Budget 1) Sunak “plotting” tax raids on online deliveries and the self-employed “Rishi Sunak is plotting a new tax on online deliveries next month and a raid on the self-employed later this year, The Telegraph can reveal. The Chancellor will use Wednesday’s Budget to announce a £5 billion fund to help high street pubs, restaurants […]
Salmond denounces Sturgeon: ‘Scotland’s leadership has failed’ “Downing Street has been urged to intervene in the escalating Salmond-Sturgeon feud as the former Scottish First Minister accused his successor of leadership “failure”. Douglas Ross, the Scottish Conservative leader, told The Telegraph that the Cabinet Office should investigate whether Scottish civil servants broke the code of conduct […]
SNP divisions grow as Sturgeon enrages former deputy leader by ‘questioning Salmond trial verdict’ “Nicola Sturgeon was on Thursday struggling to contain a growing SNP rebellion after she was accused of using “weasel words” to question the innocence of Alex Salmond. Jim Sillars, a former deputy leader of the party, lodged a formal complaint that […]
Coronavirus 1) Summer exams to be voluntary sparking fears over grade inflation “End of year exams will be voluntary, the Department for Education (DfE) will announce on Thursday, amid warnings of another summer of chaos and record grade inflation. Exam boards will prepare a series of test papers for every subject, but teachers will be […]
Salmond will not address MSPs today after evidence redacted “Alex Salmond has refused to appear before a Holyrood committee on Wednesday after a submission about “malicious” attempts to smear him was edited following legal warnings from the Crown Office. The former first minister of Scotland had been poised to give evidence to MSPs on Wednesday afternoon […]
Economy ‘back open by May’ as Johnson says end is in sight “Boris Johnson declared that Britain was on a “one-way road to freedom” last night as he announced plans to restart most of society and the economy by May. The prime minister said that “the end really is in sight” as he published a […]
Coronavirus 1) All schools to reopen on March 8th as start to “cautious” lifting of lockdown “Boris Johnson will announce that the ‘stay at home’ rule will be scrapped next month, as outdoor sports return and families can finally meet in gardens. Revealing his long-awaited reopening “road map”, the Prime Minister will say school sports […]
Tories ‘at war’ over Symonds’ power at No.10: Think-tank that includes grandees Tebbit and Lamont demands inquiry into behind-the-scenes influence of PM’s fiancee “Bitter Tory in-fighting broke out last night after a Conservative-friendly think-tank demanded an inquiry into the power of Boris Johnson’s fiancee, Carrie Symonds. Ben Harris-Quinney, chairman of the Bow Group – which boasts […]
Downing Street in disarray as second Union adviser quits in two weeks “Downing Street’s policy on the Union has been thrown into disarray after a second Number 10 adviser on the issue quit in as many weeks. Oliver Lewis, a former Vote Leave staffer and Dominic Cummings ally, was appointed earlier this month to lead Downing […]
Prime Minister to pledge surplus Covid vaccine to poorer countries at G7 “Boris Johnson will lead efforts to fend off accusations that the world’s richest countries are hoarding Covid vaccines by pledging at a G7 summit that the UK will donate surplus doses to poorer countries and cut to 100 days the time it takes […]
Gove stripped of Europe role as Brexit negotiator Frost joins cabinet “Boris Johnson has stripped Michael Gove of his role overseeing Britain’s future relationship with Europe and replaced him with Lord Frost, who negotiated last year’s Brexit trade deal. In a move that opponents claimed amounted to a “sidelining” of Gove, Downing Street said that Frost […]
Coronavirus 1) Mass testing blitz as Johnson plans easing of lockdown… “Boris Johnson is drawing up plans for a testing blitz of millions of people in England as the Covid-19 lockdown is eased. NHS Test and Trace is preparing for nationwide “surge” testing under which more than 400,000 rapid lateral flow tests will be sent by post […]
New target to jab over-50s, carers, and Brits with underlying conditions by April “Britain will today move on to the next phase of its vaccination programme – targeting all over 50s, those who are more vulnerable, and carers, by the end of April. Boris Johnson officially announced the start of the next phase as Health […]
Coronavirus 1) Johnson eyes Easter self-catering escape “Ministers are examining plans that would allow people to go away for self-catering breaks as soon as the Easter holidays after Boris Johnson said he expected coronavirus rates to fall sharply in a matter of weeks. The Times has been told that under one ambitious timeline being considered […]
‘Back to school on March 8’ as Johnson starts lifting lockdown “All schoolchildren will return to the classroom on March 8 under plans to start lifting the lockdown, Boris Johnson will announce in a national address next week. Under the government’s blueprint to reopen society, adults will initially have only small new freedoms so as […]