Priti Patel warns Facebook’s encryption plans could harm child safety April 19, 2021 Facebook’s plans to roll out end-to-end encryption across its messaging platforms could mark a setback for efforts to protect children from online abuse, the home secretary is set to warn. The social media giant has unveiled plans to extend encryption — which means only the sender and recipient can view messages —— to Messenger and [...]
UK investigates effect of Indian Covid-19 variant April 18, 2021 The UK’s health officials have launched an investigation into whether the newly found Indian variant of Covid-19 spreads faster and is vaccine resistant, after cases of the variant were found in England and Scotland. Chief medical adviser for NHS Test and Trace Dr Susan Hopkins said today that around 70 cases of the Indian variant [...]
Boris Johnson ‘risks losing the red wall’ over lobbying scandal, says senior Tory April 18, 2021 Boris Johnson could lose seats in the red wall areas in the North of England if he does not get a grip on the ongoing government lobbying scandal, according to a senior Conservative MP. MP for Harwich and North Essex Sir Bernard Jenkin wrote today that the scandal was “corrosive” to the public’s trust in [...]
All living Prime Ministers out of politics set to give evidence at lobbying inquiry April 18, 2021 Every living former Prime Minister that is not still involved in Westminster politics will be asked to give evidence at a major parliamentary inquiry into lobbying and anti-corruption. The probe is set to be announced tomorrow and it will be ran by Westminster’s Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs committee (PACAC). David Cameron, Gordon Brown, Tony Blair [...]
Cabinet minister says David Cameron did nothing wrong in Greensill lobbying scandal April 18, 2021 Environment secretary George Eustice has defended David Cameron for his role in the Greensill Capital lobbying scandal, saying the former Prime Minister did nothing wrong. Eustice said today that Cameron “meticulously observed the rules” around lobbying, but that he perhaps should have written instead of texted ministers when working for the failed finance firm Greensill [...]
EU will pursue legal action over Brexit rules in Northern Ireland for ‘as long as necessary’ April 16, 2021 The EU this morning warned that it would continue to pursue legal action against the UK “for as long as necessary” over post-Brexit trade issues in Northern Ireland. In talks last night, European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic urged his British counterpart David Frost to pursue jointly agreed solutions to the issues. In a statement [...]
135 City firms switch to Dublin for post-Brexit business April 16, 2021 Dublin has been crowned the most desirable place for City jobs, as 135 firms have relocated business to the Irish capital due to Brexit, new research has revealed. Think tank New Financial has found firms to favour Dublin over its city-competitors Paris, Luxembourg, Frankfurt and Amsterdam. As firms moved to the Irish capital as a result [...]
European Parliament set to move closer to approving UK-EU Brexit trade deal April 15, 2021 MEPs are set to move closer to approving the UK-EU post-Brexit trade deal this week, before a final vote takes place later this month. The deal has been formally passed in the UK parliament, however it was only provisionally approved on the EU side by the bloc’s 27 ambassadors to ensure it came into effect [...]
Greensill: ‘No boundaries’ between civil servants and private sector, says cronyism watchdog April 15, 2021 The government’s watchdog on business appointments has claimed there are no boundaries between ex-civil servants and the private sector and that the system needs urgent reform in light of the Greensill Capital lobbying scandal. Lord Eric Pickles, chairman of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba), has told MPs today that a former senior civil [...]
Greensill job allowed Bill Crothers to evade scrutiny, says former Home Office official April 15, 2021 Former Home Office permanent secretary Sir David Normington said that he was “absolutely amazed” that a top civil servant was permitted to work as a part-time adviser at Greensill Capital while still in Whitehall. Asked about the Bill Crothers case, Sir David told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme today: “Well actually, when I heard it, [...]