Hong Kong ousting over 50 opposition councillors ‘deeply concerning’, says Truss October 21, 2021 Hong Kong’s home affairs chief has unseated another 16 opposition district councillors today, bringing the total ousted local politicians to more than 50. Newly appointed foreign secretary Liz Truss has condemned the actions, calling the move “deeply concerning”, as the political climate in the former British colony remains unstable. “It is deeply concerning that 55 [...]
Covid: Number 10 denies drawing up plans to ban household mixing this winter October 21, 2021 Downing Street has firmly denied reports that the government is drawing up “Plan C” measures to ban household mixing if Covid rates get surge this winter. Boris Johnson’s official spokesman said Brits face a “very challenging winter”, but that it was “not accurate” to say ministers or officials are working on proposals for further restrictions. [...]
Roaring inflation to shove government borrowing back to expected levels October 21, 2021 Roaring inflation will shove government borrowing back to expected levels in the coming months. Surging energy prices, compounded by a jump in the rate of VAT for hospitality businesses, will drive sharp price rises, swelling the government’s interest bill. Further pressure on the public finance from higher debt servicing costs will bring “borrowing in the [...]
UK seal post-Brexit New Zealand trade deal in stepping stone to CPTPP ascension October 20, 2021 The UK has agreed to a free trade deal with New Zealand in what is another key stepping stone to joining the 11-country Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) trading bloc. Boris Johnson announced today that the deal would see UK markets opened up to New Zealand agricultural products as tariffs are slashed [...]
PayPal in talks to buy Pinterest October 20, 2021 Payments behemoth PayPal Holdings is in talks to buy digital pinboard site Pinterest. The companies have discussed a potential price of $70 per share, according to Bloomberg News. This would value Pinterest at around $39bn. The price would represent a 26 per cent premium to Pinterest’s closing price of $55.58 on Tuesday. PayPal’s shares were [...]
Sajid Javid warns Covid cases could hit 100,000 a day during winter October 20, 2021 Sajid Javid has warned Covid-19 cases could hit 100,000 per day this winter as he declares “the pandemic is not over”. The health secretary said at a press conference that the government would not be implementing more Covid-19 restrictions through its winter Plan B “at this point”, but encouraged people to meet outdoors where possible [...]
Temporary Brexit? Half of young British business owners expect UK will apply to rejoin EU October 20, 2021 A third of SME business owners are convinced that the UK will apply to rejoin the EU in the future, according to new research shared exclusively with City A.M. this afternoon. Younger business owners are significantly more likely to believe that the UK will re-apply in the future. Nearly half (47 per cent) of 18-34-year-olds [...]
Alok Sharma hints that significant Cop26 deal can be done without China October 20, 2021 The UK’s president of the Cop26 has hinted that a significant deal could be done at the climate change summit without China as fears grow the world’s biggest emitter will not come to the negotiating table. Alok Sharma today emphasised the importance of the G20 countries in helping decreasing global emissions as he was being [...]
Marble Arch Mound saga: Westminster Conservatives ‘lack financial control’, says Labour councillor October 20, 2021 Labour Westminster councillor Paul Dimoldenberg has accused the council of being ‘untrustworthy’ with public money following the £6m Marble Arch Mound saga. The Westminster Council yesterday published its internal review into how the costs for the project swelled from £2m to £6m within a matter of months. “The £6m Marble Arch Mound fiasco has shown [...]
Boris Johnson considers calls from Tory MP to legalise magic mushroom drug October 20, 2021 Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told Tory MP Crispin Blunt he will look at the latest advice on the legalisation of psilocybin. The psychedelic drug is found in magic mushrooms. Blunt has urged Johnson to review the law to allow more research into the drug’s potential to provide treatment for depression, trauma and addiction The [...]