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Category: UK News

  • London Secures £100m Investment Deals

    London Secures £100m Investment Deals

    Mayor announces record-breaking £100m investment deals for Londoners. International investment across the capital has created nearly 10,000 jobs for Londoners in industries of the future such as technology, life sciences, and the green sector in the last five years

    London Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced over £100 million in new investment for the capital in 2024, defying global economic trends. Attending the International Investment Summit, Khan revealed deals from companies across the tech, biotech, and fintech sectors, underscoring London’s reputation as a top destination for business expansion.

    Three major tech firms—Mphasis, Constant Contact, and MoonPay—have committed to expanding their operations in London. Mphasis, an Indian IT giant, plans to double its UK business over the next three years, while digital marketing platform Constant Contact will officially launch in the UK soon. MoonPay, a fintech company specializing in payment infrastructure for crypto, is also set to increase its presence in the city.

    The Mayor highlighted these successes as part of a broader strategy to stimulate economic growth through the London Growth Plan. This initiative aims to create over 150,000 high-quality jobs by 2028, improve living standards, and drive a green economic transition. In addition, Sadiq Khan has committed £380 million annually to skills and career development, ensuring Londoners are equipped to thrive in emerging sectors.

    The announcement comes at a crucial moment for the UK economy, with Sadiq Khan emphasizing the city’s ability to attract global investment. “London is open to business, open to investment, and open to new partnerships,” said the Mayor. “Our city remains a global leader in fast-growing sectors like AI, biotech, and fintech, and I look forward to working closely with the new government to secure more long-term investment and opportunities for Londoners.”

    The partnerships were facilitated by London & Partners, the city’s growth agency, which has helped secure investments from over 543 companies in recent years, creating nearly 10,000 jobs. CEO Laura Citron OBE stressed the importance of actively courting investors, stating, “We target the most innovative companies and provide them with a world-class service to ensure their success in London.”

    The announcement comes at a crucial moment for the UK economy, with Sadiq Khan emphasizing the city’s ability to attract global investment. “London is open to business, open to investment, and open to new partnerships,” said the Mayor. “Our city remains a global leader in fast-growing sectors like AI, biotech, and fintech, and I look forward to working closely with the new government to secure more long-term investment and opportunities for Londoners.”

    The partnerships were facilitated by London & Partners, the city’s growth agency, which has helped secure investments from over 543 companies in recent years, creating nearly 10,000 jobs. CEO Laura Citron OBE stressed the importance of actively courting investors, stating, “We target the most innovative companies and provide them with a world-class service to ensure their success in London.”

    Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds praised the collaborative efforts, stating, “These investment deals in London showcase the results we can achieve by working together to provide global businesses with the certainty they need.”

    Executives from Mphasis, MoonPay, and Constant Contact echoed these sentiments, highlighting London’s dynamic business ecosystem and supportive environment. Nitin Rakesh, CEO of Mphasis, said, “London is an ideal location for our latest innovation center, and we are committed to driving impactful innovation from this hub.”

    As London continues to attract international investment despite a challenging global economic climate, the city is positioning itself as a leader in technology, finance, and innovation, setting a path for sustained growth and prosperity.

    ALSO READ: UK overseas aid budget faces £900m raid  

  • British PM vows to slash red tape

    British PM vows to slash red tape

    Unions express concern as PM to say government will ‘rip out the bureaucracy that blocks investment’

    Keir Starmer will promise to slash red tape and “rip out the bureaucracy that blocks investment” as he hosts hundreds of global business executives for a major summit in central London.

    After a troubled run-up to the event, including a bruising row with the Dubai-based owner of P&O Ferries, the prime minister will urge the world’s largest businesses to invest in the UK, promising them stable policy and low regulation as an incentive to do so.

    Starmer will say in his keynote speech on Monday: “We’ve got to look at regulation where it is needlessly holding back the investment, to take our country forward.

    “Where it is stopping us building the homes, the datacentres, warehouses, grid connectors, roads, train lines, you name it then mark my words – we will get rid of it. We will rip out the bureaucracy that blocks investment and we will make sure that every regulator in this country take growth as seriously as this room does.”

    Some in the union movement expressed concern at the prospect of another deregulatory push, with one likening Starmer’s tone to that of his predecessor David Cameron, who swept away building safety regulations as part of a “bonfire of red tape”.

    The prime minister is looking to woo foreign capital as part of the government’s push to get the economy growing again and has already announced billions of pounds worth of investment from companies, including Amazon and Blackstone.

