Failed cabinet coup

One of Boris Johnson's own Cabinet ministers announced on Wednesday night she would run in the leadership contest to replace him as she called for him to stand down. Suella Braverman, the Attorney General, set out her stall to be Prime Minister on live television but did not resign her role. Ms Braverman is the first minister to break cover in the leadership race, but The Telegraph understands Nadhim Zahawi has also been plotting a leadership bid for months with the help of political strategists connected to Sir Lynton Crosby. "If there is a leadership contest, I will put my name into the ring," Ms Braverman told ITV. "I love this country. My parents came here with absolutely nothing, and it was Britain that gave them hope, security and opportunity. "This country has afforded me incredible opportunities in education and in my career. I owe a debt of gratitude to this country, and to serve as Prime Minister would be the greatest honour. So yes, I will try." She vowed to … [Read more...] about Watch: Suella Braverman announces leadership bid on live TV

GENEVA (Reuters) - Kofi Annan, the former United Nations Secretary-General and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who died on Saturday, will be remembered as a dedicated humanitarian whose career was tarnished by ugly conflicts that spun out of control. Annan was unable to bring peace to Syria and bring to rest the failures of diplomacy in Rwanda, Bosnia, Darfur, Cyprus, Somalia and Iraq, which are likely to drown out the plaudits for his softly spoken mediation and efforts to eradicate poverty and AIDS that won him the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. Annan was brought up in an ethnically divided culture in his native Ghana, but one where dialogue was prized and outright conflict rare. It was a time of optimism and confidence as Ghana headed for independence from Britain. “He’s driven by the idea of ‘don’t think no’, always looking for the best outcome,” Fred Eckhard, Annan’s spokesman during his time as secretary-general, once told Reuters. His reputation as a mediator was … [Read more...] about Syria, Rwanda and other failed conflicts threaten to overshadow Annan’s legacy

The sky is blue and the seagulls are making a racket, squawking over the litter that is blowing in the street as the rubbish hasn’t been collected. Again. I send my daily email to British Airways about refunding a cancelled flight, but they send me back to the online booking agency, who then say I have to talk to the airline. Still, I suppose I was lucky to get home at all and I only had to wait an hour and a half for my bag. Others with babies were waiting two and a half for theirs. My daughter rings, as her partner has bashed his tooth, but there are no dentists where they live taking on new patients. A neighbour reports a burglary. The police take the details but no one even pretends this crime will be solved . Mobile phones are snatched in my area on a regular basis. No one can get a passport. A&E departments are failing to meet even the target of a four-hour wait time, and there are thousands of NHS and social care job vacancies. Right-wingers like to blame this on … [Read more...] about From health to transport to crime, our systems are failing us – why do we stand by and accept it?

The Bank of England has made "serious mistakes" in the fight against inflation and is facing a prolonged bout of painful price rises unless it acts immediately, its former Governor Lord King has warned. Officials at Threadneedle Street fuelled a surge in prices with a money printing spree during the Covid pandemic, the crossbench peer said. The idea that the current interest rate of 1pc, very low by historical standards, will have any significant impact when inflation is running at 7pc is "really very strange", he added. Andrew Bailey, the current Governor, is under growing political pressure for failing to prevent the crisis, and is now being scrutinised for his decision to allow staff to attend the office for just one day a week. The Bank’s long-term target is for just half the working week to be spent in the office , The Daily Mail reported. The revelation follows claims by Mr Bailey to MPs this week that he feels “helpless” to combat soaring inflation fuelled by the … [Read more...] about Bank of England has made ‘serious mistakes’, former Governor says

That Nick Clegg has become the latest Facebook executive to announce he’s fleeing Silicon Valley for Blighty , where he will spend half his time, says a lot about California. Britain is on the brink of a deep and protracted recession, with inflation set to rise to 13 per cent. Formerly thriving people will struggle to feed their families, heat their houses or go anywhere, since the railways are riddled with massive strikes and airports are chaos. We are lazy: even now, there is an acute labour shortage as people prefer not to work. And we are angry: GP surgeries, call centre staff and shopworkers have all reported a surge in abusive behaviour. Even so, basketcase Britain seems to be preferable to California. It’s not just Clegg: Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, owned by Facebook parent group Meta, and the firm’s chief marketing officer Alex Schultz, have also chosen to relocate to Britain. Clegg, who six months ago was promoted to head of global affairs at Meta, in charge of … [Read more...] about California is no Garden of Eden. It is now a woke basketcase whose rich and poor are fleeing alike

