All you need to know about this week’s by-election battles July 17, 2023 With Parliament set to break up for summer recess this Thursday, MPs of all stripes are preparing to head back to their constituencies for the summer. But before the long August holidays, there could be some political upsets in store. Voters in three constituencies of Uxbridge and South Ruislip, Selby and Ainsty and Somerton and [...]
‘He doesn’t like women’: Tory hopeful Susan Hall gets personal in bid to unseat Sadiq Khan July 17, 2023 With three by-elections approaching, the race between the now-two Tory hopefuls vying to take on Sadiq Khan in the 2024 mayoral election has taken something of a backseat. But following the exit of former No10 advisor Daniel Korski, the odds have shortened for both those standing. Former Conservative group leader in the London Assembly Susan [...]
Russia’s war in Ukraine: Two dead on 12 mile bridge to Crimea amid reports of explosions July 17, 2023 Traffic on the key bridge connecting Crimea to Russia’s mainland has been halted amid reports of explosions. Two have been reported as dead following the explosion. The health ministry in Russia’s Krasnodar region, which lies at the eastern end of the bridge, said two people were killed in an unspecified accident on the bridge and [...]
Business groups hail Indo-Pacific trade deal as boost for City despite minor growth bump July 16, 2023 Business groups have hailed the UK’s membership of a major Indo-Pacific trade bloc as a potential boost to the City today despite analysis showing a meagre growth bump from the deal over the long term.
Sexism in the City: MPs to investigate barriers for women and ‘alpha male’ culture in finance July 14, 2023 MPs are set to investigate barriers faced by women in finance, in a new probe into sexism in the City of London. The treasury committee is calling for evidence for its inquiry into progress on ending gender pay gaps and how firms, government and regulators can tackle misogyny and harassment. Harriett Baldwin, treasury committee chairwoman, [...]
Sunak accepts six per cent public sector pay rises but warns it ‘will cost all of you as taxpayers’ July 13, 2023 Government has accepted recommendations for millions of public sector workers to receive pay rises of six per cent or more, Rishi Sunak has announced. The prime minister said today reports from independent pay bodies calling for public sector pay rises of between five and 6.5 per cent for millions of medics, teachers and civil servants [...]
Jeremy Hunt on track to ‘obliterate’ fiscal rules as OBR warns of much higher debt bill July 13, 2023 Jeremy Hunt is on track to blow out his financial goals due to the Bank of England hiking interest rates aggressively to bring down sticky inflation, according to new forecasts out today from the UK’s spending watchdog. Payments to investors who have purchased UK government debt are poised to rise more than £90bn above what [...]
Unions win court fight with government over agencies filling in for strikers July 13, 2023 Unions have won a High Court fight with the government after challenging law changes they said let agencies supply employers with workers to fill in for striking staff. More than 10 unions, including Aslef, Unite and Usdaw, had taken legal action against ministers claiming the changes undermined the “right to strike”. They argued that the [...]
China targets UK ‘prolifically and aggressively’, Westminster’s spy agency watchdog warns July 13, 2023 China targets the UK “prolifically and aggressively” in a way that poses a “challenge” for British intelligence agencies, Parliament’s spy agency watchdog has said. A new and wide-ranging report by the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) is critical of the UK Government’s response to the threat posed by China, questioning the trade-off between economic interest [...]
The Boris by-election: Is Uxbridge about to turn red, or will the ULEZ expansion keep it blue? July 13, 2023 Tucked just inside the M25, the west London town of Uxbridge was, until last month, the parliamentary home of a former prime minister. Boris Johnson held Uxbridge and South Ruislip for the past eight years before dramatically quitting the Commons. Formed in 2010 by blending the former seats of Uxbridge and Ruislip-Northwood, the constituency has [...]