WTO countries ink deal to cut red tape for services firms December 2, 2021 The UK is one of 67 countries to sign up to a new World Trade Organisation (WTO) pact to cut red tape around licensing and qualifications for services firms. The deal – signed by countries like the UK, US, China, Russia, Japan, Germany, France and Canada – aims to increase transparency and efficiency for services [...]
Liberal Democrats call for £5.5bn-a-year tax cuts for small businesses December 2, 2021 The Liberal Democrats are calling for Rishi Sunak to bring in a package of tax cuts for small businesses that would be worth up to £5.5bn-a-year. Party leader Ed Davey said “Boris Johnson must be living on another planet” if he thinks his government’s planned tax rises, which will increase the country’s tax burden to [...]
Number 10 tells US not to ‘conflate’ Trump-era steel tariffs with Brexit December 2, 2021 Downing Street has warned the US that tetchy UK-EU negotiations over the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol should not affect any decisions made about Donald Trump-era tariffs on British steel. A Number 10 spokesperson said “we do not think those issues should be conflated”, after reports today that the US was not removing tariffs on British [...]
Truss doubles down Ukraine support in meeting with Russian counterpart December 2, 2021 Foreign secretary Liz Truss has met with her Russian counterpart today to double down on support for Ukraine. Russia, which annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, has been accused of trying to destabilise its eastern European neighbour state. “The Foreign Secretary expressed concern about rising tensions across Europe and re-stated the UK’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, [...]
Government cuts deals with Pfizer and Moderna for 114m vaccines December 2, 2021 The government has cut a deal with vaccine makers for millions of new jabs, as Pfizer’s boss predicts that booster jabs are here to stay. The deal for 114m Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna jabs has secured doses for next year and 2023. It seeks to “future proof” the UK’s immunisation programme, health secretary Sajid Javid said [...]
City Hall Tories call for £12m TfL bonuses to be scrapped in wake of cash concerns December 2, 2021 Sadiq Khan should suspend £12m of planned bonuses to Transport for London (TfL) chiefs in the wake of concerns over the body’s financial position, according to the City Hall caucus of Conservatives. Susan Hall, the leader of the Tories in the London Assembly, said the mayor needs to “get a grip of [TfL’s] wasteful spending” [...]
Corporates should learn from an unlikely stand for democracy December 2, 2021 Tennis is not known for its raucous applause but perhaps some is in order for the bosses of the Women’s Tennis Association, who last night announced that they would not be hosting tournaments in China for the foreseeable future. The move is in response to ongoing concerns about the welfare of Chinese player Peng Shuai, [...]
Man detained by police after cycling through security at UK parliament December 1, 2021 A man has been detained by armed police today after cycling through security at the UK houses of parliament. Bystanders have said that he got through the gate in front of the House of Commons before being promptly tackled by officers. The man was seen pinned down by officers near the Christmas tree outside parliament, [...]
European Commission to inject €300bn into global infrastructure December 1, 2021 The European Commission is set to inject €300bn into global infrastructure, which is expected to create around 38m jobs in the process. The hefty investment scheme, known as Global Gateway, is also intended to bolster trade to the European Union (EU), strengthen supply chains and tackle climate change. The projects that will receive fiscal boosts [...]
World Health Organisation seeks to forge global pact to tackle future pandemics December 1, 2021 The World Health Organisation (WHO) has agreed a plan to launch a global pact on preventing and controlling future pandemics. The global health body intends to launch negotiations soon, with the deal expected to be ready by May 2024. The first stage of talks are expected to be held by the beginning of March next [...]
