Mark Drakeford has announced he is stepping down as the first minister of Wales and leader of the Welsh Labour party, sparking a leadership contest to replace him. In a surprise statement posted on social media, Drakeford said he will remain in place as party leader and first minister until his successor is elected in […]
Continue Reading
Britain’s top polling expert Sir John Curtice has told the Labour party it is a “myth” to believe voters are not interested in a future referendum to rejoin the EU and reverse Brexit. Renowned psephologist Curtice said three-quarters of Labour supporters backed Remain in the 2016 referendum and they are the driving force behind the […]
Continue Reading
Why Rishi Sunak chose the occasion of today’s PMQs to take a petty swipe at the leader of a friendly nation ultimately confirmed Sir Keir Starmer’s withering observation that the prime minister does indeed have the “reverse Midas touch”. Even before PMQs, Sunak’s “reverse Midas touch” was being revealed in committee hearings which heard first […]
Continue Reading
The newspapers have given their verdict on Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement with the traditionally Tory supporting press hailing tax cuts while those more critical of the government remind of the record tax burden and looming general election. While not much is made of Hunt ditching the widely predicted slashing of inheritance tax, reaction is generally […]
Continue Reading
A change in Home Office policy has sparked a sharp rise in the number of refugees sleeping rough across the UK, especially in the capital. Whereas in July, only 11 people who had recently been granted asylum were sleeping on the streets, this figure has since increased to over 800. Charities have reported that refugees […]
Continue Reading
Sir Patrick Vallance has breathed new life into Rishi Sunak’s image as Dr Death at the Covid Inquiry after evidence revealed the prime minister said the government should “just let people die” during the pandemic. Vallance – the government’s chief scientific advisor (CSA) when Covid hit – also contradicted Sunak’s written evidence to the inquiry […]
Continue Reading
Jeremy Hunt is set to announce cutting inheritance tax, lowering business levies and reforming the state pension triple lock in next week’s Autumn Statement, according to widespread media reports. Speculation about the tax cut has been fuelled by forecasts that the chancellor will have more tax revenue to spend combined with falling borrowing costs and […]
Continue Reading
Counter-terrorism police are investigating a deepfake of Sadiq Khan dismissing the importance of Armistice Day that has been shared by far-right groups on social media. In the fake clip shared on TikTok the mayor of London is portrayed as proposing to postpone Remembrance weekend so that the pro-Palestinian protest can go ahead in the capital. […]
Continue Reading
Pro-Palestinian rallies have been held across the UK with tens of thousands calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war. Protests were held in the four capitals of the home nations – London, Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh – and in many other towns and cities including Liverpool, Glasgow and Leeds. Thousands more gathered in Manchester […]
Continue Reading
Rishi Sunak has hailed the signing of the Bletchley Declaration by the US, China, EU and UK that warns of the potential of AI to cause “catastrophic harm” to the planet. All 28 countries attending the prime minister’s AI Safety Summit signed the agreement to work together to combat the existential risks posed by the […]
Continue Reading