Pompeo and Circumstance: The special relationship endures July 23, 2020 The visit of a US secretary of state to any country is always an eagerly anticipated affair. Short of a US presidential visit, there is little that can match the arrival of the global superpower’s leading diplomat onto any domestic stage, as can be testified by the extreme media and political interest these encounters provide. [...]
Rishi Sunak ‘turns his back on’ 1m in need of coronavirus support July 23, 2020 MPs today blasted chancellor Rishi Sunak’s coronavirus support measures, saying he has turned his back on 1m Brits during the coronavirus pandemic. The Treasury Select Committee (TSC) today said Sunak’s response has failed to convince members he had done enough to support Brits impacted by coronavirus. “The chancellor has effectively drawn a line under helping [...]
US gives China 72 hours to shutter Houston embassy as spy charges rise July 22, 2020 Washington has given China just 72 hours to close its consulate in Houston, after the US accused two Chinese nationals of spying on US businesses and researchers. The warning marks a significant deterioration in relations between the world’s two largest economies, ramping up a war of words on both sides. The US State Department said [...]
UK companies lobby Mike Pompeo to ease travel restrictions and end tariff dispute July 22, 2020 A group of prominent UK companies used a meting to pressure US secretary of state Mike Pompeo and foreign secretary Dominic Raab to ease aviation restrictions and settle a long-running tariff dispute. Members of the BritishAmerican Business (BAB) lobby group met with Pompeo and Raab in London yesterday to discuss the two countries’ future trading [...]
Oliver Dowden: Joe Biden presidency will not change UK Huawei sanctions July 22, 2020 The UK’s sanctions on Huawei are unlikely to be lifted if Joe Biden wins the November US election, according to digital secretary Oliver Dowden. The UK banned Huawei from supplying any more equipment to build the UK’s new 5G network, beginning from next year, after the US leveled sanctions on the Chinese telecoms giant. All [...]
Labour apologises to BBC Panorama over antisemitism claims and hands out six-figure settlement July 22, 2020 Labour has formally apologised to BBC’s Panorama for claiming it had misrepresented allegations of antisemitism within the party, and promised to shell out “substantial damages” to whistleblowers who sued the party over the row. The party issued an unreserved apology at the High Court after agreeing to settle a defamation lawsuit by seven Labour whistleblowers [...]
Exclusive: MPs ask banks for clarity on state aid rules and coronavirus loans July 22, 2020 A group of MPs and Lords has written to lenders to try to ensure they take into account changes to EU state aid rules that could boost the UK’s coronavirus loan scheme, amid confusion about the alterations. It came as business group UK Hospitality urged the government to take the lead and make sure the [...]
Labour calls for review of Russia Today’s UK TV licence July 22, 2020 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called for state-backed broadcaster Russia Today (RT) to have its TV licence reviewed on the back of fresh warnings about Kremlin interference in the UK. Starmer called on Boris Johnson at today’s Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) to “stop the spread of Kremlin-backed disinformation”, adding that the UK’s High Court [...]
Robert Jenrick says decision to save developer £40m was ‘perfectly fair’ July 22, 2020 Housing secretary Robert Jenrick has defended his controversial decision to approve a 1500-home housing development a day before taxes would have cost the developer £40m as “perfectly fair”. The housing secretary has come under fire for alleged links with the developer, and Tory donor, Richard Desmond, with Labour calling the saga an example of “cash [...]
UK and US close diplomatic immunity loophole used in Harry Dunn case July 22, 2020 UK and US officials have struck a deal to amend the “anomaly” that allowed Harry Dunn’s alleged killer Anne Sacoolas to claim diplomatic immunity following his death in a road collision last year, the foreign secretary has said. Dominic Raab this morning said changes had been made that would “see justice done” if another family [...]