James Cleverly to make landmark China visit in bid to ‘protect UK national security’ August 29, 2023 Foreign secretary James Cleverly will make a landmark visit to China on Wednesday in a bid to reaffirm the UK’s protection of national security. Cleverly, who is currently in the Philippines, will fly to Beijing on August 30 for high-level talks with top officials including vice president Han Zheng and foreign affairs minister Wang Yi. [...]
Sunak’s China strategy set for first real test as Cleverly prepares for Beijing trip August 28, 2023 Cleverly is widely expected to fly to Beijing this week, marking the first visit to China by a UK foreign secretary in five years.
Online Safety Bill: UK tech superpower dreams could be crushed by over-regulation August 24, 2023 New rules in the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA) are set to come into force tomorrow, while the UK’s Online Safety Bill (OSB) remains mired in parliamentary proceedings, reigniting the regulation debate among tech companies and industry experts. The OSB, which aims to enhance online safety and security for users within the UK, is [...]
Asylum backlog reaches new record high August 24, 2023 The UK’s asylum backlog has hit a new record high, with 80 per cent of people waiting longer than six months for an initial decision. Home Office figures show a total of 175,457 people were waiting for an initial decision on an asylum application in the UK at the end of June 2023. This is [...]
Rishi Sunak breached MPs’ code of conduct by not declaring wife Akshata Murty’s shares August 24, 2023 Rishi Sunak broke the MPs’ code of conduct by failing to correctly declare his wife’s shares in a childminding company, the Commons’ standards commissioner has said. Daniel Greenberg concluded the breach arose out of the prime minister’s “confusion” around the rules on declaration, and decided to close the inquiry without the need for further action. [...]
Kemi Badenoch to meet with Tata Group boss while on G20 India visit August 24, 2023 Trade secretary Kemi Badenoch will meet with Indian ministers and business leaders – including Tata Group boss Natarajan Chandrasekaran – during her visit for the G20. It comes amid the UK’s 12th round of negotiations to secure a UK-India trade deal with British negotiators gearing up for “ambitious” and “complex” discussions, sources say. Landing in [...]
Calls to cut taxes show ‘questionable judgement’, economists warn August 23, 2023 Economists have warned that calls from Conservative MPs for Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to cut taxes after improved borrowing data emerged show “questionable judgement”. Three backbench Conservatives piled the pressure on, according to the Financial Times, with calls for “personal tax reductions” to “stimulate the economy”. The pleas came after figures from the Office for National [...]
ULEZ: Ministers tried (and failed) to overrule Sadiq Khan scheme’s London-wide expansion August 23, 2023 The government unsuccessfully attempted to use powers to overrule Sadiq Khan’s expansion of the ULEZ scheme, it has been revealed. Ministers were reportedly looking into an obscure legal route to obstruct the mayor’s plans to expand the ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) throughout the capital but were told it would fall down in court. But [...]
Twitter owner Elon Musk to be invited to government investment summit August 22, 2023 Twitter owner Elon Musk is among top business leaders expected to be invited to Rishi Sunak’s global investment summit this autumn. Tesla boss Musk – who recently bought and renamed Twitter as X – is among figures including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos who officials are keen to see attend the summit, according to Sky News. [...]
UK downplays reports of ‘imminent’ India trade deal ahead of G20 summit August 22, 2023 The UK has downplayed reports that a trade deal with India is “imminent” ahead of the G20 summit in Delhi next month. Some reports in the Indian press suggested that a deal could be agreed as early as September. Prime ministers Rishi Sunak and Narendra Modi are expected to meet at the G20 conference, with [...]