Johnson: Can’t ‘magic away’ cost of living problems but UK will draw on ‘fiscal firepower’ May 20, 2022 Boris Johnson has said the government will have to draw upon its “fiscal firepower” to get through the cost of living crisis, but there is no way he can “magic away” the problem. Speaking at a conference in Wales today, the prime minister said Britain will “get through” its current problems, marked by a 40-year [...]
Monkeypox: Sajid Javid and WHO hold meeting after UK virus cases double to 20 May 20, 2022 Health Secretary Sajid Javid and the World Health Organisation are held meetings to discuss the Monkeypox outbreak in the UK following a doubling of cases. After two cases of the virus were reported on Thursday a further 11 were recorded today, taking the total to 20 – amid fears it may be spreading quicker than [...]
Elon Musk rejects ‘wild accusations’ SpaceX paid $250,000 to flight attendant over sexual misconduct claim May 20, 2022 Elon Musk has rejected “wild accusations” his SpaceX firm paid $250K to settle a claim of alleged sexual misconduct by a former flight attendant. The Tesla owner responded to a story first reported by Business Insider, which said that a claim was made in 2018 against him, by someone who previously worked for SpaceX. The [...]
Simply forget any UK-US trade deal if Britain kills off Brexit protocol, warns political heavyweight Nancy Pelosi May 20, 2022 US House speaker Nancy Pelosi has said it is “deeply concerning” the UK Government is seeking to “unilaterally discard the Northern Ireland Protocol”, adding that doing so will result in Congress not supporting a free trade agreement with the UK. The congresswoman said on Twitter: “It is deeply concerning that the United Kingdom now seeks [...]
Partygate: Boris Johnson shakes up No 10 ahead of final Sue Gray report next week May 20, 2022 Boris Johnson has overhauled his Downing Street operation following the conclusion of a four-month Metropolitan Police inquiry into lockdown-busting parties at the top of Government during the pandemic. Scotland Yard’s Operation Hillman was closed on Thursday with a total of 126 fixed penalties handed out to 83 people, although it was confirmed the Prime Minister [...]
Food as a weapon: Russia accused of withholding grain for millions to ‘break the spirit of Ukraine’ May 20, 2022 Russia has been accused of ‘weaponising’ food and holding grain for millions of people around the world hostage to “break the spirit of the Ukrainian people”. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a UN Security Council meeting called by the United States that the war has halted maritime trade in large areas of the [...]
French citizenship confirmed: Boris Johnson’s father Stanley becomes EU national while UK faces Brussels head on over Brexit May 19, 2022 European media are reporting that Stanley Johnson, the father of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has obtained French citizenship. Johnson Sr was given a French/EU passport after he applied for citizenship in January 2021. According to various media across the continent, including the Italian newspaper La Stampa, the procedure to obtain French citizenship has ended and [...]
Elon Musk slams rating agency after Tesla removed from ESG index May 18, 2022 Elon Musk has accused a rating agency of being “phony social justice warriors” after it removed Tesla from its ethical investing index. The S&P rating agency booted the EV giant from its ESG index on Tuesday, citing racism accusations at one of the factories and Tesla’s software malfunctions as the main reasons. The serial entrepreneur [...]
PMQs: Boris Johnson deflects on windfall tax as Starmer teases him on an ‘inevitable u-turn’ May 18, 2022 Boris Johnson has been accused of dithering on a windfall tax by Keir Starmer during Prime Minister’s Questions, as the leader of the opposition said he would do an ‘inevitable u-turn’ on the issue. The PM refused to be drawn on whether he supported the one-off tax, with Starmer highlighting Rishi Sunak’s comments to the [...]
Blame it on the bots: Musk says Twitter takeover can’t progress without fake account clarity May 17, 2022 Twitter said it is committed to completing Elon Musk's $44bn deal at the agreed price and terms, despite the Tesla founder's continuous floundering.