Cleverly says ‘comfort blanket allies’ not enough as he vows wider UK engagement December 12, 2022 Britain cannot rely on its traditional “comfort blanket allies” and must expand its engagement with developing countries, foreign secretary James Cleverly has said. Cleverly said the UK’s relationships with western countries were “rock solid”, but not enough to “sustain the international order”. The speech, Cleverly’s first major intervention as foreign secretary, signalled a move away [...]
Number 10 full of praise for ‘compassionate’ Gareth Southgate December 12, 2022 Number 10 has heaped praise on Gareth Southgate, while stopping short of saying whether he should continue as England manager. Rishi Sunak’s official spokesman said today that “the whole country can be proud” of Southgate and his players, after England exited the World Cup in the quarter finals on Saturday. Speculation is rife over Southgate’s [...]
Christmas strikes: Government to hold crisis meetings as army called in December 11, 2022 The government will hold a series of crisis meetings this week to try and minimise disruption during widespread Christmas strikes, with the government now calling in the military. Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden will convene two Cobra meetings with ministers from several departments as the UK faces crippling strikes in hospitals, airports and railways. The [...]
City minister says ‘world’s moved on’ from post-2008 financial services reforms December 11, 2022 City minister Andrew Griffith has said “the world’s moved on” since the 2008 global financial crisis in an attempt to calm concerns about the easing of the UK’s bank ring-fencing regime. Griffith told Morning Wire that the regulation, which will be relaxed as a part of newly announced post-Brexit reforms, was acting as “an impediment” on some [...]
Sunak delays Northern Ireland Protocol Bill in bid to strike deal with EU December 11, 2022 Rishi Sunak is set to delay plans to unilaterally rip up the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill as he tries to broker a deal with Brussels to fix the post-Brexit treaty. The Prime Minister has decided not to bring the controversial Northern Ireland Protocol Bill back to the House of Lords this year, after UK-EU relations [...]
Cleverly says China has threatened key UK institutions in lead up to major speech December 11, 2022 James Cleverly has warned that China has threatened a number of the UK’s key institutions in the lead up to his first major speech as foreign secretary. Cleverly today said “China has threatened a number of those foundation stones that we feel are important”, while also maintaining that Britain needs to cooperate with Beijing on [...]
Tributes flow in after death of former minister Lord Young aged 90 December 10, 2022 Social media tributes have flown in following the death of former businessman and Conservative cabinet minister Lord Young of Graffham aged 90. Lord Young – who served twice as secretary of state during the 1980s – was considered one of Margaret Thatcher’s right-hand men. He became secretary of state for employment in 1985 while two [...]
Rishi Sunak: Kremlin needs to leave Ukraine before any agreement considered December 10, 2022 The Kremlin will need to pull its forces out of Ukraine before any peace agreement can be considered, according to Rishi Sunak. Sunak and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday agreed on the importance of pre-empting Russia’s calls for a ceasefire. The PM – who met with the president for the first time since becoming prime [...]
Jersey’s flat explosion: One dead and ‘around a dozen’ missing December 10, 2022 One person has died and several are missing following an explosion and fire at a block of flats in Jersey, police have said. Robin Smith, the chief officer of the States of Jersey Police, told a press conference that “around a dozen” residents are missing following a blast in St Helier on the south of [...]
‘Carried away’: Kwasi Kwarteng admits Truss government ‘blew it’ over mini-budget December 10, 2022 Former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng has admitted that Liz Truss’s government “blew it” when it came to the economic reforms proposed in the mini-budget. “People got carried away, myself included,” he told the Financial Times. “There was a brief moment and the people in charge, myself included, blew it.” Kwarteng was ousted from government after he [...]