Explainer-in-brief: Fuel duty cuts and road taxes will drive us forward March 23, 2022 In 2011, then-Chancellor George Osborne cut fuel duty by 1p and froze it. It has stayed at 57.95p per litre ever since. Now as motorists face the second petrol crisis in five months – after crucial shortages in October last year – Rishi Sunak is expected to cut fuel duty again in his spring statement. [...]
UK drafting plans to ‘significantly’ boost overseas recruits in NHS August 8, 2022 The UK government is drafting plans to “significantly” boost the number of overseas staff in the NHS to avert a winter crisis, according to the health secretary today. In a bid to combat worsening delays in the NHS, health secretary Steve Barclay told the Telegraph: “I have been working at pace over recent weeks to [...]
PM ‘set for’ no confidence vote as soon as this week as Westminster buzzes with Boris speculation June 5, 2022 SPECULATION that the Prime Minister Boris Johnson could face a confidence vote this week has increased after polling suggested the Conservatives could lose a key by-election at the end of this month. A host of reports over the weekend suggested that more than sixty Tory MPs had submitted letters to the party’s backbench chairman, Sir [...]
UK ‘can’t afford’ another decade of lost growth, CBI warn November 21, 2022 The UK “can’t afford a repeat” of its severe economic underperformance since the 2008 financial crisis, the chief of the country’s top business group will warn chancellor Jeremy Hunt today. Responding to last week’s autumn statement, Tony Danker, director general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), will slam the chancellor for failing to roll [...]
Even on their favourite battlegrounds, the Conservatives have no new ideas August 31, 2023 The Conservatives have no new solutions or ideas for migration, crime, and pretty much everything else. They can't even turn old ideas into good policies, writes Will Cooling
Hunt on course to miss fiscal targets despite £55bn of tightening, Deutsche Bank bet November 20, 2022 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is on course to miss his fiscal goals due to a weaker growth outlook than forecast by the UK’s budget watchdog, an investment bank has said. According to Sanjay Raja, senior economist at Deutsche Bank, the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) GDP growth forecasts are too optimistic. Last week, the OBR said [...]
Brexit: Barclay denies UK wants ‘Swiss-style’ relationship with EU November 20, 2022 A senior cabinet minister has denied reports the UK wants a closer “Swiss-style” relationship with the EU post-Brexit. Health secretary Steve Barclay has said he doesn’t “recognise” the proposal and that chancellor Jeremy Hunt outlined “our determination to maximise post-Brexit opportunities in pro-growth areas” during his autumn statement on Thursday. The Sunday Times reported today [...]
Aston Martin share price soars after Chinese car giant Geely doubles stake to 17 per cent May 18, 2023 Aston Martin shares soared by more than 12 per cent this morning after Chinese automotive group Geely said it will increase its shareholding to 17 per cent with an investment of £234m. The investment will see Geely almost double its stake in the marque, becoming its third biggest shareholder, just behind Lawrence Stroll’s Yew Tree [...]
Sunak keeping quiet on Boris partygate report as he ‘would not want to influence anyone’ before crunch vote June 19, 2023 Rishi Sunak has refused to say whether he will approve the report that found Boris Johnson lied over partygate, saying he “would not want to influence anyone in advance of that vote”. Speaking to Good Morning Britain on ITV, the Prime Minister said: “This committee was established under the former Prime Minister. It commanded the [...]
Britain joining the CPTPP trade bloc isn’t about economics, it’s about influence March 31, 2023 As with most things, it’s best to ignore the hype and the haters: joining the CPTPP is a good thing for the UK.