https://www.facebook.com/170243762835030/

Pretty London, London (2025)

22/11/2023

HMRC examines if David Cameron failed to fully disclose Greensill private flights as taxable perks

Tax officials are understood to be examining whether David Cameron failed to fully disclose taxable perks such as flights on private planes when he worked for the collapsed lender Greensill Capital, the Guardian can reveal.

In particular, officials are said to be looking at a number of flights that took off or landed near his house in Oxfordshire and also in Cornwall, where the foreign secretary has a holiday home. They are also examining an offshore trust that it is understood was created by Greensill to pay him extra benefits.

It comes amid wider concerns that the process for appointing the former prime minister to the House of Lords, and other background checks for his cabinet appointment, were rushed through in a bid to keep the details of Rishi Sunak’s reshuffle secret.

Cameron was embroiled in the Greensill lobbying scandal after he exploited contacts gathered during his tenure as prime minister to try to win business for the now defunct supply-chain finance company at the start of the pandemic in early 2020.

A parliamentary inquiry later found that he exercised “significant lack of judgment” in lobbying for Greensill, in which he held a “very significant personal economic interest”, by sending dozens of text messages to officials and ministers including Sunak, the then chancellor.

He has also worked extensively in the UAE and for organisations linked to the Chinese government since leaving office.

22/11/2023

Cuts mean Scotland will not meet environment targets, say charities

Group of 16 organisations says reduced funding means rewilding and conservation targets likely to be missed.

Scotland will fail to meet its ambitious rewilding and conservation targets unless it reverses deep cuts in funding for the environment, leading charities have said.

Nature and conservation funding in Scotland has been cut by tens of millions of pounds over the last decade, with ministers diverting the money to other policy areas, according to a group of 16 influential environment charities.

That “significant erosion” in spending meant that core funding for NatureScot, the conservation agency, had fallen by 40% in real terms. Funding for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa), which investigates pollution and protects water quality, had fallen by 26%.

The cuts raise profound questions for the Scottish government about its ability to meet increasingly urgent nature and climate targets, which are likely to cost billions of pounds to achieve, the charities say.

The group, which includes the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the John Muir Trust, Trees for Life, the Scottish Wildlife Trust, Buglife and Plantlife, have urged the Scottish government to increase environment spending at its next budget, later in December.

The programmes affected, they say, include a pledge made by Scottish ministers after an international biodiversity summit to protect 30% of nature by 2030, a target underpinned by the convention on biological diversity agreed in Montreal last December.

In a joint letter coordinated by Scottish Environment Link, an umbrella group of nature and conservation groups, the signatories said: “The Scottish government is rightly committed to setting ambitious targets for environmental action.

22/11/2023

Downing Street deletes post about Northern Ireland with Irish flag

A social media post about Northern Ireland which used an Irish tricolour has been removed by 10 Downing Street.

An edited version of the Instagram post has now been uploaded without the flag.

The post was about an event in Downing Street on Monday featuring Northern Ireland businesses.

The Irish tricolour is the national flag of the Republic of Ireland and has no official status in Northern Ireland, although it is used by many Irish nationalists.

Ulster Unionist Party leader Doug Beattie said the post showed Westminster did not "understand us or know us", and used the incident to reiterate his support for a return to power-sharing in Northern Ireland.

"We are better served with devolved government," he said.

"There are people out there who want to hand all the devolved power we have back to Westminster and here is what Westminster is doing," he told the Nolan Show.

"They don't understand Northern Ireland."

Northern Ireland has been without a devolved government at Stormont since February 2022 when the Democratic Unionist Party walked out in protest against post-Brexit trade barriers between the region and Great Britain.

However he added that the post was a simple mistake and added: "I don't get all wound up about flags."

22/11/2023

Ex-Conservative MP David Mackintosh not guilty over election donations

A former Conservative MP has been found not guilty of failing to disclose the true source of political donations in the first ever trial of its kind.

David Mackintosh, ex-MP for Northampton South was cleared at Warwick Crown Court over donations to Northampton South Conservative Association (NSCA).

