The best cut is inflation: Hunt hits back at recession ‘declinism’ but appears to rule out tax cuts in March budget January 27, 2023 Jeremy Hunt today hit back at gloomy assessments about the UK’s economic prospects but told voters not to expect tax cuts at the March budget. In a speech at Bloomberg, the chancellor said “declinism about Britain is just wrong” adding that the economy has actually grown faster than fellow G7 nations France, Italy and Japan. [...]
‘A different stage’: EU says Russia escalating Ukraine war with attacks on civilians to pile pressure on Nato, Germany, US and UK January 27, 2023 A senior EU official said Russia has taken its war against Ukraine to “a different stage” by making indiscriminate attacks on civilians and non-military targets. The official also accused Moscow of triggering recent moves by Germany and the United States to send advanced tanks to Ukraine. Stefano Sannino, secretary general of the European Union’s European [...]
Boris Johnson paid £500K advance for memoirs – as public foot £222K bill for his partygate legal fees January 27, 2023 Boris Johnson has picked up an advance of more than £500,000 for his forthcoming memoir, as it emerged taxpayers face a bill of £222,000 for his legal fees to defend himself in the partygate inquiry. The former prime minister’s latest entry in the Register of Members’ Interests says that he “received £510,000 as an advance [...]
HS2: Delayed AGAIN or scrapped for good? Govt refuses to say if expensive project will ever terminate at London Euston January 27, 2023 The Government has refused to confirm that HS2 will reach its central London terminus at Euston following reports that it may be delayed or scrapped. The Sun said soaring inflation means that the high speed rail project may not run to Euston until 2038 – or be scrapped completely, with trains instead stopping at a [...]
‘No penalties for innocent tax errors’: Head of HMRC piles more pressure on Zahawi January 26, 2023 The boss of HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has told MPs there are “no penalties for innocent errors”, as he was quizzed on the tax furore surrounding Nadhim Zahawi. HMRC chief executive Jim Harra, appearing before the Public Accounts Committee where he was due to discuss tax compliance and the pandemic, was pressed on some [...]
Man charged with assaulting Matt Hancock January 26, 2023 A man has been charged with assaulting former health secretary Matt Hancock on the London Underground. Geza Tarjanyi, 61, from Leyland in Lancashire, will appear in court next month, accused of common assault and two public order offences, British Transport Police (BTP) said on Thursday. A spokesman for the MP for West Suffolk described the [...]
Zelensky in tell-all English interview says it’s ‘not correct’ to say if ‘good guy’ Boris Johnson should return as PM January 26, 2023 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky branded Vladimir Putin a “nobody” as he suggested that it was too late for face-to-face talks with the Russian leader to make any difference. Zelensky, who turned 45 on Wednesday, also praised his “special bond” with Boris Johnson but declined to say whether he would like to see him return as [...]
Matt Hancock: Man arrested after footage shows alleged assault as I’m A Celeb MP gets on the London Underground January 26, 2023 A man has been arrested on suspicion of assaulting former health secretary Matt Hancock on the London Underground. The MP who appeared on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! is understood to have been unhurt in Tuesday’s incident which began at Westminster station before continuing on a Tube train. A spokesman for Hancock, who represents West [...]
Hackers from Iran and Russia have ‘ruthlessly’ hit British journalists and politicians, GCHQ’s cyber centre warns January 26, 2023 Officials warn Iranian and Russian hackers have been “ruthlessly” trying to steal sensitive information from British journalists and politicians. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), part of GCHQ, issued a fresh alert on increased hacking attempts directed at individuals and groups, though not at members of the public. “The Russia-based SEABORGIUM (Callisto Group/TA446/COLDRIVER/TAG-53) and Iran-based [...]
Tanks, but no tanks! Biden likely to approve Abrams batch for Ukraine – but it could take months or even years for delivery January 25, 2023 The Biden administration is poised to approve sending M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, US officials said Tuesday, as international reluctance to send tanks to the battlefront against the Russians begins to erode. The decision could be announced as soon as Wednesday, though it could take months or years for the tanks to be delivered. US [...]