Cleverly hails ‘close and friendly’ UK-EU ties after Brexit in landmark Brussels speech July 3, 2023 James Cleverly hailed the “close and friendly” cooperation between London and Brussels in a speech to EU parliamentarians. The foreign secretary said the “level of trust” between him and European Commission diplomat Maros Sefcovic was part of the reason the Windsor Framework was secured. He accepted that it had taken “slightly longer” than many would [...]
Sue Gray: Partygate investigator broke Whitehall rules with Starmer talks July 3, 2023 Partygate investigator Sue Gray broke civil service rules “as a result of the undeclared contact” between her and the Labour Party, according to a Whitehall investigation. The former senior civil servant is due to take up the role as opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff after being cleared to start the job in [...]
Cleverly to hail ‘new chapter’ in UK-EU relationship in Brussels today July 3, 2023 James Cleverly is today expected to hail a “new chapter” in the UK-EU relationship in his first speech to the European Union Parliament in Brussels. The foreign secretary will welcome a new era of refreshed “close and friendly UK-EU cooperation” as he addresses the UK-EU Parliamentary Partnership Assembly (PPA) in Brussels today. It follows the [...]
Number of higher rate income taxpayers soars to record high 5.59m June 29, 2023 The number of Brits paying the higher rate of income tax has surged to its highest level on record, caused by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt freezing tax bands to help rebalance the public finances, official figures out today reveal. Some 5.59m people in the UK are being subjected to the higher [...]
Groping allegation against Tory mayoral hopeful Korski ‘very serious’, No 10 says June 28, 2023 Downing Street has described the groping allegation against Tory mayoral hopeful Daniel Korski as “very serious”. No 10 also indicated prime minister Rishi Sunak would urge any further complainants to come forward. Television producer Daisy Goodwin made a formal complaint after she publicly accused the former adviser of sexually assaulting her during a meeting in [...]
Brands in London “suffering”: Fresh calls to scrap ‘tourist tax’ amid Mulberry losses June 28, 2023 Fresh calls have been made to reinstate VAT-free shopping for international tourists, after the chief of Mulberry warned its profits have been hit hard by it as they ditch London for Paris and Milan. Pre-tax profit at the British handbag maker fell to £13.2m in the year to April, down from £21.3m the prior year. [...]
Rishi Sunak should cut national insurance and make investment relief permanent, report argues June 28, 2023 Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt should cut companies’ national insurance contributions and make the temporary business investment tax relief permanent, an influential think tank has argued in a radical blueprint to overhaul the UK’s tax regime. Employers’ should be subjected to a 12.8 per cent national insurance levy, one percentage point lower [...]
Let’s all hand our cash over to the Treasury to pay off UK’s £2.5 trillion debt pile (not) June 27, 2023 Here’s a fun fact. If everyone in the UK worked for a year and gave all their earnings to the Treasury, the government could nearly repay the country’s more than £2.5 trillion debt pile. Alright, that’s oversimplifying the equation. But it does illustrate a principle in economics that often gets lost in the deluge of [...]
Bank of England and Rishi Sunak fail to win over investors on inflation fight June 27, 2023 Investors are sweating over Britain’s inflation problem running out of control and the Bank of England being unable to solve it any time soon, exclusive research for City A.M. has revealed. More than a year of raging prices has eroded confidence in policymakers’ ability to ease the cost of living crisis. Some 56 per cent [...]
NHS bosses urged to ‘get a grip’ as report finds health service falling behind peers June 26, 2023 NHS leaders have been urged to “get a grip on budgets” as researchers suggested Britain’s health service was falling behind comparable nations. Health think tank the King’s Fund found the UK had “below-average health spending per person” and “lags behind other countries in its capital investment”. And hospitals have “substantially fewer key physical resources” like [...]