If we want better immigration policies, we first need better immigration debates February 25, 2020 It seems odd to suggest that we should talk more about immigration. It is the policy area which attracts perhaps the most wide-ranging and outraged of political commentary, and was undeniably a key driver in the vote to leave the European Union. Yet the quality of the debate, concerned primarily with numbers and rules, has [...]
Sadiq Khan budget: Uncertainty over Met’s special operations funding February 24, 2020 Sadiq Khan will spend an extra £227.6m on the Metropolitan Police in 2020-21, however its specialist operations branch may face future funding uncertainty. Khan’s £18.5bn 2020-21 budget was approved by the London Assembly today. He plans to increase day-to-day spending for the The Mayor’s Office for Policing And Crime (MOPAC) to £3.89bn, which includes funding [...]
Justice Committee chair calls for Attorney-General to make decision on Airbus bribery probe February 24, 2020 The chair of the Justice Committee Sir Bob Neill today called for the new Attorney-General Suella Braverman to take a decision on a bribery investigation into an Airbus subsidiary that has been in limbo for more than 18 months. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) launched an investigation into Airbus GPT Special Project Management in 2012 [...]
Outsourcing giants to discuss contracts reform with Whitehall officials February 24, 2020 The country’s biggest outsourcers will hold Whitehall talks with top civil servants to discuss changes to the public sector’s procurement process. Twenty chief executives – from companies such as BT Group, Capita and G4S – will meet with civil service chief executive John Manzoni tomorrow. City sources told Sky News the meeting will address “new [...]
Brexit: UK to prioritise sovereignty over business continuity in EU trade talks February 24, 2020 Britain will prioritise “sovereignty and independence” over business continuity when it comes to trade talks with the EU, Number 10 has said. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his ‘XS’ committee – made up of frontbenchers such as Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove and foreign secretary Dominic Raab – is expected to sign off the negotiating [...]
Minister James Brokenshire says he would eat chlorinated chicken in UK February 24, 2020 A Home Office minister has refused to rule out eating chlorinated chicken if it were sold in the UK after Brexit’s transition period ends. Security minister James Brokenshire did not reject the idea that he would eat chlorine-washed chicken, if authorities in the UK gave it the green light, telling LBC he was “not a [...]
Starmer refuses to comment on return to frontbench for Corbyn February 24, 2020 The frontrunner in Labour’s leadership contest Keir Starmer has refused to comment on whether the man he hopes to replace would have a role in the next shadow government. Speaking to the BBC this morning about whether Jeremy Corbyn could have a seat on the frontbench, Starmer stressed he had “not discussed that team with [...]
Priti Patel ‘deeply concerned’ by ‘false allegations’ MI5 don’t trust her February 24, 2020 The government has dismissed reports that home secretary Priti Patel is not trusted by intelligence officials and that she bullied her staff as “false”. Officials have denied that MI5 held back information from Patel after claims emerged that intelligence chiefs do not trust her. Patel has also been accused of trying to force out Sir [...]
French minister warns against London ‘blackmail’ as second stage of Brexit talks near February 24, 2020 France will not be “blackmailed” into a rushed trade deal between the UK and EU, an Elysee minister has warned, as Brussels prepares to publish its negotiating mandate for the next stage of Brexit talks. Amélie de Montchalin, France’s secretary of state for European affairs, told France24 this morning she would be bringing a “clear [...]
Chancellor Rishi Sunak bows to industry pressure on IR35 changes February 24, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has bowed to industry pressure over IR35 tax changes by promising enforcement will not be “heavy-handed”. The IR35 measures were implemented in order to prevent tax avoidance by “disguised employees”, contractors with permanent positions at companies without paying the same tax or national insurance contribution as standard employees. Under the latest reforms [...]