UK gave £63.4m in ‘secretive payments’ to six Middle Eastern states, say MPs July 6, 2021 A group of MPs have called for the suspension of “secretive” funds sent by the UK government to a group of six Middle Eastern states, after £64.3m was sent between 2016 and 2021. The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Democracy and Human Rights in the Gulf said Bahrain and Saudi Arabia was among those receiving [...]
Sajid Javid warns about ‘shocking’ NHS backlog caused by Covid-19 July 6, 2021 Sajid Javid has said the extent of the NHS waiting list “shocked” him when he was sworn in as health secretary and that 7m people had not come forward with serious illness over the past 16 months. Javid said that as “health secretary I can’t just be thinking about Covid alone, I have to be [...]
Freedom day: Boris Johnson confirms big bang shedding of Covid restrictions for 19 July July 5, 2021 Boris Johnson has confirmed there will be a big bang shedding of Covid restrictions in England, with mass events set to return without social distancing or face masks from 19 July for so-called freedom day. Johnson said the government will be imposing very few Covid restrictions from now on and will instead rely on people [...]
Cummings: Boris Johnson said it was ‘ludicrous’ he could be PM in 2016 July 5, 2021 Dominic Cummings has claimed Boris Johnson said after the 2016 Brexit referendum that it would be “ludicrous” if he became Prime Minister and that he joined his team in Downing Street to try and direct policy. After David Cameron resigned in 2016, Johnson allegedly said: “Obviously it’s ludicrous me being PM — but no more [...]
One-in-four UK financial services workers want to work from home full-time, says new survey July 5, 2021 Almost one-in-four of the UK’s financial services workforce wants to work at home permanently post-pandemic, according to a new survey from Accenture. The survey found 24 per cent of the country’s 1m financial services workers “would prefer to work entirely from home once a full return to office is possible”, while 69 per cent said [...]
Ladbrokes owner mulls swoop for William Hill’s UK betting shops July 4, 2021 The owner of Ladbrokes and Coral is assessing William Hill’s European business in a potential sign it will make a bid for the bookmakers’ UK betting shops. Entain, which also owns bwin and Partypoker, is reportedly running the rule over William Hill as it looks to sell off its European assets. However, the Sunday Telegraph [...]
Truce in post-Brexit sausage wars only a ‘sticking plaster’, says David Frost July 4, 2021 This week’s three-month truce in the so-called sausage wars between the UK and EU only amounts to a “sticking plaster”, according to defacto Brexit minister Lord David Frost. Frost today maintained the government’s position that the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol is failing to “reflect the balance that was in the Good Friday Agreement” and is “not [...]
Bidding war on the cards after Morrisons accepts £6.3bn takeover July 4, 2021 Rival private equity firms are reportedly considering entering a rival bid to Morrisons’ £6.3bn takeover, which was announced yesterday. The UK supermarket chain’s board accepted a 252p-a-share offer by private equity group Fortress, after an earlier £6bn bid by a different firm was turned down two weeks ago. The total value of the deal is [...]
Labour unveils new ‘Buy British’ economic policy July 4, 2021 Labour has unveiled a new economic plan that would aim to “make, sell and buy more in Britain” in a bid to counter Boris Johnson’s blue collar Tory message. The new “Buy British” push will be led by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and will come alongside a pitch to make the party as tough on [...]
Jenrick: Face masks will be a ‘matter of personal choice’ after 19 July July 4, 2021 Compulsory face masks are set to be scrapped on 19 July as England sheds its Covid restrictions, according to communities secretary Robert Jenrick. Jenrick said “the state won’t be telling you what to do” after 19 July and that face masks will be a “matter of personal choice”. It comes as the Sunday Times reported [...]