    Among the speakers for Monday’s summit at the Guildhall are Ruth Porat, the president of Google’s parent company Alphabet, David Ricks, the chief executive of the drug company Eli Lilly, and Larry Fink, the chief executive of BlackRock.

    Ministers have already begun rolling out big changes to the planning system to encourage building, including removing a de facto ban on onshore windfarms and promising to make it easier to build on the green belt.

    Starmer’s comments at the investment summit suggest the government is likely to go further.

    No 10 would not say which regulations are likely to be in scope, but officials said they wanted to review the remit of large regulators such as the Competition and Markets Authority to focus on growth as their main priority.

    As well as the deregulatory drive, the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, will unveil a green paper detailing the government’s industrial strategy, which officials say will be focused on eight growth-driving sectors.

    And as the final element of the government’s business charm offensive, attenders will then be invited to a reception at St Paul’s Cathedral also attended by King Charles.

    “We are focusing on investment because the mission of growth, in this country especially, demands it,” Starmer will say. “Private sector investment is the way we rebuild our country and pay our way in the world. This is a great moment to back Britain.”

    But while Starmer’s pro-business drive has already managed to attract billions of pounds of new investment, it has also caused ructions within his own party and among trade unions.

    Unions have warned the industrial strategy is unlikely to make a difference if the government is unwilling to bail out businesses such as Grangemouth, the Scottish oil refinery threatened with closure.

    Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite, said on Sunday: “What is happening in Grangemouth is an act of industrial vandalism … We cannot have a situation where the state writes blank cheques for corporations, who then refuse to protect jobs.”

    Some in the union movement are also concerned about the prospect of another deregulatory push, after similar moves under Conservative prime ministers.

    One union source likened Starmer’s words to Cameron’s “bonfire of red tape”. “The coalition also had a massive shake-up of red tape, and ended up taking out loads of safety regulations,” the source said.

    Others are troubled by the involvement in the summit of Macquarie, the investment fund that was highly criticised over the way it ran Thames Water. The Australian investment firm will announce on Monday a £20bn package of planned investments in Britain, including to roll out a network of fast-charging electric vehicle infrastructure nationwide.

    Matt Wrack, the general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, said: “The prime minister should use the government’s investment summit to announce an end to this great water privatisation ripoff, and the renationalisation of this vital public service.”

    The prime minister is also dealing with the fallout from a damaging cabinet row over the attendance at the summit of DP World, which owns P&O Ferries.

    DP World had threatened to pull out of the summit and cancel a planned £1bn investment after the transport secretary called the ferry company a “rogue operator”. Referring to the company’s controversial decision in 2022 to fire 800 staff without notice, Louise Haigh also said she was boycotting the company and had encouraged her department not to deal with it.

    ALSO READ: UK overseas aid budget faces £900m raid  

  • UK overseas aid budget faces £900m raid  

    UK overseas aid budget faces £900m raid  

    With the amount spent on refugees and asylum seekers this year on course to hit £3.6bn, the sum available for international projects must be cut again, warns thinktank…reports Asian Lite News

    Ministers have been warned that £900m will have to be raided from UK overseas aid projects to meet the costs of supporting asylum seekers in Britain this year.

    Projections seen by the Observer show that the amount of overseas aid set to be spent in the UK on refugees and asylum seekers this year is still on course to reach £3.6bn, despite a big fall in the costs of housing people from Ukraine.

    The continued high spending means that without a bailout from the Treasury, ministers will have to blow a further hole in the budget for aid projects overseas. It comes amid concerns that the UK’s overseas aid spending could fall to a 20-year low.

    New analysis by experts at the Center for Global Development thinktank, and shared with the Observer, shows that if no additional resources come from the Treasury, refugee spending in the UK would comprise more than 25% of this year’s overseas aid budget and require some £900m to be cut from other aid projects.

    It also suggests that ministers still do not have control of the huge amounts spent by the Home Office on asylum costs in the UK. The latest data suggests that there are still about 30,000 asylum seekers in hotel rooms, although the total has fallen from its peak.

    Analysis suggests that Britain spends vastly more of its aid budget on hosting refugees and asylum seekers than any other rich country: about £20,000 per person, according to the thinktank’s researchers. That is more than 30% higher than Ireland and 150% higher than the next G7 country, Canada.

    Questions have already been raised around the value of contracts awarded for housing asylum seekers. Sir Mark Lowcock, the ex-UN official who was the most senior civil servant in the former Department for International Development (DfID), told the Observer recently that a further forensic analysis of the deals should take place.

