‘Lavish’ spending culture of government ministers including £345,000 ‘restaurant and bar’ bill revealed February 13, 2023 Ministers are accused of overseeing a “lavish spending” culture in Whitehall with taxpayers’ money wasted on luxury items, after Labour analysis of government procurement cards. Concerns were raised over alcohol and dining purchases by the Labour Party including almost £345,000 by foreign office officials in 2021 under the heading “restaurants and bars”, as well as [...]
Double stamp duty surcharge for overseas buyers to ‘level’ UK property market for locals, urges lobby group February 13, 2023 The UK government should double the stamp duty surcharge overseas buyers must pay when purchasing a property in England, an industry lobby group has said. The National Association of Property Buyers (NAPB) said doubling the stamp duty surcharge would “level the playing field” amid an influx of “wealthy foreign buyers”. Under current rules, overseas buyers [...]
Sir Frederick Barclay: Veteran due at High Court in latest round of money fight with ex wife February 13, 2023 Retired businessman Sir Frederick Barclay is due back at the High Court in the latest round of a fight over money with his ex-wife. A judge ordered Sir Frederick, 88, to hand Lady Hiroko Barclay lump sums totalling £100 million in May 2021 following the breakdown of their 34-year marriage. At the time, Sir Jonathan [...]
Former negotiator Lord Frost urges UK to ‘fully and enthusiastically embrace advantages of Brexit’ February 13, 2023 The UK’s former chief Brexit negotiator has urged the Government to “fully and enthusiastically embrace the advantages of Brexit” as he warned of a plot to undermine the agreement. Lord Frost referred to a “secret” cross-party gathering on foreign affairs, which was held at the Ditchley Park retreat in Oxfordshire last week, as “a further [...]
Watered down: Coffey reportedly backing away on plan to fine firms £250m for major sewage leaks February 13, 2023 Therese Coffey is reportedly backing away from plans to hit water companies with fines of up to £250m for spilling sewage into rivers and seas. The Environment Secretary wants to look at a “range of options”, although sources insisted the £250 million proposal remained on the table. Ms Coffey’s Department for the Environment, Food and [...]
London Heathrow back to its best? 5.4m passengers passed through in January as satisfaction soars February 13, 2023 More than 5.4m people travelled through London’s Heathrow airport this January, marking the busiest start to the year since 2020. Sharp upticks in travelers from Europe, North America, and the Asia Pacific region bolstered the London airport’s passenger figures to heights last seen before Covid-19, Heathrow said. The airport also saw customer satisfaction return to [...]
Wallace: UK to review security after ‘airspace intrusions’ in US by alleged Chinese ‘spy balloon’ February 13, 2023 Ben Wallace has announced the UK will conduct a security review after a series of objects in Western airspace were shot down by the US military, including a suspected Chinese spy balloon. The Defence Secretary announced the intended review on Sunday. It comes after US fighter jets shot down an “unidentified object” over Lake Huron [...]
Tensions sharpen after US jet downs fourth ‘unidentified object’ in eight days in wake of China ‘spy balloon’ February 13, 2023 A US fighter jet shot down an “unidentified object” over Lake Huron on Sunday on orders from President Joe Biden. It was the fourth such downing in eight days and the latest military strike in an extraordinary chain of events over US airspace that Pentagon officials believe has no peacetime precedent. Part of the reason [...]
INEOS secures £3.1bn to build Europe’s greenest ‘cracker’ power plant February 13, 2023 The Belgian chemical arm of INEOS has raised £3.1bn (€3.5bn) to build the most environmentally sustainable cracker in Europe.
Don’t let the NIMBYs win: Onshore wind is essential to UK’s energy future February 13, 2023 The government must commit to lifting highly restrictive onshore wind planning laws if it is serious about the UK's energy policy.
