Jeremy Hunt unveils plans to boost pension funds’ investment July 10, 2023 Jeremy Hunt is set to announce hotly-anticipated plans to supercharge pension funds to invest in high-growth sectors and boost British businesses. The Chancellor will spell out his plans today to encourage schemes to invest cash in infrastructure, startups and green tech – in a bid to rocket power the UK’s growth while avoiding adding to [...]
President Joe Biden to land in UK amid cluster bombs row over Ukraine July 9, 2023 President Joe Biden is set to land in the UK today amid an international row over the US supplying cluster bombs to Ukraine. The trip, which the White House hopes will “showcase the president’s leadership on the world stage”, is expected to be dominated by the weapons and Ukraine’s potential NATO entry. Biden has committed [...]
Hunt downplays tax cuts odds, conceding calming inflation is tougher than feared July 8, 2023 Tax cuts was growing less likely as Chancellor Jeremy Hunt signalled the pledge to halve inflation was proving harder than expected.
Explainer: Rishi Sunak vs the climate lobby July 7, 2023 Rishi Sunak has a thorn in his side that won’t go away, unfortunately for all of us: the climate crisis. This week, his government faced legal action over its revised climate strategy from campaign groups including Friends of the Earth and Good Law Project. The campaign groups went to the High Court challenging the climate [...]
The tourist tax is hurting Britain, no matter what Rishi Sunak says July 7, 2023 Tourists pay an extra 20 per cent for shopping in London than in Paris or Milan.
Cabinet Office MUST hand over Boris Johnson messages by Monday after court loss July 6, 2023 The Cabinet Office will have to hand over Boris Johnson’s unredacted WhatsApp messages, notebooks and diaries by Monday afternoon after it lost a High Court challenge against the chairwoman of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry. The department brought legal action over Baroness Heather Hallett’s order to release the documents, arguing it should not have to hand [...]
‘Blatant profiteering’: Bank chiefs hauled in front of FCA to discuss failure to pass on interest rates to savers July 6, 2023 Bank chiefs are meeting Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) officials on Thursday to discuss concerns surrounding interest rates for savers lagging behind the cost of mortgages. Bosses from HSBC, Natwest, Lloyds and Barclays are expected to attend. According to data from Moneyfactscompare.co.uk, the average easy access savings rate on offer on Thursday is 2.49 per cent. [...]
Chris Pincher: Ex whip facing suspension over ‘profoundly damaging’ groping claims July 6, 2023 Former Government whip Chris Pincher is facing a potentially by-election triggering eight-week suspension from the Commons after the standards watchdog upheld “profoundly damaging” groping allegations. The Standards Committee said his conduct was “completely inappropriate” and “represented an abuse of power”, in its report published on Thursday. Mr Pincher was found to have groped two people [...]
Spreadsheet Sunak won’t win an election if he can’t meet his own scorecards July 6, 2023 From stopping the boats to driving down inflation and cutting NHS waiting lists, Sunak has failed to meet his own targets and voters won’t keep believing him writes John Oxley
Britain to rejoin EU’s R&D Horizon scheme after months of hard post-Brexit talks July 5, 2023 Britain and the European Union (EU) are edging closer to a deal on the UK’s re-entry into the Horizon Europe research programme. Sources said negotiators have produced a draft document following months of talks, with Rishi Sunak expected to consider it in the coming days. However, the prime minister could still reject the proposals over [...]