Explainer: What’s going on with Farage’s bank account July 20, 2023 Coutts, a prestigious private bank owned by Natwest, is under pressure after it emerged that Nigel Farage’s bank account had been closed, ostensibly for his political opinions alone. The story has caused a furore and, with politicians wading in, it could even spark a set of new rules which would prevent banks ‘debanking’ customers with [...]
Labour ‘set to rule out’ all further North Sea oil and gas projects May 28, 2023 New North Sea oil and gas developments will reportedly be blocked under a Labour government. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is on the verge of announcing the block when he sets out his net-zero energy policy in Scotland next month, The Sunday Times said. As part of the energy plans, the newspaper reported a Sir [...]
Rees-Mogg says cutting taxes could reduce inflation in split with PM June 28, 2022 Jacob Rees-Mogg has said cutting taxes immediately may reduce inflation in comments that will put him in direct dispute with Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak. The Brexit minister today said getting inflation under control “doesn’t necessarily mean tax increases – indeed it could mean tax cuts”. Johnson and Sunak have both said the UK cannot cut [...]
MI6 chief calls for Russians to spy for UK July 19, 2023 The head of MI6 has urged Russians angry at Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine to spy for the UK. Sir Richard Moore told them “our door is always open” and “we will work to bring the bloodshed to an end”. He said that while artificial intelligence (AI) is being used to help target the Kremlin’s [...]
Transport secretary Grant Shapps launches Tory leadership bid July 9, 2022 Transport secretary Grant Shapps has launched his bid for the Tory leadership. “It is easy to criticise Boris after keeping one’s head down for years while being happy to benefit from his patronage,” he told the Sunday Times. “I am glad that I did not do that. “I have not spent the last few turbulent [...]
Some degrees are useless, but it’s the 2:1 obsession we really need to leave behind July 19, 2023 Creeping credentialism reinforces the narrative that a degree is the most reliable route into an ever-increasing number of jobs.
Sunak’s public popularity falls off a cliff as new poll reveals 24-point drop April 6, 2022 Rishi Sunak’s popularity has taken a mighty blow, with a new poll revealing that his approval rating has fallen by 24 points in the two weeks since his mini-budget. A YouGov poll has revealed that Sunak’s approval rating has dropped to -29 in the two weeks since his economic spring statement, which was widely criticised [...]
Even high-earners feeling the pinch: Over a quarter on £100K pay cheque to pay cheque November 17, 2023 Around one in four people earning a six-figure salary say they are living pay cheque to pay cheque, according to a survey. Some 26 per cent of people surveyed across the UK with an annual income of £100,000-plus said they had no money left at the end of the month, wealth manager RBC Brewin Dolphin [...]
The dizzying tax promises of the Tory campaigns aren’t enough for the City July 18, 2022 IT WAS more than four years ago now since the outgoing prime minister, Boris Johnson, remarked to the Belgian ambassador to the EU that his approach to the private sector was “f*** business”. For a leading Conservative politician with ambitions towards Downing Street, it was an extraordinary thing to say. Yet it was clearly an [...]
Centrica anticipates power boost as EDF extends lifespan of ageing nuclear fleet March 14, 2023 British Gas owner Centrica expects to boost its electricity generation following EDF's decision to expand lifespan of two nuclear plants.