London braced for transport chaos as Christmas Eve train strike begins December 24, 2022 Strike action could bring chaos to millions of people on Christmas Eve, as walkouts hit rail services and Border Force action enters a second day. With one day to go until Christmas, travellers were being issued with warnings of delays, congestion and disruption. Fears of disorder at UK airports and long queues at passport control [...]
Rishi Sunak to Keir Starmer: Five bold predictions for British politics in 2023 December 24, 2022 If a week is a long time in politics, as Harold Wilson once said, then what on earth was 2022? Rishi Sunak started the year as Chancellor, spent a strange summer on the backbenches, and returned to Downing Street with the top job by Christmas. In an exhausting and traumatic 12 months the UK witnessed [...]
From Heathrow’s row to SAF: Here are the top five things to watch out for in aviation next year December 24, 2022 To say that the UK aviation industry has had an eventful 2022 would be an understatement. This time last year, airlines and airports were on their knees as the Omicron variant emerged from South Africa at the end of November and in a matter of weeks reached Britain, bringing with it a truckload of new [...]
Strikes: Thousands of nurses to walk out again in January as ambulance strike date called off December 23, 2022 Nurses will once again walk out over pay next year while ambulance worker union heads have called off strike action scheduled for next week. Nurses will strike on 18 and 19 January and further dates will be confirmed next year, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has announced. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had “left us [...]
Laws, funds and CEOs: UK tech to see big changes in 2023 December 22, 2022 In 2023, London’s tech sector will see some big changes. From change in Vodafone leadership to the Online Safety Bill, here is a look ahead to the five big City stories to watch out for. Online Safety Bill As part of a move to a safer internet, the UK government is pressing for a comprehensive [...]
Rishi Sunak hires Evercore investment banker as new ethics adviser December 22, 2022 Rishi Sunak has hired a new independent ethics adviser, after the last two holders of the post quit during Boris Johnson’s premiership. The Prime Minister has appointed Sir Magnus Laurie CBE, a senior investment banker at Evercore and chair of Historic England, as Number 10’s new independent adviser on ministers’ interests. Sunak said in a [...]
Opinion-in-brief: The government can’t get a grip on migration December 22, 2022 Yesterday, Home Secretary Suella Braverman had the chance to reiterate her commitment to protecting the country’s borders while reducing the asylum applications backlog in front of the Lords justice and home affairs committee. She was grilled about the avenues available to Afghan refugees, particularly women. The questioning was all the more poignant given that on [...]
Half of UK firms find trading with EU difficult post-Brexit, says new survey December 21, 2022 More than half of UK businesses who trade overseas are finding it difficult to trade goods with the EU post-Brexit, according to a new survey. A new poll from the British Chambers of Commerce found that 56 per cent of firms “face difficulties adapting to the new rules for trading goods” with the EU and [...]
Sunak looks East: The PM’s China strategy has become clear December 21, 2022 It took Rishi Sunak less than a week into his Tory leadership battle with Liz Truss to dramatically swerve to the right. Amid the flurry of policies designed to win over the grassroots included a promise to be more belligerent toward China than Boris Johnson. Sunak promised to label the country as an official “threat”, [...]
Ukraine’s president Zelensky heads to US in first trip since Kremlin’s invasion December 21, 2022 Ukraine’s president Vlodymyr Zelensky is heading to the US for his first foreign trip since Russia invaded. The leader will address the US Congress and meet his counterpart, President Joe Biden. He announced the move on Twitter after days of speculation about whether he would travel. On social media he wrote: “On my way to [...]