Former Labour MP Jared O’Mara ‘tried to claim up to £30,000 to fund extensive cocaine habit’ January 23, 2023 A former MP tried to fraudulently claim up to £30,000 in taxpayers’ money to fund an “extensive cocaine habit”, prosecutors have said. Jared O’Mara, 41, who represented the constituency of Sheffield Hallam from 2017 to 2019, is on trial for submitting “dishonest” invoices to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa). Jurors at Leeds Crown Court [...]
Rishi Sunak: PM orders probe over Nadhim Zahawi’s tax dispute January 23, 2023 Rishi Sunak has ordered an investigation into Nadhim Zahawi as the Tory party chairman faced growing calls to quit after paying a penalty to resolve a multimillion-pound tax dispute. The Prime Minister asked new ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus on Monday to assess whether the former chancellor breached the ministerial code with the HC settlement. [...]
Speaker of Russia’s state Duma threatens West saying supplying Ukraine with more powerful arms risks ‘global catastrophe’ January 23, 2023 The speaker of Russia’s parliament warned that countries supplying Ukraine with more powerful weapons risked their own destruction. The message followed Ukraine’s supporters pledging billions of pounds in military aid to the country on Friday, including armoured vehicles, air defence systems and other equipment, but not including the battle tanks Kyiv had requested. State Duma [...]
Ofgem: Regulator will review firms putting people on pre-payment metres, threatening legal action for lack of care January 23, 2023 Ofgem is to review the checks and balances energy firms have around placing customers on pre-payment meters.
Boris Johnson visits Kyiv amid fresh Tory sleaze claims January 23, 2023 Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson headed to Kyiv this weekend as he is caught up in new claims of sleaze. The politician met President Vlodymyr Zelensky and other leading politicians int he war-torn county, while also travelling to towns which have been bombarded by Russia. Johnson reportedly visited Borodianka, Bucha and other suburbs of the [...]
Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt to shun tax cuts in March budget despite £11bn energy windfall January 23, 2023 Jeremy Hunt and Rishi Sunak will hold fire on tax cuts at the 15 March budget despite being handed an around £11bn windfall from international energy prices falling to pre-Russia-Ukraine war levels, according to top economists’ predictions gathered by City A.M. Brits will have to wait until the run up to the next general election, [...]
Labour calls for investigation into Boris Johnson’s appointment of BBC chair after ‘sleaze’ allegations January 22, 2023 Labour has called for an investigation into the appointment of Richard Sharp as BBC chair after he allegedly helped Boris Johnson secure a loan guarantee shortly before being appointed to the job. The opposition party have written to both the Commissioner for Public Appointments and the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards after the Sunday Times reported [...]
BP, Siemens and PepsiCo branded ‘hypocrites’ for donating to Ukraine while failing to fully exit Russia January 22, 2023 BP, Siemens and PepsiCo have all donated millions to Ukraine while at the same time failing to fully exit Russia, new research shows. The three multinationals have been branded “hypocrites” and sit alongside 13 other top firms that have both given aid to Ukraine while also retaining their links to the Russian Federation. The research [...]
Rishi Sunak: PM fined for failing to wear a seatbelt during social media video in car January 20, 2023 The Prime Minister has been issued with a fixed penalty notice by police for failing to wear a seatbelt while filming a social media clip in the back of a moving car. Rishi Sunak previously apologised for the “brief error of judgment” as he carried out a series of visits in Lancashire on Thursday. Mr [...]
UK ponders more tanks as Putin’s war enters 11th month and Russia claims victories in eastern Ukraine January 20, 2023 Russia claims to have captured a village in its intense, months-long push toward the eastern Ukraine city of Bakhmut. It comes as military analysts said tanks, which could be sent by Kyiv’s western allies, would not be a magic wand in the 11-month war. Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told a regular media briefing [...]