WTO countries ink deal to cut red tape for services firms December 2, 2021 The UK is one of 67 countries to sign up to a new World Trade Organisation (WTO) pact to cut red tape around licensing and qualifications for services firms. The deal – signed by countries like the UK, US, China, Russia, Japan, Germany, France and Canada – aims to increase transparency and efficiency for services [...]
Liberal Democrats call for £5.5bn-a-year tax cuts for small businesses December 2, 2021 The Liberal Democrats are calling for Rishi Sunak to bring in a package of tax cuts for small businesses that would be worth up to £5.5bn-a-year. Party leader Ed Davey said “Boris Johnson must be living on another planet” if he thinks his government’s planned tax rises, which will increase the country’s tax burden to [...]
Number 10 tells US not to ‘conflate’ Trump-era steel tariffs with Brexit December 2, 2021 Downing Street has warned the US that tetchy UK-EU negotiations over the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol should not affect any decisions made about Donald Trump-era tariffs on British steel. A Number 10 spokesperson said “we do not think those issues should be conflated”, after reports today that the US was not removing tariffs on British [...]
City Hall Tories call for £12m TfL bonuses to be scrapped in wake of cash concerns December 2, 2021 Sadiq Khan should suspend £12m of planned bonuses to Transport for London (TfL) chiefs in the wake of concerns over the body’s financial position, according to the City Hall caucus of Conservatives. Susan Hall, the leader of the Tories in the London Assembly, said the mayor needs to “get a grip of [TfL’s] wasteful spending” [...]
Man detained by police after cycling through security at UK parliament December 1, 2021 A man has been detained by armed police today after cycling through security at the UK houses of parliament. Bystanders have said that he got through the gate in front of the House of Commons before being promptly tackled by officers. The man was seen pinned down by officers near the Christmas tree outside parliament, [...]
Trump hits out at Boris Johnson’s ‘liberal’ wind power plans December 1, 2021 Donald Trump has hit out at Boris Johnson for his plan to make the UK a global wind power giant, while also lamenting that the Prime Minister has “gone a little bit on the more liberal side”. Trump said that wind farms were “horrible”, “ridiculous” and prone to “rust and wear out and look terrible”. [...]
Exclusive: Food safety concerns spark cabinet row over UK-India trade deal November 30, 2021 Ruptures have once again emerged across government over the direction of the UK’s post-Brexit trade policy, with environment secretary George Eustice raising concerns about a potential deal with India. Whitehall sources told City A.M. that India’s food safety standards have been a cause for concern for Eustice and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural [...]
Sadiq Khan admits entire Tube line may close if government doesn’t stump up emergency TfL cash November 30, 2021 Sadiq Khan has confirmed he may have to close an entire Tube line if the government does not quickly come up with a financial settlement for cash-strapped Transport for London (TfL). Khan today said any one of London’s 11 Tube lines could potentially be closed as tensions continue to flare between City Hall and Whitehall [...]
Boris Johnson: Every vaccinated adult should be offered booster by the end of January November 30, 2021 Boris Johnson has set a target for all vaccinated adults to receive their booster jab by the end of January as the government prepares to ramp up its vaccination efforts. Johnson said 400 military personnel will be deployed to help “ramp up capacity”, with more than 1,500 community pharmacies set to be open to offer [...]
Omicron: Face masks now mandatory in shops and public transport November 30, 2021 People are now required by law to wear face masks in shops and public transport as a part of the government’s efforts to fight the new Omicron variant found in South Africa. The new laws, that came into effect at 4am this morning, also include a stricter testing regime for international arrivals. All international arrivals [...]
