Cabinet reshuffle rumours swirl around Westminster September 8, 2021 Rumours continue to swirl that Boris Johnson will oversee a cabinet reshuffle tomorrow, despite Number 10’s comments that there are “no plans” for one. The Prime Minister has cleared his diary tomorrow, after a quick House of Commons vote today on the government’s National Insurance and dividends tax increases. The Times reports today that Johnson [...]
Boris Johnson refuses to rule out new tax rises before next election September 7, 2021 Boris Johnson has said he has an “emotional commitment” to not hiking tax again before the next election, but refused to rule it out just hours after increasing National Insurance and dividend tax. Johnson refused at today’s press conference on three occasions to promise he would not raise taxes again, commenting only that “I certainly [...]
PM hikes National Insurance and dividends tax by 1.25 per cent to pay for NHS and social care reform September 7, 2021 Britons will be hit with £12bn-a-year tax rises to pay for increases in NHS and social care spending, with National Insurance and dividends tax in Boris Johnson’s crosshairs. A new Health and Social Care Levy will effectively hike National Insurance Contributions for employees and employers by 1.25 per cent from April 2022, while taxes on [...]
Number 10 says there are no plans for an ‘October Covid firebreak’ September 7, 2021 Number 10 has hosed down reports that the government is preparing for a potential Covid “firebreak” in October when cases are expected to rise. Boris Johnson’s official spokesman told journalists today that it is “not true the government is planning a lockdown or firebreak around the October half term”. The i newspaper reported yesterday that [...]
Business groups decry NI hike ahead of social care plan announcement September 7, 2021 Boris Johnson will today outline his government’s plan for social care reform, with the widespread expectation he will announce an increase in National Insurance. It will come alongside plans to fix the Covid-related NHS backlog, which is thought to be at around five million people. It is expected that it will be paid for by [...]
Sajid Javid confirms £5.4bn extra NHS England funding for winter September 6, 2021 Sajid Javid has today announced NHS England will receive an extra £5.4bn in funding over winter in a bid to clear the Covid-related hospital backlog. The health secretary announced that £1bn will go directly on easing the waiting list, £2.8bn will be used to cover related costs such as enhanced infection control measures and £478 [...]
Dominic Raab’s House of Commons aide raises concerns about vaccine passports September 6, 2021 Dominic Raab’s parliamentary assistant has today raised concerns over the government’s plan to introduce mandatory vaccine passports for large events. Tory MP Joy Morrissey, the parliamentary private secretary for the Foreign Office, has broken with the government’s stance and tweeted she was “very concerned at the idea of vaccine passports generally, but in particular the [...]
Afghan refugees to get permanent UK residency visas September 6, 2021 Afghan refugees will be given permanent residency visas when arriving in the UK, Boris Johnson has announced today. Johnson told the House of Commons today that the 20,000 refugees who will come to the UK via the Afghanistan settlement scheme will be given “indefinite leave to remain”. Five thousand refugees will be handed visas this [...]
Number 10 says there are ‘no plans’ for a cabinet reshuffle this week September 6, 2021 Downing Street has hosed down widespread rumours that a cabinet reshuffle will happen on Thursday. Boris Johnson’s official spokesman told journalists repeatedly today that “we have no plans for a reshuffle”. Multiple outlets reported yesterday that Johnson would make his long awaited reshuffle, the first since February 2020, on Thursday. Downing Street cleared his official [...]
Northern Ireland: UK announces indefinite delay to new border checks September 6, 2021 The UK has announced indefinite delays to the implementation of new post-Brexit checks in Northern Ireland. Defacto Brexit minister Lord David Frost today announced the EU had agreed to an effective “standstill” to the Brexit treaty’s Northern Ireland Protocol, which will mean a delay to checks on things like meat, fish and dairy products going [...]
