UK will launch sanctions against people smugglers, David Lammy to say January 9, 2025 The UK government is set to launch sanctions against people smugglers in a bid to disrupt irregular migration, David Lammy will announce. Ministers are launching a new sanctions regime designed to cripple the people smuggling crime rings and starve them of illicit finance fuelling their operations. Described as a world-first, it will aim to prevent, [...]
A New Year’s resolution for government: Stop setting targets January 9, 2025 From HS2 to Net Zero, governments have a habit of setting ambitious long-term goals and failing to deliver. Instead of targets, we need long-term plans to fix the nation’s problems, says John Oxley The New Year almost always brings with it talk of resolutions, intentions and targets. This is true of governments too . In [...]
PMQs: Siddiq ‘acted appropriately’ by referring herself to adviser, Starmer says January 8, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer has insisted Tulip Siddiq has “acted appropriately” by referring herself to the independent adviser on standards and said he would not give “running commentary” of the recently announced probe into her finances. The City minister referred herself to Sir Laurie Magnus, the Prime Minister’s Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests on Monday, for [...]
Starmer: Funding rules may be changed amid Musk’s interest in Farage’s Reform January 8, 2025 The government will look at potential reforms to political party funding, Sir Keir Starmer has said, as0 the Liberal Democrats raised the “spectre” of Elon Musk’s possible donation to Reform UK. Leader Sir Ed Davey asked the Prime Minister to change the rules around party funding amid the US businessman’s continued interest in British politics [...]
Freedom and parental choice are under threat from school reforms January 8, 2025 The government’s schools bill will undo all the progress that’s been made in English education and had power over our children’s futures to unions and activists, rather than the people who know best, says Mark Lehain English schools really are better now than 35 years ago, by any number of measures. Things improved by design, [...]
Pressure mounts as Bangladeshi authorities request Tulip Siddiq’s bank details January 7, 2025 Bangladesh’s anti-money laundering agency has demanded information on the bank accounts and transaction records of the UK’s City minister as part of a probe into allegations that her family embezzled billions from major infrastructure deals in Bangladesh. Tulip Siddiq, whose remit includes tackling corruption in business and finance, is accused by Bangladeshi authorities of having [...]
Majority of people want inheritance tax cut exclusive poll finds January 7, 2025 Research from Freshwater Strategy showed that 54 per cent of voters think the controversial tax should be set at a lower level.
The private health companies set to profit from Labour’s NHS plans January 7, 2025 A City broker has said Feedback and One Health Group are expected to be the main beneficiaries of the government’s plans to reform the NHS in the UK. The Elective Reform Plan, published yesterday by NHS England, set out a range of reforms to enable the government to hit the 18-week target for referral to [...]
Keir Starmer less popular among UK voters than Donald Trump January 7, 2025 Keir Starmer is less popular among UK voters than Donald Trump, according to new polling. The first of a new monthly City AM/Freshwater Strategy poll found the Prime Minister had the lowest approval of all figures tested, with a majority of voters having an unfavourable view. Starmer has the lowest net approval rating of -36 [...]
Unhappy New Year? 72 per cent say UK ‘going in wrong direction’ January 7, 2025 Keir Starmer’s chances of a New Year reset have been dealt a blow with new research revealing a lack of confidence in the government’s economic policies. The first of a new monthly City AM/Freshwater Strategy poll found that 72 per cent of voters say the UK is going in the “wrong direction”, including 53 per [...]