Sadiq Khan hosts crunch business talks with City figures May 23, 2023 Sadiq Khan has warned London’s businesses are facing “the most difficult period in living memory” as a result of Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic and the inflation crisis. The Mayor of London has called for the government to devolve some immigration powers to City Hall as a means of tackling regional labour shortages sparked by the [...]
Keir Starmer vows to ban ads for ‘harmful’ products like sugary snacks aimed at children May 22, 2023 Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to ban advertising for “harmful” products including vaping, junk food and “sugary snacks” to children if Labour is elected into power. He outlined his plans for reforms to the NHS, Labour’s third ‘mission’ for government, in a speech this morning, setting out a bid to shift to a prevention-focused approach, [...]
Kemi Badenoch urged to ‘walk away’ from Gulf trade deal over human rights concerns May 22, 2023 Kemi Badenoch has been urged to “walk away” from “worrying” trade negotiations with Gulf states due to concerns about human and labour rights abuses. The UK has “absolutely no reason” to discuss trade with states where “human, women’s and LGBT rights and workers’ rights abuses are so widespread”, union boss Paul Nowak said. Amnesty International [...]
Three former education secretaries back calls for urgent changes to apprenticeship levy – here’s why May 21, 2023 Calls to link the apprenticeship levy to Britain’s immigration policy have been backed by three former education secretaries. Lord David Blunkett, Sir Gavin Williamson and Nadhim Zahawi have lent support to a report calling for urgent changes to the government’s levy on firms to pay for apprenticeships – including linking the scheme to visa rules [...]
‘Increasingly authoritarian’ China poses ‘biggest challenge of our age’, Sunak warns May 21, 2023 Rishi Sunak has warned that an increasingly authoritarian China poses the “biggest challenge of our age” after discussing how to tackle aggression from Beijing with western allies. The prime minister said that it is the “only country with both the means and intent to reshape the world order” after meeting with leaders at the G7 [...]
‘Job perk’ or employment right? Flexible working a step closer to being law May 19, 2023 Peers have supported moves to give employees the right to request flexible working from their first day in a job. The Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Bill is a “very welcome starting point and not an end point” for reforming working conditions, according to Labour. The measures are supported by the Government and received an unopposed [...]
Russia blood diamonds are latest Kremlin sanction from UK as Sunak goes after 86 more Putin-linked individuals May 19, 2023 Britain is banning Russian diamonds in a new wave of sanctions to pressure Vladimir Putin over his invasion of Ukraine as Rishi Sunak warns allies against complacency at the G7 summit in Japan. The Prime Minister announced the new measures against Russia, also including a prohibition on imports of Russian-origin copper, aluminium and nickel on [...]
Sunak’s semiconductor plans will leave UK ‘very vulnerable’, warn tech bosses May 19, 2023 Tech bosses have hit out at the government’s landmark £1bn semiconductor strategy, blasting it as “a drop in the ocean” which leaves the UK “very vulnerable”. Founders warned the government’s proposals for investment over the next decade to boost the UK’s domestic silicon chip and compound semiconductor production were “disappointing”, with the announced £1bn funding [...]
Paul Scully launches bid to become London mayor – here’s how he hopes to win May 18, 2023 Conservative MP Paul Scully has pledged to switch off ULEZ cameras in the extended zone on “day one” if elected London mayor, as he launched his bid to be the Conservative candidate. Currently minister for London, Scully, MP for Sutton and Cheam, is pausing his frontbench work while he aims to be selected as the [...]
Why so secretive? Sunak blasted for ‘surreptitious’ industrial strategy May 18, 2023 A set of cross-party former business secretaries have launched a stinging attack on Rishi Sunak over his apparent lack of a cohesive industrial strategy. Ex-ministers Greg Clark, Peter Mandelson and Vince Cable told the Financial Times the Prime Minister was being so “surreptitious” that his strategy for industry was a “guilty secret”. Clark, Conservative business [...]