Javid: Truss ‘ignored’ Treasury warnings on balancing books – and Britain ‘paid consequences’ July 3, 2023 Liz Truss “ignored” warnings from the Treasury orthodoxy meaning the country “paid the consequences” for her disastrous mini-budget, Sajid Javid has said. The former chancellor said the focus in HMT on “balancing the books in the medium term” was a good thing, and without that the UK “would have constant financial crisis”. Speaking at an [...]
Tories facing biggest by-election defeat in UK history as Nadine Dorries’ seat goes up for grabs July 3, 2023 The Conservative Party is facing the biggest by-election defeat in British history in Nadine Dorries’ Mid Bedfordshire seat, pollsters at Opinium have warned. Labour is set to overturn the former culture secretary’s 24,664 majority in the ‘safe’ seat, which has voted blue since 1931. Adam Drumming, from Opinium, said: “The Conservatives are holding onto just [...]
Labour and Just Stop Oil donor says there’s “no kind of deal” on party policy July 2, 2023 Green energy industrialist Dale Vince has denied being “an eco-zealot” as he defended his £1.5m donations to Labour. Vince told Sky News he was not seeking to influence leader Sir Keir Starmer by giving cash to the party and that there was not “some kind of deal going on”. The Ecotricity owner accused the “right [...]
Lord Goldsmith, accused of undermining partygate probe, quits government due to its ‘apathy’ on the environment June 30, 2023 Foreign Office minister Lord Goldsmith has announced his resignation over what he described as Government “apathy” towards the environment. In a scathing letter to the Prime Minister on Friday, the Tory peer accused Rishi Sunak directly of being “simply uninterested” in climate issues. The departure comes just a day after the peer was censured in [...]
Nigel Farage claims he may have to leave UK after bank accounts closed June 29, 2023 Nigel Farage has claimed he may have to leave the UK after his bank accounts were closed. The former UKIP leader and Brexiteer today posted a six-minute long video on Twitter, stating his accounts had been closed and he was unable to secure banking services elsewhere. He wrote: “The establishment is trying to force me [...]
Cleverly defends China visit plans and pledges to use UK’s global ‘influence’ June 29, 2023 Foreign secretary James Cleverly has defended a possible trip to China as he argued that international reforms cannot happen without recognising Beijing’s global financial influence. Cleverly confirmed last week that he is “looking at the options” for a potential visit to China – the first by a UK foreign secretary since Jeremy Hunt went in [...]
Number of higher rate income taxpayers soars to record high 5.59m June 29, 2023 The number of Brits paying the higher rate of income tax has surged to its highest level on record, caused by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt freezing tax bands to help rebalance the public finances, official figures out today reveal. Some 5.59m people in the UK are being subjected to the higher [...]
Dorries and Rees-Mogg ‘waged campaign to undermine’ privileges committee probe into Johnson June 29, 2023 Boris Johnson allies Nadine Dorries and Jacob Rees-Mogg were among MPs who attempted to undermine the privileges committee’s investigation into the ex-prime minister. Eight current and former MPs – Dorries, Rees-Mogg, Lord Zac Goldsmith, Mark Jenkinson, Michael Fabricant, Brendan Clarke-Smith, Andrea Jenkyns, and Priti Patel – were involved in a “campaign waged outside Parliament… to [...]
Groping allegation against Tory mayoral hopeful Korski ‘very serious’, No 10 says June 28, 2023 Downing Street has described the groping allegation against Tory mayoral hopeful Daniel Korski as “very serious”. No 10 also indicated prime minister Rishi Sunak would urge any further complainants to come forward. Television producer Daisy Goodwin made a formal complaint after she publicly accused the former adviser of sexually assaulting her during a meeting in [...]
Rishi Sunak should cut national insurance and make investment relief permanent, report argues June 28, 2023 Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt should cut companies’ national insurance contributions and make the temporary business investment tax relief permanent, an influential think tank has argued in a radical blueprint to overhaul the UK’s tax regime. Employers’ should be subjected to a 12.8 per cent national insurance levy, one percentage point lower [...]