Co-defendant Howard Grossman was also cleared after a month-long trial.

Mr Mackintosh said "justice has been served", adding: "I have cleared my name."

Mrs Justice Eady had earlier told the jury she would accept a majority verdict of 10 or 11.

Mr Mackintosh, 44, represented Northampton South for the Conservatives between 2015 and 2017.

The former MP, of Station Court, Northampton, was accused of withholding information about the source of £39,000 donated to his election campaign fund.

He stood trial alongside businessman Mr Grossman, 61, of Greenacres, Bushey, Hertfordshire, who had been accused of using third parties to conceal the source of nine separate donations to NCSA during 2014.

Both men denied the charges against them.

Mr Mackintosh, a former leader of Northampton Borough Council, told the court he did not know any of the third parties' donations had been provided by Mr Grossman.

This was the first-ever Crown court trial brought under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA), which was introduced as part of the constitutional reform implemented by the 1997 Labour Government.

It followed recommendations made by the Committee on Standards in Public Life which were designed to make politics more transparent.

PPERA includes measures on party registration, political donations and campaign expenditure.

22/11/2023

Falkland Islands sovereignty not up for debate, says Rishi Sunak's spokesman

Rishi Sunak's spokesman has said there is "no doubt" the Falkland Islands are British after Argentina's new president said it was time to "get them back".

Javier Milei, elected as Argentina's president on Sunday, said Buenos Aires had "non-negotiable sovereignty" over the islands.

And he vowed to get the islands back through "diplomatic channels".

But the UK prime minister's spokesman said the issue of sovereignty "was settled decisively some time ago".

Argentina has long claimed sovereignty over the islands, a British overseas territory in the south-west Atlantic Ocean. The two countries fought a war over the issue, after Argentine forces invaded the islands in 1982.

The Falklands, known in Argentina as the Malvinas, are about 8,000 miles from the UK and about 300 miles from mainland Argentina.

In a 2013 referendum, the people of the Falkland Islands voted 99.8% in favour of remaining a UK overseas territory.

Rishi Sunak's official spokesman said on Tuesday that the British government would continue to "proactively defend the Falkland Islanders right to self-determination".

22/11/2023

Bank of England governor says don't underestimate inflation

UK inflation might not fall as quickly as some are hoping, the governor of the Bank of England has warned.

Andrew Bailey told MPs that Bank policymakers were more worried about the pace of price rises remaining high than financial markets appear to be.

Speaking to the Treasury Committee he said the Bank was concerned over the "potential persistence" of inflation.

Inflation fell to 4.6% in October from 6.7% in September, according to official figures.

That drop - measured by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) - prompted the government to claim it had met its inflation target early, having pledged to bring down the level to below 5.4% by the end of the year.

Speaking ahead of the Autumn Statement on Wednesday, and as speculation mounts about possible tax cuts, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said: "We met our pledge to halve inflation, but we must keep on supporting the Bank of England to drive inflation down to 2%. That means being responsible with the nation's finances."

Mr Bailey told the Treasury Committee that the rapid fall in inflation was good news, but that it could take some time before the Bank's target of 2% was hit.

"We are concerned about the potential persistence of inflation as we go through the remainder of the journey down to 2%, and I think the market is underestimating that," he said.

Up until September, the Bank had raised rates 14 times in a row to tame soaring inflation, which has been squeezing household budgets.

But it has now left rates on hold - at 5.25% - in its past two meetings.

22/11/2023

Minimum wage to rise to £11.44 per hour

The minimum wage is to increase by more than a pound to £11.44 per hour from April next year.

The minimum wage, known officially as the National Living Wage, is currently £10.42 an hour for workers over 23.

But Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has decided the rate will also apply to 21 and 22-year-olds for the first time.

It means a full-time worker aged 23 on the wage would receive a rise worth £1,800 a year. A 21-year-old would see an effective £2,300 annual rise.

The policy change comes ahead of Mr Hunt's Autumn Statement, which will see the chancellor outline the government's latest tax and spending decisions.

