War with Taiwan would ‘collapse the Chinese economy’, Cleverly tells Tory conference October 2, 2023 China’s economy would collapse if it went to war with Taiwan, James Cleverly said, as he defended his policy of “clear eyed” engagement with Beijing. The Foreign Secretary said concerns about the strength of China’s economy were already forcing the ruling Communist Party to change course. Cleverly became the first UK Foreign Secretary to visit [...]
EU reaffirms ‘unwavering’ commitment to Ukraine – amid suggestions of ailing support October 2, 2023 Some of Europe’s top diplomats are gathered in Kyiv in a display of support for Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion as signs emerge of political strain in Europe and the United States over the war. European Union foreign ministers converged on the Ukrainian capital for an unannounced informal meeting that officials said would review the [...]
Jeremy Hunt admits he flew to Manchester Tory conference from London October 2, 2023 Jeremy Hunt has admitted he flew to Manchester from London for the Conservative Party conference rather than taking the train. The Chancellor blamed a train cancellation due to industrial action for choosing the carbon-intensive mode of transport. It comes as train drivers are striking on the start and end dates of the Tory gathering in [...]
Hunt rules out chunky tax cuts before the election as they’d ‘compromise’ inflation fight October 2, 2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has argued that sizeable tax cuts this year would “compromise” the battle against inflation as colleagues piled on the pressure for a pre-election giveaway. The Cabinet minister said on Monday he and Rishi Sunak were prioritising the pledge to halve prices before carrying out tax cuts in any “substantial way”. As Tory [...]
Top lawyer: Bank crypto transaction ban ‘about protecting themselves’ October 2, 2023 British banks could face criticism if they follow in the footsteps of JP Morgan’s Chase, which moved to block cryptocurrency payments for its UK customers, a banking lawyer has said.
The Notebook: Guy Hands on why the phrase ‘dead as a dodo’ hits different these days October 2, 2023 Today, Guy Hands, founder of private equity giant Terra Firma Capital Partners, takes the Notebook pen Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is correct in saying that previous governments were not honest with the public about the trade-offs required to hit our climate targets. However I don’t agree with how he has dealt with the issue. McKinsey [...]
US Congress averts government shutdown, passing stopgap bill October 1, 2023 The US Congress has managed to avert a government shutdown after it passed a stopgap funding bill late on Saturday, which received overwhelming Democratic support.
Sunak ‘removing the alternatives’ to driving, say six major walker and cyclist groups September 29, 2023 Rishi Sunak has been accused by walking and cycling groups of “removing the alternatives” to driving amid speculation he is preparing to curb 20mph speed limits. Six leading active travel organisations claimed the Prime Minister will “make the roads worse” if he goes ahead with the move. Several newspapers reported that a Plan for Motorists [...]
Putin orders former Wagner figure to command volunteer units in Ukraine September 29, 2023 Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered one of the top commanders of the Wagner military contractor to take charge of “volunteer units” fighting in Ukraine. The move signals the Kremlin’s intention to keep using the mercenaries after the death of their chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin. In remarks released by the Kremlin, Mr Putin told Andrei Troshev [...]
Russian athletes allowed to compete as neutrals at next year’s Paris Paralympics September 29, 2023 Russian athletes will be able to compete as neutrals at next year’s Paralympic Games in Paris despite the country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. International Paralympic Committee member nations voted against a full suspension of the Russian committee at the organisation’s General Assembly in Bahrain, but a motion to partially suspend was passed on Friday afternoon. [...]