Explainer-in-brief: A Net Zero torpedo in a fresh energy policy March 16, 2022 The government’s energy strategy has been postponed for another week. Boris Johnson has been forced to rethink his approach to net zero, as the urgency of moving away from Russian gas has changed cards on the table. Johnson will pay a visit to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf this week to try and convince regional [...]
When solidarity dissolves, Britain needs to get a grip of immigration rules March 15, 2022 Yesterday, Secretary for Levelling up Michael Gove unveiled the Homes for Ukraine scheme, aimed at welcoming “tens of thousands” of refugees fleeing the war. The scheme seeks to complement the first corridor the government made available for Ukrainians who have relatives in the UK. Discontent inside and outside Westminster has been rife, with Downing Street [...]
Public willingness must match private money to break the housing deadlock March 10, 2022 ANY Londoner is painfully familiar with the number of rough sleepers. Some spots are focal points for make-shift “camps” of people; for example outside Warren Street station, there are often at least 25 homeless people. During the first year of the pandemic alone, 130,000 households were made homeless. With a cost of living crisis already [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Bringing eastern Europe into the EU fold March 9, 2022 The European Union has decided to formally assess Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova’s bid to join the bloc. The move is mainly symbolic, but it does signal a shift from the EU’s previous tough position on admission. France has suggested that Ukraine could receive a special type of membership. which could take less time to approve. [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Clearing up London’s air and TfL budgets March 7, 2022 Last week, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced he would expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to include the entirety of Greater London. Drivers of old, polluting vehicles will have to pay £12.50 a day to enter the city. The first aim of this move is to turn London into a city with clean [...]
Behind the story: Row, row, row your Russian super yacht to the Maldives March 4, 2022 As part of the sanctions targeting powerful individuals close to the Kremlin, a full-scale operation to seize the oligarchs’ superyachts is underway. The beautiful Amore Vero (“True Love”), property of a company linked to Igor Sechin, chief exec of Rosneft, has been seized by French authorities in the port of La Ciotat. Another superyacht, owned [...]
Analysis: Big Tech’s battle against disinformation March 3, 2022 As the horrifying war on the ground in Ukraine drags on, the disinformation campaign waged by the Kremlin is under attack from all sides. Nick Clegg, Meta’s head of global affairs, announced this week that Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik will have their access to Facebook and Instagram restricted in the European Union. The two [...]
Explainer-in-brief: The ping-pong of the police and crime bill on protesting March 2, 2022 On Monday, MPs voted in the Commons to reinstate the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, overturning the decision taken in the House of Lords to amend some of the restrictions on protests. The bill aims to give more power to police to quell peaceful protests, for instance if they become too noisy and create [...]
Opinion-in-brief: New measures won’t be enough to protect vulnerable users February 28, 2022 As part of new measures included in the Online Safety Bill, users will be able to block anonymous accounts on social media like Facebook and Twitter. The move is an attempt to deter the abuse – coming from trolls and fake accounts – taking place on these platforms. Most social networks in the UK don’t [...]
The parallel war of disinformation between Russia and Ukraine could seed more poison February 25, 2022 As Russian forces attacked Ukraine on three fronts, a parallel disinformation war was taking place on social media and on Russian news outlets. Since the early stage of this conflict, President Putin has sought to justify his invasion by depicting Ukraine as a belligerent actor threatening Russian lives. In his speech on Monday night, right [...]