Mr Hunt told the Conservative Party conference in October that the minimum wage was set to rise above £11 in April, but the confirmed rises represent a 9.8% increase for over-23s on last year, and a 12.4% jump for workers aged 22 and 21.

The current minimum wage for those aged 21-22 is £10.18 an hour.

The separate National Minimum Wage for 18-20-year-olds will also increase to £8.60 an hour from £7.49, meaning in total, the above-inflation wage hikes will benefit 2.7 million low-paid workers.

Apprentices will also get a rise, with an hourly pay increase of over 20%, going from £5.28 to £6.40 an hour.

22/11/2023

NI and business tax cuts expected in Autumn Statement

The chancellor is expected to announce a cut in National Insurance for millions of workers in his Autumn Statement later on Wednesday.

Jeremy Hunt's statement will also feature a cut to business taxes and tough new benefit sanctions.

He will also unveil measures to boost business investment by £20bn a year in moves to "get Britain growing".

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) says UK tax levels are at their highest since records began 70 years ago.

Labour's shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said nothing Mr Hunt says could change the Conservatives' "appalling record" on the economy.

Many Conservative MPs are desperate to see the tax burden eased.

Former home secretary Dame Priti Patel told the BBC: "This is a really pivotal moment.

"Successive Conservative governments are known for targeted tax cuts that basically put more money into people's pockets."

And yet Dame Priti and hundreds of her colleagues know people's taxes have shot up and plenty think public services haven't improved to match.

10/11/2023

UK economy flatlines as higher interest rates bite

The UK economy failed to grow between July and September, figures show, after a succession of interest rate rises.

The chancellor said higher rates were hitting growth, but added that the economy had performed better than expected this year.

Forecasters suggest the economy is set to be stagnant for several months yet.

Last week, the Bank of England said the UK was likely to see zero growth until 2025, although it is expected to avoid a recession.

Up until September, the Bank of England had raised interest rates 14 times in a row to try to tame soaring price rises.

However, while raising rates can reduce inflation - the pace at which prices rise - it also affects economic growth by making it more expensive for consumers and businesses to borrow money.

Interest rates are at a 15-year high of 5.25%, and are expected to remain high for some time. Bank governor Andrew Bailey said last week it was "much too early" to be considering rate cuts.

Paul Dales, the chief UK economist at Capital Economics, said the latest data suggested "the drag from higher interest rates is growing", but he does not expect the Bank to start cutting rates until late next year.

09/11/2023

North Sea oil and gas: what is the new licensing scheme, and will it cut bills?

Rishi Sunak signalled changes in the king’s speech that create a policy divide with Labour. The government has confirmed its plans to grant new North Sea oil and gas licences every year at the opening of parliament, deepening a political fault line between the Conservatives and Labour, and angering environmental campaigners who argue it undermines efforts to reach net zero. Here, we examine the move.

What has been announced?
On Tuesday, King Charles announced the government’s intentions to introduce legislation in this parliamentary session which will allow oil and gas companies to bid for new licences to drill for fossil fuels every year.

The king told peers and MPs that the government will introduce legislation to strengthen the UK’s energy security to “reduce reliance on volatile international energy markets and hostile foreign regimes”.

He added: “This bill will support the future licensing of new oil and gasfields, helping the country to transition to net zero by 2050 without adding undue burdens on households.”

Ministers will also “seek to attract record levels of investment in renewable energy sources and reform grid connections” to build on the UK’s “track record of decarbonising faster than other G7 economies”, he said.

What are oil and gas licensing rounds?
The process lets companies apply to explore and develop energy projects, and those applications are assessed by the regulator, the North Sea Transition Authority. The average time from licence award to production is about five years. Up to now, there have been 33 such rounds. The latest round opened in October last year, and last week the first 27 licences were approved for projects in central and northern areas of the North Sea and west of Shetland. Up to 100 new licences could be approved this round, which means the most applications (115, by 76 companies) since 2016/17.

