Dominic Raab claims staff ‘relish’ ambitious agenda as bullying inquiry continues March 16, 2023 Justice secretary Dominic Raab has said the “overwhelming majority” of his staff “relish” working on his “very ambitious agenda”, as an ongoing inquiry into bullying claims continues. Adam Tolley KC is investigating bullying claims and considering a number of formal complaints made by senior civil servants against Raab, who is also deputy prime minister. Asked [...]
Defence spending given £11bn boost as former minister warns of new Cold War March 16, 2023 Defence spending is set to increase by £11bn over the next five years amid fears over the UK’s “hollowed out” armed forces. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt confirmed in Wednesday’s budget that the Ministry of Defence’s finances would receive an £11bn boost over the next half-decade. But Tobias Ellwood, defence committee chairman, said the Chancellor has left [...]
The Budget: Bring back George Osborne – we need a long-term economic plan March 15, 2023 The Tory benches cheered, the Labour frontbench booed, the SNP reminded us they were there: yes, it was pantomime in Parliament yet again yesterday, with a budget pre-trailed to the point that many of us could have had a stab at announcing it ourselves. What was more interesting was what wasn’t in it: a genuine [...]
Budget: OBR says UK to avoid recession and is on course to grow every year after short blip in boost for Jeremy Hunt March 15, 2023 Britain will avoid a much-tipped recession this year and will grow every year until 2027 after a short blip, a massive reversal from economists warning of the longest contraction in a century just a few months ago, the country’s spending watchdog said today. UK GDP is on course to suffer a mild slump in 2023 [...]
Budget: Why Jeremy Hunt needs you back at work to prevent a recession March 15, 2023 This was a budget for the workforce. It showed signs of sparking the supply side revolution that Liz Truss championed, but crashed hard in trying to get there too quickly. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) thinks so. It projects the government’s collective policies designed to boost the labour market will provide a 0.2 per [...]
Budget: ‘Brexit pub guarantee’ means ale is 11p cheaper than supermarket booze but wine guzzlers will pay more March 15, 2023 Beer and other draught products in pubs will be 11p cheaper than in supermarkets, Jeremy Hunt has announced, calling the tax relief a “Brexit pub guarantee” which will come into effect from April 1. In the Spring Budget this afternoon, the Chancellor said that the measure would not have been possible if the UK remained [...]
Budget 2023: Jeremy Hunt’s ‘growth’ plan may embrace childcare and over 50s but hike in corporation tax stays March 15, 2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt delivered what he claimed was a growth-focused budget centred on childcare reform, pensions and business investment, but the six per cent hike in corporation tax will remain. He unveiled what amounted to a universal childcare policy; abolished the lifetime allowance on tax-free pensions savings; and announced tax breaks for firms investing in [...]
After US drone hit by Moscow plane, RAF and German air force intercept Russian aircraft in Nato exercise March 15, 2023 The RAF and German air force carried out their first joint Nato air policing scramble as pilots carried out a routine interception of a Russian aircraft flying close to Estonian airspace. The response on Tuesday saw the pair of British and German Typhoon jets react to a Russian air-to-air refuelling aircraft, after it failed to [...]
Gary Lineker scolds Tory MP over claim BBC host called northern voters ‘racist bigots and Nazis’ March 15, 2023 Gary Lineker has described accusations that he called northern voters “racist bigots” as “outrageous and dangerously provocative”. The recently reinstated Match Of The Day host took to Twitter once again in response to comments made by Conservative MP Jonathan Gullis. During an interview with Channel 4 News, Mr Gullis said he was not concerned with [...]
Budget: Jeremy Hunt expected to splash £4bn on childcare expansion March 15, 2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is expected to spend £4bn on childcare expansion for one and two-year-olds in today’s Budget as part of a drive to get Brits into work and boost growth. Ministers are set to provide an extra 30 free hours a week to parents of toddlers and to raise cash for the existing childcare [...]