Kwarteng stung: Mini budget chancellor offered to set up meeting between fake firm and Boris Johnson for ‘£10k’ March 27, 2023 Former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng offered to facilitate setting up a meeting between a fake foreign firm and former prime minister Boris Johnson during a sting interview. Mr Kwarteng was caught up in a hoax organised by campaign group Led By Donkeys in which he was approached about providing political advice to a bogus company it [...]
Defence spending given £11bn boost as former minister warns of new Cold War March 16, 2023 Defence spending is set to increase by £11bn over the next five years amid fears over the UK’s “hollowed out” armed forces. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt confirmed in Wednesday’s budget that the Ministry of Defence’s finances would receive an £11bn boost over the next half-decade. But Tobias Ellwood, defence committee chairman, said the Chancellor has left [...]
Election 2024: Benefits ‘less dignified’ than work, Starmer toughens welfare line June 23, 2024 State handouts don’t deliver the “same sense of self-reliant dignity as a fair wage”, Sir Keir Starmer has said, as he toughens his party’s line on welfare.
Matt Hancock tried to ‘frighten pants off’ public with new Covid-19 strain March 5, 2023 Matt Hancock said he wanted to “frighten the pants off everyone” to ensure compliance with Covid-19 restrictions, according to leaked WhatsApp messages published by the Telegraph. Revelations have continued after a tranche of more than 100,000 messages was shared by journalist Isabel Oakeshott, leading to outcry over government actions during the pandemic. The latest set [...]
‘Hasta la vista, baby’: Johnson bids farewell in final PMQs July 20, 2022 Boris Johnson has told the nation it is “mission largely accomplished – for now” in his final parliamentary address as Prime Minister, while also invoking Arnold Schwarzenegger by declaring: “hasta la vista, baby.” In a farewell address that referenced Winston Churchill and 1980s film The Terminator, Johnson told his successor to “stay close to the [...]
There’s no time for us to dither on creating sensible rules for artificial intelligence tech June 19, 2023 From artificial intelligence to fintech, we must go further. Competition is fierce, so we need flexible but strong rules to ensure innovative companies can prosper in the UK in both fields, writes Nicholas Lyons
A global London campaign just the tonic for Mayor-PM relations October 13, 2022 In the run-up to Liz Truss’ election by the Conservative party as Prime Minister, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan wrote in these pages that it was time to turn a new leaf in the capital’s relationship with Downing Street. It is no secret that he and Johnson didn’t see eye to eye – clashing [...]
Rishi Sunak: PM fined for failing to wear a seatbelt during social media video in car January 20, 2023 The Prime Minister has been issued with a fixed penalty notice by police for failing to wear a seatbelt while filming a social media clip in the back of a moving car. Rishi Sunak previously apologised for the “brief error of judgment” as he carried out a series of visits in Lancashire on Thursday. Mr [...]
City of London awash with drug money, top MPs warn November 10, 2023 Illicit profits from the drugs trade are being “washed” in the City of London, a group of senior MPs have warned.
Sunak under pressure to increase defence spending amid NATO warnings February 13, 2023 Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is under pressure to increase the UK’s defence spending after NATO called for allies to boost ammunition production to support Ukraine. Tory backbenchers have issued stark warnings that Britain’s armed forces are “woefully ill-prepared” for a major conflict and that low defence spending is a “false economy”. It came as NATO [...]