Widening deficit lays bare difficulties of Scottish independence August 18, 2021 The response to the Covid crisis has inflicted severe damage on Scotland’s public finances, according to official figures released today. Scotland’s fiscal deficit swelled to 22.4 per cent of GDP in the year to April 2021, more than eight percentage points higher than the same ratio for the UK as a whole. In 2019/20, Scotland’s [...]
Tory MP Tom Tugendhat slams Joe Biden’s ‘shameful’ comments on Afghani soldiers August 18, 2021 Senior Tory MP Tom Tugendhat has hit out at “shameful” comments made by Joe Biden on the efforts of Afghani soldiers defending the country from the Taliban. The Foreign Affairs Committee chair, who served in Afghanistan, said “those who have never fought for the colours they fly should be careful about criticising those who have”. [...]
Wealthy City bankers ‘ditched the UK for the EU ahead of Brexit,’ survey finds August 18, 2021 Almost a hundred highly paid bankers left the UK ahead of its formal exit from the EU, the bloc’s banking watchdog said today, in a sign of how Brexit has impacted the Square Mile. The European Banking Authority (EBA) said in its annual survey of bankers earning more than €1m (£850,000) that the UK’s total [...]
Boris Johnson: UK deployment of troops to stop Taliban ‘not an option’ August 18, 2021 Boris Johnson has today declared that deploying tens of thousands of UK troops to stop the Taliban in Afghanistan is “not an option” and that there was “no appetite” among Nato partners to intervene further in the country. Johnson told MPs today that “the west could not continue this US-led mission – a mission conceived [...]
Man hunt? No, job hunt: Cressida Dick to be offered contract extension before exiting Met police August 18, 2021 Home secretary Priti Patel is reportedly planning to offer Metropolitan police commissioner, Dame Cressida Dick, a contract extension as commissioner candidates run dry. Dick’s successor will be tasked with overhauling Britain’s biggest police force after a string of controversies. Although no final decisions have yet been made, sources from the Home Office told The Times [...]
UK to resettle 20,000 Afghans in the coming years August 18, 2021 The UK has vowed to resettle 20,000 Afghans in the coming years as many leave their home country out of fear of persecution by the Taliban. The government has unveiled plans to offer refuge to those most at risk, as fears have mounted for those who had worked against the Taliban in Afghanistan since the [...]
Government to breach manifesto pledge and scrap triple lock August 18, 2021 The Conservative government is set to break a key manifesto pledge next year to avoid placing further pressure on the strained public finances. The state pension will rise 2.5 per cent next year, breaching the Tories’ promise to retain the triple lock increase. Under the policy, the state pension rises by whichever is highest out [...]
Pingdemic: Hancock was urged to ‘tweak’ Covid-19 Test and Trace app August 17, 2021 Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock was reportedly asked whether the NHS Covid-19 app should be amended to alert contacts of positive cases from two days back rather than five days, but no change was made. The app was tweaked earlier this month amid the so-called “pingdemic”, which had seen hundreds of thousands of alerts sent [...]
Queen faces Covid scare at Balmoral as staff member tests positive August 17, 2021 The Queen is carrying on her summer holiday at Balmoral although a staff member at the Scottish estate tested positive for coronavirus this weekend. Her Majesty, 95 and double-vaccinated, will remain at her private castle in Aberdeenshire as planned. The Covid-infected employee was sent home on Saturday after taking a PCR test, reported The Sun. [...]
Exclusive: UK eyes quick ‘interim’ trade deal with India as negotiations set to start this year August 17, 2021 The UK government is looking at wrapping up a quick “interim” trade deal with India, which could see tariffs slashed on products like Scotch whisky before a full agreement is in place. The Department for International Trade (DIT) is looking to start formal negotiations with India before the end of this year, after an initial [...]
