Weekend Read: Brexit and the pandemic have cost UK businesses £250bn, each January 30, 2022 The political choice of Brexit has cost UK businesses as much as the unforeseeable Covid pandemic. British companies have lost over £250bn to Covid and an equal amount to Brexit by the end of 2021, but the Brexit tally is now rising faster, The Centre for Economics and Business Research found that Covid-19 lockdowns had [...]
Weekend Read: Legal minds discuss how Sue Gray report could prejudice police probe into partygate January 30, 2022 Publishing the findings of Sue Gray’s inquiry could prejudice the police investigation into allegations of lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street, the Metropolitan Police said yesterday morning. However, lawyers have questioned how this could be the case, as they zoom in on both investigations and look at the legal aspects of finding the truth in what [...]
Fraud minister who resigned this week opens up: ‘I didn’t want to blow my top, but I was very angry’ January 29, 2022 The government minister who quit this week over the “schoolboy” handling of fraudulent Covid-19 business loans said of his resignation during a speech at the despatch box in the House of Lords: “I didn’t want to blow my top, but I was very angry.” Lord Agnew of Oulton, who was the Tories’ anti-fraud minister, says [...]
Sajid Javid to nationalise GPs in effort to reduce hospitalisations January 29, 2022 Health secretary Sajid Javid is considering whether to nationalise GPs as a way to reduce hospitalisations. Shaking to the core the 70-year-old NHS structure, Javid’s plan could mark the end of GP surgeries as doctors would directly be employed by hospital trusts. “Whilst there are some strengths to the system of primary care, it’s also [...]
Brexit border: UK and EU have ‘months to stop tourist traffic grinding to a halt’ if no deal is reached January 29, 2022 British tourists headed for city breaks in Paris or sunny getaways in Spain in September could be hit by new biometric checks set to be required at the border. In fact, the UK has just months to avoid huge disruption to holidaymakers when new EU rules come into force – despite knowing about the problem [...]
Sue Gray furious after police intervention as Scotland Yard contacts ‘partygate’ suspects January 29, 2022 Sue Gray, the civil servant looking into the lockdown-breaking parties allegedly held at No 10, is furious after the Met’s intervention. Gray, who was told by Scotland Yard on Friday to make “minimal reference” to the parties, was frustrated and angered by the situation, as her report is expected to be published within days, the [...]
Ukraine: Boris Johnson to call Putin and visit Eastern Europe January 29, 2022 Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to call Russian President Vladimir Putin in the next days, visiting Eastern Europe as part of the UK’s diplomatic efforts to solve the Ukrainian crisis. Downing Street said Johnson will focus on Russia’s need to “engage diplomatically”, reiterating “the need for Russia to step back,” the BBC reported. In [...]
Octopus Energy faces £100m blow from market meltdown January 29, 2022 Octopus has warned it is facing a hefty bill from the energy crisis, as it absorbs the impact of the price cap and soaring wholesale costs.
Exclusive: Brexit financial services regulation bonfire set to be in next Queen’s Speech January 28, 2022 An overhaul of the UK’s financial services regulation is set to be included in the next Queen’s Speech as the government speeds up its push to make the City more competitive post-Brexit. Chancellor Rishi Sunak gave an update to the cabinet on Tuesday about the UK’s plans to shed EU rules for financial services, with [...]
Scotland Yard urges Sue Gray to make only ‘minimal reference’ to events investigated by police January 28, 2022 Scotland Yard asked for the Whitehall inquiry into allegations of lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street to make only “minimal reference” to the events being investigated by police. In a statement, it said: “For the events the Met is investigating, we asked for minimal reference to be made in the Cabinet Office report. “The Met did [...]
