Chancellor to face ‘tough choices’ in delivering Spring Budget despite having to borrow £30bn less March 6, 2023 Jeremy Hunt will be forced to make tough decisions in his upcoming Budget, experts have warned, despite the Chancellor having considerably more wiggle room than previously thought. Improvements in the state of the British economy mean Jeremy Hunt will have to borrow £30bn less than the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR’s) November forecast showed, according [...]
Sadiq Khan criticised for ULEZ cameras for ‘pay-as-you-drive’ charge plans March 5, 2023 London mayor Sadiq Khan has been criticised over plans to use ULEZ cameras for a possible future ‘pay-as-you-drive’ road user charging scheme. Transport for London (TfL) is looking into replacing existing schemes such as the congestion charge and the ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) with a “single, integrated road user” charge. Just 300 of the [...]
Keir Starmer should publish Sue Gray WhatsApps, Tories say, amid pro-Labour poll March 5, 2023 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer should publish any WhatsApp messages with Sue Gray ahead of her becoming his chief of staff, a Conservative minister has said. Starmer should publish his messages with the civil servant and partygate investigator to clear up questions about her move to the senior role, the Northern Ireland secretary Chris Heaton-Harris [...]
Partygate inquiry: Breaches ‘obvious’ to Johnson as ex PM feels ‘vindicated’ by Sue Gray Starmer switch March 3, 2023 Evidence strongly suggests breaches of coronavirus rules would have been “obvious” to Boris Johnson during partygate, the inquiry into whether he lied to MPs has said. The cross-party Privileges Committee said the Commons may have been misled multiple times as they set up a live showdown with the former prime minister for later this month. [...]
Starmer ally Powell rejects ‘stitch up’ claim: Sue Gray ‘impartial and really good at her job’ March 3, 2023 Labour’s shadow culture secretary has hit back at claims of a “stitch up”, after Partygate investigator Sue Gray joined Keir Starmer’s top team. Lucy Powell described partygate investigator Sue Gray – who plans to join Labour as Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff – as “impartial” and “really good at her job”. She told ITV’s [...]
UK should restore freedom of movement, says Jean-Claude Juncker March 2, 2023 The UK should restore freedom of movement, Jean-Claude Juncker said today, adding that Rishi Sunak’s Windsor Framework deal with the EU was “a real breakthrough”. In an interview with LBC, ex-European Commission president Juncker called for Britain to have a “normal relationship” with the trading bloc, including a “kind of freedom of movement for workers”. [...]
Nadine Dorries brands partygate report a ‘stitch up’ after Sue Gray joins Starmer’s team March 2, 2023 Tory MPs have reacted to reports top civil servant Sue Gray is set to join Keir Starmer as his chief of staff, with one Boris Johnson ally branding her partygate report a “stitch up”. Gray has quit her civil service job and is reportedly set to join the Labour leader’s team. Nadine Dorries, former culture [...]
Sue Gray, civil servant who chaired inquiry into Boris Johnson ‘partygate’, reportedly hired as Keir Starmer’s chief of staff March 2, 2023 Top civil servant Sue Gray who carried out the partygate inquiry has reportedly been hired as Keir Starmer’s new chief of staff. Gray has quit her Cabinet Office post, according to the PA news agency, and is reportedly set to take up the key role in Sir Keir’s operation. It comes as Labour tries to [...]
Boris Johnson says he will find it ‘very difficult’ to vote for Rishi Sunak’s Brexit deal March 2, 2023 Boris Johnson has said he will “find it very difficult to vote for” Rishi Sunak’s deal on post-Brexit trading arrangements in Northern Ireland. The former Prime Minister has raised concerns about Sunak’s Windsor Framework which aims to resolve the power-sharing deadlock in Stormont. In a Westminster speech today, he said: “I’m going to find it [...]
Small businesses call on Hunt to tackle ‘childcare crisis’ as economic impact grows March 1, 2023 One of the UK’s leading business groups has called on Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to immediately tackle the “childcare crisis” in the upcoming budget as the high cost of childcare is increasingly forcing parents out of the workforce. Childcare providers face insufficient funding, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) told Morning Wire, and are either having [...]