It’s beginning to look a lot like chaos: Rail strikes hit London as businesses shed Christmas bookings December 14, 2022 Parts of London resembled a ghost town yesterday as rail workers kicked off the first of several days of strikes. Bars in the capital warned they are haemorrhaging tens of thousands of pounds in lost bookings due to mass walkouts deterring commuters, raising the threat of businesses missing out on their third ever-critical golden quarter [...]
Sunak calls on Khan to scrap Ulez expansion to all London boroughs December 14, 2022 Sadiq Khan should “listen to the public” and scrap the planned expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) to all of London, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said. Sunak said during Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) today that it is the “overwhelming” view of London residents that the levy should not be expanded. Ulez will [...]
Avanti apologises ‘unreservedly’ for poor service over recent months December 14, 2022 Avanti West Coast has apologised “unreservedly” for providing an unacceptable service to passengers over the past few months. Richard Scott, director of corporate affairs at parent company West Coast Partnership, told a parliamentary committee today the service provided “has not been good enough and I apologise unreservedly for that.” The troubled train operator came under [...]
Khan calls for London to get bigger slice of Levelling Up cash from government December 14, 2022 Sadiq Khan has called on Rishi Sunak to give London more cash from the government’s signature Levelling Up fund to tackle “the capital’s own substantial inequalities”. The London mayor said the capital was missing out on hundreds of millions of pounds of government money post-Brexit. New figures from City Hall show London has received £76 [...]
If we want a new generation of leaders, we need to teach kids politics at school December 14, 2022 We need to start treating political education like maths or English, like a basic, essential knowledge bank that you can draw on as you go through life.
Rishi Sunak warns his cabinet about ‘challenging’ winter of UK strikes December 13, 2022 Rishi Sunak has warned his cabinet that winter will be “challenging” as widespread industrial action ramps up and as the economic downturn deepens. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman today said the “government will do all we can to minimise disruption”, while calling for union bosses to get back to the negotiating table. Today marks the [...]
Kwarteng was warned by Treasury boffins about market reaction to mini-Budget December 12, 2022 Kwasi Kwarteng was warned by senior civil servants about a potential adverse market reaction to measures announced in the catastrophic mini-Budget, it has been revealed. Beth Russell, second permanent secretary at the Treasury, today said she told the former chancellor that financing £50bn of tax cuts through borrowing could spook the markets. Financial markets reacted [...]
Number 10 full of praise for ‘compassionate’ Gareth Southgate December 12, 2022 Number 10 has heaped praise on Gareth Southgate, while stopping short of saying whether he should continue as England manager. Rishi Sunak’s official spokesman said today that “the whole country can be proud” of Southgate and his players, after England exited the World Cup in the quarter finals on Saturday. Speculation is rife over Southgate’s [...]
The special relationship with the US is fertile ground for investment into the UK December 12, 2022 Last week, a new bilateral energy deal between the UK and the US, to reduce global dependence on Russian gas, underlined the continuing strength of the “special relationship”. In a joint statement, Rishi Sunak and Joe Biden stressed the need for “allied countries to deepen their cooperation to ensure resilient international systems which reflect our [...]
Christmas strikes: Government to hold crisis meetings as army called in December 11, 2022 The government will hold a series of crisis meetings this week to try and minimise disruption during widespread Christmas strikes, with the government now calling in the military. Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden will convene two Cobra meetings with ministers from several departments as the UK faces crippling strikes in hospitals, airports and railways. The [...]