Boris Johnson paid £500K advance for memoirs – as public foot £222K bill for his partygate legal fees January 27, 2023 Boris Johnson has picked up an advance of more than £500,000 for his forthcoming memoir, as it emerged taxpayers face a bill of £222,000 for his legal fees to defend himself in the partygate inquiry. The former prime minister’s latest entry in the Register of Members’ Interests says that he “received £510,000 as an advance [...]
‘No penalties for innocent tax errors’: Head of HMRC piles more pressure on Zahawi January 26, 2023 The boss of HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has told MPs there are “no penalties for innocent errors”, as he was quizzed on the tax furore surrounding Nadhim Zahawi. HMRC chief executive Jim Harra, appearing before the Public Accounts Committee where he was due to discuss tax compliance and the pandemic, was pressed on some [...]
Zelensky in tell-all English interview says it’s ‘not correct’ to say if ‘good guy’ Boris Johnson should return as PM January 26, 2023 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky branded Vladimir Putin a “nobody” as he suggested that it was too late for face-to-face talks with the Russian leader to make any difference. Zelensky, who turned 45 on Wednesday, also praised his “special bond” with Boris Johnson but declined to say whether he would like to see him return as [...]
Marks and Spencer’s chairman Archie Norman: Plans to ease post-Brexit trade ‘overbearing and baffling’ January 26, 2023 Marks & Spencer’s chairman has become the latest business leader to criticise the Government’s economic policy, with Archie Norman calling plans to ease post-Brexit trade “overbearing” and “baffling”. Norman, who is also an ex-Conservative MP, has urged the Foreign Secretary during talks with the EU not to consider separate labelling for goods sold in Northern [...]
UK’s wealth gap: Cost of living crisis boosts income of richest Brits by £1k but leaves poorest £600 a year worse off January 25, 2023 The disparity between Britain’s richest and Britain’s poorest earners has grown as a result of the cost of living crisis and a freezing in the income tax threshold, figures have revealed. The richest Brits have managed to increase their household disposable income by just over £1,000 in the last year, while the poorest are on [...]
PMQs sketch: Nadhim Zahawi? Don’t know the guy January 25, 2023 Conservative party chairman Nadhim Zahawi is under investigation for failing to pay his taxes, a woman was murdered after an offender was mistakenly allowed to "walk free", and Rishi Sunak is still short (but only a bit shorter than Keir Starmer), Sascha O'Sullivan debriefs on Prime Minister's Questions.
London needs to learn from the Swiss if it’s to maintain its status as a global crypto hub January 25, 2023 London needs to learn from the Swiss if it’s to maintain its status as a global crypto hub, says SCRYPT's Norman Wooding.
PMQs: Sunak to come under fresh scrutiny today amid Zahawi tax row and calls to fire Tory chair January 25, 2023 Rishi Sunak will come under fresh pressure over Nadhim Zahawi as he resists firing the Tory party chairman despite him being under investigation over his tax affairs. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is likely to seize on the fallout from Mr Zahawi’s multi-million pound settlement at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday. The Prime Minister ordered [...]
Rishi Sunak’s strategy of quiet governance won’t deliver an election victory January 25, 2023 To balance out Liz Truss' short-lived premiership, Rishi Sunak is trying to govern like a grown-up. But being this quiet won't win him the next election, writes Paul Ormerod
UK borrowing hits December record of £27.4bn piling pressure on Hunt ahead of March budget January 24, 2023 UK borrowing in December hit its highest total in 30 years driven upwards by the government’s debt interest bill soaring due to raging inflation, official figures out today show. The government took on £27.4bn of debt last month, the largest amount since records began in 1993, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The [...]