UK hosts crunch talks on Putin ‘war crimes’ investigation March 20, 2023 International justice ministers are meeting in London to discuss support for the investigation into war crimes in Ukraine. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued a warrant for Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s arrest, accusing him of bearing personal responsibility for the abduction of children. It is the first arrest warrant to be issued against a [...]
Analyst: Why Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has less headroom than he thinks on the public finances March 20, 2023 THE OFFICIAL Treasury watchdog may be repeating its mistake of over-estimating UK growth, Deutsche Bank analysts have warned, with the forecasting miss potentially wiping out Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s spending power in years to come. In forecasts published by the Office for Budget Responsibility last week, the watchdog said it expected UK GDP groth to settle around 1.75 [...]
Brits now more concerned about state of UK economy than before budget, polling finds March 20, 2023 More than a third of Brits surveyed say the budget last week made them more concerned about the state of the UK’s economy. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt unveiled his spring statement in the House of Commons last week in light of rosier economic projections and within the government’s self-imposed fiscal rules. He focused on childcare reforms, [...]
Government ‘always willing’ to engage on NHS strikes, minister claims March 20, 2023 The government was “always willing” to engage with unions on strikes and NHS pay, a minister has claimed. Cabinet office minister Oliver Dowden told the BBC there were “initial discussions” with the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and that the deal which has been agreed is a “decent deal”. His comments came as the British [...]
Allies fear Boris Johnson walking into a partygate ‘witch hunt’ – with a comeback at risk March 19, 2023 Former prime minister Boris Johnson could face a “witch hunt” before MPs at a grilling over his involvement in the lockdown-busting partygate scandal, a key ally has warned. Lord Greenhalgh, who was a deputy mayor during Johnson’s tenure at City Hall, said he was “concerned it will be a witch hunt” and hoped he would [...]
SNP boss Peter Murrell – Nicola Sturgeon’s husband – quits amid falling membership row March 19, 2023 SNP boss Peter Murrell has quit the party amid a row over declining membership figures, as the race to succeed first minister Nicola Sturgeon enters its final week. Scottish National Party (SNP) chief executive Peter Murrell resigned this weekend after reports of a threat of a no confidence vote by the National Executive Committee (NEC). [...]
Russia and Ukraine extend Black Sea grain deal in bid to lower global food prices March 18, 2023 An unprecedented wartime deal that allows grain to flow from Ukraine to countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia where hunger is a growing threat has been extended. The extension was announced by the United Nations and by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but neither confirmed the length of the extension. The UN, Turkey [...]
What do Brits think of capitalism? Not much, it seems March 18, 2023 One of the most surprising findings of an international survey conducted on attitudes towards capitalism for the book In Defence of Capitalism is that the British – in the motherland of capitalism – are far more critical of capitalism than might be expected. Only in 12 countries are attitudes towards capitalism more negative than in [...]
International Criminal Court issues ‘war crimes’ arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin over abduction of children in Ukraine March 17, 2023 The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Putin for war crimes because of his alleged involvement in abductions of children from Ukraine. The court said in a statement that Mr Putin “is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of [...]
Pension pain: Savers who bought lifetime allowance ‘protection’ warned they may still find their tax-free lump sum capped March 17, 2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s decision to scrap the pension lifetime allowance (LTA) in Wednesday’s Spring Budget, was heralded as an incentive for wealthier employees over 50 to stay in the workforce. But some pensions experts say for those who took out a form of LTA protection may still have to watch they do not go over [...]