Britain's Conservative government announces tax cuts it hopes can lift its ailing election fortunes
British Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt is seeking to bolster spirits within his Conservative Party with a series of tax cuts that he hopes can turn the political tide ahead of a general election this year.
IOC responds to Paris mayor on Olympic plan for Russians
The International Olympic Committee has pushed back against the mayor of Paris by insisting there are no plans for "a Russian or Belarusian delegationโ at the 2024 Games while also acknowledging that some athletes from those countries could be welcomed.
Black adviser quits UK government in wake of racism report
(AP Photo/Frank Augstein, FILE)LONDON โ The most senior Black adviser to U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has resigned, the government said Thursday, the day after a report on racial disparities concluded that Britain does not have a systemic problem with racism. But Simon Woolley, a former government equalities adviser and a member of the U.K. House of Lords, said Kasumuโs exit was connected to the โgrubbyโ and โdivisiveโ report. The Conservative government launched the inquiry into racial disparities in the wake of anti-racism protests last year. The panel of experts concluded that while โoutright racismโ exists in Britain, the country is not โinstitutionally racistโ or โriggedโ against ethnic minorities. โThere are very serious issues that our society faces to do with racism that we need to address,โ he said.
UK plan for tougher asylum-seeker rules draws criticism
The British government has announced plans to toughen immigration rules to make it harder for people who arrive by unauthorized routes such as small boats and truck stowaways to be given asylum. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, Pool, File)LONDON โ The British government said Wednesday it will toughen immigration rules to make it harder for people who arrive by unauthorized routes such as small boats and truck stowaways to be given asylum. In 2020, about 8,500 people arrived in Britain by crossing the Channel in small boats, and several died trying to make the journey. The U.K. government says 35,099 people made asylum applications in Britain in the year to March 2020. Since leaving the European Union, the U.K. no longer has a deal with its European neighbors to return people who have snuck across the Channel.
Shops, haircuts return in April as UK lifts lockdown slowly
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during a televised press conference at 10 Downing Street in London, Monday, Feb. 22, 2021. Johnson said the government's plan would move the country โcautiously but irreversiblyโ out of lockdown. โWe are now traveling on a one-way road to freedom,โ he said at a televised news conference. Three weeks later, people will be able to meet in small groups outdoors for sports or relaxation. โI canโt guarantee that it is going to be irreversible, but the intention is that it should be" he said.
UK's official terror threat level lowered to 'substantial'
The U.K. government said Monday Feb. 8, 2021, that Britains official terrorism threat level has been lowered, to reflect the decreased threat of attacks in Europe. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, pool)LONDON โ Britainโs official terrorism threat level has been lowered from โsevereโ to โsubstantialโ because the tempo of attacks in Europe has lessened. In November, the threat level was raised to severe, meaning an attack is highly likely, after deadly attacks in Austria and France. She said that despite the lowered level, โterrorism remains one of the most direct and immediate risks to our national security.โThe center, which was established in 2003, sets the threat level based on intelligence about international terrorism at home and overseas. AdThe U.K. level has been at severe most of the time since 2014, briefly rising to โcriticalโ amid violent attacks in 2017.
UK abolishes 'sexist' tax on women's sanitary products
Treasury chief Sunak has committed to ending the widely unpopular tax on womens sanitary products, but the change could only take effect Friday Jan 1, 2021, after Britain had finally left the economic orbit of the EU. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, FILE)LONDON โ Britain on Friday became the latest country to abolish the so-called "tampon tax,โ eliminating sales taxes on women's sanitary products. โSanitary products are essential, so itโs right that we do not charge VAT,โ said Sunak. They pointed to the abolition of the tampon tax as an early positive change from Brexit. Many other countries have also eliminated the tampon tax, including Australia, Canada and India.
EU, UK leaders concede big gaps remain in post-Brexit talks
On fisheries, the EU has repeatedly said it wants an agreement that guarantees a reciprocal access to markets and waters. EU fishermen are keen to keep working in British waters and the U.K. seafood industry is extremely dependent on exports to the 27-nation bloc. Johnson has made fisheries and U.K. control over its waters a key demand in the long saga of Britainโs departure from the EU. โWe give until Sunday to Boris Johnson to make a decision,โ said Dacian Ciolos, president of the Renew Europe group in the European Parliament. โHe said that, if no agreement could be reached, the UK and the EU would part as friends, with the UK trading with the EU on Australian-style terms.โAustralia does not have a free trade deal with the EU.
Who, when and how? A look at the UK's vaccination rollout
U.K. Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Wednesday thanked scientists from Pfizer and BioNTech after the approval of their COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use by the country's drugs regulator. Here's a look at what is known about Britain's vaccination plan:___HOW MUCH OF THE VACCINE DOES THE U.K. HAVE? The plan is to start a phased rollout of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine early next week across the U.K., including from 50 โhospital hubsโ in England. The National Health Service will take the lead in the rollout of the vaccine, which eventually will expand to pharmacies and specially built vaccination centers. The independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization, which advises the British government, said those most at risk of dying from COVID-19 should be top of the priority list.
