Why so secretive? Sunak blasted for ‘surreptitious’ industrial strategy May 18, 2023 A set of cross-party former business secretaries have launched a stinging attack on Rishi Sunak over his apparent lack of a cohesive industrial strategy. Ex-ministers Greg Clark, Peter Mandelson and Vince Cable told the Financial Times the Prime Minister was being so “surreptitious” that his strategy for industry was a “guilty secret”. Clark, Conservative business [...]
Sunak insists he will bring down taxes when inflation cools May 18, 2023 Rishi Sunak has insisted he will bring down taxes when inflation cools and claimed the economy is defying expectations. It comes after economists warned one in five people will be paying the higher rate of tax under his policies. The Prime Minister said the nation’s finances are receiving boosts from the departure from the EU, [...]
Sunak at G7: Post Brexit ‘vote of confidence’ as Japan firms to invest £18bn in the UK May 18, 2023 Japanese businesses are committing to invest nearly £18 billion in the UK, Rishi Sunak has announced as he meets the bosses of major firms in Tokyo. The Prime Minister said the pledges are a “massive vote of confidence” in the British economy after he painted an optimistic outlook for the national finances. But Mr Sunak [...]
Sunak in China row over Confucius Institute U-turn May 18, 2023 Downing Street has refused to elaborate on Rishi Sunak’s decision not to ban controversial Confucius Institutes from operating in the UK. The Prime Minister previously pledged during his leadership bid to bar the 30 Beijing-linked organisations from running on UK soil. Confucius institutes are Chinese cultural and language outposts. But he has now walked back [...]
Cost of living overwhelmingly top concern for UK public, poll finds May 17, 2023 The cost of living crisis continues to be the top concern for Britain’s voters, a new poll has found. Pollsters at More in Common (MiC) found 75 per cent of those surveyed cited the cost of living crisis as their number one priority that the government should address. Only 44 per cent said supporting the [...]
UK must solve labour issues and cut red tape to help ease food inflation, lobby group warns May 16, 2023 The UK government must address labour shortages and make sure regulations don’t weigh food producers down to help ease food price inflation, an industry lobby group has warned. Downing Street hosted a Farm to Fork event at No10 with retailers, traders and producers invited, as Rishi Sunak announced greater protections for farmers in future trade [...]
Net migration set for record high as Tories brace for backlash May 14, 2023 Net migration figures into the UK are reportedly set to reach a record high of up to one million with the Conservative party bracing for criticism over the issue. Official figures are expected to be released later in May, with net migration expected to be 650,000 to 997,000 – far higher than the previous record [...]
Badenoch take Brexit bullet for Sunak: ‘Massive climbdown’ in EU law bonfire pinned on business sec May 12, 2023 Kemi Badenoch has insisted a decision to scale back post-Brexit plans to scrap EU laws was hers, as senior Conservative MPs criticised the “massive climbdown”. The Business Secretary insisted it was she and not Rishi Sunak who had taken the decision to revoke around 600 retained EU laws, rather than the 4,000 pledged. The Government [...]
First Big Oil, now the Government feels God’s wrath: Justin Welby slams ‘unacceptable’ small boats bill May 10, 2023 Justin Welby launched a stinging attack on the government’s Illegal Migration Bill, branding it “isolationist, morally unacceptable and politically impractical”. The Archbishop of Canterbury made the withering intervention as the flagship legislation on plans to tackle the small boats crisis faced its first test in the House of Lords. It came just a day after [...]
UK risks dropping green energy lead by failing to respond to Biden’s $400bn package, Johnson Matthey chief warns May 10, 2023 The head of one of Britain’s largest manufacturers has warned Prime Minister Rishi Sunak that he risks squandering the country’s lead in clean energy production by failing to respond to US President Joe Biden’s $400bn (£317bn) green stimulus package. Liam Condon, chief executive of Johnson Matthey, told Sky News it has intellectual property which could [...]