Global economic activity is pulling away from Europe and the UK must follow, says Truss September 14, 2021 The UK will need to shift its trade focus to Asia, as the centre of global economic activity gravitates away from Europe and towards the east. By the end of this decade, three of the world’s largest four economies will be in the Indo-Pacific region, according to the Department for International Trade (DIT). In a [...]
Johnson: Booster Covid-19 jabs for over 50s ‘going ahead’ September 14, 2021 A third booster jab is to be offered to over 50s in the upcoming months, prime minister Boris Johnson confirmed last night. It is expected that all over 50s will be offered a third Pfizer/BioNTech jab at least six months after their second dose, beginning with those over the age of 70 and the most [...]
City bribery: British American Tobacco accused of arranging Mugabe bribe September 13, 2021 One of the largest tobacco companies in the world has been accused of bribing Robert Mugabe, the former president of Zimbabwe. City-based British American Tobacco (BAT) was part of negotiations to pay between $300,000 and $500,000 to Zanu-PF, Mugabe’s political party in 2013, according to a BBC Panorama investigation, which will be aired this evening. [...]
Vaccines for teens: Covid jabs for 12 to 15-year-olds given the green light September 13, 2021 Covid-19 vaccinations for 12 to 15-year-olds has been given the green light by the government’s chief medical officers. A single dose of the Pfizer vaccine is set to be offered to children over the age of 12 through in-school immunisation programmes as soon as next week. Chief medical officer Chris Whitty and his counterparts agreed [...]
CBI warns of rising taxes and stagnant business investment under Boris Johnson September 13, 2021 One of the UK’s most influential business groups has cautioned Boris Johnson about recent tax rises, warning that he must concentrate more on stoking business investment post-Covid. CBI director-general Tony Danker will tomorrow tell the Alliance Manchester Business School that a “return to business as usual in our economic policy, at this unique moment in [...]
Liz Truss to speak to India commerce minister tomorrow about trade deal September 12, 2021 International trade secretary Liz Truss will meet her Indian counterpart tomorrow to outline the timetable for negotiations for a UK-India trade deal. Truss will meet with India’s minister for commerce and industry Piyush Goyal, after the consultation period for the UK-India deal finished on 31 August. The two sides are hoping to commence negotiations for [...]
Sir Keir Starmer to publish 14,000-word mission statement in leadership reset September 12, 2021 Sir Keir Starmer will publish a 14,000-word mission statement with the Fabian Society to signal a reset of his party leadership to Labour members. The essay, which has been confirmed by the historic Labour think tank, will come out just before the party’s conference at the end of this month and will attempt to silence [...]
Mandatory Covid vaccine passports for night clubs and events scrapped September 12, 2021 Sajid Javid has announced the government will not be moving forward with plans to implement mandatory vaccine passports for night clubs and large-scale events. The measure will be scrapped, after two weeks of assurances from Number 10 and ministers that they would still be brought in at the end of this month. Boris Johnson originally [...]
Sajid Javid says he wants to drop PCR tests for travel ‘as soon as I possibly can’ September 12, 2021 Sajid Javid has said he wants to ditch PCR tests for double vaccinated travellers entering the UK “as soon as I possibly can”. The health secretary said today that the UK shouldn’t keep those restrictions in place for “longer than is absolutely necessary”. Everyone who enters the UK has to show proof of a negative [...]
UK heading for ‘winter of discontent’ in wake of Brexit, warns John Swinney September 12, 2021 The UK is facing a “winter of discontent” after the Tories pushed ahead with Brexit, taking Britain out of the European Union, Scotland’s Deputy First Minister will warn. With supermarkets having already experienced issues with shortages, John Swinney will argue that such problems show how “Westminster isn’t working”. The Scottish Deputy First Minister will use [...]