UK leader touts local virus rules but pubs are in distress
Members of Parliament will vote later Tuesday on the proposed tier system as the country prepares to come out of lockdown. Critics say the measures will devastate businesses, especially pubs, which face some of the tightest restrictions. Johnson urged legislators to back the measures, saying the country must โhold our nerveโ until vaccines are approved and distributed. But pubs and restaurants face strict limits in Tier 2 and closure in the topmost Tier 3. Other parts of the U.K. โ Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland โ are all following their own local restrictions to curb the spread of the virus.
Reports: UK leader Johnson's top adviser leaves job for good
Dominic Cummings was pictured exiting the prime ministerโs 10 Downing Street office through the front door. British media reported he had left for good rather than staying on as Johnsonโs adviser until the end of the year, when he was expected to give up his post. The prime minister's office hasn't confirmed Cummings' departure. Nicknamed โBoris' brain,'' Cummings has also been the target of complaints from senior members of Johnsonโs Conservative Party, who say that unelected advisers in the prime ministerโs Downing Street office were effectively running the government, sidelining ministers and Parliament. Cummingsโ departure is an opportunity to reshuffle the government and bring in more experienced ministers, Jenkin said.
Another chunk of England faces tight virus restrictions
(AP Photo/Frank Augstein)LONDON โ The British government on Wednesday put another 1.4 million people into Englandโs tightest coronavirus restrictions, but faced growing criticism that its piecemeal approach to curbing the outbreak is sowing division and confusion. Jarvis said local authorities had struck a deal with the British government on financial support to accompany the area measures. Instead, it has adopted a three-tier system for England, with areas classed as medium, high or very high virus risk. The measures have caused tension between Johnsonโs Conservative government and local authorities in northern England, which has the countryโs highest infection rates. Wednesdayโs announcement about South Yorkshire means 7.3 million people, or 13% of Englandโs population, have been placed under the toughest restrictions โ all of them in the north.
Trump joins growing list of virus-infected world leaders
He was moved to intensive care in April after his virus symptoms dramatically worsened a day after he was hospitalized for what were called routine tests. (Pippa Fowles/10 Downing Street via AP, File)JOHANNESBURG โ President Donald Trump has joined a growing group of world leaders who have been infected with the coronavirus. BORIS JOHNSONThe British prime minister was the first major world leader confirmed to have COVID-19, after facing criticism for downplaying the pandemic. Other top officials in former Soviet states who were infected include Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. GAMBIAVice President Isatou Touray tested positive in July along with the ministers of finance, energy and agriculture.
New rules for Liverpool as virus cases in England quadruple
The number of new hospitalizations for COVID-19 and virus deaths in Britain are rising again, although both remain far below their springtime peak. Dr. David Strain of the British Medical Association urged caution, as infection rates remain high among certain groups. Their study noted that rates of infection are increasing among all age groups in England, with the highest prevalence among 18 to 24-year-olds. Meanwhile, authorities tightened restrictions on people arriving in England from Turkey and Poland, ordering them to quarantine for 14 days because of a rise in coronavirus infection rates in those countries. Britain requires people to self-isolate for two weeks if arriving from anywhere except a list of โtravel corridorโ nations that have low infection rates.
UK's Johnson urges 'spirit of togetherness' to combat virus
Britain's Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has announced that pubs and restaurants closing at 10pm, due to the spike of cases of coronavirus across the United Kingdom. The most high-profile change centered on pubs, restaurants and other entertainment venues in England, which from Thursday must close at 10 p.m. In a change of emphasis, Johnson urged people to work from home where possible. โIf we follow these simple rules together, we will get through this winter together,โ Johnson said in a prime-time televised address. โIn essence, the government is saying, โStay sober, stay sensible and the venues can stay open.โ Itโs a carrot to encourage responsible behavior,โ she said.
Boris Johnson defends Brexit change to avoid UK 'carve-up'
FILE - In this Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020 file photo, Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves Downing Street to attend the weekly session of Prime Ministers Questions in Parliament in London. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has strongly defended his controversial plan to override sections of the Brexit deal that he negotiated with the European Union, arguing that the bloc has an extreme interpretation of the treaty that could jeopardize the future of the U.K. With the government showing no sign of changing course, there are real concerns that ongoing talks on a future trade deal between the U.K. and the EU could collapse within weeks. If that happens, tariffs and other impediments to trade will be imposed by both sides at the start of 2021. As a result, the two sides agreed there would be some kind of regulatory border between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland.
UK's 'Moonshot' mass virus test plan met with skepticism
The change in England will come into force on Monday as the Government seeks to curb the rise in coronavirus cases. Johnson made the comments as he announced strict new measures to try to curb a sharp recent rise in COVID-19 cases across Britain. Existing technology has been demonstrated to miss up to one-third of people who have COVID-19 in early disease. After a second test 48 hours later, we still miss over a quarter of people, he said. The U.K. has Europes worst death toll from the virus, with nearly 41,600 deaths within 28 days of testing positive.
English warned limits on gatherings may last til Christmas
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during a virtual press conference at Downing Street, London, Wednesday Sept. 9, 2020, following the announcement that the legal limit on social gatherings is set to be reduced from 30 people to six. The change in England will come into force on Monday as the Government seeks to curb the rise in coronavirus cases. (Stefan Rousseau/Pool via AP)