UK government reaches six-figure payout settlement with ex-civil servant after Priti Patel row March 4, 2021 The government has reached a payout settlement with the Home Office’s former top civil servant after he claimed home secretary Priti Patel orchestrated a campaign to oust him from his job. Former Home Office permanent secretary Sir Philip Rutnam said today he had settled with the government out of court, after previously suing for unfair [...]
Sadiq Khan broke half of 2016 election promises, claims Tory rival Shaun Bailey March 4, 2021 Sadiq Khan has broken just over half of his 2016 campaign promises, Conservative mayoral rival Shaun Bailey has claimed. Bailey will today launch an advertising claiming Khan has not delivered on 126 of his 244 manifesto promises, however Labour has called the allegation a “complete work of fiction”. Bailey cites a list of manifesto promises [...]
Sadiq Khan rules out driverless trains as a part of next TfL bailout March 4, 2021 Sadiq Khan has said today that the government will not try to force Transport for London (TfL) to implement driverless trains as a part of current bailout negotiations. Khan told a group of reporters at his re-election campaign launch that the government had dropped any request to bring in driverless trains, after initially asking for [...]
Matt Hancock urges ‘vigilance’ as decline in Covid infections starts to slow March 4, 2021 The health secretary has urged people to “remain vigilant” as the decline in coronavirus cases has slowed down across parts of the country and in some regions reversed, latest figures showed. Imperial College London’s latest React study found the prevalence of Covid across England slumped by two-thirds between 22 January and 13 February. However, the [...]
Boris Johnson announces £70m fund to tackle obesity crisis March 4, 2021 The Prime Minister has announced councils in England will receive an extra £70m to help overweight and obese people to slim down, including plans to offer financial rewards for those who manage to lose weight. Around 700,000 people across the country will benefit from weight loss courses from providers such as Weight Watchers or Slimming [...]
US suspends tariffs on Scotch whisky and Stilton cheese March 4, 2021 The US has today announced it will suspend a series of tariffs on a range of British goods, including Scotch whisky and Stilton cheese, for four months in a de-escalation of a long-running trade conflict. The UK and US will try to broker a longer term agreement over the next four months to put to [...]
The Dissident examines Saudi murder of Jamal Khashoggi March 4, 2021 On 2 October 2018, Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered by agents of the Saudi Arabian government at their consulate in Istanbul. The assassination sent shockwaves around the world, as it came to discover the unthinkable act of a government brazenly killing a writer known for his criticisms of them. What this meant for [...]
Budget secures £21.7bn in stealth taxes for Treasury coffers March 4, 2021 The Chancellor has made use of fiscal drag to secure £21.7bn in steal taxes by the end of the 2025/26 tax year. Fiscal drag is a phenomenon where inflation gradually moves more taxpayers into higher tax brackets. Some commentators describe it as the ultimate steal tax. In yesterday’s budget Chancellor Rishi Sunak chose to [...]
Sadiq Khan pledges to spend more on London economy in election campaign launch March 4, 2021 Sadiq Khan will today launch his re-election campaign by promising to spend more of his £16bn City Hall Budget on the capital’s economic recovery, including creating a new fund to get people back to London’s West End. Khan will say in a speech later this afternoon that he will focus on “jobs, jobs, jobs” if [...]
Budget 2021: Main points in Rishi Sunak’s announcement March 4, 2021 The chancellor unveiled the contents of his Budget in the Commons this afternoon, announcing a raft of new support measures alongside plans to shore up Britain’s finances in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Rishi Sunak doubled down on his commitment to do “whatever it takes” to protect lives and livelihoods as he set out [...]