Page 27 - Britain

UK govt cuts taxes to jam labour ahead of general elections next year

Hunt's most eye-catching announcement was a two percentage point reduction to the headline 12% rate of national insurance

Britain set to start cutting taxes ahead of likely election next year

Britain's Conservative government will try to win favour with voters by cutting taxes but avoiding worsening inflation in a budget statement on Wednesday, coming ahead of a likely national election next year that opinion polls suggest it will lose. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has hinted that tax cuts are back on the agenda now that his self-imposed pledge to halve inflation this year has been met and government revenue is higher than anticipated. In a speech Monday, Sunak raised expectations that Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt's autumn statement will begin reducing the tax burden in the UK, which is the highest in 70 years in the wake of COVID-19 and the energy price spike triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Sunak said on Monday that his government would cut tax and reward hard work but would avoid doing anything that puts at risk our progress in controlling inflation". Inflation eased to 4.6 per cent in October from a year earlier after hitting a 41-year high of 11.1 per cent in

Sony faces $7.9 billion mass lawsuit over PlayStation Store prices in UK

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) was sued last year on behalf of nearly nine million people in the United Kingdom who had bought digital games or add-on content through Sony's PlayStation Store

Britain proposes antitrust overhaul after Microsoft-Activision case

Following Brexit, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has a bigger say over mega-mergers such as Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of the "Call of Duty" maker

UK-India trade body bats for FTA before general elections in both nations

UK-India Business Council (UKIBC), a trade body with a mission to grow trade and investments between the two countries, on Monday said the negotiations on the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) should conclude before the general elections due in both nations next year. Thirteen rounds of negotiations have been already completed between India and the UK on the FTA. "Because of the general elections in India and the UK going to polls next year, it is important that the negotiations for the proposed FTA are concluded early. Otherwise, there will be a pause in the negotiations while the general elections are on," UKIBC Managing Director Kevin McCole said. He said though the election date in the UK has not yet been fixed, the polls may be held between May and November next year. There is a risk that negotiations may have to pause till the elections in India and the UK are over, he said. McCole also said that the bilateral investment treaty between the two countries will help investments from t

Ex-UK PM Boris Johnson 'bamboozled' by science, ex-adviser tells inquiry

Boris Johnson, the former British prime minister, struggled to come to grips with much of the science during the coronavirus pandemic, his chief scientific advisor said Monday. In keenly awaited testimony to the country's public inquiry into the COVID-19 pandemic, Patrick Vallance said he and others faced repeated problems getting Johnson to understand the science. I think I'm right in saying that the prime minister gave up science at 15," he said. I think he'd be the first to admit it wasn't his forte and that he struggled with the concepts and we did need to repeat them often. In extracts from his diary that were relayed to the inquiry, Vallance said Johnson was bamboozled by the graphs and data and that watching him get his head round stats is awful." Vallance said Johnson's struggles were not unique and said many leaders around Europe had problems in understanding the scientific evidence and advice, especially in the first stages of the pandemic in early 2020. I would also sa

UK stance on agri GI items remains hurdle in FTA talks with India

The UK's demand of a higher level of protection for its GI products from the agriculture sector under the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) with India remains an unresolved issue as the talks for the pact are on to iron out differences, an official said. British GI (Geographical Indication) products include Scotch whisky, Stilton cheese and Cheddar cheese. A GI is primarily an agricultural, natural or manufactured product (handicrafts and industrial goods) originating from a definite geographical territory. Typically, such a name conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness, which is essentially attributable to the place of its origin. Once a product gets this tag, any person or company cannot sell a similar item under that name. India normally provides general protection for violation of GI rules, but the UK is seeking a higher level of protection, the official, who did not wish to be named, said. "Negotiations are going on between the two countries. There are some issue

India raises concerns over potential carbon taxes in UK FTA talks: Report

Earlier this year, Britain initiated consultations with domestic stakeholders on measures such as a potential carbon border tax, which could mimic the EU's carbon border adjustment mechanism.

