After bumping into Anton Georgiou when canvassing in Camden last week, it was off to Anton's own Brent ward this week and a super-star team of helpers...
Sunak to cash in £40 billion VAT windfall as families face cost of living crisis Brand Putin's armies and mercenaries as terrorists in response to atrocities Sunak to cash in £40 billion VAT windfall as families face cost of living crisis Rishi Sunak set to rake in an extra £38.6 billion in VAT over next four years due to soaring prices Typical family to pay £430 more in VAT next year, on top of National Insurance rise coming into force today Lib Dem Leader Ed Davey launches local election campaign with call to slash VAT and save struggling families £600 ...
EDITOR NOTE: some of this report contains references to torture and abuse. I arrived in Geneva last night for the first time in two years for the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, an annual event raising the plight of political prisoners worldwide and drawing attention to human rights abuses by state actors. It is always a privilege to be in the company of the speakers, who are variously former political prisoners, family members and representatives of prisoners and front line human rights defenders. The event at the UN was opened by the Canadian permanent mission to the UN ...
My sister-in-law is severely autistic, and as such is entitled to receive support in the form of a carer who takes her out for various activities. Over the years she has had a number of care visitors of highly variable quality, provided by a badly-managed agency under contract to the County Council. Fortunately her current care visitor is a dedicated and caring person who has improved her quality of life immeasurably. She is visibly happier, calmer and getting much more enjoyment from life, and of course want this to continue. The carer herself earns minimum wage but the Council pays ...
Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey has confirmed that the government will remain committed to the state pension triple lock for the rest of this parliament, following the temporary move to a 'double lock' in 2022 because of pandemic distortions. This means that in April 2023 British state pensioners will once again receive an uplift at the highest of the rise in earnings, price inflation or 2.5%. Due to the huge increase in the cost of living this year, and depending on what this amounts to by September, the increase in April 2023 could be 8% or higher. It may ...
Mon, 12:43: Includes also my analysis of the French election. https://t.co/CLuhmBfbUT Mon, 18:54: A Hugo voting scandal from 1960 https://t.co/SK32NUA9Bl https://t.co/xypZfU1Wdr Mon, 22:14: RT @TheStudyofWar: #Kyiv Update: The withdrawal of the main body of #Russian forces along both banks of the #Dnipro River is likely comple... Tue, 10:45: RT @zoyashef: A thread to illustrate what life was like on the ground during late 80s & 90s in Ukraine, at the tail end of the USSR, after...
Responding to reports that over 80 LGBT and HIV organisations have pulled out of the government's planned international LGBT conference due to their u-turn on banning trans conversion therapy, Liberal Democrat Equalities Spokesperson Wera Hobhouse MP said: "The UK should be leading the world on LGBT+ equality, but Number 10's chaotic U-turns are shredding our country's reputation. "The global LGBT+ conference in London this summer should be a huge opportunity to tackle discrimination and inequality around the world. It is far too important for the Government to squander like this. "By breaking their promise to ban conversion therapy completely, the ...
Responding to the news that the government is pressing ahead with plans to privatise Channel 4, Liberal Democrat Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Spokesperson Jamie Stone said: "Yet again, the Conservatives have shown they care more about lining the pockets of the super rich than supporting a great public institution. "Even Margaret Thatcher understood the huge power of Channel 4 as a force for creativity and innovation that belonged to all of us without costing taxpayers a penny. "Occasionally, we as a country manage to magic up a world-renowned gem into being and Channel 4 is a perfect example. And ...
Just a short post today. The Guardian reports that the government's former ethics chief has apologised for her "error of judgment" after she was fined by police for attending a party in the Cabinet Office during lockdown. The paper says MacNamara was fined in connection with a leaving party held on 18 June 2020 to mark the departure of a private secretary, Hannah Young, who was moving to New York to take up a role with the British consulate general. She is said to have provided a karaoke machine for the event, which is understood to have been one of ...
News broke yesterday that Shropshire Council had lost its bid to the Bus Back Better fund. It is shocking news that Shropshire will not get a penny to support its struggling bus services. The county's bus services are in urgent need of upgrading to an age that is moving to zero carbon. That must include putting more buses on the road, more frequent buses, electric buses and transport hubs that are fit for the 21st century. The council's bid was in a glossier and shorter on targets that some successful bids. The endorsement from MPs might not have helped. When ...
Many thanks to the residents who recently highlighted to me graffiti on the directional signs near to the Seabraes Bridge : I reported this to the City Council's Rapid Response Team and am grateful for the rapid response! :
