UK receives lowest ever score on corruption index as Britain’s reputation suffers after a string of political scandals January 31, 2023 Britain has received its lowest ever score and ranking on Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). The drop “is a powerful indictment” in the decline in public standards, campaigners say, which have been dragged down by a series of recent government scandals around the procurement of PPE during pandemic and multiple ministerial breaches. The [...]
UK only G7 economy to shrink this year as IMF deals blow to Jeremy Hunt recession declinism criticism January 31, 2023 Britain will emerge as the “sick man” of the world’s richest countries this year, snatching the unwanted title of being the only G7 economy to contract in 2023, according to forecasts by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The world’s economic watchdog has slashed its expectations for UK GDP again, now pencilling in a 0.6 per [...]
Sadiq Khan: London councils waste money bidding for levelling up cash January 30, 2023 Sadiq Khan accused the government of forcing local councils to waste money bidding for cash as part of the “levelling up fund”. Speaking in front of the Levelling Up Committee, he said councils were criticised if they fail to bid for funding from Westminster, even though only one in five councils is successful. The London [...]
Persimmon and Barratt to sign Gove’s cladding contract as others stall for time January 30, 2023 A handful of developers plan to sign the government contract to fix buildings affected by cladding and other fire risks in the coming weeks. Levelling up secretary Michael Gove gave developers a six-week deadline to commit to more than £2bn of repairs to fix the issues in buildings taller than 11 metres. This comes on [...]
Boris Johnson ‘lied’ over Putin missile attack claims, says Kremlin January 30, 2023 The Kremlin has suggested Boris Johnson told “a lie” when the former prime minister said that Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to threaten him with a missile strike. The former Downing Street incumbent made the claim in a new three-part series for BBC Two looking at how the West grappled with Mr Putin in the [...]
Zahawi ditched by Rishi Sunak as Conservative chair over £5m tax bill January 29, 2023 Nadhim Zahawi has today been sacked by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as Conservative party chair after weeks of speculation about his tax affairs. Sunak told Zahawi, 55, that, after an independent investigation, “it is clear that there has been a serious breach of the Ministerial Code,” forcing him to ditch the MP for Stratford-on-Avon. Sunak’s [...]
Putin and cronies must face justice for brutality in Ukraine, says EU January 28, 2023 The European Union wants swift accountability for “horrific” crimes in Ukraine, EU justice ministers said on Friday, even as they differed over the methods in a debate about how to bring prosecutions, seek evidence or fund war damage repairs. The bloc’s 27 justice ministers met in Stockholm ahead of the Feb. 24 anniversary of Russia’s [...]
Half-term strike action to bring chaos at British Museum January 28, 2023 Fresh strikes have been called by the biggest civil service union in its long-running dispute over jobs, pay and pensions. Members of the Public and Commercial Service union (PCS) at the British Museum will take industrial action during February half term. More than 100 members of the museum’s visitor services and security teams will take [...]
Dorries: Ex culture sec joins Piers Morgan, Jeremy Kyle and Vanessa Feltz with TalkTV Friday night slot January 27, 2023 Former culture secretary Nadine Dorries will host a new Friday night talk show on TalkTV. The first instalment of her weekly, hour-long programme, titled Friday Night With Nadine, will feature an exclusive interview with former prime minister Boris Johnson. The Tory MP for Mid Bedfordshire joins a roster that also includes Piers Morgan, Jeremy Kyle, [...]
£320,000 for ‘I’m A Celeb’ and £48,000 for pandemic books: Matt Hancock’s pay-days outside of Westminster revealed January 27, 2023 Matt Hancock was paid £320,000 for his controversial appearance on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, it has been revealed. The former health secretary’s fee was listed on the MP’s register of financial interests. Hancock had the Conservative Party whip suspended for taking time off to appear on the ITV reality show. He [...]