    About £4.3bn of the UK aid budget was spent inside the UK in 2023 to support asylum seekers and refugees, more than a quarter of the entire overseas development aid (ODA) budget and about four times the amount spent on humanitarian support.

    The previous Conservative government gave a further £2bn over two years for the UK aid budget for 2022-23 and 2023-24 to help cover the huge extra refugee costs spent by the Home Office. However, no further cash injection has been announced by Labour. The previous extra funding expired in April.

    The new research finds that the government is very unlikely to reduce aid spending on the issue in 2024. The only fall this year is coming from the decline in arrivals of Ukraine scheme visa-holders, with their costs set to fall from more than £1bn in 2022 and 2023 to £300m. The amount allocated to supporting asylum seekers will remain high and almost the same as last year, at about £3bn.

    “Rishi Sunak set a precedent as chancellor by allowing other departments to claw back whatever they could from the aid budget—the pot of money meant to support the world’s poorest,” said Ian Mitchell, a senior policy fellow at the thinktank and one of the authors of the spending projections. “This has included the Home Office’s spiralling costs for hosting refugees within the UK. As a result, the UK’s real foreign aid spending has become smaller, unreliable, and less responsive. If this policy isn’t corrected – if, for example, the £2bn emergency fund provided by the last government isn’t matched – our aid spend could drop to a 20-year low. Prime minister Starmer pledged at the UN to restore the UK’s role as a responsible global leader, but continuing down this path is about as far from that promise as you can get.”

    Under international rules, countries can use their aid budgets for the costs of asylum seekers within their countries until a year after their arrival. While official advice is for countries to take a “conservative approach” to these costs, Britain has maxed out its aid spending on housing and supporting refugees. Home Office data suggests average hotel costs for asylum seekers were at £140 per person per night in February, or £51,000 per year.

    On Britain’s high spending on refugees and asylum seekers in the UK, the government said: “This government is determined to restore order to the asylum system so that it operates swiftly, fairly and in the interest of taxpayers. We will not be taking the costly migration and economic partnership with Rwanda forward, and we are taking immediate action to clear the asylum backlog and reduce the use of expensive hotels.”

    ALSO READ: UK Govt to outline overhaul of workers’ rights

  • Cardinal Nichols urges faithful to lobby MPs to oppose assisted dying

    Cardinal Nichols urges faithful to lobby MPs to oppose assisted dying

    The Labour MP Kim Leadbeater will formally introduce a private member’s bill on the issue to the House of Commons on Wednesday…reports Asian Lite News

    The UK’s highest-ranking Catholic bishop has urged churchgoers to lobby their MPs to oppose proposed changes in the law around assisted dying in England and Wales, warning people: “be careful what you wish for”.

    In a letter to be read out in the churches of his diocese, Cardinal Vincent Nichols said the proposed changes risk bringing about “a slow change from a duty to care to a duty to kill” for medical professionals.

    The Labour MP Kim Leadbeater will formally introduce a private member’s bill on the issue to the House of Commons on Wednesday. MPs will vote on the issue at the bill’s second reading on 29 November.

    Nichols’s letter goes on to say that in countries where assisted dying has been legalised, the circumstances in which it is permitted have been “widened and widened”.

    He said changing the law could result in those who are near to death feeling under pressure to end their lives to relieve family members of a “perceived burden of care”, to avoid pain or “for the sake of inheritance”.

    “The radical change in the law now being proposed risks bringing about for all medical professionals a slow change from a duty to care to a duty to kill,” he added.

    The archbishop of Westminster continued: “The suffering of a human being is not meaningless. It does not destroy that dignity. It is an intrinsic part of our human journey, a journey embraced by the eternal word of God, Christ Jesus himself. He brings our humanity to its full glory precisely through the gateway of suffering and death.”

    Leadbeater has said the current law on assisted dying is “not fit for purpose”, with campaigners labelling it “unbelievably cruel”.

    Earlier this year, before he became prime minister, Keir Starmer said he was in favour of changing the law. He made a promise to the TV presenter Esther Rantzen, who has terminal lung cancer and is campaigning on the issue, that if he became prime minister he would ensure time in parliament to debate the issue and allow a free vote. Starmer kept that promise after his election win in July.

    Those in favour of changing the legislation say people who are terminally ill or in severe pain should be allowed the choice to die with dignity and at a time of their choosing.

