Conservative party

Rishi Sunak has been forced to deny handing Budget bonuses to Tory MPs, after it emerged almost 90% of a newly announced towns fund will go to Conservative constituencies. Of the 45 towns benefiting from the £1bn fund, unveiled by the Chancellor today, 40 have at least one Tory MP. And around half of the towns are in so-called “red wall” northern seats taken from Labour in the 2019 election - and which Boris Johnson is desperate to keep hold of. Of the £1bn in newly announced funding, some £886 million will go to towns with Tory seats - 88.6% of the total fund. But Rishi Sunak denied the fund was ’naked pork barrel politics’. At a Downing Street press conference, the Financial Times’ George Parker also noted that Mr Sunak’s constituency is in the “Priority One” list for the new Levelling Up Fund, also announced by the Chancellor today. The Chancellor denied targeting Tory seats. He said: “The formula for the grant payments for the new fund, to give them some … [Read more...] about Rishi Sunak hands 90% of £1bn new Towns Fund cash in Budget to Tory seats

There are many figures contained in this budget but perhaps the most telling is a striking set of numbers announced by Rishi Sunak in the House of Commons. This budget , he said, contained around £65bn of measures to support the economy as it continues to battle COVID-19 . But, he added, this was dwarfed by the £290bn or so the government has already set aside to spend on the pandemic. In other words, it is far better to view this budget not as a discrete event but as a continuation of a set of fiscal policies which have been accreting since the pandemic first landed in this country last spring. But if we look specifically at the new policies the chancellor announced on Wednesday, what do we learn? Advertisement The first thing is that this budget represents a big fiscal giveaway for the first three years, followed by a big fiscal takeaway in the following three years. The initial largesse, in the form primarily of extended COVID-19 … [Read more...] about Budget 2021 offers £5bn stimulus and no Sunak vision for economy

A businesswoman who embroidered two royal wedding gowns fears losing her home after receiving little Government help. Chloe Savage's business has been devastated by coronavirus lockdowns and she has vowed to never vote Tory again. The expert needleworker embroidered wedding dresses for both Meghan Markle 's wedding to Prince Harry and Kate Middleton's nuptials with Prince William. The wedding industry has been in despair as ceremonies were cancelled during the year of restrictions. Ms Savage, 43, worked on the Duchesses' wedding gowns -  including Kate’s blue silk and white lace garter. She says she fears losing her home after being given almost no support from the Government since the start of the pandemic. The needleworker, who was recently admitted to hospital with Covid, said she had received only a £1,000 Government grant in November. Follow the latest Budget 2021 news and updates live here The amount barely covered her business running costs for two … [Read more...] about Budget 2021: Royal wedding dressmaker still fears losing home after business devastated

There are many figures contained in this budget but perhaps the most telling is a striking set of numbers announced by Rishi Sunak in the House of Commons. This budget , he said, contained around £65bn of measures to support the economy as it continues to battle COVID-19 . But, he added, this was dwarfed by the £290bn or so the government has already set aside to spend on the pandemic. In other words, it is far better to view this budget not as a discrete event but as a continuation of a set of fiscal policies which have been accreting since the pandemic first landed in this country last spring. But if we look specifically at the new policies the chancellor announced on Wednesday, what do we learn? Advertisement The first thing is that this budget represents a big fiscal giveaway for the first three years, followed by a big fiscal takeaway in the following three years. The initial largesse, in the form primarily of extended COVID-19 … [Read more...] about Budget 2021: Prepare for a dramatic rollercoast ride after chancellor’s give-then-take budget

Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) have placed the Alternative for Germany (AfD) under surveillance, according to local media. That designation gives state agents more powers for surveillance in certain circumstances, including potentially tapping the party's communications. The BfV refused to comment on media reports from Der Spiegel magazine, the DPA news agency and public broadcaster ARD. The Interior Ministry, which oversees the BfV, said it would neither confirm nor deny them. Why has there been no official statement? The BfV is apparently unable to announce the decision officially because of an ongoing legal dispute. A court in the city of Cologne last week rejected an urgent motion by the AfD to stop the BfV from placing it under formal investigation . The party said any announcement that it was being investigated would undermine its right to fight the election on an equal footing to other political parties. In response, the … [Read more...] about Germany places entire far-right AfD under surveillance — reports