Joining the Pacific trade bloc will free us from our reliance on the European Union and China March 17, 2023 Rishi Sunak is pursuing a deal with Pacific countries to allow the UK to join the CPTPP, and reduce its reliance on trading with the EU and China, writes Jason Reed.
Dominic Raab claims staff ‘relish’ ambitious agenda as bullying inquiry continues March 16, 2023 Justice secretary Dominic Raab has said the “overwhelming majority” of his staff “relish” working on his “very ambitious agenda”, as an ongoing inquiry into bullying claims continues. Adam Tolley KC is investigating bullying claims and considering a number of formal complaints made by senior civil servants against Raab, who is also deputy prime minister. Asked [...]
Defence spending given £11bn boost as former minister warns of new Cold War March 16, 2023 Defence spending is set to increase by £11bn over the next five years amid fears over the UK’s “hollowed out” armed forces. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt confirmed in Wednesday’s budget that the Ministry of Defence’s finances would receive an £11bn boost over the next half-decade. But Tobias Ellwood, defence committee chairman, said the Chancellor has left [...]
Budget: Jeremy Hunt doesn’t want rabbits in hats, he wants all of us back to work March 15, 2023 Jeremy Hunt will spend more than £2.5m per new worker in the workforce through pension and childcare policies in five years time.
Explainer: Why Hunt extended energy support in the Budget March 15, 2023 One of the first announcements in today’s Budget was an extension on the energy price cap, keeping it at its current rate of £2,500 per household until the end of June. The cap was meant to expire next month, but Jeremy Hunt capitulated to the campaigners’ pleas and u-turned. He also probably realised he had [...]
Gary Lineker scolds Tory MP over claim BBC host called northern voters ‘racist bigots and Nazis’ March 15, 2023 Gary Lineker has described accusations that he called northern voters “racist bigots” as “outrageous and dangerously provocative”. The recently reinstated Match Of The Day host took to Twitter once again in response to comments made by Conservative MP Jonathan Gullis. During an interview with Channel 4 News, Mr Gullis said he was not concerned with [...]
Budget: Hunt confirms energy price cap guarantee extension with household bills kept to £2,500 March 15, 2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has confirmed that the Energy Price Guarantee will be extended at its current level/
Spring Budget 2023 – as it happened: Childcare costs, Brexit pub guarantee and plan for ’12 Canary Wharfs’ March 15, 2023 As Jeremy Hunt unveils his first full Spring Budget, we bring you all the latest news, opinion, analysis and reaction. Budget day – Live feed Support for parents with young children: Jeremy Hunt announced a series of reforms, starting “with the supply of childcare.” “We have seen a significant decline in childminders over recent years [...]
Believe it or not, the vegans might have the answer to rescuing our ailing economy March 15, 2023 Meat-free bacon could be the answer to our prayers.
The Notebook: Neil Bennett on how the Treasury made the BBC look very slow indeed March 15, 2023 Writing a column on the morning of Budget Day is always a thankless task. By the time you read this, most of you will know what is set to come out of that red box, while I can only speculate. That said, it’s nice to see that Jeremy Hunt is now following in his predecessors’ [...]