    Sarah Wootton, the chief executive of Dignity in Dying, said earlier this year: “Assisted dying is a movement whose time has come. The prime minister has doubled down on his promise to make time for this debate, and dying people will be holding him to account; they simply do not have time to wait. As reform grows closer in the Isle of Man, Jersey and Scotland, we are on the brink of historic change across the British Isles.”

    Under current law, assisting someone to end their life is a criminal offence in England and Wales, carrying a maximum prison sentence of up to 14 years. Moves to legalise assisted dying are under way in Scotland, the Isle of Man and Jersey.

    This will be the first time the topic has been debated in the House of Commons since 2015, when an assisted dying bill was defeated.

    ALSO READ: UK Govt to outline overhaul of workers’ rights

  • Starmer steps into cabinet row over P&O to rescue global summit  

    Starmer steps into cabinet row over P&O to rescue global summit  

    The workers sacked in March 2022 were told of their fate by the company in pre-recorded Zoom video…reports Asian Lite News

    Keir Starmer expressed his full confidence on Saturday in the transport secretary, Louise Haigh, after an explosive cabinet row cast fresh doubt over his Downing Street operation and threatened to overshadow a key international investment summit in London.

    Government sources said the prime minister and Haigh had spoken and made up on Saturday after Starmer appeared to rebuke her on Friday for branding P&O Ferries a “rogue operator” in a statement and then calling for customers to boycott the company in a subsequent media interview.

    The comments – and a description by the deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, of P&O’s behaviour as “outrageous” when it sacked nearly 800 workers without notice in 2022 – led to reports that P&O’s parent company, DP World, had pulled out of Monday’s investment summit and shelved a £1bn infrastructure project at the London Gateway.

    The workers sacked in March 2022 were told of their fate by the company in pre-recorded Zoom video. They were told: “I am sorry to inform you that your employment is terminated with immediate effect … your final day of employment is today.”

    P&O Ferries boss Peter Hebblethwaite subsequently appeared before the Commons business select committee over the sacking scandal later that month. Darren Jones, then committee chair and now chief secretary to the Treasury, opened the session by asking: “Are you just a shameless criminal?”

    Hebblethwaite told MPs the ferry business was not viable without the changes, adding: “I would make this decision again, I’m afraid.”

    With DP World’s attendance at the investment summit in doubt, Starmer was asked on Friday if Haigh had been wrong to describe the company as a “cowboy operator” and to encourage a boycott. The prime minister appeared to cut her adrift, saying: “Well, look, that’s not the view of the government.”

    Official sources said early on Saturday they were astonished that Haigh had been “hung out to dry” and “thrown under the bus” because she had only been echoing a government press release about new protections for seafarers, which had mentioned “rogue employers” and specifically said the measures were aimed at “preventing another P&O scandal”.

    The release had been signed off by the No 10 communications team. “No 10 comms gave it the tick,” said a well-placed source.

    Both Haigh and Rayner were said by insiders to be “hopping mad” that No 10 had not protected them, given that it had sanctioned the same kind of highly critical language towards P&O.

    Downing Street sources later said that while the row had been smoothed over, it had been Haigh’s comments about a boycott that had gone too far and caused most annoyance to P&O’s owners.

    On Saturday night, it appeared that DP World would, after all, attend the conference and that the investment of £1bn was no longer under threat. Senior sources confirmed that Haigh and Starmer had spoken on the phone and that he had expressed his confidence in her.

    The Observer also understands that senior ministers, including Haigh, had not been informed in advance that DP World would be attending the investment summit, nor that they had been proposing a £1bn investment that would be announced at it.

    They said the fact that they were not informed was “astonishing”, given that the government last week unveiled its key bill to improve workers’ rights and that this was highly relevant in that context.

    “It shows the tension between the workers’ rights stuff and the investment stuff. This is going to keep happening unless we sort out the comms and the grid,” said an insider.

    The row comes just days after Starmer’s chief of staff, the former senior civil servant Sue Gray, quit after weeks of bitter internal arguments and tensions inside No 10. She was replaced by another of the prime minister’s closest aides, Morgan McSweeney.

    The investment summit has been talked up as a showpiece of the new government, aimed at attracting foreign money to the UK. Both Starmer and the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, will attend, as well as many of the world’s leading business figures.

    The Labour MP Liam Byrne, chair of Westminster’s business and trade committee, said on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Saturday: “I think there’s a bit of a split here between the past and the future. Lou Haigh was absolutely right to say the behaviour of P&O, owned by DP World, in the past has been completely unacceptable.

    “The calls for the boycott, let’s not forget, were originally made by Grant Shapps [the former Tory transport secretary] … but now we have got the employment rights bill coming through, I think we are all expecting businesses to play by the rules.”

