Johnson: It ‘did not occur to me’ Downing Street birthday party was Covid breach April 19, 2022 Boris Johnson has told MPs that it “did not occur to me” that his Number 10 office birthday party was in breach of Covid rules, after receiving a police fine last week for attending the event. The Prime Minister today said “that was my mistake and I apologise for it unreservedly”, but that he now [...]
Theresa May comes out against UK policy to send Channel migrants to Rwanda April 19, 2022 Theresa May has come out against the UK government’s plan to send asylum seekers trying to enter the UK illegally to Rwanda. May said in the House of Commons today that “I do not support the removal to Rwanda policy on the grounds of legality, practicality and efficacy”. The new policy was unveiled by Boris [...]
Anti oil activists suspend disruptive protest and give the UK government ultimatum April 19, 2022 Environmental activists have paused disruptive protests and given the government an ultimatum to stop looking for new fossil fuels. Campaigners from Just Stop Oil read a letter outside Number 10 Downing Street, saying the UK government was being given an “opportunity” to halt its search for new energy sources. This comes after the group launched [...]
Boris Johnson set to face House of Commons vote on partygate fine April 19, 2022 Boris Johnson is set to face a House of Commons vote over whether he misled parliament over the partygate scandal, after the Prime Minister received a police fine last week. House of Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle today granted a vote to opposition parties on Thursday to see if the Prime Minister should be referred [...]
UK will not offer Indians more visas in post-Brexit trade talks April 19, 2022 The government will not allow more Indians to come to the UK through new visa routes in any UK-India free trade deal. City A.M. understands the prospect of special Indian visas has not been discussed in the first two rounds of trade negotiations and that international trade secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan has not put the issue [...]
Partygate: Senior Tory says local elections may determine Boris Johnson’s future, ahead of ‘full-throated apology’ April 19, 2022 A possible Tory rebellion against Boris Johnson over partygate would likely happen after local elections, a senior Tory MP said. The treasurer of the powerful Conservative backbench 1922 Committee, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, made his comments as the PM faces new charges about his role in the lockdown breaches, for which he and Rishi Sunak were [...]
Tesla: Workers in Shanghai must sleep on factory floor as China restarts production in 600 companies amid draconian Covid measures April 19, 2022 Shanghai’s Tesla factory workers have to sleep on the floor of the factory, as Elon Musk’s company restarts production and China continues a draconian covid policy. With hundreds of firms restarting operations across China, workers have to abide by a strict policy of living on site, in line with the country’s ‘closed loop’ restrictions, according [...]
Jacob Rees-Mogg: Civil servants must ‘rapidly return’ to offices April 19, 2022 Ministers are reportedly being told to send a “clear message” to civil servants for a “rapid return” to offices. Up to three quarters of staff are still working from home, according to The Telegraph, as Whitehall sources accuse a “silent majority” of officials of not “pulling their weight. Jacob Rees-Mogg, the minister for government efficiency, [...]
Zelensky says the Kremlin is embarking on latest phase of war targeting region of Donbass April 19, 2022 Ukraine’s president has warned that the Kremlin is embarking on the latest phase of its war, targeting the eastern Donbass region. Volodymyr Zelensky made his comments in a video message to his country, saying: “The Russian troops have begun the battle for the Donbas, for which they have been preparing for a long time.” “A [...]
Boris Johnson: Prime Minister’s phone was reportedly target of hacking software April 19, 2022 The prime minister’s phone was reportedly the target of hacking software according to cybercrime experts who analysed his phone. Boris Johnson’s mobile was said to have been subject to the Pegasus software, created by the Israeli-based NSO group, on multiple occasions during between 2020 and 2021. According to The Times, a government sourced confirmed it [...]