Rishi Sunak: PM’s personal poll ratings hit record lows February 22, 2023 Rishi Sunak’s approval rating has reached its lowest point yet amid widespread pessimism about Brexit and the direction of the UK. Just 27 per cent of people told pollster Ipsos that they had a favourable opinion of the Prime Minister in a survey, while 46 per cent said they had an unfavourable view. A month [...]
SNP race: Humza Yousaf ‘clear favourite’ to replace Nicola Sturgeon after Kate Forbes equal marriage controversy February 21, 2023 Health minister Humza Yousaf has gained an advantage in the race to replace Nicola Sturgeon after Kate Forbes was forced to apologise for her comments on equal marriage. Yousaf, who has emerged as the continuity candidate after Sturgeon’s sudden resignation announcement last week, has vowed he will “always fight for the equal rights of others”. [...]
Putin blames Ukraine and the West for starting war ahead of one year mark February 21, 2023 Vladimir Putin has blamed Ukraine and the West for starting the war in an address to the Russian parliament ahead of the one year anniversary of the conflict. The Russian president referred to the “war” in Ukraine for the first time during his State of the Nation speech, after previously only referring to it as [...]
Pressure mounts on Sunak over planned six per cent rise in corporation tax February 20, 2023 Prime minister Rishi Sunak is facing down the prospect of a rebellion over next month’s budget as renewed pressure mounts over a planned increase in corporation tax increase. Seven top Tory backbenchers and business owners including Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin have urged Sunak and chancellor Jeremy Hunt to scrap the planned six per cent rise. [...]
UK defence budget needs £3bn boost for ‘broken’ armed forces, top general warns February 19, 2023 A top general has warned Britain’s armed forces are “at their most broken since the Cold War” and need a £3bn boost to ramp up the UK’s military capabilities. General Sir Richard Barrons has urged Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to fund the replacement of weapons and tanks given to Ukraine in the budget next month. Barrons, [...]
‘Great mistake’: Boris Johnson warns Rishi Sunak over post-Brexit Northern Ireland protocol February 19, 2023 Boris Johnson has warned Rishi Sunak it would be a “great mistake” to drop the Northern Ireland protocol amid speculation a deal between the UK and the EU is close. It comes as a new post-Brexit trading arrangement for Northern Ireland is expected to emerge within days after the Prime Minister met with Stormont leaders [...]
UK military risks NATO downgrade, security think tank warns February 16, 2023 Britain risks no longer being NATO’s top military power in Europe, a think tank report has warned, in the midst of growing security issues. The French military has more troops, jets and ships than the UK, despite spending £13bn less on defence, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) found. France boasts 203,250 personnel compared [...]
Bill Gates says Britain has ‘all the ingredients’ to be a net-zero leader February 15, 2023 Tech billionaire Bill Gates has said the UK has “all the ingredients” to lead the world on net zero, after he met with prime minister Rishi Sunak at a clean tech summit. Firms including Undaunted, Clean Growth Fund and Legal and General Capital met today to launch Cleantech for UK, a trade coalition worth £6bn. [...]
Ex-spy chief warns balloon ‘gross transgression’ as US denies alien links February 14, 2023 A former head of MI6 has warned of a “gross transgression” by the Chinese authorities in sending a spy balloon into US airspace and urged the UK to “wake up” to the threat posed. Sir Alex Younger, who ran the UK’s foreign intelligence service from 2014 to 2020, told the BBC on 14 February that [...]
Sunak under pressure to increase defence spending amid NATO warnings February 13, 2023 Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is under pressure to increase the UK’s defence spending after NATO called for allies to boost ammunition production to support Ukraine. Tory backbenchers have issued stark warnings that Britain’s armed forces are “woefully ill-prepared” for a major conflict and that low defence spending is a “false economy”. It came as NATO [...]