It was evident from the moment images of a smiling Rishi Sunak shaking Ursula von der Leyen’s hand began streaming into sitting rooms across the UK that securing the approval of the DUP and Brexiteers would be difficult. Triumphant scenes quickly gave way to DUP frowns, and now, Boris Johnson has pulled the rug from […]
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Salad ingredients like cucumbers and tomatoes are in short supply, with the government and industry blaming rising energy costs and inclement weather in North Africa and Spain. Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, and Aldi have all imposed a limit on the amount of specific fresh produce customers can buy. But top producers have hit back at the […]
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In a recently published survey, the Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner (OBSCC) has said the UK government should be concerned about using Chinese surveillance cameras and equipment. Report authors suggest that UK police forces are ‘shot through’ with Chinese-manufactured CCTV, drones, and other security equipment, which they feel raises significant ethical and security-related questions. Professor […]
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Last week, Michael Gove and David Lammy attended secret cross-party talks at Ditchley House, The Observer reports. They joined leading Brexiteers, remainers, business leaders, and diplomats for a two-day conference at Ditchley House in Oxfordshire. The paper obtained details describing the gathering as “private discussions” under the banner: “How can we make Brexit work better […]
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The authors of the recently published Durham report have urged the Prime Minister to concede that Brexit is “the main factor” responsible for the increasing number of small boats crossing the channel. The new study cites Johnson’s Brexit deal as the cause, saying that the lack of a returns agreement with the EU has resulted […]
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On the back of multiple scandals, the latest UK corruption score has fallen sharply, placing it 18th on the global corruption index table. The drop is likely due to recent sackings and the string of enquiries yet to see the light of day. Report authors have made it clear that the corruption score slump is […]
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After every whiff of corruption, commentators reiterate that Britain has long been one of the oldest chumocracies. Although the term is quite self-explanatory, you may want to look up the dictionary definition. Here is how the Macmillan Dictionary explains chumocracy: “A derogatory term for a ruling elite that is made up of people from the same social background who went to the same schools and universities and know each other socially.” Recently, […]
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Almost 100 charities have sent a letter to Jeremy Hunt urging him to introduce a social energy tariff to protect low-income households. In an open letter to the Chancellor, they warn that the end of the universal energy support scheduled for April “will leave many older and disabled people in increasingly desperate situations”. 95 charities […]
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For the government, it was all bells and whistles as the details of round two of levelling-up funding were revealed. The £2.1 billion will go to communities up and down the country. But once again the government has been accused of blatant Tory funding bias as many poorer areas lose out to wealthy constituencies. MPs […]
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The Northern Ireland protocol saga continues. Yesterday, the Foreign Secretary’s exclusion of the Sinn Fein leader Mary McDonald sparked a nationalist walkout thus throwing talks into farce before they began. The latest protocol row is one of a seemingly endless line of unresolvable disagreements which has kept the doors of Stormont shut. Today, the Irish PM […]
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