    The Dubai-based company owns the port of Southampton as well as London Gateway and was involved in the creation of some of the first of Rishi Sunak’s controversial freeports.

    The latest Downing Street row comes as the government rolls out a series of announcements designed to underline its pro-business credentials before the summit.

    It includes the appointment of a new industrial strategy advisory council, which will be chaired by the chief executive of Microsoft UK, Clare Barclay, as ministers unveil the first industrial strategy in seven years.

    Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, said the new strategy would “hardwire stability for investors and give them the confidence to plan not just for the next year but for the next 10 years and beyond”.

    He said: “This is the next step in our pro-worker, pro-business plan, which will see investors and workers alike get the security and stability they need to succeed.”

    Reeves said:“I have never been more optimistic about our country’s potential. We have some of the brightest minds and greatest businesses in the world, from the creative industries and life sciences to advanced manufacturing and financial services.

    “This government is determined to deliver on Britain’s potential so we can rebuild Britain and make every part of the country better off.”

    ALSO READ: UK Govt to outline overhaul of workers’ rights

  • Pressure mounts on Reeves to drop £1.3bn cut to benefits for disabled

    Pressure mounts on Reeves to drop £1.3bn cut to benefits for disabled

    The leading independent thinktank, the Resolution Foundation, has called on the chancellor to drop or delay changes to the work capability assessment…reports Asian Lite News

    Rachel Reeves is coming under intense pressure to use the budget to abandon a £1.3bn cut to benefits for people with disabilities, first announced by the Tory government, amid warnings it will lead to hundreds of thousands of the most vulnerable people losing almost £5,000 a year.

    The leading independent thinktank, the Resolution Foundation, has called on the chancellor to drop or delay changes to the work capability assessment (WCA), arguing that key aspects of the policy have not been thought through, and that around 420,000 people who are unable to work through disability or ill-health could lose up to £4,900 a year.

    The controversy is another headache for the government, particularly as the savings from the Tory-conceived plan are already baked into the Office for Budget Responsibility’s forecasts for the public finances that will underpin the budget on 30 October.

    This latest dispute over benefits cuts follows outcries over the government’s plan to limit winter fuel payments to only the poorest pensioners, and its refusal to end the two-child benefit cap that is being blamed for tipping many thousands more children into poverty every month.

    Mike Brewer, interim chief executive of the Resolution Foundation, said the plan should be scrapped or at least rethought: “These changes disproportionately affect lower-income households, and could lead to individuals missing out on support, in spite of being at substantial risk of harm, opening up the government to legal challenges.

    “Ministers are right to scrutinise fast-rising disability benefit spending. But these changes have not been thought through properly. They should be delayed – if not cancelled – until they are.”

    The changes to the WCA were first announced by former Tory chancellor Jeremy Hunt last September. They are due to take effect from April 2025, with a final judgment on whether to proceed expected to be announced in Reeves’s budget.

    Over the next six years, expenditure on both working-age incapacity and disability benefits is projected to increase rapidly from £43bn in 2022-23 to £63bn in 2028-29, a real-terms increase of £21bn (or 48%).

    As a result, Hunt announced changes to the current system with a new regime that was sold to the public as help for getting people into work, but which disabilities groups now say will simply make it harder for those most in need of state help to access the benefits they need.

    In particular, the Resolution Foundation is critical of plans to remove the “substantial risk” descriptor (which enables people to receive benefits on the grounds of ill-health if not doing so is judged to pose a substantial risk to their physical and mental health), saying this has not been fully thought through.

    It says: “This change risks making the process too stringent, and risks either not saving the government money or putting vulnerable people at risk.”

    The Resolution Foundation says 47% of families who receive these incapacity benefits come from the bottom 30% of the income distribution.

    Mikey Erhardt, campaigner at Disability Rights UK, which works to improve the rights of disabled people, said: “It is farcical for the Labour government to be resurrecting Conservative legislation that would subject hundreds of thousands of us to reassessments and conditionality instead of the support we need.

    “Carrying on the last government’s proposed changes to the work capability assessment process would prove that we are living under a government pursuing ever more surveillance of our lives – another government happy to gamble disabled lives by subjecting us to increased benefit sanctions and eroding rights.”

    He added: “Changes to the ‘substantial risk’ rule are reckless and dangerous. It is already a state failure that this is often the only route people who experience mental ill-health and distress can access the support we need. With over 600 benefits-related deaths in the last three years, many of which were suicides as a result of benefit sanctions, pushing disabled people who experience mental distress into work should be the furthest from this government’s priorities.”

