Treasury reveals £38m support package for debt advice providers June 9, 2020 Ministers have approved an extra £37.8m in support for debt advice providers this year so they can continue to help people during the coronavirus pandemic. Allocation of the funds will be overseen by the Money and Pensions Service (Maps). Charities will also be eligible to receive support. The Treasury today said the package will help [...]
Tory MPs blast Huawei over British media blitz June 8, 2020 Tory MPs have blasted Huawei’s UK media blitz as a “ridiculous” attempt to gain British sympathy, amid increasing pressure for Boris Johnson to cut ties with the Chinese technology firm. In an open letter to the British public Huawei today emphasised its commitment to the UK over the past two decades and its credibility as [...]
Sadiq Khan accused of ‘not looking after coppers’ in London protests June 8, 2020 London’s police union has slammed Sadiq Khan’s response to the weekend’s protests, after more than 30 police officers were injured. Metropolitan Police Federation chairman Ken Marsh accused Khan of not looking after police officers during the demonstrations and that he was “very disappointed” by the mayor’s response. Thousands attended mostly peaceful protests over the weekend [...]
British public support scrapping Sunday trading laws, says new poll June 8, 2020 The government’s plan to allow super markets in England and Wales to open for longer on Sundays has the public’s backing, according to new polling. A YouGov poll released today showed that 48 per cent of people supported the change, with 31 per cent opposing and 21 per cent unsure. Boris Johnson is poised to [...]
Number 10 pours cold water on speculation UK pubs will open on 22 June June 8, 2020 Downing Street has poured cold water on reports that parts of the hospitality industry will be re-opened two weeks ahead of schedule on 22 June. Reports in the Financial Times and The Times today said ministers were looking at re-opening the sector on 22 June for venues that can serve patrons in outdoor spaces. However, [...]
The quarantine isn’t just absurd – it could be unlawful too June 8, 2020 Priti Patel’s new quarantine, which comes into force today, has sparked fresh fury from Britons who brand the measures as “too little too late”. I believe that the tardiness of these restrictions is by no means a clumsy error — it looks like a pricey, harmful stunt. Back in March, the UK blindly followed other [...]
Sir Keir Starmer not supportive of Bristol statue being pulled down by protesters June 8, 2020 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said it was “completely wrong” for protesters to bring down a Bristol statue of a slave trader yesterday, but that the ornament should have been brought down lawfully instead. Starmer said the statue of Edward Colston had “no place in 21st century Britain”, but that the statue “should have [...]
DEBATE: Should we be worried about the privacy issues around the contact tracing app? June 8, 2020 Should we be worried about the security and privacy issues around the government’s contact tracing app? Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch, says YES. The government’s contact tracing strategy raises many questions and offers few answers. Why does the UK government, unlike other democracies, want a state-controlled contact tracing app? Why do they want [...]
Can the Boris government really avoid Austerity the sequel? June 8, 2020 There is still a widespread view that austerity at the start of the last decade was somehow a political choice — that David Cameron and George Osborne (remember them) thrust the term into the political discourse simply as an ideological excuse to shrink the size of the state. But far from being a political smokescreen, [...]
Sajid Javid asks Boris Johnson to do more to ‘fight racial injustice’ June 7, 2020 Former chancellor Sajid Javid has called for Boris Johnson to take a larger role in tackling racial inequality in Britain. Javid said “only the Prime Minister is capable of driving real change” and that he should “bring the same energy and determination to fighting racial injustice and delivering equal opportunity” as he has to the [...]