Government backs £217m Turkish solar power plant to meet COP26 climate goals November 15, 2021 The government is supporting the largest solar power station in Turkey to the tune of £217m, which will initially be assembled in the UK. The public money will go towards Turkish conglomerate Kalyon Group’s 1.35GW Karapinar solar project, as the UK aims to deliver on climate pledges made at COP26. Ministerial department UK Export Finance [...]
Oliver Dowden denies Ofcom chair application process is rigged in favour of Paul Dacre November 15, 2021 Oliver Dowden, Conservative party co-chair and former culture secretary, has denied the appointment process for the new chairman of Ofcom is rigged, referring to the push for ex-Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre.
HMRC hybrid working made permanent: 40,000 staffers given new devices November 15, 2021 HMRC has invested in nearly 40,000 laptops, tablets and phones in the last 12 months, and a total of 45,704 devices since October 2019, shortly before widespread remote working was introduced. The data revealed that new devices had surged by 366 per cent this year, when compared to the same time period for last year [...]
‘I am truly sorry’: Michael Gove apologises for leaks over Grenfell demolition plans November 15, 2021 Michael Gove, the Housing Secretary, has made an apology for leaked reports about Grenfell Tower being prepared for demolition, and vowed that the tragedy-hit community will be consulted about building’s future. The Sunday Times in September reported that ministers were set to announce the razing of the charred tower, four years after a deadly blaze [...]
Today: MPs expected to scrap controversial reforms that kicked off Tory sleaze row November 15, 2021 The controversial standards reforms that sparked the Westminster’s sleaze row are expected to be scrapped today during a vote in Parliament later today. A motion to rescind the so-called Leadsom amendment, which looked to establish a review of the MPs standards investigation process and delay Owen Paterson’s suspension for breaking lobbying rules, has been tabled [...]
MPs furious Northern Powerhouse Rail upgrade will most likely be scaled back November 15, 2021 Reports that rail upgrade plans for the North of England are to be watered down have caused outrage and frustration among a number of MPs. According to the i, the Government is to scale back ambitions for Northern Powerhouse Rail, with proposals to deliver it through track upgrades rather than building a new line. Shadow [...]
Half of UK businesses have decreased or stopped trade with EU post-Brexit November 15, 2021 Almost half of British businesses that traded with the EU pre-Brexit are doing less trade with the bloc, or have stopped entirely, since the UK left the single market and customs union in January, according to a new survey. An Institute of Directors survey, commissioned by Channel 4, out today also showed 16 per cent of [...]
Boris Johnson admits fault in government response to Tory sleaze saga November 14, 2021 Boris Johnson has admitted the Owen Paterson sleaze scandal “could have been handled better … by me” as the Tories prepare to perform a humiliating parliamentary U-turn tomorrow. The Prime Minister faced a barrage of questions about why he hadn’t apologised for the saga in today’s press conference, before finally admitting some fault for the [...]
Cop26: Boris Johnson seeks to downplay failure to get deal to end coal power November 14, 2021 Boris Johnson has sought to play down the failure at Cop26 to get an agreement to end the use of coal power, saying a push from India and China to water down the final deal won’t “make much difference”. Johnson today claimed the deal agreed by 197 nations at the United Nations summit in Glasgow [...]
Boris Johnson says Modi coal stance at Cop26 will not affect UK-India trade talks November 14, 2021 Boris Johnson has said India’s push to water down the wording on coal in the final Cop26 summit deal will not affect UK trade negotiations with the Commonwealth country. Johnson said at a press conference today that “I don’t think there’s any need in particular to introduce this into our bilateral relations”, after Cop26 president [...]