Cabinet confidential: Who will Joe Biden pick as the next US Secretary of the Treasury? November 16, 2020 President-elect Joe Biden has made it clear he wants his government to “actually look like America”, with pundits expecting the most diverse cabinet ever assembled. Speculation is rife Biden will appoint female and Bame candidates to top cabinet roles, including to Secretary of the Treasury and Secretary of State. The former Vice President will have [...]
Sadiq Khan forced to cut budget by £38m after Covid leaves black hole November 16, 2020 Sadiq Khan has revised the Greater London Authority’s budget downward by £38m after a drop in revenue due to the Covid crisis. A statement from City Hall said the drop in spending is “because of a forecast unprecedented loss of business rates and council tax income, caused by Covid-19, and the government’s refusal to adequately fund local and [...]
Rishi Sunak considers new UK road pricing scheme to plug £40bn black hole November 16, 2020 Plans to charge motorists to use the UK’s roads are being considered by chancellor Rishi Sunak in a bid to claw back £40bn in tax revenues lost by switching to electric cars. Sunak has been given the new Treasury proposal in light of Boris Johnson’s plan to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel [...]
Sunak says Boris Johnson will press on with policy reset in self-isolation November 16, 2020 Rishi Sunak has insisted this morning that Boris Johnson will push ahead with his planned two weeks of policy announcements despite being in self-isolation. Number 10 announced yesterday that he Prime Minister was due to unveil a string of new policies in the coming days in an attempt to reset his government after the tumultuous [...]
Boris Johnson to roll out string of new policies in bid to reset government November 16, 2020 Boris Johnson will roll out a series of policy announcements over the next two weeks in a bid to reset his government after the tumultuous exit of his top two advisers. Number 10 announced last night that Johnson – who is currently self-isolating after having had a meeting with an MP who tested positive – [...]
Boris Johnson prepares to U-turn on planning reforms in face of Tory revolt November 15, 2020 Boris Johnson’s planning reforms will be overhauled to quell a bubbling rebellion among Tory backbenchers in another government U-turn. The change will see the planning reforms prioritise new housing in urban areas in the Midlands and the North, instead of in rural South Eastern regions. Many Tory MPs have been railing against the reforms proposed [...]
Lobbyists given access to confidential government Covid briefings November 15, 2020 An influential lobbyist was given access to UK government Covid briefings on future restrictions and briefed clients about an upcoming lockdown, it has been revealed. Former Sun political editor, and current chairman of Portland Communications, George Pascoe-Watson worked as an unpaid adviser to the UK government during the first wave of Covid in April. He [...]
Brexit: ‘Some progress’ made in trade talks this week, says UK negotiator November 15, 2020 There has been “some progress” this week in UK-EU post-Brexit trade talks, according to UK chief negotiator David Frost. Frost tweeted today that the two sides “largely have common draft treaty texts, though significant elements are of course not yet agreed” and that talks will restart today in Brussels. This week’s soft deadline to get [...]
Labour calls for anti-vax conspiracy theories to be censored on social media November 15, 2020 Labour is calling for anti-vaccine conspiracy theories to be censored on social media. The opposition has called for Boris Johnson to bring forward legislation to “stamp out dangerous anti-vax content” as UK regulators prepare to assess Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine candidate. Labour wants this to include financial and criminal penalties for social media sites that [...]
Downing Street: ‘Significant gaps’ remain in Brexit trade talks November 12, 2020 Downing Street has said “significant gaps remain” between the UK and EU in Brexit negotiations with talks not expected to yield a breakthrough this week. The Prime Minister’s spokesman told journalists today the UK was “working hard to get a deal”, but that little progress had been made. The unofficial deadline for the two sides [...]
