on chancellor Rishi Sunak to focus on combating potential structural unemployment caused by the coronavirus crisis. New figures from the Office of National [...]
I helped write the manifesto — and now our skills agenda is more important than ever June 16, 2020 With Britain now facing economic challenges that were inconceivable just a few months ago, it’s worth reflecting on some of the ideas we will need to spur economic recovery in today’s very different world — including from the manifesto we wrote before the December 2019 election. I remember vividly that collective sense of elation as [...]
Beijing tightens controls amid ‘extremely severe’ second wave fears June 16, 2020 The Chinese capital of Beijing has put neighbourhoods under lockdown and upped testing in a bid to stop clusters of new coronavirus infection developing into a second wave. Parts of Beijing were fenced off last night, with security checkpoints set up to prevent people from leaving the city as more than 100 new cases were [...]
British public supports calls for online gambling restrictions June 16, 2020 The British public overwhelmingly supports calls by MPs for restrictions to online gambling, new research has shown, as the betting industry this week gears up for the return of televised sporting events. Data released today by polling firm Survation revealed that 82 per cent out of 1,525 people surveyed support limits to online gambling spending. [...]
Brexit: Boris Johnson says ‘a bit of oomph’ is needed in trade talks June 15, 2020 Boris Johnson and the heads of the EU have agreed that “new momentum” is needed in trade negotiations for a deal to be struck by the 31 December deadline. In a joint statement issued after their Brexit summit today, leaders of the UK and EU said they needed to “intensify the talks in July and [...]