Analysis: Sunak’s cringey love-in reminds us he’s a PM who wants to ‘do business’ April 25, 2023 There was no lectern for Rishi Sunak at the Business Connect conference. Striding across the stage at the glossy King’s Place venue in Islington, the PM was happily, confidently, on home turf; his equivalent of Starmer’s efforts to channel his inner toolmaker. While it was a slick suit and tie, as opposed to shirt sleeves [...]
Jeremy Hunt handed £13bn windfall raising chance of tax cuts ahead of election April 25, 2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has been handed a £13bn windfall from the UK public finances holding up better than expected, raising the chances of tax cuts ahead of the next general election, official figures out today reveal. Numbers from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) this morning showed the UK borrowed around £139bn in the year [...]
Our languishing reputation on foreign aid opens the door to China’s influence April 25, 2023 The UK spends more of its shrinking aid budget on housing refugees at home than on third countries who need it. Taking this money from the aid budget is a political choice, but a short-sighted one, writes Elena Siniscalco
Watchdog extends investigation into PM’s declaration of interests April 24, 2023 Parliament’s standards watchdog has expanded the investigation into Rishi Sunak’s potential breach of the rules on declaring financial interests. The Prime Minister is also being investigated over whether he broke the MPs’ code of conduct relating to disclosing details surrounding active inquiries, it emerged on Monday. Standards commissioner Daniel Greenberg opened the inquiry following concerns [...]
Sunak pledges £100m ‘world leader’ AI boost as firms wooed at business summit April 24, 2023 Prime minister Rishi Sunak has insisted his government is undertaking “the most transformative changes to financial services regulations since the Big Bang”. Sunak insisted the Financial Services and Markets Bill was a “very significant piece of legislation”. He pledged that once the law was implemented, Solvency II reforms would “unlock tens of billions of pounds [...]
‘Abandoned’: UK citizens trapped in Sudan concerned as Government has ‘severely limited’ ability to help April 24, 2023 British nationals trapped in Sudan have said they feel “abandoned” by the UK Government as the Foreign Secretary warned that help will remain “severely limited” until a ceasefire is reached. James Cleverly has faced questions about why British diplomats had been prioritised over other UK citizens following a night-time evacuation mission to rescue embassy staff [...]
Hunt for Britain’s next top lobby begins as CBI crumbles under scandal April 24, 2023 The hunt for the heir to the CBI’s throne has begun as industry chiefs begin casting around for Britain’s next top business lobby organisation. It comes as the “hopefully temporary” stand-in group BizUK emerged this weekend, in a bid to help steer political parties’ approach to industry ahead of the general election. City grandees suggested [...]
Diplomacy with the EU, the US and beyond will help us bolster our financial services April 24, 2023 Diplomatic relations with the EU and US will only help Britain’s standing post-Brexit, writes Nicholas Lyons
Civil service could see ‘politicisation’ in wake of Raab row April 23, 2023 The government’s civil service advisor is considering plans to increase the “politicisation” of Whitehall, in the wake of Dominic Raab’s resignation following a report into bullying claims. Writing in the Observer, Tory peer and ex-Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude said the government should be “more robust and less mealy mouthed about ‘politicisation’”. Maude, who is [...]
UK borrowing tipped to have jumped to £23bn in March but Hunt and Sunak are on course to hit OBR forecasts April 23, 2023 Britain is tipped to have borrowed nearly £23bn last month to help pay for capping energy bills at £2,500, according to City analysts’ consensus forecast. Fresh numbers out from the Office for National Statistics on Tuesday are expected to show the gap between what the government generates in revenue from taxes and spends on public [...]