Government accuses peers of seeking to delay controversial strike reforms June 21, 2023 The government has accused peers of trying to delay controversial strike reforms that unions fear will make it easier to sack workers. The House of Lords had made a series of amendments to the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill aimed at protecting workers and trade unions, plus requiring the government to consult further on the [...]
Covid-19 inquiry: Flu-based pandemic prep meant herd immunity was seen as ‘inevitable’, says Hunt June 21, 2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has said the focus on any future pandemic being flu-based meant there was a “shared assumption herd immunity was inevitably” going to be the strategy used to contain a new virus. He admitted being part of “groupthink” when he was health secretary, leading to a “narrowness of thinking” that failed to expand [...]
Revealed: The London constituencies that will be worst hit by mortgage rate rises June 21, 2023 Mortgage holders in London and the Southeast are set to be the worst hit by the “crippling” mortgage rate rises on the horizon, new data shows. The top twenty areas of the country set to see the highest increase in their mortgage repayments increase are concentrated around the capital and the commuter belt, according to [...]
Barriers to business require urgent action from government June 21, 2023 Per the business secretary, Britain’s trade problem is that we don’t think we can. Apparently our ‘sardonic’ sense of humour holds us back from sailing the seven seas like mercantile Brits of old. Even by the standards of recent years, it’s an absurd statement. It sums up a wider dereliction of duty in Westminster towards [...]
Rishi Sunak: Canada will be ‘engine room’ of UK investment in rebuilding Ukraine June 21, 2023 Ukraine is set to receive £3bn in World Bank loan guarantees as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed the UK would continue to support the nation for “as long as it takes” in the fight against Russia. Sunak will also announce a major financial support package for the eastern European country as it mounts its long-awaited [...]
WH Smith, M&S and Argos among hundreds fined for failing to pay minimum wage June 21, 2023 Hundreds of businesses including high-street heavyweights WH Smith, M&S and Argos have been named and shamed after being fined for failing to pay workers the minimum wage. Firms from sole traders to household names were ordered to repay 63,000 staff lost wages totalling close to £5m, after breaching National Minimum Wage (NMW) law. WH Smith [...]
Badenoch slammed for ignoring Brexit realities and telling UK firms global trade ‘isn’t too tough’ June 20, 2023 Kemi Badenoch has been criticised by business groups for trying to “shift the blame” after she told British businesses that international trade “isn’t too tough”. The business and international trade secretary said today that the UK has “too many negative tropes about how difficult it all is”. Speaking at the launch of the first e-commerce [...]
Hunt to discuss support with mortgage lenders as repayments crisis looms June 20, 2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is set to meet with mortgage lenders to discuss support for homeowners as a repayments crisis looms. Various calls have been made for the government to step in to help struggling borrowers – but Hunt said ministers would not provide financial support which would fuel inflation. Average costs for a two-year fixed-rate [...]
Mel Stride urges Johnson and cabinet to ‘row together’ and end hostilities after vote June 20, 2023 Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride expressed hope that Boris Johnson and the Cabinet can now “row together” and end the hostilities. Mr Stride told Times Radio he backed the Privileges Committee’s findings that the former prime minister lied to MPs but said he felt “quite uneasy” with the 90-day suspension recommended so decided to [...]
Sadiq Khan to address ‘cost of doing business’ crisis at summit with Uber and Natwest June 20, 2023 Sadiq Khan is set to address the “cost of doing business crisis” at a crunch summit with firms including Uber, Natwest and KPMG. The mayor of London will welcome more than 200 CEOs to his annual City Hall business reception at the Crystal in east London today. He is expected to tell firms the “cost-of-doing-business [...]
