SNP race: Humza Yousaf ‘clear favourite’ to replace Nicola Sturgeon after Kate Forbes equal marriage controversy February 21, 2023 Health minister Humza Yousaf has gained an advantage in the race to replace Nicola Sturgeon after Kate Forbes was forced to apologise for her comments on equal marriage. Yousaf, who has emerged as the continuity candidate after Sturgeon’s sudden resignation announcement last week, has vowed he will “always fight for the equal rights of others”. [...]
Putin blames Ukraine and the West for starting war ahead of one year mark February 21, 2023 Vladimir Putin has blamed Ukraine and the West for starting the war in an address to the Russian parliament ahead of the one year anniversary of the conflict. The Russian president referred to the “war” in Ukraine for the first time during his State of the Nation speech, after previously only referring to it as [...]
Jeremy Hunt’s fiscal rules are holding back the UK economy – it’s time for change February 21, 2023 Bean counters are running the Treasury again. I’m imagining sheets of paper plastered with Jeremy Hunt’s current fiscal rules pinned up around Whitehall to remind departments of the belt-tightening needed to balance the books. Fiscal rules are targets Chancellors have aimed to meet since George Osborne pivoted away from Gordon Brown’s “Golden Rules” in 2010 [...]
ULEZ: Government plays down suggestion it could veto Khan’s expansion plans February 20, 2023 Suggestions ministers could be veto or deploy exemptions to Sadiq Khan’s controversial expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) scheme were played down by the government today. Under the expansion plans, drivers across the capital will face a daily charge of £12.50 for using vehicles which do not meet emissions standards from August – [...]
Meta turns to paid-for verification as data reveals privacy concerns among UK users February 20, 2023 Facebook and Instagram owner Meta will soon role out a paid-for verification model, copying a similar move by rival social media platform Twitter. In a bid to claw back credibility, Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg revealed he was launching a new subscription service, which promised more personal security for users, for between £10-12.50 a month. [...]
Pressure mounts on Sunak over planned six per cent rise in corporation tax February 20, 2023 Prime minister Rishi Sunak is facing down the prospect of a rebellion over next month’s budget as renewed pressure mounts over a planned increase in corporation tax increase. Seven top Tory backbenchers and business owners including Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin have urged Sunak and chancellor Jeremy Hunt to scrap the planned six per cent rise. [...]
US President Joe Biden makes surprise visit to Ukraine ahead of Russian invasion’s first anniversary February 20, 2023 US president Joe Biden has been spotted in the Ukraine capital Kyiv on a surprise visit this morning. The 46th president was filmed walking the city streets with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, ahead of the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine this Friday. Biden and Zelenskyy visited the Wall of Remembrance of the [...]
Nicola Sturgeon: Kate Forbes enters SNP race as Angus Robertson rules himself out February 20, 2023 Scotland’s finance secretary Kate Forbes has announced she will run to succeed Nicola Sturgeon as SNP leader and first minister of Scotland. Announcing her decision on Twitter she said: “I am today launching my bid to become Scotland’s next first minister, with the vision, experience and competence to inspire voters across Scotland.” In a video [...]
High fares are putting Londoners off public transport, new data reveals February 20, 2023 High TfL ticket prices are deterring more than one third of Londoners from using the Tube, buses and trains, data has revealed. Some 37 per cent of Londoners said ticket prices put them off using the capital’s transit networks, according to a survey by Hitachi Rail. It also found that more Londoners are put off [...]
Week ahead: UK January borrowing bill to hit £5bn to pay for cost of living support, experts predict February 19, 2023 Britain is expected to have borrowed around £5bn last month, largely to pay for household energy support, new figures out from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) this week are poised to show. The difference between what the government spends and takes in tax revenue – the deficit – is likely to have been kept [...]