UK bans Chinese surveillance equipment in ‘sensitive’ Whitehall buildings November 24, 2022 Government departments must stop installing surveillance cameras made by Chinese companies in “sensitive” sites, it was announced today. Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden told MPs that a review by the Government Security Group found “additional controls are required” due to “the threat to the UK and the increasing capability and connectivity” of surveillance systems. The [...]
Brexit: Business groups and unions call for delay of EU legislation bonfire November 24, 2022 Leading British business groups and unions have called on Rishi Sunak to delay post-Brexit plans to shred all retained EU laws by 2023. In a letter signed by more than a dozen institutions – including the Institute of Directors and Trades Union Congress (TUC) – the groups said the plans would “cause significant confusion and [...]
Sunak backs down against BoE and ditches call-in power over City regulators November 23, 2022 The government has tonight confirmed it will scrap controversial plans to allow MPs to overrule City regulators as part of a post-Brexit Big Bang 2.0 blueprint. The decision to ditch the plans marked a victory for the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), who have both previously warned that introducing the so-called [...]
Hunt says he’s ‘very concerned’ about tax burden and ‘absolutely’ wants to cut it November 23, 2022 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has said he is “very concerned” about the UK’s soaring tax burden and that he “absolutely” wants to cut it. Hunt told MPs on a Westminster committee today that “if taxes are too high it makes it difficult to be a modern, dynamic economy”, while also backing his decision last week to [...]
Investment in public health could boost GDP by £180bn each year, says CBI November 23, 2022 Investments in healthcare and wellness are investments in the economy, according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). The UK loses 131m working days a year to ill-health, costing the nation around £180bn in GDP, data from the CBI’s new Work Health Index revealed yesterday. “Labour market resilience is a precondition to growth,” CBI president [...]
Badenoch to host trade forum with South African President Ramaphosa November 23, 2022 Kemi Badenoch will host a roundtable forum with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa today, with the trade secretary looking to boost exports to the continent. Badenoch said this morning that a “UK-South Africa Investment Taskforce” was looking to break down trade barriers with the Commonwealth nation, however there are no current plans to extend the trade deal [...]
Sturgeon ‘accepts’ court decision to block Scottish independence referendum November 23, 2022 Nicola Sturgeon has said she “accepts” today’s decision from the Supreme Court to block another independence referendum without Westminster’s consent, but that “democracy won’t be denied”. The Scottish First Minister said the decision only “blocks one route to Scotland’s voice being heard on independence” and that the next General Election, due by the start of [...]
Qatar World Cup: James Cleverly had ‘difficult conversations’ over LGBT fans’ safety November 23, 2022 Foreign Secretary James Cleverly had “difficult conversations” with Qatari authorities who have now taken “real steps” to ensure the safety of gay fans at the World Cup. The minister expressed the concerns that LGBT fans were at risk in the country where same-sex relations are illegal, this week. This comes after former Wales women’s team [...]
Kremlin ‘power grab’ in full swing as controversial Wagner Group boss pushes Putin to boot defence chief Shoigu November 22, 2022 An internal coup inside the Kremlin is reportedly in full swing as the chief of the controversial Wagner mercenary group is putting Russian president Putin increasingly under pressure to sack his Defence minister, Sergie Shoigu. Yevgeny Prigozhin, who heads the Wagner Group, also dubbed Putin’s private army which primarily consists of mercenaries, is reportedly increasingly [...]
Starmer: Labour has no interest in a Swiss-style Brexit deal November 22, 2022 A future Labour government would not pursue a “Swiss-style” Brexit arrangement to bring the UK closer to the EU, Sir Keir Starmer has said. The opposition leader, writing in City A.M., said a new Brexit deal to increase regulatory alignment with Brussels will “not be the fix some imagine”. The government has been forced this [...]