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.
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 [...]
Urgent reform needed to restore trust in UK constitution, warn think tanks September 19, 2023 An urgent reset is required in order to restore trust in the UK’s constitution, two top think tanks have warned. Faith in Britain’s political system has been shaken after a “tumultuous” string of events — from the Brexit process, the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost of living crisis — a report by the Institute for [...]
Murdoch executives ‘told Sunak not to resign’ after partygate fine September 16, 2023 Rishi Sunak was persuaded not to quit as chancellor over his fine for breaking lockdown laws after an intervention by media mogul Rupert Murdoch’s executives, it has been claimed. The claim is detailed in a new book by the Telegraph’s political editor and published by the newspaper on Friday. It is the latest report to [...]
Taxpayer foots bad Covid loan bill of £7.4bn amid ‘uncomfortable level of fraud’ September 14, 2023 The government has already had to foot a £7.4bn bill to settle bad loans while banks have claimed a further £1.13bn under the schemes.
UK ‘flying blind’ on soaring levels of fraud which has quadrupled since pandemic September 8, 2023 The government is “flying blind” on its exposure to fraud, which has quadrupled since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, MPs have said. The cross-party Public Accounts Committee (PAC) also said that while most of the £21bn of taxpayers’ money lost to fraud during the pandemic is unlikely to be recovered, the government should be [...]
UK sanctions Russia cyber gang that targeted hospitals during Covid September 7, 2023 UK sanctions have been announced against 11 members of a Russian cybercrime gang behind the hacking of hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic. Britain and the United States acted together to slap the Russian nationals with asset freezes and travel bans, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said on Thursday. The so-called TrickBot Group is [...]
Analysis: Rishi Sunak must wish he was still on holiday September 4, 2023 Rishi Sunak may have enjoyed the break but an afternoon of bad news will have brought reality crashing back to him
Doomsayers ‘proved wrong’: UK had third-fastest Covid recovery in G7, revised GDP data now shows September 1, 2023 New figures show the UK economy bounced back from the pandemic faster than had been thought.
Zoom: Share bump after pumping up full year guidance August 22, 2023 Pandemic darling Zoom beat expectations and raised full year guidance in its second quarter as it remains hopeful in its long-term strategy - although customer growth is sluggish.