David Frost tells PM to adopt more conservative policies or risk losing election January 9, 2022 Boris Johnson must adopt a low-tax agenda or risk losing the next election, according to former cabinet minister Lord David Frost. Frost, who resigned from his role as a Cabinet Office minister last month, said that Johnson needs to “get the country going economically again” post-Brexit and “that means free markets, free debate and low [...]
Brexit: EU ambassador hits out at Truss for ‘unhelpful’ comments on NI Protocol January 9, 2022 A war of words between the UK and EU over the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol has reignited just days before negotiations are set to resume. The EU’s ambassador to the UK Joao Vale de Almeida today said renewed threats by foreign secretary Liz Truss to trigger Article 16 and suspend the protocol were “unsurprising” and [...]
Labour calls for windfall tax on North Sea oil and gas in bid to cut energy bills January 9, 2022 Labour is calling for a windfall tax on North Sea oil and gas to pay for a series of measures that would cut household energy bills by around £600 per year for the country’s lowest wage earners. The plan, unveiled today, would see every consumer save just under £200 per year and 9m of the [...]
Zahawi says cutting Covid isolation period to five days would be ‘helpful’ January 9, 2022 A senior cabinet minister has expressed his support for cutting the Covid self-isolation period from seven to five days. Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi said the measure, which has been recommended by America’s Centre for Disease Control, would be “helpful” for the British economy as the Omicron wave hits its peak. It comes as new analysis [...]
Truss warns Putin that Ukraine invasion would be ‘massive strategic mistake’ January 6, 2022 Liz Truss today reconfirmed the UK’s commitment to impose sanctions on Russia if it invades Ukraine, with the foreign secretary set to visit Kiev later this month. Truss told MPs that Russian President Vladimir Putin “has run a long campaign to subvert freedom and democracy in Ukraine” and that “any further military incursion into Ukraine [...]
Sadiq Khan hits out at rail union over planned six-month Tube strike January 6, 2022 Sadiq Khan has hit out at the UK’s largest rail union for its planned Tube strike tomorrow, saying that the long-term industrial action will “cause further devastation” for London’s economy. London Underground staff from the The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) will walk off the job on Friday and Saturday evenings [...]
PM cleared of breaking ministerial code in Downing Street flat refurb probe January 6, 2022 Boris Johnson has been criticised for “acting unwisely” during a probe into his controversial Downing Street flat refurbishment, but has been cleared of breaking the ministerial code. It was revealed today that Johnson apologised to his ministerial standards adviser Lord Christopher Geidt for misleading him in the investigation, after the Prime Minister failed to disclose [...]
Sunak recommits to April National Insurance rise amid cabinet jitters January 6, 2022 Rishi Sunak has today recommitted to April’s National Insurance rise, after it was reported that he faced cabinet backlash over the measure this week. Sunak said today the tax rise is needed to deal with “an unprecedented level of backlogs within the NHS”, after it was reported that House of Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg called [...]
Johnson blames new phone number on failing to disclose messages on Downing Street flat refurb January 6, 2022 Boris Johnson has reportedly said he did not disclose messages about donations for his Downing Street flat refurbishment because they were on an old phone. It comes as Johnson is expected to be cleared today of wrongdoing by his own ministerial standards adviser Lord Christopher Geidt over undisclosed donations to the Tory party from Lord [...]
Westminster watch: Four potential political scenarios to watch for in 2022 January 6, 2022 A new year has dawned on Westminster and 2022 is set to be another wild year in the world of British politics. With Boris Johnson suffering from the mid-term blues, Covid raging and Brexit far from settled there are bound to be many dramatic twists and turns this year. Here are four potential political scenarios [...]