Sajid Javid: PM comparing Brexit to Ukraine invasion was about ‘self-determination’ March 21, 2022 The health secretary has become the latest of the Boris Johnson’s cabinet to defend the prime minister likening Ukraine’s desire for sovereignty amid its invasion to the Brexit vote. Health and social care minister Sajid Javid told Sky News this morning that if the public wanted to see what the prime minister thinks about Ukraine, [...]
Fuel duty expected to be cut as cost of living continues to spiral March 21, 2022 Fuel duty is expected to be cut by the Chancellor this week, as the cost of living crisis continues to spiral and onlookers call for political intervention. Soaring energy bills and inflation, as well as record high petrol prices, have significantly dampened consumer spending power amid the UK’s post-pandemic and Brexit recovery. Chancellor Rishi Sunak [...]
Spring budget: Defence and foreign aid set to miss out on rise as war rages in Ukraine March 21, 2022 Britain’s defence and foreign aid budgets are set to miss out on an increase in the Spring budget, despite Russia’s war in Ukraine putting pressure on the UK’s responsibilities abroad. Chancellor Rishi Sunak sidestepped suggestions the conflict could lead to a rise in cash for defence, pointing to £24bn spent last year. This comes after [...]
Extra 125,000 workers will pay National Insurance in ‘stealth tax’ hike March 20, 2022 An extra 125,000 people will have to pay National Insurance under Rishi Sunak’s current tax plans, new research has revealed. Research compiled by the Liberal Democrats, using figures from the House of Commons library, suggest that employees face an extra £1.1bn hit through a “stealth tax” if Sunak does not increase the current threshold by [...]
P&O Ferries’ move to sack 800 staff was ‘awful’, says Sunak March 20, 2022 P&O Ferries’ move to sack 800 staff this week was “apalling” and “wrong”, Rishi Sunak has said today. The chancellor said he would now be investigating whether the actions of P&O were legal. The shipping and logistics firm, which is owned by Dubai-based DP World, told 800 workers over Zoom that they had been made [...]
IFS warns new GDP and tax receipt forecasts will be revised downward March 20, 2022 The UK’s budgetary watchdog is expected to next week downgrade its forecasts for future GDP growth and government tax revenues, according to the head of the influential Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) think tank. IFS director Paul Johnson said today that Rishi Sunak’s spending plans from the October budget will now be “worth an awful [...]
Hospitality chiefs call on Sunak to reverse VAT hike or leave London businesses ‘unviable overnight’ March 20, 2022 Hospitality heads have said the government’s plans to increase VAT from current rates of 12.5 per cent to highs of 20 per cent at the start of next month will see some London businesses “become unviable overnight.” Industry chiefs warned that Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s plans to hike consumer taxes on food, soft drinks, accommodation, and [...]
The Nuclear Option: Ministers weigh up state company as Sunak doubts UK energy strategy March 20, 2022 Government ministers are mulling over plans to launch a state-owned nuclear company while Suank questions power plant ramp-up.
British Chambers of Commerce urges Sunak to help businesses facing rising costs March 20, 2022 The British Chambers of Commerce has called on Rishi Sunak to help businesses facing rising energy costs as it warns of a “cost of doing business” crisis. BCC director general Shevaun Haviland today urged the chancellor to scrap the planned rise in National Insurance Contributions for employees and employers next month and to implement an [...]
Sunak says ‘of course’ he will provide more help for families facing rising energy bills March 20, 2022 Rishi Sunak has said that “of course” he will help households dealing with further increases in energy bills as a result of the Russo-Ukrainian war. The chancellor said that he will “stand by” people facing the cost of living squeeze in “the same way I have done in the last couple of years”. Sunak will [...]