Khan launches London mayor re-election bid calling for ‘1945-style recovery’
Sadiq Khan has launched his campaign to be re-elected as the Mayor of London by calling for a post-war style economic recovery package for the capital.
Politics
Holyrood votes to end ministers’ early access to some statistics
Holyrood has passed new laws curbing the number of statistics which ministers will get early access to – despite the Scottish Government opposing the Bill.
Foster accuses Coveney of ignoring NI unionists
Stormont’s First Minister has accused Ireland’s Foreign Minister of ignoring the views of unionists and assuming they will go away.
Government’s ‘substantial’ payout to civil servant after Patel bullying claims
The Government is understood to have agreed a “substantial” payout to settle a top civil servant’s employment tribunal claim after he quit amid allegations of Priti Patel’s bullying.
Former Home Office boss settles tribunal claim against Government
Former top Home Office civil servant Sir Philip Rutnam has settled his employment tribunal claim after launching legal action against Priti Patel.
Sunak told plans to address battered public finances do not look deliverable
Rishi Sunak has been warned that his plans to address the UK’s battered public finances following the coronavirus crisis “do not look deliverable” without “considerable pain”.
Labour accuses Chancellor of ‘failing patients’ in Budget
Labour has accused the Chancellor of failing patients due to planned cuts to day-to-day spending in the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
Frank Gilfeather: Titans clash in Scottish political fight of decade
Now we wait.
Sadiq Khan launches mayoral re-election bid with ‘jobs, jobs, jobs’ mantra
Sadiq Khan has launched his mayoral re-election campaign with a focus on “jobs, jobs, jobs” for Londoners affected by the coronavirus crisis.
‘Fifth of terror prisoners are right-wing extremists’
One in five people behind bars for terror offences in Britain last year were right-wing extremists – the highest proportion since records began.
Chancellor grabbed a pizza after delivering Budget
Rishi Sunak has revealed he enjoyed a stuffed crust pizza for his post-Budget dinner.
Poll puts support for independence at 53% after drop since October
Support for Scottish independence stands at 53% but has declined since October, a new poll suggests.
Land tax relief in Scotland to end on Mar 31 despite extension to UK stamp duty
The extended cut to stamp duty for house-buyers south of the border will not be replicated in Scotland, Finance Secretary Kate Forbes has confirmed.
‘Too early’ to back vaccine passports, says Chancellor
It is “too early” to say whether the Government can support rolling out vaccine passports while a review is under way, the Chancellor has said.
Boris Johnson ‘feeling full of beans’ after losing weight
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he is “doing all I can to lose weight” as he announced funding to help the public get “fitter and healthier”.
EU ‘simply cannot trust’ UK Government after NI Protocol move, says Coveney
Ireland’s foreign affairs minister has said the EU is negotiating with a partner it “simply cannot trust” after the UK’s latest Brexit move.
Chancellor insists freezing income tax thresholds is ‘progressive’
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has insisted that freezing income tax thresholds is a “progressive” form of taxation amid warnings that he needs to do more to tackle the sluggish growth in living standards.
‘Serious questions’ remain on credibility of planned spending cuts – think-tank
Rishi Sunak has “big questions still to answer” with analysis suggesting more needs to be done to tackle the sluggish growth in living standards and a further potential squeeze on the public sector.
Chancellor vows to use Budget to build ‘fairer and more just’ country
Rishi Sunak has vowed to build a “fairer and more just” country in the memory of those who lost their lives to coronavirus, after setting out plans to begin repairing the nation’s finances after the pandemic.
Sunak rejects ‘naked pork barrel politics’ claims over regeneration funding
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has rejected claims that he has concentrated support in his Budget on Tory-supporting areas.
Lockdown alcohol sales set to give Treasury an extra £800m
Bumper alcohol sales in supermarkets and off-licences during the coronavirus lockdown will give the Treasury an extra £800 million in duties, the fiscal watchdog has forecast.
Rishi Sunak’s Budget: what you need to know
Rishi Sunak has delivered a Budget which set out billions of extra spending to help the economy through the coronavirus crisis – but then massive tax hikes to pay for it.
Cash for everyday public spending in NI increased by £4.2m after Budget
Cash for everyday public spending in Northern Ireland has only increased by £4.2 million and there is no additional capital funding, Finance Minister Conor Murphy has said.
OBR: Freeze on personal allowance threshold will drag 1.3m into tax system
The Chancellor’s decision to freeze personal tax thresholds will create a “fiscal drag”, bringing 1.3 million people into the tax system, the fiscal watchdog has said.
Tax burden to stay high in ‘new phase of UK economic history’ – IFS head
Taxes are likely to reach their “highest sustained level in history” as the Government seeks to repair the damage to the public finances caused by the coronavirus crisis, a leading economist warned.
Who are the winners and losers from the Budget?
The Budget has created groups of “winners” who may find themselves better off and “losers” who could be worse off, as the Government takes steps to rebuild the public finances.
Grace period on supermarket agri-food to continue to October
The British Government has unilaterally said the grace period for post-Brexit supermarket agri-food movements from the rest of the UK to Northern Ireland “will continue” until October.
Brexit trade drop to bring 0.5% GDP hit in first three months of 2021 – OBR
The UK’s economy is expected to take a hit in the first quarter of 2021 because of complications at the EU border caused in part by Brexit, according to a new estimate.
Property buyers praise ‘lifeline’ stamp duty holiday set to save them thousands
Property buyers have described Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s decision to extend the stamp duty cut to the end of June as a “lifeline” set to save them thousands of pounds.
Housebuilders boost markets as stamp duty extension welcomed
Markets rose on the back of the budget as traders welcomed the news that the UK economy is expected to return to pre-Covid levels six months earlier than first thought.