Four rebel Labour MPs reveal opposition to Sadiq Khan’s ULEZ expansion plans February 15, 2023 Mayor Sadiq Khan’s plans to expand ULEZ has hit a further roadblock after four Labour MPs came out against the scheme. Seema Malhotra, Jon Cruddas, Siobhain McDonagh and Abena Oppong-Asare all told LBC they had concerns about the policy’s impact. Khan wants to extend the ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) and the £12.50 daily charge [...]
Nicola Sturgeon quits as Scotland’s First Minister but insists resignation is ‘not a reaction to short-term pressures’ February 15, 2023 Nicola Sturgeon has resigned from her role as first minister of Scotland following a series of political setbacks. Speaking in Edinburgh this morning, Sturgeon said serving as first minister had been a “privilege beyond measure” as she announced her resignation. She confirmed she would stay in office until a replacement had been chosen and indicated [...]
Nicola Sturgeon: SNP leader and Scotland’s First Minister expected to resign February 15, 2023 Nicola Sturgeon will stand down as First Minister of Scotland after eight years, the BBC has reported. The First Minister will speak at a hastily-arranged press conference from her residence at Bute House in Edinburgh at 11am. It is not yet clear if she will stand down immediately, or continue in the role until a new Scottish [...]
Keir Starmer confirms Jeremy Corbyn will NOT stand for Labour at next election February 15, 2023 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed Jeremy Corbyn will not stand as a candidate for the party at the next general election. It came as the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) announced they were concluding their monitoring of the party following an investigation into antisemitism. The former leader had the party whip suspended [...]
Twitter: Musk wants new CEO by end of year, as he warns of AI regulation and insists there are no aliens February 15, 2023 Billionaire Elon Musk has said he anticipates finding a chief executive for Twitter “probably toward the end of this year”. Speaking via a video call to the World Government Summit in Dubai, Musk said making sure the platform can function remained the most important thing for him. “I think I need to stabilise the organisation [...]
Labour Party monitoring by equality body ends, EHRC confirms February 15, 2023 The Labour Party will no longer be monitored by a key equality body following a scandal surrounding antisemitism among its membership during the Corbyn era, the EHRC has said. Human rights institution the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) will now end its work with the party, after the regulator confirmed it was content with [...]
London to face second-lowest rise in council tax among UK regions February 14, 2023 Cash-strapped Londoners are set for a slight boost as it emerged that the region is set to raise average council tax rates by the second-lowest amount in the UK. Of the councils who have declared their municipal tariffs for 2022-23, London boroughs collectively came in second from the bottom of the pile, at a 4.4 [...]
Affordable homes: London targets not being met despite 50 per cent rise in construction projects, claim Tories February 14, 2023 London mayor Sadiq Khan has been criticised for being behind on building targets for affordable homes, despite new construction projects increasing on last year. City Hall says 900 more affordable homes were completed in the financial year to December 2022 than in the same period last year, a rise of 50 per cent. But Tory [...]
Sunak under pressure to increase defence spending amid NATO warnings February 13, 2023 Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is under pressure to increase the UK’s defence spending after NATO called for allies to boost ammunition production to support Ukraine. Tory backbenchers have issued stark warnings that Britain’s armed forces are “woefully ill-prepared” for a major conflict and that low defence spending is a “false economy”. It came as NATO [...]
Hunt must tackle worker shortage hobbling London’s economy, business groups warn February 13, 2023 London’s economy is being hamstrung by a chronic worker shortage that Chancellor Jeremy Hunt needs to tackle at the 15 March budget, a new report from Britain’s biggest business lobby groups highlighted today. Nearly two in three of the capital’s firms are struggling to fill vacancies, according to research carried out by BusinessLDN, Federation of [...]