Sunak says ‘fantastic progress’ made in talks to join Indo-Pacific trade bloc March 30, 2023 Rishi Sunak said “fantastic progress” has been made in talks on joining an Indo-Pacific free trade bloc, amid expectations that the UK could be welcomed into the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) imminently. The prime minister said it was “a great benefit of Brexit” for the UK to be able to sign [...]
Confirmed: State pension age rise to 68 paused as life expectancy increase slows, but decision branded ‘politically expedient’ March 30, 2023 Government plans to raise the state pension age to 68 could be delayed due to a slowing of the increase in life expectancy, the government has said. Work and pensions minister Mel Stride told MPs “rapid rises” in life expectancy had slowed in the last decade, and plans for the date at which state pension [...]
Four ex bankers convicted over accounts with Putin-linked man who’s ‘part of system that managed his offshore wealth’ March 30, 2023 Four former bankers with the Swiss affiliate of a key Russian bank have been found guilty of failing to properly check accounts opened in the name of a Russian cellist with long-time ties to President Vladimir Putin. The defendants were handed suspended sentences in Zurich district court that, if violated, could lead collectively to hundreds [...]
Tory row erupts over response to US green subsidies after Hunt refuses to go ‘toe to toe’ with Biden March 30, 2023 Conservative MPs are divided over plans for the UK’s response to the US green subsidies scheme after the Chancellor said Britain would not go “toe to toe” with president Joe Biden. Net zero secretary Grant Shapps today unveiled proposals to ‘power up’ Britain with new energy security measures, in what was expected to be a [...]
Treasury hunts for a new cybersecurity boss – guess how little they are paying? March 30, 2023 Protecting the UK Treasury from a whole host of cyber threats sounds like quite an important role, and one that you might think warrants a decent salary in order to secure someone with the technical skill and professional track record who is able to take on the task. Well, not quite. Despite claiming the UK [...]
Who has been hit hardest by £21bn of pandemic fraud, and will the taxpayer EVER get it back? March 30, 2023 The UK Government has lost £21bn worth of taxpayers money due to fraud since the start of the pandemic, that is “very unlikely” to be unrecovered, according to the National Audit Office (NAO). The NAO said that many public bodies are unaware of the amount of fraud they face, as it revealed that levels of [...]
A quarter of private renters in England don’t ask for repairs for fear of eviction March 30, 2023 A quarter of renters in England don’t ask for repairs in their homes for fear of eviction, a survey has found. The polling, conducted by YouGov for homelessness charity Shelter, found 76 per cent of private renters had experienced disrepair in the past year, and 51 per cent experienced damp or mould. An additional 31 [...]
Backlash from over 50s may force government to delay increase in state pension age to 68 until after election March 30, 2023 Plans to increase the state pension age to 68 have been delayed, according to reports. Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride is expected to address MPs in the Commons on Thursday, when he is expected to update them on the latest statutory review on the pension age. According to reports in the i and the [...]
Controversial Help to Buy policy to boost home ownership to end tomorrow March 30, 2023 A flagship policy to boost home ownership among young people will come to an end tomorrow. The Help to Buy Scheme, launched in 2013, will be wound up, after more than 350,000 people used it to buy their first home, with more than £2.2bn of support last year. But some property experts have warned the [...]
Labour and Tory governments shun £500bn of investment for UK economy since 2000 March 30, 2023 Britain has missed out on £500bn of public investment this century as a result of successive Labour and Conservative governments trimming capital spending to balance the books, a new report out today claims. Since the turn of the millennium, the UK has injected around 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) of public investment [...]