Govt’s Covid scientists receive suspicious packages for making ‘bad decisions’ September 2, 2021 A number of suspicious packages were sent to scientists who advised the Government during the coronavirus pandemic by people who feel they are “making bad decisions”, one expert revealed today. Professor Calum Semple, who sits on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said he had been on the receiving end of a “particularly nasty” [...]
School’s back from summer: Four things in Boris Johnson’s in-tray post-recess September 2, 2021 MPs will descend on Westminster next week as parliament returns from after the six-week summer recess. Boris Johnson will be lamenting that the events of the past month in Afghanistan have ensured little time for rest or recuperation and things will be no easier for the Prime Minister as autumn begins. Here are four key [...]
Brexit: UK food and drink exports to EU plummet September 2, 2021 Food and drink exports from the UK have plummeted due to a sharp drop in trade with the EU after Brexit, according to fresh research published today. Data from the Food and Drink Federation shows overall UK exports of food and drink slid £2bn in the first half of this year, primarily the result of [...]
China bans reality TV and seeks to make male representation more ‘manly’ September 2, 2021 China has reportedly banned reality talent programmes from airing today, in a wide extension of its crackdown on pop culture that Beijing has dubbed as ‘immoral’. The latest bout of hawkish regulation has included broadcasters being ordered to promote more ‘masculine’ representations of men – amid fears of its declining population. Talent shows featuring young [...]
UK could be forced to move nuclear weapons abroad if Scottish independence bid succeeds September 2, 2021 Britain’s nuclear weapons could be moved to France or the United States in the event of Scottish independence, Ministry of Defence contingency plans reveal. Several anonymous officials were cited by the Financial Times on Wednesday as saying they had been briefed on plans which could see Britain’s nuclear deterrents, currently based in Scottish ports, relocated [...]
Covid vaccine: Immunosuppressed people in the UK to receive third dose September 1, 2021 Around half a million people in the UK whose immune systems are severely weakened will be offered a third primary vaccine dose, following a new recommendation announced by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) today. Anyone over the age of 12 who was immunosuppressed at the time of their first or second dose [...]
Raab refuses 11 times to say when he went on holiday in lead up to Afghanistan crisis September 1, 2021 Dominic Raab has refused 11 times to reveal when he went on holiday in the lead-up to the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in a 90-minute grilling by MPs. The foreign secretary said today that he “wouldn’t have gone away with the benefit of hindsight”, but would not reveal if he left after western intelligence had [...]
Former HSBC boss John Flint lands UK Infrastructure Bank chief executive job September 1, 2021 John Flint, the former CEO of HSBC, has been appointed as the first chief executive officer of the new government-backed UK Infrastructure Bank. Chancellor Rishi Sunak has tasked Flint with leading the Bank’s mandate to identify and finance infrastructure projects as part of the government’s “levelling up” agenda. The UKIB was first announced at the [...]
Next boss calls for UK immigration shakeup amid lorry driver shortage September 1, 2021 Lamenting the national lorry driver shortage, Next boss Lord Simon Wolfson has called on the Home Office to shape up its immigration rules to allow overseas hauliers into the UK. The trickling supply of HGV drivers has led to 94 per cent of hospitality businesses reporting problems with the delivery of products, according to trade [...]
Dominic Raab prepares to face grilling from MPs over Afghanistan September 1, 2021 Dominic Raab will today face a grilling from MPs over how he handled the Taliban’s rapid takeover of Afghanistan and the subsequent evacuation of British nationals and refugees. The foreign secretary will face questions for 90 minutes from the Foreign Affairs Committee over intelligence failures relating to the takeover of Afghanistan, British nationals who have [...]
