Govt announces £1.4bn levelling-up devolution deal for north east including new mayor December 28, 2022 The North East of England could become the latest region to have a directly elected mayor, as the Government announced a new £1.4 billion devolution deal for the region. Hailed as a “significant step” by local politicians, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said a new devolution deal would bring fresh powers over skills, transport and [...]
Johnson urged Ireland to adopt ‘hard egg’ approach to peace process and ‘let nationalists go to hell’ December 28, 2022 Former UK prime minister Boris Johnson urged the Irish Government to adopt a “hard egg” approach to the Northern Ireland peace process and “let the nationalists go to hell”, newly declassified documents show. Mr Johnson claimed in 1996 the IRA were close to defeat in 1994, adding “let them use the bomb and the bullet” [...]
Putin “knows he’s in trouble” in Ukraine: Former head of British Army speaks out December 27, 2022 The former head of the British Army has said Vladimir Putin is pushing the idea of peace talks to end the Ukraine war because he’s in a “position of weakness.” Lord Richard Dannatt said of Putin’s negotiation hints that “the reason why he’s talking about this at the present moment is that he knows he’s [...]
Gove backs new design school to challenge ‘indifferent and insipid’ town planning December 27, 2022 Michael Gove has said new housing developments are let down by “indifferent or insipid” town planning, as he calls for a new school for designing. The Levelling Up Secretary made his comments in a foreword for the conservative think tank Policy Exchange, in which he bemoaned modern architecture, saying “all too frequently in Britain the [...]
Former Chancellor George Osborne ‘disappointed’ by government delay on junk food advert ban December 27, 2022 Former Chancellor George Osborne has said he would extend a sugar levy and dubbed it “disappointing” that marketing restrictions on junk food have not yet been introduced. The former Tory politician said it was “very disappointing” that restrictions on advertising food products with high fat, sugar or salt (HFSS) contents have been delayed. A ban [...]
Ex Russian leader: In 2023, UK to rejoin EU, Musk will be US president and France to fight Germany December 27, 2022 Britain is going to rejoin the EU and it will collapse, while France will go to war with Germany and Elon Musk will be the US President, according to former Russia PM and President. The ex Kremlin leader made a series of bold predictions on Twitter which also included Northern Ireland joining the Republic, and [...]
Meeting of minds? Putin and Xi to meet before the end of the year December 26, 2022 Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will speak before the end of the year, Russian state news agency TASS said on Monday, without giving details of the timing or format. It quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying the two sides would release details in due course. Putin and Xi proclaimed [...]
US-China tension: Taiwan spending angers Beijing power brokers December 24, 2022 Beijing has condemned an annual US defence spending bill for hyping up the “China threat”, but Taiwan welcomed the legislation, saying it demonstrated US support for the self-governing island that China says must come under its rule. “China deplores and firmly opposes this US move,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted online on [...]
2022: The year the UK economy soured December 23, 2022 Let’s not forget that inflation was already a problem heading into 2022. The final inflation reading of 2021 was for November and came in at 5.1 per cent, nearly three times higher than the Bank of England’s two per cent target and the highest level since September 2011, according to the Office for National Statistics [...]
Britain baulks at Biden’s £330bn green subsidy package December 23, 2022 Britain has voiced its disapproval of Joe Biden’s extensive US package for green subsidies, warning they are protectionist and could harm UK energy firms. Kemi Badenoch, the UK’s international trade secretary has reached out to her US counterpart, criticising the Biden administration’s £327bn ($395bn) green economy package. In a letter seen by the Financial Times, [...]