Brexit breakthrough? Sunak meets EU’s von der Leyen for ‘final talks’ as Rees-Mogg threatens revolt February 27, 2023 Rishi Sunak and Ursula von der Leyen are set to sign off on a new post-Brexit deal for Northern Ireland as Conservative Eurosceptics warn the “devil is in the detail”. The Prime Minister and the European Commission President will hold “final talks” in Windsor, Berkshire, on Monday in what is expected to produce a breakthrough. [...]
Ukraine war: Sunak, Starmer and Khan fall silent to mark year as King Charles praises Kyiv’s ‘remarkable courage’ February 24, 2023 A year of Ukraine’s extraordinary resistance to Vladimir Putin’s all-out assault that has left hundreds of thousands dead and millions more displaced has been marked with a minute’s silence. Rishi Sunak was joined outside No 10 by wife Akshata Murthy, Kyiv’s ambassador to Britain Vadym Prystaiko and dozens of Ukrainian troops being trained by the [...]
Rishi Sunak’s ethics adviser ‘would expect approval to investigate ministers’ February 23, 2023 Rishi Sunak’s ethics adviser has said would expect to be given the go-ahead to investigate a minister if he believed there had been a breach of the rules. Sir Laurie Magnus told MPs that while he required the prime minister’s permission to mount an inquiry into alleged violations of the Ministerial Code, he believed it would only be [...]
Truss warns Sunak over Northern Ireland Protocol deal amid ‘resignation-watch’ denials February 23, 2023 Liz Truss has reportedly warned Rishi Sunak her support for any potential Northern Ireland Protocol agreement depends on retaining changes made under her foreign office posting. Former PM Truss, whose disastrous ‘mini-budget’ sent financial markets into a tailspin last year, has become the second ex-Tory leader to speak out ahead of a much anticipated deal. [...]
UK public services struggling despite near 70-year tax high, report warns February 23, 2023 UK public services can no longer match people’s expectations despite the tax burden being on course to hit a 70-year high, a think tank report has warned. Government decisions to date have done “little to shift the dial,” the Institute for Government (IfG) and CIPFA warned today in their latest performance tracker on the state-run [...]
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, [...]