Fruit and veg shortage will get worse before it gets better, warn farmers February 25, 2023 The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has warned that shortages of some fruit and vegetables in UK supermarkets could be “the tip of the iceberg”. NFU deputy president Tom Bradshaw said a reliance on imports has left the UK vulnerable to “shock weather events”. Soaring energy bills exacerbated by the war in Ukraine have also put [...]
Sunak faces criticism over plans for European Union chief to ‘meet the King’ February 25, 2023 The Prime Minister’s political judgement has been criticised after a meeting between the King and the leader of the European Union was cancelled. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen had been expected to travel to Britain on Saturday amid speculation a deal to fix issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol is near. The German [...]
Sunak to press on with Brexit deal talks as EU leader’s visit cancelled February 25, 2023 The Prime Minister will keep working towards securing a post-Brexit deal after plans for an in-person meeting with the European Commission president was called off.
Unpaid overtime forcing public sector workers to quit February 25, 2023 Public sector workers are becoming “burnt out” and quitting their jobs after putting in millions of hours of unpaid overtime last year, according to a report. The TUC urged everyone to work their proper hours as part of its annual campaign against excessive unpaid overtime. The union organisation estimated that employers claimed £26bn of free [...]
Explainer: The rise of the humble turnip February 24, 2023 This week might be the first time the turnip made the headlines. The root vegetable was something to be “cherished”, according to environment secretary Therese Coffey, amid the current vegetable shortages. “A lot of people would be eating turnips right now rather than thinking necessarily about aspects of lettuce and tomatoes and similar”, she said. [...]
Boris Johnson urges government to send jets to Ukraine ahead of invasion anniversary February 23, 2023 Boris Johnson has urged the UK government to send jets to Ukraine ahead of the one-year anniversary of the invasion by Russia. Speaking in an interview with Sky News, the ex-Prime Minister called on the UK to “break the ice” and become the first nation to supply Volodymyr Zelensky with his “wings for freedom”. On [...]
Football regulator WILL have more powers to investigate club owners but WON’T block takeovers linked to Saudi Arabia or Qatar, says sport minister Stuart Andrew February 23, 2023 The incoming independent football regulator will be given wider powers to investigate prospective owners – but will not block takeovers by Saudi Arabia or Qatar. A regulator will have more scope to look into the backgrounds of would-be buyers of English teams, similar to the checks in place in financial services. “We are looking at [...]
Rishi Sunak: PM’s personal poll ratings hit record lows February 22, 2023 Rishi Sunak’s approval rating has reached its lowest point yet amid widespread pessimism about Brexit and the direction of the UK. Just 27 per cent of people told pollster Ipsos that they had a favourable opinion of the Prime Minister in a survey, while 46 per cent said they had an unfavourable view. A month [...]
PMQs sketch: Starmer stands up for the Tory backbenches February 22, 2023 As Rishi Sunak tries to keep unity together in Northern Ireland - and build some on the Conservative backbenches and Starmer prepares to unveil the Five Missions no one asked for, Sascha O’Sullivan on today’s Prime Minister’s Questions.
Our post-Brexit relationship cannot be left in the hands of ideologues February 22, 2023 Cast your mind back to Christmas 2020. As most of us settled into the sofa for a Christmas behind-closed-doors, shuttle diplomacy saw the UK finally secure a Brexit deal with the EU on the country’s future relationship with the trading bloc. Boris Johnson hailed it as “glad tidings of great joy.” To all the world [...]