Snapchat will allow parents to monitor who their teenagers are talking to, without prying on their private conversations. The social media app popular with teens will launch a new tool called Family Centre, which links to their child’s Snapchat. It requires parents to have an account on the app and to be friends with their child’s account. The safety hub will show parents who is on their child’s friends list and who they are talking to, but will not allow them to access the content of their chats. Parents will be able to confidentially report accounts they are concerned about to the tech company’s safety team. Snapchat said: “Family Centre is designed to reflect the way that parents engage with their teens in the real world, where parents usually know who their teens' friends are and when they are hanging out – but don’t eavesdrop on their private conversations." The company said the new feature would protect “a teenager’s autonomy and privacy”, while boosting safeguards . … [Read more...] about Snapchat allows parents to see who their teenagers are talking to

Liz Truss’s plans to slash taxes could trigger a wave of investment into the UK, the boss of Legal & General has said. Nigel Wilson, the influential City grandee and chief executive of the UK’s biggest pensions manager, said that cutting taxes on businesses could boost the attractiveness of Britain as a destination for international investors. Attracting overseas money could soften the blow as the economy heads into a recession, Mr Wilson said. "Reducing the tax burden will be seen by international investors [as a sign] that the country is open for business,” he said. It comes as Ms Truss and former chancellor Rishi Sunak, the two candidates vying to replace Boris Johnson as prime minister, continue to trade blows about whether immediate tax cuts would boost economic growth or stoke inflation. Ms Truss is in favour of rapidly cutting taxes in the hope it will stimulate economic activity, while Mr Sunak argues that slashing taxes now will only serve to prolong the … [Read more...] about Liz Truss’s tax cuts could trigger a wave of investment into the UK, says L&G chief

British defence experts expressed alarm yesterday after Donald Trump suggested he might undo a multi-billion dollar stealth fighter project that is to form a core part of the United Kingdom's defensive capabilities. The president-elect took a casual shot at the F-35 programme for the world's most advanced fighter jet tweeting on Monday that the cost was "out of control". "Billions of dollars can and will be saved on military (and other) purchases after January 20th," he wrote, indicating a change in strategy after his inauguration. Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 6, 2016 But defence experts told this newspaper there would be disastrous consequences for Britain if Mr Trump were to put the plan on the scrap heap at this late stage. "If the US were to cancel the programme in its entirety tomorrow, the UK would … [Read more...] about Defence experts warn of ‘disaster’ for Britain after Donald Trump suggests undoing ‘out of control’ F-35 fighter jet project

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email “Why don’t you just save some money so that you don’t run out next time?” my friend asks me after I politely decline her invite out to dinner. Once again, I’ve spent my monthly paycheck long before payday and I’m waiting, struggling until it comes around again. My relationship with money has always been tumultuous. When I was little, I’d spend my pocket money as soon as I had it. As a university student, I was constantly making impulsive purchases. When my first student overdraft ran to its limit, I got another one. And another. A form of neurodiversity, ADHD is defined by clinical psychologist Dr Rachel Woodward as “a neurodevelopmental condition that impacts the parts of the brain that control emotions, learning, memory and self-control.” The National Institute of Mental Health reports that men are almost three … [Read more...] about The hidden ADHD tax is landing women like me in thousands of pounds of debt

A series of four new rooms unearthed in a family home in Pompeii in southern Italy have revealed how the ancient Roman city's middle class struggled to keep up their status. Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director general of the heritage site, has shown how the new rooms highlight the vast difference between the ancient city's elite and the rising middle class. He explained: "In the Roman empire, there was an ample chunk of the population that struggled with their social status and for whom daily bread was anything but a given." The expert, who released details of the new find, shows how ordinary citizens' lives were a far cry from the sparkling fountains and mosaics of the ruling classes. A simple wooden cabinet is part of items that reveal the day-to-day lives of middle-class Romans. The cabinet contains what looks like a sink and the remains of a simple faucet. The discoveries were announced by the Pompeii Archaeological Park on August 7. The four new rooms were excavated in a … [Read more...] about New Discovery in Ancient Pompeii Reveals Secrets of Roman Society