Tag Archives: UK news

The 2019 election will be the first in decades where both Labour and the Conservatives promise to turn on the public spending tap. The manifestos have yet to be released, but both have already made multibillion-pound pledges as the era of austerity comes to an end. Labour’s major spending pledges …

6.04pm GMT18:04 Afternoon summary Andrew Sparrow Jeremy Corbyn has challenged Johnson to TV debates on what has effectively been the first full day of campaigning since MPs agreed that there should be an election on Thursday 12 December. (See 4.06pm.) The bill approving the election is still being debated by …

Boris Johnson’s call for a general election in December is both a political and logistical gamble. Here are some potential challenges that organisers of a pre-Christmas election could face. Winter weather A carefully choreographed mid-December campaign could be wrecked by gales, heavy snow, ice and floods, ruining travel plans and …

Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson smiling in the House of Commons in London on October 19, 2019, during a debate on the Brexit deal. Photograph: Jessica Taylor/UK PARLIAMENT/AFP via Getty Images Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of the world economy, the financial markets, the eurozone and business. …

The Confederation of British Industry has served Labour with a challenge to publish the full details of its nationalisation plans, in the latest twist of an increasingly bitter row. Britain’s leading business group hit back amid mounting pressure over its claim that Labour’s nationalisation plans would cost £196bn, releasing further …

The Gruffalo is being celebrated on a new commemorative 50p coin, depicting the beast’s first meeting with Mouse in the woods. The famous story of brains over brawn, written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, was first published 20 years ago. It has become a firm bedtime reading …

Royal Mail workers have voted overwhelmingly in favour of striking in a dispute over job security and employment terms and conditions, raising the threat of industrial action in the run-up to Christmas. Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) backed action by 97% in a huge turnout of almost 76%. …

The Confederation of British Industry is barking up the wrong tree when it howls about the “eye-watering” cost of Labour’s nationalisation plans, which it puts at almost £200bn. Of all the arguments against nationalisation – and there are many strong ones – the claimed upfront cost is the weakest. The …

The 50p coin is marking 50 years since it went into circulation, and the Royal Mail has revealed which are the rarest. Rarity gives a coin value as collectors will pay thousands of pounds for an example of there are few of them around. Some 50p coins have seen just …

The Duke of Sussex has issued an extraordinary statement condemning what he has called a “ruthless campaign” against the Duchess, saying: “I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces.” The Duke, who is currently in South Africa with his wife and …