Pressure builds on Boris Johnson to sack Matt Hancock over affair June 26, 2021 Prime Minister Boris Johnson is under mounting pressure to sack Matt Hancock after pictures emerged of the health secretary kissing an aide. Hancock has apologised for breaking social distancing rules after CCTV footage showed him in an embrace with Gina Coladangelo, reportedly taken in his Westminster offices on 6 May. The prime minister’s spokesperson yesterday [...]
Trump kicks off revenge tour with rally in Ohio June 26, 2021 Former US President Donald Trump will hold a rally in Ohio today as part of a revenge tour aimed at drumming up support, berating his enemies and cementing his influence over the Republican Party. The rally will be Trump’s first since he incited his supporters to launch a deadly assault on the Capitol in January [...]
Virgin Galactic granted license to take customers to space June 25, 2021 Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic has today received a commercial licence to fly customers into space, the firm announced today. The US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has updated its existing licence to fly test missions to include commercial passengers. The decision to grant the company a full license comes after a successful test flight last [...]
Food tsar warns PM Johnson taxes on bangers and bacon could spark protests June 25, 2021 Boris Johnson’s food tsar Henry Dimbleby wants Brits to pay meat taxes to help tackle climate change but has warned of a potential backlash. Processed meats including burgers, bacon, chicken nuggets and ham could face a levy, according to a draft plan leaked to The Sun. Move could prompt backlash Henry Dimbleby is expected to [...]
Biden turns on the investment taps with $1.2 trillion bill agreement June 25, 2021 The US Senate has finally agreed on a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, which was watered down some $1.1 trillion from Biden’s original pitch. The deal, worth an eyewatering £860bn, accompanies an eight-year plan to fund roads, bridges, the power grid, public transport and the internet. However, left-wing Democrats have called the deal ‘paltry’ after Biden [...]
Scottish govt: Brexit is damaging business, migration and devolution in Scotland June 24, 2021 Many of the “negative impacts which were envisaged” at the time of the vote in June 2016 are “only now “starting to crystallise”, the Scottish Government has said five years on from the Brexit referendum. Determining the “real impact” of the Brexit vote to leave the European Union will take many years, according to a [...]
False Trump claims: Rudy Giuliani suspended from practising law June 24, 2021 An appeals court has suspended Rudy Giuliani from practising law in New York because he made false statements while trying to get courts to overturn Donald Trump’s loss in the presidential race. An attorney disciplinary committee said in its motion to suspend Giuliani’s licence that there was “uncontroverted evidence” that Giuliani had made false statements [...]
Former chancellor George Osborne named British Museum chair June 24, 2021 George Osborne has been named as the new chair of the British Museum, marking the latest high-profile role for the former chancellor. Osborne will join the board in September and take up the role of chair from 4 October. He takes over from former Financial Times editor and CBI director general Sir Richard Lambert, who [...]
Elon Musk’s space broadband service Starlink to go public once revenue is ‘predictable’ June 24, 2021 Elon Musk’s satellite-based broadband service Starlink, part of his space venture SpaceX, will go public once its revenue is ‘reasonably predictable’. Taking to Twitter, Musk – who sits at the helm of several high-tech companies – added that “going public sooner than that would be very painful”. SpaceX is building a new factory in Texas [...]
‘Science superpower’: UK to pump £64m into post-pandemic clinical research June 23, 2021 The government has pledged a £64m injection into the UK’s clinical research system, off the back of Boris Johnson’s plans to make the country a “science superpower”. The investment will go towards the development and trial of new Covid-19 treatments and inoculations, to ensure a “front-footed approach in tackling the virus”, health secretary Matt Hancock [...]