Hunt says council tax hikes coming in Thursday’s fiscal statement November 15, 2022 Jeremy Hunt has said he will hike council tax on Thursday, with the increase set to help pay for social care. The chancellor told MPs today that he will “be asking people who have more, to contribute even more” and that this “will be reflected in our decisions on council tax”. Thursday’s statement will have [...]
Sunak says UK-China dialogue needed to solve ‘global challenges’ November 15, 2022 Rishi Sunak has said the UK and China need to stay in dialogue to solve “big, global challenges” in a backdown from his hawkish stance during the Tory leadership contest. The Prime Minister today said China was a “systemic challenge both to our values and our interests” and the “biggest threat to our economic security”, [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Tax rises? Make it someone else’s problem November 15, 2022 As the Autumn statement looms this week, Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt are trying, desperately, to do anything except break the manifesto promise not to raise income tax. But by freezing income tax thresholds people will wind up paying more anyway, without actually having to break the promise. Elsewhere, there were suggestions council tax could [...]
Raab row: Civil servants union boss says bullying concerns exist over ‘dozens of ministers’ November 15, 2022 As Dominic Raab faces allegations of bullying, the head of the civil servants union has raised concerns about “dozens of ministers” conduct. Dave Penman, chair of the FDA union, made his comments on Sky News after reports about Dominic Raab being labelled the ‘incinerator’, and Sir Gavin Williamson also quitting over bullying claims. He said [...]
Rishi Sunak commits to warship expansion as war in Ukraine continues November 15, 2022 Rishi Sunak has said that the UK plans to build five more British warships as the war in Ukraine continues to rage on. The Prime Minister is currently attending the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, which has been dominated by talk of Russia’s invasion. Sunak announced that defence manufacturer BAE Systems had been awarded a £4.2bn contract [...]
Defence giant BAE Systems secures £28bn worth of orders so far this year November 15, 2022 BAE Systems, one of the largest defence companies in the UK, has secured £10bn worth of orders in the second half of this year so far. The London-listed defence firm, which builds military-grade jets, submarines and satellites, has kept its guidance in place while many businesses in the UK nudge them lower amid the economic [...]
Hunt readies for biggest budget since Cameron and Osborne’s first outing November 15, 2022 Thursday’s budget (okay, Autumn Statement) is the biggest since David Cameron and George Osborne’s first statement in 2010, just after they seized the keys to number 10 (with a little help from the Liberal Democrats) from Gordon Brown’s Labour. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt faces a daunting task. Weaker than expected economic growth, high inflation and a [...]
“On the to-do list”: City minister promises reform as London slips behind Paris November 14, 2022 THE CITY minister Andrew Griffith yesterday said post-Brexit financial services reforms were on his “to do list” after new figures suggesting Paris’ stock market had overtaken London’s sent a shockwave through the Square Mile. The total value of all listings in the French capital overtook London last month, according to number crunchers at Bloomberg. Whilst [...]
HMRC’s Covid fraud taskforce to leave billions unaccounted for November 14, 2022 An HMRC unit set up to tackle Covid fraud is set to leave £3.3bn outstanding when it winds down in March 2023, campaigners have warned. The Taxpayer Protection Taskforce, which was set up by Chancellor Rishi Sunak in March 2021, will be phased out, despite having collected less than 25 per cent of the money [...]
‘Rude and aggressive’: Fresh claims rock Sunak govt with spotlight on Raab ‘the Incinerator’ for bullying November 14, 2022 Rishi Sunak’s new government is facing fresh allegations of bullying and harassment at work, only days after Gavin Williamson stepped down as Cabinet Office minister as questions arose over his behaviour towards colleague. Now it has emerged that eight people working in Dominic Raab’s private office during his tenure as foreign secretary claimed to have [...]