Royal Navy’s Type 31 frigate could be ‘significantly delayed’ April 8, 2023 The Royal Navy could see delivery of its Type 31 frigates significantly delayed, a union has warned, as workers at a Scottish yard are poised to down tools for weeks in their battle for higher pay. Around 100 workers at the Rosyth yard employed by contractor Kaefer are set to strike after overwhelmingly supporting industrial [...]
Four-day junior doctor strike could impact ‘patient safety’ April 8, 2023 Up to a quarter of a million appointments and operations could be postponed due to four days of strikes by junior doctors, the NHS Confederation has warned, amid fears over patient safety. Dr Layla McCay, director of policy at the confederation, said health bosses were more concerned about the impact of the latest walkout – [...]
China sends warships and jets towards Taiwan April 8, 2023 China has sent warships and dozens of fighter jets towards Taiwan, the island’s government said. The move came in retaliation for a meeting between the US House of Representatives speaker and the president of the self-ruled island democracy claimed by Beijing as part of its territory. The Chinese military announced the start of three-day “combat [...]
Thornberry defends Labour attack ad on Sunak April 8, 2023 Labour frontbencher Emily Thornberry has defended a party attack ad claiming Rishi Sunak does not think child sex abusers should go to prison. The shadow attorney general acknowledged there has been a lot of criticism, including that the social media message is “racist”, but she said the critics are “wrong”. Figures on Labour’s left have [...]
Labour steps up attack on Tories ahead of May elections April 8, 2023 Tens of thousands of offenders convicted of serious crimes have been spared jail since the Tories took office, with Labour claiming Rishi Sunak’s party is “on the side of criminals”. The figures highlighted by Labour show community punishments or suspended sentences handed to more than 16,500 adults convicted of child pornography offences and 130 cases [...]
SNP facing biggest crisis in 50 years, says president April 8, 2023 A senior figure in the SNP has said the party faces its biggest crisis in 50 years amid the police investigation into its finances. Mike Russell, the Scottish National Party (SNP) president and a former minister, also said he does not think independence can be achieved “right now”. On Wednesday, former chief executive Peter Murrell [...]
US economy adds 236,000 jobs in March as Fed rate hikes help cool labour market April 7, 2023 The US added 236,000 new jobs in March, the latest sign that the labour market is beginning to cool as the US Federal Reserve (Fed) continues to hike interest rates. The number of new jobs fell below the number added in February and the average monthly gain of 334,000 recorded in the last six months, [...]
Warm weather helps shoppers hit the high street at start of Easter bank holiday weekend April 7, 2023 Retail footfall jumped this morning as shoppers hit the high street for the bank holiday weekend, new data reveals. Shopper numbers were up 4.8 per cent on last week as dry weather tempted customers out to the High Street, according to data from MRI Springboard. However, the uptick was lower than expected as shoppers shunned [...]
Sluggish progress on open banking regulation has left consumers ‘at risk’ April 7, 2023 Sluggish progress on open banking regulation has left consumers “unduly at risk” and regulators need to urgently ramp up protection measures, a group of experts has warned. Open banking, which was rolled out by regulators in 2017 to force high street lenders to open customers’ data to trusted third-party firms, has been consistently touted by [...]
Is it over now? Where next for the banking crisis in Europe April 7, 2023 Is that it? After a few weeks of exhilarating volatility, European banking stocks have settled into a more reliable pattern. It seems dramatic regulatory interventions have stemmed the possibility of immediate financial difficulties. The question now is whether the events of the past few weeks are symptoms of wider financial problems which will be brought [...]