Council trialling four-day work week ordered to ‘end experiment immediately’ July 3, 2023 A council undergoing a four-day work week trial has been ordered to stop the experiment by a minister over concerns about local residents not getting value for money. South Cambridgeshire District Council was the UK’s first local authority to launch a trial of a shorter working week for employees, and said it planned to extend [...]
ULEZ: Sadiq Khan to face High Court showdown this week over divisive policy July 3, 2023 Sadiq Khan faces a High Court showdown this week over his plans to expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to most of Greater London by the end of the summer. A coalition of Conservative-led councils opposed to ULEZ claim that the mayor has acted unlawfully while attempting to expand the controversial scheme. The court [...]
Tories facing biggest by-election defeat in UK history as Nadine Dorries’ seat goes up for grabs July 3, 2023 The Conservative Party is facing the biggest by-election defeat in British history in Nadine Dorries’ Mid Bedfordshire seat, pollsters at Opinium have warned. Labour is set to overturn the former culture secretary’s 24,664 majority in the ‘safe’ seat, which has voted blue since 1931. Adam Drumming, from Opinium, said: “The Conservatives are holding onto just [...]
Quarter of taxpayers in London and southeast stung by higher income tax July 2, 2023 A quarter of taxpayers in London and the southeast of England now fall within the higher rate of income tax, it has been revealed. Almost 2.5m people in the capital and commuter belt constituencies now come under the 40 or 45 per cent tax bracket, analysis of HMRC data by the Liberal Democrats has shown [...]
Labour and Just Stop Oil donor says there’s “no kind of deal” on party policy July 2, 2023 Green energy industrialist Dale Vince has denied being “an eco-zealot” as he defended his £1.5m donations to Labour. Vince told Sky News he was not seeking to influence leader Sir Keir Starmer by giving cash to the party and that there was not “some kind of deal going on”. The Ecotricity owner accused the “right [...]
Burning car hits Mayor’s home as Paris riots continue overnight July 2, 2023 Young rioters clashed with police late on Saturday and early on Sunday and targeted a mayor’s home with a burning car as France faced a fifth night of unrest sparked by the police killing of a teenager, but overall violence appeared to be reduced compared with previous nights. Police had made 719 arrests nationwide by [...]
Lord Goldsmith, accused of undermining partygate probe, quits government due to its ‘apathy’ on the environment June 30, 2023 Foreign Office minister Lord Goldsmith has announced his resignation over what he described as Government “apathy” towards the environment. In a scathing letter to the Prime Minister on Friday, the Tory peer accused Rishi Sunak directly of being “simply uninterested” in climate issues. The departure comes just a day after the peer was censured in [...]
As the Financial Services and Markets Act becomes law – here are the 5 things you need to know June 30, 2023 The Financial Services and Markets Bill received royal assent yesterday, securing the passage into law of the government’s landmark overhaul of financial services regulation. The government claims the reforms enable the UK to capitalise on ‘Brexit freedoms’, unlocking billions of pounds which could be directed to investment in the UK. In short, the act empowers [...]
Nigel Farage claims he may have to leave UK after bank accounts closed June 29, 2023 Nigel Farage has claimed he may have to leave the UK after his bank accounts were closed. The former UKIP leader and Brexiteer today posted a six-minute long video on Twitter, stating his accounts had been closed and he was unable to secure banking services elsewhere. He wrote: “The establishment is trying to force me [...]
Brexit scaremongering must stop, says minister June 29, 2023 Total UK trade is up and Brexit scaremongering “has to stop”, a business minister has said. Nus Ghani told the Commons UK trade is thriving post-Brexit, as she dismissed concerns about the effects of the country’s withdrawal from the European Union as “scaremongering”. Her remarks came in response to a question about the impact of [...]
