Prime Minister’s deputy chief of staff faces conflict of interest accusations April 14, 2021 Boris Johnson’s deputy chief of staff is facing accusations of a potential conflict of interest amid a lobbying scandal that has engulfed the Conservative party. Baroness Finn, who was appointed to her role in February, holds a 35 per cent stake in a company that advises governments including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kazakhstan. FMAP Limited [...]
Number 10 defends taxpayer-funded vaccine film April 14, 2021 Number 10 has defended the production of a taxpayer-funded film documenting the UK’s “extraordinary” vaccine rollout, insisting it was produced in-house and within departmental budgets. The trailer for A Beacon Of Hope: The UK Vaccine Story was released more than four weeks ago, with the full version billed as “coming soon”. The 30-minute film was originally [...]
Biden to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan by 11 September April 13, 2021 US President Joe Biden is set to withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan over the coming months in time for the 20th anniversary of 9/11, according to reports. It means the US will likely miss a May deadline for a pullout agreed with the Taliban by the Trump administration last year. Biden had previously said the [...]
David Cameron ‘open to questions’ over Greensill lobbying April 13, 2021 David Cameron has said he will cooperate with a government inquiry into a lobbying row linked to collapsed finance firm Greensill. Boris Johnson yesterday announced an independent review into the way the former prime minister lobbied health secretary Matt Hancock and chancellor Rishi Sunak on behalf of Greensill and how contracts were awarded. The inquiry [...]
Over-40s to be offered Covid vaccine ‘from tomorrow’ April 12, 2021 Over-40s are due to be invited for their first vaccinations against coronavirus from tomorrow, as part of government plans to offer a first injection to all adults in the UK by 31 July. Initial appointments will be reserved for people aged 49, with people in their mid-to-late-40s told to book later in the month as [...]
Biden sets aside $14bn to fight climate change in 2022 budget April 9, 2021 President Joe Biden has proposed $14bn in spending on initiatives to fight climate change in the 2022 budget, including large cash injections for environmental regulation and science research. The proposal underscores the administration’s ambitions to decarbonising the economy by 2050 to stem global warming, reversing a policy direction set by former President Donald Trump to slash red [...]
Biden to create commission to look into expanding Supreme Court April 9, 2021 US President Joe Biden will order the creation of a bipartisan commission to study potential reforms to the Supreme Court, including whether to expand the number of justices. The commission would tackle the “merits and legality” of specific high court reform proposals, the White House said in a statement, along with the contentious idea of [...]
Greensill lobbying row: Rishi Sunak’s texts to David Cameron published April 8, 2021 Texts sent by chancellor Rishi Sunak to David Cameron relating to collapsed finance firm Greensill Capital have been published amid a row over lobbying. The former prime minister is facing an investigation over messages he sent to the chancellor asking for more Covid support for Greensill. In response to a Freedom of Information request, the [...]
London reports zero Covid deaths as cases slump to September levels April 8, 2021 London recorded zero Covid-related deaths yesterday for the third time this year, as infections slumped to levels not seen since September. The daily death toll has previously fallen to nil on 28 March and 27 February, with cases continuing to decline across the bulk of boroughs. Just 317 coronavirus infections were reported in the capital [...]
Biden willing to compromise on plans to hike US corporate tax April 8, 2021 US President Joe Biden said last night he is open to compromise on his $2tn (£1.45bn) infrastructure plan amid fiery criticism from businesses over a proposed $2.5tn increase in corporate taxes. Biden faced furious backlash from Republicans, large corporations and members of his own Democratic Party to elements of the proposal he laid last week including major [...]