English businesses affected by local lockdowns to get extra government funding September 9, 2020 English businesses that have been forced to close in local lockdowns will receive grants worth up to £1,500 per per property they operate every three weeks. The emergency funding will provide support for businesses in cities such as Leicester, Bolton and other parts of Greater Manchester that have been hit by local lockdowns. The grants [...]
Brexit: EU threatened to block Great Britain exports to Northern Ireland September 9, 2020 EU negotiators reportedly threatened to block the transport of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland during Brexit trade negotiations. The threat from Brussels infuriated Downing Street, leading to its decision to breach the Brexit withdrawal agreement by adding “clarifications” to the deal in a bill to be put before parliament today. Northern Ireland secretary [...]
Nearly 100 UK MPs condemn the ethnic cleansing of China’s Uighur Muslims September 9, 2020 More than 100 British parliamentarians have written to China’s UK ambassador to condemn the ethnic cleansing of Uighur Muslims in the country’s north. The letter, written by Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh and signed by 76 MPs and 57 Lords, tells ambassador Liu Xiaoming that “chilling” footage of Uighur Muslims being sent to internment camps in [...]
Coronavirus: England to ban meetings of more than six people September 8, 2020 Boris Johnson will tomorrow ban social gatherings of more than six people in a tightening of England’s coronavirus restrictions. The Prime Minister will announce at a press conference that the new limit, which will be cut down from 30, will apply indoors and outdoors and for people of all ages from Monday. The change is [...]
City of London slams government plans to override EU deal September 8, 2020 The City of London Corporation has sharply criticised the government’s plans to override some parts of the EU withdrawal agreement, warning it could “seriously damage” the UK’s relationship with its biggest trading partner. Speaking at a webinar, the Corporation’s head of policy Catherine McGuinness also said the government appeared to have forgotten about the financial [...]
Furlough scheme: UK looking at 27,000 potential fraud cases September 8, 2020 The UK’s tax authority is looking into 27,000 potential cases of fraud relating to the government’s furlough scheme. HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) probes have already led to an arrest of one person who has been suspected of fraud and there are a “number of active investigations”, according to the Prime Minister’s spokesman. HMRC’s top [...]
Brexit: Top UK civil service lawyer quits over Downing Street row September 8, 2020 The chief of the government’s legal department has resigned over Boris Johnson’s plans to alter some of the terms of the Brexit withdrawal agreement. Jonathan Jones, the Treasury’s solicitor and permanent secretary of the Government Legal Department, reportedly resigned his position after a row with Downing Street over suggestions that Johnson was preparing to breach [...]
China accuses other countries of ‘bullying’ its tech firms September 8, 2020 China has pointed the finger at “individual countries” that it says are “bullying” others and “hunting” its tech companies, as tensions between Beijing and Washington continue to mount. It announced an initiative to establish global standards on data security today, in a similar strategy to the Trump administration’s Clean Network. The plan asks technology firms [...]
Ireland’s Mairead McGuinness picked to be next EU finance boss September 8, 2020 Ireland’s Mairead McGuinness is set to take over as the EU’s financial services commissioner as part of a mini reshuffle prompted by her fellow countryman Phil Hogan’s resignation. Former Latvian Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis has been chosen to fill Hogan’s prestigious position as EU trade chief. He was previously in charge of financial services and [...]
‘No time for a show of virility’: Sadiq Khan on getting London moving again September 7, 2020 One of the largest criticisms of Sadiq Khan over his first mayoral term has been that he is more concerned about his personal PR and with making political gestures than with his job of running the nation’s capital. The mayor of London has been beset by attacks that he has increased spending on City Hall [...]