    A DWP spokesperson said: “Spiralling inactivity and millions of people denied the right support is holding the country back and stifling the economy. We believe the work capability assessment is not working and needs to be reformed or replaced, alongside a proper plan to support disabled people. We will deliver the change the country needs; supporting those who can work, into work, and delivering growth in every part of the country.”

    ALSO READ: UK Govt to outline overhaul of workers’ rights

  • King Charles fails to reveal official gifts for past four years

    King Charles fails to reveal official gifts for past four years

    The Duke of York also faced allegations that when he was a working royal he used official overseas trips to conduct private business deals….reports Asian Lite News

    King Charles and his family have failed to reveal their official gifts for the past four years, despite previously promising to publish an annual list.

    Palace officials have blamed the pandemic, the change of reign, and then planning for last year’s coronation for their inability to publish details of the gifts received by members of the royal family.

    The royal family’s reticence follows controversy over a cash-for-honours scandal involving the king’s main charitable foundation, which led to a police investigation that was dropped last year without a full explanation from either Scotland Yard or the Crown Prosecution Service. It also comes after revelations that Charles, when he was Prince of Wales, accepted £2.6m in cash in bags from a Qatari politician for another of his charities, the Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund.

    The Duke of York also faced allegations that when he was a working royal he used official overseas trips to conduct private business deals.

    But unlike MPs, who have to register gifts, donations and hospitality, there is no public register of interests for members of the royal family. Instead, they act on the advice of their private secretaries in deciding what to declare.

    The then Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles, who is wearing jewellery given by a Saudi royal the previous year, in Philadelphia in 2007.

    Annual gift lists were introduced after media criticism of attempts by the royal household to conceal the origin of lavish jewellery given to Queen Camilla by a Saudi royal in 2006 and worn by her on an official visit to the US in 2007.

    The last annual list, detailing official gifts received by all working members of the royal family in 2019, was published in April 2020 but since then there has been nothing, apart from the occasional description of an exchange of presents during a state visit or pictures when they are given gifts during an engagement.

    Over the years, the annual list has led to controversy, such as in 2012 when it emerged that the king of Bahrain and his country’s prime minister had given a “suite of jewels” to Prince Edward’s wife, Sophie, while facing criticism over human rights abuses.

    But many presents, including sensitive ones, were often concealed, even though official gifts are not the personal property of the royals and are in effect accepted on behalf of the nation.

    Saudi Arabia’s controversial crown prince Mohammed bin Salman gave the Duchess of Sussex a £500,000 pair of diamond chandelier earrings as a wedding present in 2018. In October that year Meghan wore them at a state banquet in Fiji only a few days after the crown prince was accused of ordering the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi. But when journalists asked where she got them, palace officials said they were “borrowed”. She wore them again that November at a Buckingham Palace dinner to celebrate the then Prince Charles’s 70th birthday. It was only in March 2021, shortly before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex gave a controversial television interview to Oprah Winfrey, that their true provenance was leaked.

    The Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate, chose not to release a list of any gifts they had received at their wedding in 2011. Only a handful of official gifts received by Queen Elizabeth for her platinum jubilee in 2022 were disclosed and it is not clear what, if any, were given to King Charles and Queen Camilla to mark their coronation.

    It was all very different back in 1947, when the then Princess Elizabeth married Philip Mountbatten. An exhaustive list of gifts to the couple was published and more than 2,500 items went on show to the public.

    Charles ordered a formal review of the royal household’s policy on official gifts in 2003, after a scandal over staff selling unwanted presents. It resulted in clearer definitions as to what constitutes an official gift and a personal present.

    Official gifts are those received in connection with official duties or from businesses or individuals not personally known to the family member. They include gifts from dignitaries, such as other heads of state or elected representatives, during events and are not the family members’ private property.

    Personal gifts are those from people they know privately with no connection to official duties.

    Graham Smith, chief executive of Republic, which campaigns for an elected head of state to replace the monarch, said: “It is vital that the public knows about any possible conflicts of interest or attempts to curry favour with royals, as they have direct access to the highest levels of government.”

    He added: “Charles and senior royals have access to government papers, can have secretive meetings with ministers and the prime minister and they have leverage to pressure government to do favours for them and their friends.

    “The royals have form when it comes to blurring the lines between what’s theirs to keep and what’s an official gift. So full disclosure is needed on what’s been received and where those gifts are now. If we demand high standards from politicians, we must demand those same standards from the royals.”