Why is the government doing this?
The North Sea has just under 300 active oil and gasfields, but more than half of them will have ended production by 2030. Ministers hope to “max out” the oil and gas reserves in region which has been plundered since the 60s.

Ministers have claimed the move will provide job security for 200,000 workers. The move also appears to be part of a wider electoral strategy push back on net zero policies by Rishi Sunak. Making the licensing process annual would give structure and certainty for companies hoping to exploit those reserves, industry sources believe.

Critics of the government claim that the move is a cynical pre-election ploy to create a dividing line with the Labour party. “If there was a prize for political posturing, Rishi Sunak would win best in show,” said Jamie Peters, the climate coordinator at Friends of the Earth. “The fact remains that more North Sea oil and gas will do nothing to reduce bills or improve energy security.”

09/11/2023

England hospitals cut back on operations as £1bn bailout call fails

Ministers give NHS England just a 10th of the sum, forcing leaders to scale back drive to tackle hospital waiting list of 7 million. Hospitals will reduce the number of operations they perform over the next few months after ministers rejected an NHS plea for £1bn to cover the cost of strikes by staff.

The move makes it even more unlikely that Rishi Sunak will be able to deliver his promise to cut NHS waiting lists, one of the five key pledges he said voters should judge him by.

NHS England had been in discussion with the Department of Health and Social Care and the Treasury for months over what it hoped would be a bailout of at least £1bn of genuinely new money. It has instead been forced to recycle what is mostly funding from within its existing budget in order to hand £800m to local NHS bodies to help lessen deficits, expected to hit £160m in the case of some services.
Leaders in NHS England were left disappointed and concerned after ministers decided to largely disregard their £1bn request and give them only £100m.

Responding to the government’s snub, NHS England announced that it would now relax its drive to tackle the backlog of people waiting for hospital care, which stands at 7.75 million, the largest number on record.

It initially committed this financial year to undertaking 107% of the number of planned operations it did in 2019-20, before the Covid-19 pandemic hit. It cut that to 105% in July and has now lowered that target to 103% to help save money.

It could mean that the NHS will struggle to realise its ambition to ensure that by next spring no one will have been waiting for hospital care for more than 65 weeks. It also raises serious questions about how realistic Sunak’s hope is that the waiting list will have stopped growing by next year, when the UK will hold a general election.

Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, said: “The white flag has been waved on Sunak’s pledge to cut waiting lists – 700,000 fewer patients will now be treated than planned [in 2023-24], thanks to the Conservatives’ mismanagement of the NHS.”

09/11/2023

National Grid steps up clean energy plans amid £3.5bn record spend

Power utility reveals first-half results and more investment in 17 major transmission projects fast-tracked by Ofgem

National Grid spent a record £3.5bn in the first half of the financial year as it accelerated work to prepare the UK’s power grids for a surge in new clean energy projects.

The FTSE 100 monopoly, charged with running most of the UK’s power grids and some networks in the US, said it had entered “a new phase of capital delivery” as a result of the momentum of green policies on both sides of the Atlantic.

It has stepped up investment in 17 major onshore and offshore transmission projects in the UK that were fast-tracked by the energy regulator, Ofgem, earlier this year. In the US, the company said it was working on “a number of major transmission projects to unlock renewable generation”.

National Grid outlined its record investments alongside its financial results for the six months to the end of September, which revealed a profit of £1.4bn, down from £1.7bn in the same months last year.

John Pettigrew, the company’s chief executive, said: “We’re ready to meet the opportunities, and are set up to tackle the challenges ahead, to deliver a clean, fair and affordable energy future for all.”

National Grid has come under criticism from clean energy developers in the UK, which face a 10- to 15-year wait for a grid connection. The UK plans to run its grid entirely on clean electricity by 2035 but many renewable energy projects have been told they will need to wait until the late 2030s to provide clean power to the grid.

Pretty London

22/11/2023

22/11/2023

22/11/2023

22/11/2023

22/11/2023

22/11/2023

22/11/2023

22/11/2023

10/11/2023

09/11/2023

09/11/2023

09/11/2023

Address

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Featured

Share

Category