Pension triple lock at risk as Truss warns of ‘difficult decisions’ October 18, 2022 Number 10 has refused to commit to the state pension triple lock, after Liz Truss promised to keep the measure just weeks ago. Truss’ spokesperson refused four times to say Truss would uphold the triple lock, which would ensure state pension payments stay in line with inflation next year. New chancellor Jeremy Hunt warned yesterday [...]
Khan: Crossrail’s Bond Street station can revitalise “tired” parts of Oxford Street October 18, 2022 London Mayor Sadiq Khan has said the opening of Bond Street’s Elizabeth Line station next week will help revitalise a “tired” part of Oxford Street – and keep big-ticket retailers in the West End. The station is the last of the Crossrail stations to open, having been delayed due to the complexity of the build. [...]
Khan: Tourist tax-free shopping u-turn bad for London’s businesses October 18, 2022 Sadiq Khan has slammed the government’s decision to u-turn on a plan to give tourists tax-free shopping. The Mayor of London said he “absolutely” shared the concerns of West End businesses, who have expressed disappointment that the capital will lag behind other cities’ in efforts to welcome high-spending foreign visitors. “VAT-free shopping for international tourists [...]
Cleverly summons China’s deputy ambassador after consulate protester beaten October 18, 2022 Foreign secretary James Cleverly has summoned China’s deputy ambassador to the UK, after a pro-Hong Kong democracy protester was beaten outside the country’s consulate in Manchester. Greater Manchester Police said a protester was on Sunday dragged into the Chinese consulate by its staff and beaten, sparking serious freedom of speech concerns within the UK government. [...]
Chair of defence committee says RAF vets who train Chinese pilots should ‘lose British citizenship’ October 18, 2022 The Tory chair of the Commons defence committee has called for RAF veterans to lose their citizenship if they train Chinese pilots. Tobias Ellwood made the comments on social media this morning just days after it was reported up to 30 former pilots have been lured to Beijing with large payments. Following reports, the UK [...]
Truss approval rating at record low as just 10 per cent have favourable view of PM October 18, 2022 Liz Truss’ approval ratings have reached an historic low and polling shows that Tory members are now in favour of removing the Prime Minister. A YouGov poll today showed Truss had a -70 net-favourability rating among the British public, which is lower than Boris Johnson faced at his lowest point and the lowest ever recorded [...]
Verdict on Liz Truss in world media outright brutal as PM turns into global laughing stock October 18, 2022 Developments in the UK have been closely followed by media across Europe and the rest of the world, and the verdict from most outlets is outright brutal. The Colombian newspaper El Colombiano, carrying a story with the headline “Liz Truss the Brief”, wrote that “Liz Truss, who’s been the British PM for barely six weeks, [...]
Liz Truss: I will lead Tories to next election October 18, 2022 Prime minister Liz Truss insisted she will lead the Tories into the next election, during a tense interview on the BBC last night. The embattled PM apologised for mistakes saying her tenure “hasn’t been perfect,” but she had “fixed” errors. This comes amid reports of Conservative plotting to replace her, following yesterday’s swathe of U-turns [...]
Uncertainty over timing of UK announcement of Big Bang 2.0 financial services reforms October 17, 2022 There is now uncertainty over when the UK will unveil its post-Brexit changes to EU financial services regulations amid the current government turmoil. The Treasury said last month that former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng would announce the long-awaited reforms, which will include changing the EU’s Solvency II directive on insurance firms, in October. This target may [...]
Rees-Mogg opens talks with British Steel owner over bailout and jobs October 17, 2022 The business secretary has reportedly opened formal talks with the owner of British Steel about a taxpayer bailout and job cuts. As first reported by Mark Kleinman for Sky News, Jacob Rees-Mogg wrote to parent firm Jingye Group last week and agreed that British Steel would maintain its current operations and 4000-strong work force during the [...]
