UK foreign policy to pivot to Indo-Pacific after landmark integrated review March 15, 2021 The UK will undergo a major strategic policy change by pivoting toward Indo-Pacific countries like India as a result of the government’s long-awaited integrated defence and foreign policy review. The review will also see the government create a Situation Centre that will mimic the White House’s Situation Room and a new counter-terrorism operations centre. The [...]
Priti Patel calls for ‘balance of rights’ between protesters and individuals as she introduces protest crackdown March 15, 2021 Priti Patel has told MPs that “there is a balance to be struck” between the rights of protesters and individuals as she today introduced new legislation that will crackdown on some form of protesting. The new Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, if passed into law, will give the police powers to set start and [...]
Sadiq Khan calls for more government engagement on financial services post-Brexit March 15, 2021 Sadiq Khan has called for the government to provide greater clarity for the City of London post-Brexit, with the mayor telling Rishi Sunak to “address the concerns of London’s financial and professional services sector”. Khan wrote to the chancellor today to call for the government to secure equivalence for the financial services sector, in order [...]
Vaccine rollout gives Tories a pre-election boost from over 64s, says expert pollster March 15, 2021 The UK’s quick rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine appears to have given the Tories a boost ahead of the May local elections among those over 64, according to an expert pollster. Lord Robert Hayward today told a group of journalists that Boris Johnson and the Conservatives’ improved poll ratings, which have been driven by an [...]
EU launches legal action against UK over Northern Ireland row March 15, 2021 The European Commission has launched legal action against the UK for its move to unilaterally postpone new post-Brexit checks on goods coming into Northern Ireland. The European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic said today that the UK “must properly implement [the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement] to achieve our objectives”, which is “why we are launching legal [...]
London minister Paul Scully on his rise to government March 15, 2021 Paul Scully seems a natural fit for London minister. While the Sutton and Cheam MP didn’t grow up in the capital, Scully was born in Warwickshire and went to school in Bedforshire, he certainly sounds like a nailed-on Londoner. His south London twang is noticeable and so is his relaxed, chatty demeanour – the antithesis [...]
More than half of UK spending now online after pandemic, says Lloyds Bank March 15, 2021 More than half of all UK spending has now shifted online thanks to the Covid pandemic and physical payments have shifted one kilometre closer to people’s homes, according to Lloyds Bank. A new study by the bank also found that ATM and branch withdrawals plummeted by 33 per cent over the past year. Debit card [...]
Johnson to send jobs north as a part of UK integrated defence review March 14, 2021 Boris Johnson will release the government’s long-awaited integrated defence review on Tuesday, with the Prime Minister set to announce the creation of thousands of defence jobs outside of London. Johnson tonight said the review would “drive investment back into our communities”, with the Foreign Office’s hub in Scotland to get 500 more staff and England’s [...]
Sadiq Khan calls for watchdog inquiry into police action at Sarah Everard vigil March 14, 2021 Sadiq Khan has said he is “not satisfied” by Met commissioner Cressida Dick’s explanation of heavy-handed police actions at Sarah Everard’s Clapham vigil last night, calling for a full investigation by two police watchdogs. The mayor of London, who has oversight of the Metropolitan Police, said he had “received assurances” from the police that the [...]
Brexit: Depleted UK-EU trade won’t recover until summer, says lorry lobby March 14, 2021 The collapse of post-Brexit trade with the EU will last until the summer or longer as businesses still struggle to navigate new red tape, according to the UK’s haulage body. New figures on Friday revealed that UK exports to the EU had plummeted by 40 per cent since the end of the transition period on [...]
