Labour vows to scrap business rates if elected in tax shakeup September 26, 2021 Major UK business groups have thrown their weight behind new Labour plans to cut and then entirely scrap business rates in what is being billed as “the biggest overhaul of business taxation in a generation”. Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves will tell the Labour party conference in Brighton tomorrow that a Labour government would replace business [...]
Keir Starmer refuses to endorse Angela Rayner’s ‘Tory scum’ comments September 26, 2021 Sir Keir Starmer has refused to back Angela Rayner’s fiery comments over the past 24 hours about Boris Johnson and his cabinet being “racist…homophobic…scum”. Starmer said he would “not have used” those phrases and suggested that it was “not keeping with respectful debate”. The Labour leader said he would talk to his deputy about the [...]
Keir Starmer U-turns on Labour policy to nationalise energy sector September 26, 2021 Sir Keir Starmer has today said a Labour government will not nationalise the country’s energy sector, overturning a key pledge from the last election and a promise he made in the party’s leadership contest. Starmer also wouldn’t rule out income tax rises, noting that “nothing is off the table”. The Labour leader said today that [...]
Shapps says ‘don’t panic buy petrol’ as he makes plea for new HGV drivers September 26, 2021 Grant Shapps has made a plea for people not to panic buy petrol after scenes of long queues across the country as he launched a drive to get former HGV drivers working in the sector again. The transport secretary said “there’s plenty of fuel”, but that “if everyone carries on buying it when they don’t [...]
Exclusive: Lib Dem candidate hits out at City of London Corp over China stance September 25, 2021 The Liberal Democrats’ new candidate for the Cities of London and Westminster constituency has launched an attack on the City of London Corporation’s “weakness towards the Chinese Communist Party”. Edward Lucas, a veteran journalist, said the powerful Square Mile local authority “don’t get the threat” from China. The Corporation, which is based in the historic Guildhall [...]
Report: George Osborne’s ‘bonfire of the quangos’ has ‘failed to spark’ September 24, 2021 George Osborne’s so-called “bonfire of the quangos” in 2010 has been a failure as spending by these government bodies has almost tripled, according to a new parliamentary report. A new report from Westminster’s Public Accounts Committee today claims Osborne’s reforms “failed to spark” and that the Cabinet Office has “not been enforcing the code for public [...]
Westminster’s Beis committee to probe post-Brexit subsidies regime September 23, 2021 A Westminster committee is set to probe the UK’s post-Brexit subsidies regime and the role of the competition watchdog post-Brexit. The Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Beis) committee’s inquiry will look at “the main opportunities and challenges for businesses under the new UK state aid regime” and “whether competition policy in the UK has weakened [...]
Boris Johnson tells France to ‘donnez-moi un break’ over AUKUS sub deal September 22, 2021 Boris Johnson has told France “prenez un grip” and donnez-moi un break” over the trilateral deal between the UK, US and Australia to build new nuclear submarines. Johnson appeared to mock the French for their furious response to the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal, which saw Australia renege on a £50bn deal with Emmanuel Macron’s government. [...]
Boris Johnson says US is ‘not doing free trade deals right now’ September 22, 2021 Boris Johnson has conceded that the US is “not doing free trade deals around the world right now”, but insisted there is still a “great deal to be done”. Johnson has been under pressure during his trip to New York and Washington, DC this week as it has become clear that a post-Brexit trade deal [...]
Sadiq Khan and London Assembly to be left ‘homeless’ as Crystal not ready for City Hall move September 22, 2021 Sadiq Khan and the 25-member London Assembly will be left temporarily “homeless”, after it was confirmed the Crystal will not be ready to become the new City Hall when the current lease runs out. Greater London Authority staff were today told they will have their offices moved to Union Street in November when the lease [...]
