No 10 won’t confirm new City Minister’s role in China policy January 15, 2025 Downing Street has declined to confirm whether new City minister Emma Reynolds will be able to make decisions about the UK’s relationship with China. She was appointed to the post of economic secretary to the Treasury yesterday, after Tulip Siddiq resigned over allegations of corruption linked to the former government in Bangladesh. Bloomberg reported that [...]
The runners and riders to replace under-fire City minister Tulip Siddiq January 10, 2025 Downing Street is reportedly weighing up a number of potential candidates to replace Tulip Siddiq as her position as City minister comes under increasing pressure. Siddiq, the niece of ousted Bangladeshi leader Sheikh Hasina, has been in the headlines since last month when she was named in an investigation into whether her Bangladeshi family embezzled [...]
Downing Street asks ICC to support Afghan women amid boycott calls January 7, 2025 Downing Street has waded into the debate surrounding a potential England boycott of next month’s match with Afghanistan, calling on the International Cricket Council to “deliver on their own rules”. England are scheduled to take on Afghanistan at the Champions Trophy in Pakistan on 26 February but there have been calls for the England and [...]
New top civil service boss named to replace Simon Case December 2, 2024 Sir Chris Wormald, a former health department boss, has been named as the new head of the UK’s civil service and cabinet secretary. Downing Street confirmed the appointment of Sir Chris, who will replace Simon Case in the head of the civil service role, advertised with a £200,000 salary, this afternoon. Wormald has led the [...]
Starmer to unveil ‘mission’ milestones and compares Whitehall to ‘oil tanker’ December 1, 2024 The Prime Minister will set out a “plan for change” with milestones set in key policy areas, or ‘missions’ to achieve the targets laid out in Labour’s manifesto, Downing Street has said. Sir Keir Starmer will this week kick off what he called the “next phase” of his government, and announce the markers for achieving [...]
Keir Starmer to set out ‘plan for change’ with ‘milestones’ for key missions November 30, 2024 Sir Keir Starmer will set out a “plan for change” with milestones set in key policy areas to achieve the targets laid out in Labour’s manifesto, Downing Street has said. The Prime Minister will this week kick off what he has called the “next phase” of Government, as he announces the markers for his “missions” [...]
Hundreds attend protest alongside Justice for Chris Kaba campaign October 26, 2024 Hundreds of people have gathered for a march in central London to protest over deaths in custody alongside the Justice for Chris Kaba campaign. Activists gathered on the corner of Trafalgar Square and marched with the United Families and Friends Campaign to Downing Street. The campaign group supports the families of “loved ones lost at [...]
It wasn’t supposed to be this way, was it? October 7, 2024 Kremlinology is an old Cold War concept referring to the study of key individuals high up in the Soviet government. Who was in favour, who hadn’t been seen in a while, who was winning power struggles and who had been shot; Western analysts devoured such intelligence in an effort to understand who was actually in [...]
‘Grown up’ Sue Gray is looking like a political ingenue September 23, 2024 Sue Gray awarding herself a more generous salary than the Prime Minister’s betrays a high-handed and naive approach to politics, says Eliot Wilson When the BBC revealed last week that Sue Gray, the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, earned more than her boss, the story developed in a number of different ways. Some felt that [...]
Sanctimonious Starmer falls short of his own standards September 17, 2024 As Keir Starmer faces questions over a £5,000 donation towards his wife’s wardrobe, the Prime Minister is finding out that decency in public life isn’t an automatic function of not being a Tory, writes Alys Denby When Victoria Starmer entered Downing Street for the first time wearing a Me+Em dress in Labour rose red, the [...]