Half of Brits in favour of scrapping HS2 July 9, 2022 Half of Britons are in favour of scrapping the HS2 project as costs continue to mount. Around 52 per cent of those who voted Conservatives in the 2019 election are against the project, compared with 17 per cent who think the high-speed rail from London to the Midlands should go ahead, the Telegraph first reported. [...]
Former minister Steve Baker says Sunak in ‘unfortunate bind’ as he backs Braverman’s leadership bid July 9, 2022 Former minister Steve Baker has said Rishi Sunak is in a “unfortunate bind” as he backed Attorney General Suella Braverman’s Tory leadership bid. “Because Rishi’s record is of saying he wants low taxes, but then putting them up, he’s now got to double down on that record during this campaign,” Baker told BBC Breakfast today. [...]
Defence secretary Ben Wallace pulls out of Tory leadership race July 9, 2022 Defence secretary Ben Wallace has pulled out of the Tory leadership race. Wallace announced his decision via Twitter, saying he would continue focusing on his job at the Ministry of Defence. “After careful consideration and discussing with colleagues and family, I have taken the decision not to enter the contest for leadership of the Conservative [...]
Race to replace Johnson: Two candidates confirm bids, as Mordaunt, Hunt, Zahawi, Javid, Sunak, Truss, Baker and Wallace consider chances July 8, 2022 Two candidates have confirmed they are running in the Conservative leadership election, while at least five others are tipped to enter the contest. So far, only attorney general Suella Braverman and Foreign Affairs Select Committee chair Tom Tugendhat have issued their intention to run. 24-hours after Johnson announced he would step aside, a YouGuv poll [...]
‘Pump-price competition is broken’: AA disagrees with watchdog’s verdict that 5p tax duty cut WAS passed on at the pump July 8, 2022 Motoring groups have disagreed with Competition and Markets Authority’s verdict that the 5p fuel duty cut was reflected in pump prices, as the watchdog calls for further investigation and more transparency. The CMA’s urgent review, ordered by Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, found an increase “refining spread” added 24p a litre to petrol and diesel over [...]
1922 Committee treasurer: ‘Ship has sailed’ on PM leaving immediately but new leader should come in ‘as soon as possible’ July 8, 2022 A senior figure in the powerful 1922 Committee has said Boris Johnson should be ousted “as soon as possible”. Backbench MP Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown commented the Prime Minister’s position, after Johnson announced he would leave office soon in a speech outside Number 10 on Thursday. This comes after more than 50 resignation letters were submitted, [...]
Conservative MPs scramble to choose a new party leader July 7, 2022 The race to be the next Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland began today as MPs scrambled to organise their Tory leadership campaigns. There is no obvious successor to Boris Johnson, with a wide field of candidates from all wings of the party expected to stand. The 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers will [...]
LIVE BLOG: Boris Johnson ‘should not remain in Downing Street’ says former PM Sir John Major July 7, 2022 Welcome to City A.M.’s rolling coverage of the ongoing Conservative coup against prime minister Boris Johnson. We’ll bring you all the latest news, resignations, appointments, analysis and opinion, as well as the impact of the crisis on the markets and economy. 2pm – Former PM Sir John Major says Boris Johnson “should not remain in [...]
‘Them’s the breaks’: Defiant Boris Johnson resigns as Prime Minister July 7, 2022 Boris Johnson has formally announced his resignation as Conservative party leader and Prime Minister, telling a crowd of supporters and press outside Downing Street that he was “sad … to be giving up the best job in the world”. Johnson was defiant until the end and blamed today’s resignation on Wesminster’s “herd” mentality, instead of [...]
New prime minister has to grapple with ‘unsustainable’ UK indebtedness, fiscal watchdog warns July 7, 2022 Britain is on “an unsustainable path” to high indebtedness unless action is taken to strengthen the public finances, the country’s fiscal watchdog warned today. A combination of higher health spending to deal with an ageing society, the loss of motoring taxes due to the transition to net zero and greater geo-political risks could swell the [...]