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 [...]
Humza Yousaf and Ash Regan enter SNP leadership race to replace Nicola Sturgeon February 19, 2023 Battle lines were drawn at Holyrood this weekend as Humza Yousaf and Ash Regan entered the race to replace Nicola Sturgeon as SNP leader and Scotland’s first minister. Launching his campaign, health secretary Yousaf, 37, told the Sunday Mail he was confident he had the “experience” to take on the “top job in the country”. [...]
‘Great mistake’: Boris Johnson warns Rishi Sunak over post-Brexit Northern Ireland protocol February 19, 2023 Boris Johnson has warned Rishi Sunak it would be a “great mistake” to drop the Northern Ireland protocol amid speculation a deal between the UK and the EU is close. It comes as a new post-Brexit trading arrangement for Northern Ireland is expected to emerge within days after the Prime Minister met with Stormont leaders [...]
Ulez expansion: Five Tory councils launch legal challenge against Sadiq Khan’s plan February 17, 2023 Five Conservative-led councils said they have started a legal challenge over Sadiq Khan’s decision to expand London’s ultra low emission zone (Ulez). The outer London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Harrow and Hillingdon, together with Surrey County Council, issued a joint statement announcing they have launched a judicial review into the Labour mayor’s plan. A spokesman [...]
UK military risks NATO downgrade, security think tank warns February 16, 2023 Britain risks no longer being NATO’s top military power in Europe, a think tank report has warned, in the midst of growing security issues. The French military has more troops, jets and ships than the UK, despite spending £13bn less on defence, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) found. France boasts 203,250 personnel compared [...]
Who could replace Nicola Sturgeon as SNP leader and Scotland’s first minister? February 16, 2023 Scottish first minister and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon revealed she is quitting the top job in a shock move seen as a major boon to the unionist movement. Runners and riders are jostling for position as the Scottish National Party (SNP) prepares to replace Sturgeon in the post. While the news was welcomed by the [...]
Nicola Sturgeon’s exit is a chance to leave independence politics behind February 16, 2023 Nicola Sturgeon is a skilled politician, of this we can be in no doubt. However she used those skills almost exclusively for the advancement of a single mission: Scottish Independence. In the UK, there are politicians of different creeds and business leaders from across sectors working tirelessly to create opportunities where previously there were none, [...]
Brexit is ‘only thing’ that divided Corbyn and Starmer in shadow cabinet, Diane Abbott says February 16, 2023 Jeremy Corbyn “in his heart of hearts is a Brexiter”, one of his longest-standing allies has said, backing up a suspicion critics held during the EU referendum. Diane Abbott, who served as his shadow home secretary, said on Wednesday that Mr Corbyn is “anti-EU” and saw it as “a conspiracy of business people”. He followed [...]