Boris Johnson to launch £1bn schools building programme June 28, 2020 Boris Johnson will announce a new schools and further education building programme worth more than £1bn tomorrow. The Prime Minister will announce that the first 50 projects of a ten-year rebuilding programme will get under way in 2020-21. A further £560m and £200m has also been earmarked for repairs and upgrades this year for schools [...]
UK’s top civil servant Sir Mark Sedwill resigns June 28, 2020 The UK’s top civil servant Sir Mark Sedwill has resigned from his three-pronged role as cabinet secretary, national security adviser and head of the civil service. Sedwill announced his resignation today and will step down from his role in September, after 30 years in the civil service. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has nominated Sedwill for [...]
CMA chair Tyrie was ‘forced to step down’ after row with directors June 28, 2020 The chairman of the UK’s competition watchdog was forced to step down three years early after a stand-off with the firm’s chief executive, according to reports. Lord Tyrie, who last week announced he would stand down as chairman of the Competition and Markets authority (CMA) in September three years earlier than planned, had fallen out [...]
Sir Keir Starmer overtakes Boris Johnson as preferred PM June 28, 2020 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has overtaken Boris Johnson in polling as the UK’s preferred prime minister for the first time. An Opinium Poll out last night showed 37 per cent of people thought Starmer would do a better job as prime minister, compared to 35 per cent for Johnson. Starmer has a +27 per [...]
Robert Jenrick warned by civil service about £1bn development before approving it June 28, 2020 Under fire housing secretary Robert Jenrick was urged by civil servants to block a controversial £1bn East London housing development by Tory donor Richard Desmond before he approved it. Jenrick went on to ignore the advice of his mandarins and instead reversed the Tower Hamlets Council’s decision to reject the planning application. The Sunday Times [...]
Germany to shake up accounting industry following Wirecard collapse June 28, 2020 Germany is set to overhaul its accounting industry as part of measures to soften the fallout from the collapse of payments fintech Wirecard last week. Wirecard, which premiered on Germany’s main Dax index with a €24bn (£21.8bn) valuation just two years ago, filed for insolvency last week after auditors found a €1.9bn black hole in [...]
Trump warns against foreign interference in UK projects as US steps up national security efforts June 28, 2020 President Donald Trump has issued a stiff warning to the UK not to allow foreign interference in British projects, as the US looks to bolster its national security efforts amid increasing tensions with China. Trump yesterday warned that the US could block foreign buyers from purchasing Anglo-American satellite business Oneweb amid mounting national security concerns [...]
Boris Johnson prepares spending splurge for ‘thunderclap’ economic downturn June 28, 2020 Boris Johnson has pledged to spend tens of billions of pounds on a raft of infrastructure projects and jobs programmes to help the UK economy bounce back from the coronavirus crisis. Johnson said he would “double down” on his election commitment to “level up” the country and would fast track a swathe of infrastructure projects. [...]
Virgin Atlantic seeks up to £900m in rescue bid after coronavirus turbulence June 28, 2020 Embattled airline Virgin Atlantic is looking to raise up to £900m in a last-ditch rescue bid days after it said it was unlikely to secure a government bailout. The carrier, founded by Sir Richard Branson in 1984, has beefed up its original £750m cash call amid forecasts for an extended recovery period for the aviation [...]
Priti Patel confirms likely Leicester lockdown June 28, 2020 Leicester could become the first city to be placed into a local coronavirus lockdown, home secretary Priti Patel has confirmed. Patel said today that there had been a coronavirus flare up in a hospital and that “there will be support going into Leicester”. Speaking to the BBC, she said: “The health secretary [Matt Hancock] was in [...]