Conservatives ‘lost the confidence’ of business, Badenoch admits November 25, 2024 The Conservatives “lost the confidence of business” at the July general election and firms “knew we were going to lose”, Kemi Badenoch has admitted. Speaking at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI)’s annual conference on Monday, the Tory leader told attendees Labour’s Budget had got the diagnosis wrong, leading to an “unprecedented raid on businesses”. [...]
CBI chief: Ministers must ‘co-design’ economic growth with businesses post-Budget November 25, 2024 Businesses should have a stronger voice in setting economic growth policies, the boss of an influential business lobby group has urged, including a shift from “consultation to co-design”. Rain Newton-Smith, chief executive of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), told attendees at the group’s annual conference that the government and firms share a “vision of [...]
Who will be Labour’s next John Prescott? November 25, 2024 He couldn’t have been more different to Tony Blair, yet John Prescott ended up being our longest serving deputy prime minister. But is there a talent like him in Starmer’s cabinet? Asks William Atkinson As well as having a decent right hook, the late John Prescott was our longest-serving deputy prime minister (DPM). The formal creation of the [...]
Ministers seek EU negotiator to lead reset talks November 23, 2024 Ministers are hiring a new EU negotiator as Keir Starmer seeks to reset Britain’s relationship with Europe. The post, worth at least £150,000 a year and advertised by the Cabinet Office, would act as a “sherpa” for all of the UK’s dealings with the bloc. The role is described as “principal adviser to the prime [...]
Miliband tells Cop29: clean energy transition ‘economically right’ for UK November 22, 2024 The transition to clean energy is “unstoppable” and the “economically right thing” for the UK, the energy secretary has argued at the Cop29 climate conference. Britain wants to see a deal at the UN climate conference, hosted in Azerbaijan, that “accelerates the clean energy transition,” Ed Miliband has said. Speaking in the capital of Baku, [...]
UK ‘not at war’ Starmer insists as he rebukes Putin’s ‘irresponsible rhetoric’ November 22, 2024 Sir Keir Starmer has insisted the UK is “not at war” and criticised Russian leader Vladimir Putin for his “irresponsible rhetoric”. The Prime Minister asked during a round of regional radio interviews about concerns over escalation in the conflict in Ukraine. On Thursday, Russia used a new ballistic missile in Ukraine, which Putin said was [...]
‘A clear thumbs down’: UK business confidence slumped post-Budget November 22, 2024 The UK’s business optimism “slumped” in a downturn after the Autumn Budget, according to a closely watched survey of the private sector. S&P’s ‘flash’ purchasing managers’ index (PMI) came in at 49.9 in November, now below the neutral 50.0 threshold, down from 51.8 last month, and the lowest since October 2023. Firms reported a fractional [...]
Ofgem: Energy price cap to rise by £21 to £1,738 a year on average November 22, 2024 The UK’s energy price cap is set to rise by £21 for an average household, taking a standard yearly bill to £1,738, Ofgem has said. The energy regulator opted to announce a 1.2 per cent hike in the cap for the period January to March 2025 – or £1.75 a month, on average. It sets [...]
Ministers urged to deploy biometric age verification to address underage vaping November 22, 2024 Ministers have been urged to deploy a biometric age verification solution to address the issue of underage vaping. The company IKE Tech says it has developed a technological solution to mandate continuous age verification on vapes. It comes as the government is set to bring the Tobacco and Vapes Bill to Parliament which proposes to [...]
UK sanctions Dmitry Firtash and Isabel dos Santos as it ramps up crackdown on kleptocrats November 21, 2024 The UK has issued fresh sanctions against a series of “unscrupulous kleptocrats”, including Ukrainian oligarch Dmitry Firtash and Angolan billionaire Isabel Dos Santos, as it cranks up its crack down on corruption and dirty money.