‘Budget for growth’: Chancellor Jeremy Hunt rolls pitch for Spring statement March 14, 2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has said his spring statement will be a “budget for growth” as he prepares to set out key measures to support firms and families with the cost of living crisis. Hunt will make his annual budget statement in the House of Commons on Wednesday. He is expected to focus on efforts to [...]
British designed BAE nuclear subs will power up Australian navy as part of AUKUS defence deal March 14, 2023 Australia will operate a new generation of nuclear-powered submarines based on British designs as both countries modernise their armed forces as part of the AUKUS defence deal. The new boats will be in operation in the late 2030s as part of the AUKUS deal – involving Australia, the UK and US. It will follow a [...]
UK to respond with “swift and robust action” to any Chinese aggression March 13, 2023 Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Chinese posturing over Taiwan risk creating a world “defined by danger, disorder and division”, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has warned today. Britain is committed to “swift and robust action” to counter any threat to UK national interests from China, according to an updated blueprint for the UK’s foreign and defence [...]
MI5 spies to help firms counter China tech threats, says Sunak March 13, 2023 China poses the biggest “state-based” threat to Britain’s economic security, prime minister Rishi Sunak has said, as MI5 spies are set to help firms counter tech threats. UK organisations and businesses will receive expert security advice from the new National Protective Security Authority within MI5 to help them counter risks from hackers. It comes as [...]
Sunak says there’s ‘no chance’ of law change over Elgin Marbles as ex chancellor Osborne explores options March 13, 2023 Rishi Sunak has said there are “no plans” to change a law which blocks the Elgin Marbles from being given to Greece. The Prime Minister said the UK had “cared for” the sculptures in the British Museum for generations and they were “shared with the world” at the London site. Athens has long demanded the [...]
Rishi Sunak set to announce £5bn defence spending boost during AUKUS summit March 12, 2023 Prime minister Rishi Sunak is set to announce a £5bn boost to defence spending during a key summit on the US-UK-Australia nuclear submarine deal. Sunak flew to San Diego on Sunday to attend a trilateral meeting with US president Joe Biden and Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese. It’s hoped Albanese will announce Australia is purchasing [...]
Gary Lineker row: Now George Osborne weighs in on Tory immigration rhetoric March 12, 2023 Support has poured in for Gary Lineker following his suspension from the BBC amid an ongoing row over the government’s policy on stopping small boats crossing the Channel. Football pundit Lineker was pulled off air last week after tweeting about the UK’s asylum policy following the announcement of the new Illegal Migration Bill by Suella [...]
Sunak and Macron strike deal: Britain to pay France £500m in bid stop small boat Channel crossings March 10, 2023 Britain will pay France nearly half a billion pounds over the next three years to step up efforts to prevent small boats from crossing the Channel, Rishi Sunak has announced. The Prime Minister committed to sending Paris £478 million (541 million euro) to fund a new detention centre in France and hundreds of extra French [...]
Migrants arriving on small boats to be detained and removed ‘within weeks’, government says March 7, 2023 Migrants arriving in the UK on small boats from across the Channel will be detained and removed “within weeks”, under stringent new laws set out by the government. Home secretary Suella Braverman unveiled the Illegal Migration Bill in Parliament today, telling MPs there had been a 500 per cent increase in the dangerous journeys in [...]
Can Rishi Sunak’s science superpower dreams become reality? March 6, 2023 Rishi Sunak rolled out plans to “cement the UK as a tech and science superpower by 2030” today with promises to tempt in the best global tech talent and deliver a state-backed £370m investment boost. The new “framework” marks the first major outing for the newly minted department for Science, Innovation and Technology, which ministers [...]