    A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace said: “The royal gifts lists will be published in due course.”

    ALSO READ: UK Govt to outline overhaul of workers’ rights

  • Irish PM demands Israel ‘stop firing’ at UN peacekeepers

    Irish PM demands Israel ‘stop firing’ at UN peacekeepers

    Ireland accounts for 347 of the 10,000 soldiers serving in the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon…reports Asian Lite News

    Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris on Saturday urged Israel to heed “the concerns of the international community” and not repeat recent firing on UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.

    “Israel must stop firing on UN peacekeepers serving with UNIFIL in Lebanon,” Ireland’s leader said in a statement, his latest comments on the recent incidents that have sparked a fierce diplomatic backlash.

    “Israel must listen to the voice and the concerns of the international community,” he added.

    Ireland accounts for 347 of the 10,000 soldiers serving in the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, UNIFIL, which is charged with maintaining peace in the south of Lebanon.

    Israel said its forces fired at a threat near a UNIFIL position in Lebanon Friday, acknowledging that a “hit” was responsible for wounding two Blue Helmets.

    The two Sri Lankan peacekeepers were hurt at UNIFIL’s main base in Naqura, southern Lebanon, according to the mission.

    It follows two Indonesian soldiers suffering injuries when tank fire hit a watchtower the previous day, the mission said.

    The Irish Defense Forces has said none of its staff were hurt in Thursday’s incident.

    Harris, who visited US President Joe Biden earlier in the week, said in the statement he and Biden “agreed that those who serve in Blue Helmets on behalf of the UN must always be afforded full protection.”

    ALSO READ: UK Govt to outline overhaul of workers’ rights

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  • Scotland’s former First Minister Alex Salmond dies

    Scotland’s former First Minister Alex Salmond dies

    Salmond, who served as First Minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014 and was a prominent leader of the Scottish National Party…reports Asian Lite News

    Public figures from across Scotland and the United Kingdom paid tribute to former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, who died on Saturday at the age of 69.

    Salmond, a key figure in the Scottish independence movement, reportedly collapsed in North Macedonia after delivering a speech. The British Press Association reported Salmond was thought to have suffered a heart attack, but said there would be a post-mortem examination to confirm the cause of death, CNN reported.

    Salmond, who served as First Minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014 and was a prominent leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), was hailed by figures across the political spectrum for his tireless work and contributions to Scottish and UK politics.

    Leading the tributes, King Charles expressed his grief over Salmond’s passing, saying, “My wife and I are greatly saddened to hear of the sudden death of Alex Salmond,” the king said. “His devotion to Scotland drove his decades of public service.”

    British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also paid his respects, calling Salmond “a monumental figure of Scottish and UK politics” for over 30 years. Starmer continued, “He leaves behind a lasting legacy. As First Minister of Scotland he cared deeply about Scotland’s heritage, history, and culture, as well as the communities he represented as MP (member of parliament) and MSP (member of the Scottish parliament) over many years of service. My thoughts are with those who knew him, his family, and his loved ones. On behalf of the UK government, I offer them our condolences today.”

    Salmond, who played a leading role in the 2014 independence referendum, secured 45 per cent of the vote, a significant result for the cause. Though defeated in the referendum, he continued to advocate for independence, founding the Alba Party in 2021 after stepping down as SNP leader and First Minister.

    Chris McEleny, General Secretary of the Alba Party, shared his sorrow, stating, “I will never be able to thank Alex for all his lessons, advice, guidance, mentorship, love and friendship and for everything he did for Scotland. For many years he was the father of the nation and for several years he has been a father-like figure to me,” CNN reported.

    Scottish First Minister John Swinney also expressed his deep sadness. “Over many years, Alex made an enormous contribution to political life – not just within Scotland, but across the UK and beyond. Alex worked tirelessly and fought fearlessly for the country that he loved and for her independence. He took the Scottish National Party from the fringes of Scottish politics into government and led Scotland so close to becoming an Independent country,” Swinney said, as reported by CNN.

    Despite his political career facing setbacks, including a high-profile trial in 2018 over sexual misconduct accusations, Salmond was cleared of all charges in a 2020 trial. His long-standing influence on Scottish politics remains undeniable.

