No10 on ‘back foot’ from Brexit when Covid struck and rules broken daily, inquiry told November 1, 2023 No10 was on the “back foot” from Brexit when the pandemic struck the UK and rules were broken on a daily basis inside Downing Street, the official UK Covid-19 inquiry has heard.
UK rips up state guarantees on nearly £1bn of Covid loans November 1, 2023 The UK government has scrapped guarantees on nearly £1bn of bank loans handed out to ailing businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic, leaving lenders on the hook for some of the borrowings that will not be repaid.
Cummings’ insults are petty distraction from grim lockdown lessons November 1, 2023 The originator of the phrase is lost to the vagaries of time, but talk to enough people in the pubs of Westminster about the inner workings of British politics and sooner or later someone will offer it up.“The only difference between Westminster and The Thick of It,” they’ll say, referring to the foul-mouthed BBC comedy, [...]
Covid inquiry: Dominic Cummings branded ministers ‘useless f*ckpigs’ as No10 chaos laid bare October 31, 2023 Top No10 aide Dominic Cummings branded cabinet ministers “useless f*ckpigs”, “morons” and “c**ts” in foulmouthed messages revealed to the UK’s Covid-19 inquiry.
UK’s top civil servant said Boris Johnson ‘cannot lead’, COVID inquiry WhatsApps reveal October 30, 2023 Cabinet secretary Simon Case messaged former chief of staff Dominic Cummings while the coronavirus pandemic ripped through Britain, saying the then-Prime Minister’s behaviour left him “at the end of my tether”, the UK COVID-19 Inquiry has heard.
Government stuck in public services ‘doom loop’, top think tank warns October 30, 2023 The government is stuck in a “doom loop” with the UK’s public services “in a dire state”, a top think tank has warned. An annual report on UK public services has forecast that almost all services, other than child social care, could perform worse in 2027-2028 when compared to pre-pandemic levels. This is due to [...]
Philip Hammond ‘dismayed’ by Tory shift to ‘populism’ October 18, 2023 Lord Philip Hammond said he has been “dismayed” by the “populist turn” the Conservatives took. The former Chancellor told City A.M. while he thought the party was now “heading in the right direction” he had been “dismayed by the populist turn” the Tories took. During an interview about his role as chair of crypto firm [...]
Five things we learned from Tory conference: The return of Farage and Trumpification October 5, 2023 This week, top Tories, councillors, activists and party members gathered in Manchester for their annual get-together. With journalists also swarming the panel events, hotel receptions and late night bars, there was little that went unreported. But amid the not-so warm white wine, dodgy dance moves, and endless speeches, there were a few things that became [...]
‘Done the unthinkable’: HS2 northern leg scrapped, Rishi Sunak confirms in Tory conference speech October 4, 2023 The northern leg of HS2 from Birmingham to Manchester has been scrapped, Rishi Sunak has announced. The Prime Minister confirmed the decision to axe the route as he made his keynote speech at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester today. Sunak said: “I am ending this long running saga. I am cancelling the rest of [...]
Rishi Sunak refuses to say if HS2 to Manchester is being scrapped – six times October 3, 2023 Rishi Sunak has refused to confirm whether HS2 to Manchester is being scrapped six times while being grilled in a live interview. The Prime Minister insisted to BBC Breakfast he had “absolutely not” given up on the multi-billion pound rail scheme which has dominated the Conservative Party Conference. “We’ve got spades on the ground on [...]