London SMEs ‘choked off’ from government contracts, says Labour November 9, 2022 The government is “choking off” opportunities for London SMEs by missing targets in awarding government contracts, Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner has said. Rayner today told City A.M. that the public procurement process was a “Tory racket”, with new figures showing just a quarter of London SMEs have been successful in their bid to win [...]
Russia retreats from Kherson in major setback for Putin November 9, 2022 Russia has ordered its troops to retreat from the Ukrainian port city of Kherson in a major setback for Vladimir Putin’s war effort. Russian general Sergei Surovikin today said it was no longer possible to supply the city and the western bank of the River Dnipro. Kherson, which had a pre-war population of 280,000, was [...]
Ex-minister Harriett Baldwin elected as Treasury Committee chair November 9, 2022 Tory MP Harriett Baldwin has been elected as the new chair of the Treasury Select Committee, after prevailing in a cross-party ballot. Baldwin, a former Treasury and defence minister, defeated former cabinet ministers Andrea Leadsom and Kit Malthouse in the vote. Baldwin will begin the role immediately, after previous chair Mel Stride was recently appointed [...]
MPs to vote on new Treasury Select Committee chair on Wednesday November 8, 2022 MPs from across parliament will vote on who should be the new chair of the influential Treasury Select Committee tomorrow. The five candidates for the position were announced today as Andrea Leadsom, Kit Malthouse, John Baron, Richard Fuller and Harriett Baldwin. The election comes after former committee chair Mel Stride was named as work and [...]
Hunt reportedly set to rule out large tax hike for banks in autumn statement November 8, 2022 Jeremy Hunt is reportedly set to rule out a tax hike for banks in next week’s autumn fiscal statement, after previously keeping the option on the table. It has been widely reported the chancellor was considering overturning plans to cut the bank surcharge, to offset a broader hike in Corporation Tax, which sparked concern about [...]
Brexit: Fresh setback for UK plan to ditch all EU legislation by end of 2023 November 8, 2022 The UK government’s post-Brexit plan to ditch all EU laws by the end of next year have fallen further into jeopardy, after civil servants discovered 1,400 more pieces of retained legislation. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is reviewing his pledge to review or replace all 2,400 pieces of retained EU legislation by the end of 2023 [...]
Hunt looks at business rates ‘cliff edge’ ahead of fiscal statement November 8, 2022 Jeremy Hunt will make a tough decision on planned business rates hikes next week as business groups warn of “an existential threat” coming in April. British firms are facing a near £3bn annual hike in business rates next year if inflation stays above 10 per cent, according to Altus Group. Commercial properties will have their [...]
Sunak: We must ‘go faster’ on climate change after Putin’s Ukraine invasion November 7, 2022 Rishi Sunak told world leaders today that Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine was “a reason to go faster” on switching to renewable energy. The Prime Minister told the Cop27 climate summit that green energy is a “fantastic source of new jobs and growth”, while vowing to stick to the UK’s climate promises from last years’ [...]
Boris Johnson tells leaders at Cop27 to not ‘to go weak on net zero’ November 7, 2022 Boris Johnson has today told world leaders that now is “not the moment to go weak on net-zero” at the Cop27 climate summit in Egypt. Referencing the global energy crisis, the former Prime Minister said “much damage has been done in just one year to our common purpose of tackling man-made climate change” but that [...]
UK minister travels to Taiwan in move that may inflame China tensions November 7, 2022 A UK minister will hold trade talks in Taiwan today in a move that may inflame fresh tensions with Beijing. Trade minister Greg Hands will meet with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen during the two-day trip to Taipei as the UK tries to close a post-Brexit deal with the island nation. The UK does not recognise Taiwan’s [...]