    Scottish Labour Party leader Anas Sarwar also shared his condolences, stating, “The sad news of Alex Salmond’s passing today will come as a shock to all who knew him in Scotland, across the UK and beyond. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time and on behalf of Scottish Labour I offer our sincere condolences to all who will be mourning his loss. Alex was a central figure in politics for over three decades and his contribution to the Scottish political landscape cannot be overstated,” CNN reported. (ANI)

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  • Reeves ‘must find billions more’ in time for Budget

    Reeves ‘must find billions more’ in time for Budget

    The government has promised no return to “austerity” for public services and a boost to government investment, designed to kickstart growth…reports Asian Lite News

    Chancellor Rachel Reeves will need to come up with billions of pounds more to meet the government’s pre-election promises, according to calculations by influential think tank the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).

    The government has promised no return to “austerity” for public services and a boost to government investment, designed to kickstart growth.

    But to honour those commitments the chancellor will need to “grasp the nettle” and come up with £16bn more on top of £9bn tax rises set out in the Labour manifesto, the IFS said. The chancellor is finalising details of her first Budget, to be announced on 30 October.

    Reeves will set out how she plans to meet a raft of manifesto promises against a tangle of self-imposed restrictions on borrowing, spending and debt. It will be the government’s first big set-piece, an opportunity to set out its priorities and values, and to reset the political tone after a backlash over clothing and hospitality donations.

    There is an expectation that more of the tax burden will fall on higher earners, following the government’s surprise decision to limit winter fuel payments to the poorest pensioners. Some also hope for an end to the two-child limit for benefit payments. But Reeves’ first Budget comes against a backdrop of higher debt following the pandemic, higher interest payments to finance that debt and inflation that has only recently returned to normal levels. A growing and ageing population and the climate transition impose additional challenges.

    The new government had inherited an “unenviable” situation with the public finances, the IFS said in its regular pre-Budget analysis of the public finances. Growing pressures on health and pensions, combined with falling revenues from fuel and tobacco duties made the situation harder, but tough decisions were necessary, IFS director Paul Johnson said.

    “If Reeves does not grasp the nettle on 30 October, it could come back to sting her again before the next election,” Johnson said. There has been much debate over what taxes might be increased to cover the gap.

    At the election Labour promised not to increase taxes on “working people”, and said it would not raise VAT (value added tax), income tax or National Insurance.

    However, on Wednesday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer did not rule out a possible increase in National Insurance contributions paid by employers, raising speculation this could be a Budget measure.

    The IFS, working with economists at investment bank Citi, calculated how much extra revenue the chancellor would need to find to avoid sharp cuts in public services. That is based on her pledge to ensure day-to-day spending is paid for with tax revenues.

    Economic forecasting is not precise; stronger than expected growth could give the government greater room for manoeuvre, while weaker growth might mean cuts were still required.

    The IFS said on their own the £9bn tax rises already planned by the chancellor, might be enough to maintain spending at current levels, including taking inflation into account, although the forecast was so tight it was “on a knife edge”.

    However, many public services including prisons, higher education and local government are struggling to meet current needs. Pressures are expected to grow, especially in social care and the NHS and the government has pledged additional healthcare staff and other reforms.

    To meet that growing need without public services deteriorating and to fulfil manifesto promises, the IFS said real-term spending would need to rise in line with the size of the economy, or around 2.8%, requiring the extra £16bn in funding.

    Spending increases that simply keep pace with inflation, or even ones that keep steady as a proportion of the size of the economy, would not be enough to transform public services, the IFS warned.

    Even the larger increase remains much less generous than the 3.3% increase Rishi Sunak pledged in 2021. When Boris Johnson announced an “end to austerity” in 2020 he pledged a 4.1% increase in average year-on-year spending, the IFS said.

    The new government has also pledged to boost investment. However, the chancellor has indicated she is likely to treat spending for investment as separate from day-to-day spending, and consider borrowing more to fund it.

    She is also widely expected to change the way the UK’s debt burden is measured and as a result what constraints are made on government borrowing. Before the election Labour said it would stick to Conservative pledges to have debt falling as a proportion of economic output by the fifth year of the forecast.

    The IFS said increased investment was an important component in addressing the UK’s low growth, but said “significant extra borrowing to fund that investment would be risky”.

    The UK had elevated debt levels, substantial borrowing and a current account deficit, meaning it imports more than it exports, which left it more vulnerable than the euro area or the US over borrowing pressures.

    “Some additional investment may therefore need to be financed through higher taxes,” the IFS said. The government has said it will publish a 10-year infrastructure strategy next spring, which will include housing and schools as key economic infrastructure.

    The strategy will be overseen by a new body, which it said would “get a grip on the delays to infrastructure delivery that have plagued our global reputation with investors”.

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