Labour’s David Lammy To Promise New UK-EU Security Pact
Labour’s shadow foreign secretary will promise to forge a new security pact between the UK and the European Union if the party wins the next election. David Lammy will later set out five proposals the party said would help Britain “thrive” on the world stage. The proposals involve working more closely with the EU on... Read More
Technology Can Help The NHS – AstraZeneca Boss
The chairman of Covid vaccine giant AstraZeneca has said that investment in technology can help the NHS cut costs. Leif Johansson said more spending on areas such as artificial intelligence and screening could prevent illness and stop people from going to the hospital. The NHS is under severe pressure, with A&E waits at record levels... Read More
Government To Offer £600m For Green Steel Switch
The government is expected to announce hundreds of millions of pounds of support to help Britain’s two biggest steelmakers go green. The funding for British Steel and Tata Steel UK is likely to be unveiled by the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, this week. Each is expected to receive around £300m of grants to help pay for... Read More
Nadhim Zahawi Paid Penalty As Part Of HMRC Tax Dispute
Nadhim Zahawi paid a penalty as part of his tax dispute with HM Revenue & Customs, the BBC has been told. The Conservative Party chairman is facing claims he tried to avoid tax and had to pay it back. On Saturday he said he did make a payment to HMRC to settle the issue. It... Read More
UK Poised To Give £300m In Rescue Funding To British Steel
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is poised to grant a £300m funding package for struggling British Steel, the BBC has been told. The move follows requests from Business Secretary Grant Shapps and Levelling-up Secretary Michael Gove. It would depend on British Steel’s Chinese owner Jingye committing to securing jobs at the company and making additional substantial investments.... Read More
Rishi Sunak Fined For Not Wearing Seatbelt In Back Of Car
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been fined for not wearing a seatbelt in a moving car while filming a social media video. Lancashire Police said it had issued a 42-year-old man from London with a conditional offer of a fixed penalty. No 10 said Mr. Sunak “fully accepts this was a mistake and has apologized”,... Read More
Repeated Strikes Make Workload More Challenging – NHS England Boss
Strikes by health staff are making workloads “more challenging” to handle, NHS England’s chief executive has acknowledged. Amanda Pritchard told the BBC that the ongoing industrial action is “clearly having an impact”. But she suggested that all sides are “looking to try to reach a resolution”. Nurses in England walked out this week and ambulance... Read More
Rail Workers Given Fresh Pay Offer In Dispute
Rail workers have been given a fresh pay offer by train companies in a bid to end long-running strike action. The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) has made the new offer to the RMT union following talks over the past week. The deal includes a backdated pay rise of 5%, up from a previous offer of... Read More
British Gas Will Stop Remote Switches To Prepayment Meter
British Gas has said it will stop switching people onto prepayment meters via their smart meters when they struggle to pay their bills. It comes amid growing calls to stop the practice, which critics say puts vulnerable people at risk. Citizens Advice said forcible switching should be banned, adding it had seen a big rise... Read More
Levelling Up Funding Process Is Broken – Tory Mayor Andy Street
The Conservative mayor for the West Midlands has lashed out at the process for allocating levelling up funds, calling for an end to Whitehall’s “broken begging bowl culture”. In an angry statement, Andy Street said he wanted ministers to justify why “the majority” of bids in his region had been rejected. The West Midlands received... Read More