Biden hails US-UK relationship as he meets Sunak at No10 July 10, 2023 US President Joe Biden hailed the “rock-solid” relationship between the US and the UK as he met Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in Downing Street. The US President praised the closeness of ties between the two countries as he and the Prime Minister held talks in the garden of No10. Biden, whose short layover in London [...]
Families unfairly penalised by UK tax system, CPS report warns July 10, 2023 The UK tax system must be reformed so that families are no longer unfairly penalised, a think tank has warned. Couples with two children and a single earner of £60,000 will pay over £7,000 more tax than if both parents earned £30,000 each, Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) researchers found. Research found single-earner married couples [...]
President Joe Biden to land in UK amid cluster bombs row over Ukraine July 9, 2023 President Joe Biden is set to land in the UK today amid an international row over the US supplying cluster bombs to Ukraine. The trip, which the White House hopes will “showcase the president’s leadership on the world stage”, is expected to be dominated by the weapons and Ukraine’s potential NATO entry. Biden has committed [...]
‘Constructive’: US and China meet in bid to cool tensions June 18, 2023 US secretary of state Anthony Blinken and China’s foreign minister Qin Gang met today in Beijing to begin a two-day set of talks. Whilst neither side expects a major breakthrough to emerge, US officials said the main goal is to stabilise a relationship that has become extremely tense. The talks come at a time of [...]
Sunak defence deal takes off as UK and US launch space rocket June 15, 2023 A new space rocket is catalysing a defence deal struck by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and president Joe Biden between the UK and the US last week. Oxford-based startup Pulsar Fusion and aerospace company Princeton Satellite Systems are joining forces to build a “hyper-fast” rocket which can travel from Earth to Saturn’s moons in under [...]
US debt ceiling: Joe Biden expected to sign legislation two days before deadline June 3, 2023 President Joe Biden is expected to sign legislation to raise the US debt ceiling, just two days before the US Treasury warned that the country would struggle to pay its bills. The bipartisan measure, which was approved this week by the US house and senate, eliminates the potential for an unprecedented government default. “Passing this [...]
US Senate approves debt ceiling bill narrowly avoiding traumatic default June 2, 2023 The US Senate approved a deal to lift the debt ceiling yesterday, avoiding a traumatic federal default by a matter of days. 63 senators backed the proposals on Thursday night after the deal secured bipartisan support in the House of Representatives on Wednesday. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said ahead of voting that the Bill’s [...]
US debt ceiling: “Agreement in principle” to end default showdown May 28, 2023 The White House has reached an “agreement in principle” with the Republicans on a deal to limit federal spending and resolve a looming debt crisis, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has confirmed. The deal on a two-year budget is believed to include a debt-limit increase and enhanced work requirements for food aid. Mr McCarthy said he [...]
Mike Lynch: UK tech tycoon who founded software firm Autonomy is extradited to US May 12, 2023 British technology tycoon Mike Lynch has been extradited to the US to face criminal charges. The founder of software firm Autonomy, who was once dubbed the UK’s Bill Gates, will stand trial on charges including fraud, which he denies. It comes weeks after he lost an appeal last month following an almost four-year court battle [...]
Cleverly talks down hopes of US trade deal on Washington trip May 10, 2023 Foreign secretary James Cleverly has talked down hopes of a UK-US trade deal during a visit to Washington DC. Speaking in the US on Tuesday, Cleverly said the government was not “prioritising” a free trade agreement (FTA) but aiming for “real economic coordination” with the superpower. His comments came at a press conference with US [...]