Lord Nash steps down paving the way for new lead Whitehall director March 30, 2022 The government lead non-executive director resigned from his post yesterday. Lord Nash, who was appointed to the role by the Prime Minister in July 2020 for a three-year term, will be replaced in his Whitehall role by ex-director of Barclays Bank UK Michael Jary, according to Sky News’ Mark Kleinman. Insiders said yesterday that Michael [...]
Johnson says Ukrainian refugees can help ease UK labour shortages March 30, 2022 Tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees set to come to the UK will help ease the country’s labour shortages, Boris Johnson has said. The Prime Minister said “one of the problems our economy has” is “the need for more pairs of hands to do crucial jobs and one of the things the Ukrainians will be [...]
Raising taxes on working people is ‘bananas’, economists warn March 30, 2022 Raising taxes on working people while shielding other forms of income from levies is “bananas,” according to a top wonk’s analysis of chancellor Rishi Sunak’s spring statement. Hiking employers and employees national insurance contributions 1.25 percentage points in April instead of using income tax to raise revenue is the “opposite of what everybody thinks we [...]
Avocado price skyrockets to highest in two decades as Mexican drug gangs feud March 30, 2022 The price of avocados has skyrocketed to its highest for two decades, in part due to feuding drug gangs in Mexico which is one of the main global suppliers. The cost of the crop rose after a United States safety inspector in the country was threatened, leading to an import ban from the state of [...]
Netherlands stops short of emergency gas plans amid supply shortage fears March 30, 2022 The Dutch government will advise citizens and businesses to use less gas but has stopped short of activating emergency energy plans.
Kwarteng hires former BP boss to BEIS board amid energy security push March 30, 2022 Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has appointed Peter Mather, former UK boss of BP, onto the board of his department.
Johnson says he is tax cutter, despite hiking tax burden to 70-year high March 30, 2022 Boris Johnson has claimed he and Rishi Sunak are “tax-cutting Conservatives”, despite the pair hiking the UK’s tax burden to its highest level since the 1950s over the past two years. Sunak oversaw cuts to fuel duty and National Insurance last week as a part of his economic spring statement last week, while also announcing [...]
Germany raises prospect of power rationing with emergency gas plans March 30, 2022 Germany has triggered emergency plans to manage gas supplies following the Kremlin's demand for contracts to be paid in roubles.
‘A false veneer to a broken system’: British judges resign from Hong Kong’s highest court March 30, 2022 British judges have resigned from Hong Kong’s highest court, in a move which has been welcomed by the foreign secretary and UK-based advocacy group Stand With Hong Kong (SWHK). Two senior judges, Robert Reed and Patrick Hodge, submitted their resignation to the city’s Court of Final Appeal (HKCFA), saying their role was “no longer tenable” because of [...]
Boris Johnson praises ‘immense courage’ of Tory MP coming out as trans March 30, 2022 Boris Johnson has praised the “immense amount of courage” of Tory MP Jamie Wallis, after he came out as trans this morning. The Prime Minister said he would “always give you, and everyone else, the love and support you need to be yourself”, despite making a joke last night about the phrases often used within [...]