EAM Jaishankar presides over repatriation of 2 stolen idols in UK

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday presided over a repatriation ceremony in London for two 8th-century temple idols stolen from India and discovered in England recently. The Yogini Chamunda and Yogini Gomukhi idols, stolen from a temple in Lokhari in Uttar Pradesh between the late 1970s and the early 1980s, were recovered by the High Commission of India in London with support from India Pride Project, and Art Recovery International. Jaishankar unveiled the idols at India House on the final day of his five-day visit to the UK and said he looked forward to their return to their home country. It is important today, as we look to appreciate each other's culture, to ensure that cultural exchanges are legal, transparent and rules-based, said Jaishankar. Where there have been deviations, whenever these are corrected I think this is something of great importance, not just in this case, but as a message that this is a practice which is not acceptable in this day and age, he

Jaishankar concludes timely visit to UK amid substantial progress on FTA

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar concluded his five-day visit to the UK on Wednesday, which he described as timely after a series of cross-party engagements amid substantial progress on the ongoing free trade agreement negotiations. During a media interaction at the High Commission of India in London before leaving, the EAM shared some insights from his discussions with the UK Cabinet ministers and Opposition leaders which covered a whole spectrum of global and bilateral issues. India's concerns regarding pro-Khalistan extremism in relation to the safety of its diplomats in the country were among the topics that came up during his meetings with UK Home Secretary James Cleverly and National Security Adviser (NSA) Tim Barrow. We have long-standing concerns about extremist and sometimes even violent activities of various forces, including those who propagate Khalistan, said Jaishankar. We have been trying to get the government here to understand that while we as a fellow democra

Big relief for Sunak as UK inflation drops to its lowest in 2 years to 4.6%

Inflation in the UK dropped sharply in October to its lowest level in two years largely because last year's steep rise in domestic energy bills dropped out of the annual comparison, official figures showed Wednesday. The Office for National Statistics said consumer prices in the year to October were 4.6% higher than the year before, much lower than the 6.7% recorded in the previous month. The decline means Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's pledge to halve inflation this year has been met. Sunak made the pledge soon after becoming prime minister when inflation was more than 10%. I did that because it is, without a doubt, the best way to ease the cost of living and give families financial security, he said. "Today, we have delivered on that pledge. The government can take comfort from the decline but the main reason why inflation has fallen in that time is because of the big interest rate increases from the Bank of England, which is tasked with meeting a target inflation rate of 2%. Earl

Suella Braverman launches scathing attack on Rishi Sunak after being fired

Former British Home Secretary Suella Braverman lashed out at Prime Minister Rishi Sunak a day after he fired her, calling his approach uncertain, weak and a betrayal of his promises. In a resignation letter she published on Tuesday, Braverman said Sunak had manifestly and repeatedly failed to deliver on key pledges and alleged that he never had any intention of keeping them. Sunak sacked Braverman on Monday after she made a series of intemperate statements that deviated from the government line. In recent weeks she called homelessness a lifestyle choice and accused police of being too lenient with pro-Palestinian protests, which she called hate marches. On Saturday, far-right protesters scuffled with police and tried to confront a pro-Palestinian march by hundreds of thousands through the streets of London. Critics accused Braverman's language of helping to inflame tensions. In her letter, she said Sunak had rejected her calls to ban pro-Palestinian demonstrations calling for a ...

EAM Jaishankar to visit UK from November 11-15, set to meet counterpart

During his visit, Jaishankar will hold a meeting with his UK counterpart James Cleverly. He will also meet several other dignitaries

Rishi Sunak under pressure to sack minister Braverman over Palestine remark

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is under pressure to sack his Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, as the row surrounding her controversial newspaper article attacking the Metropolitan Police over its handling of Israel-Hamas protests in London continues to gain momentum on Friday. While Sunak's official spokesperson at 10 Downing Street has said that he has full confidence in the Home Secretary, they did confirm that the contents of The Times' Op-Ed did not have the full clearance of her boss. The harshly worded piece on Wednesday attacked the Met Police for having double standards and playing favourites by not taking tougher action against pro-Palestinian protesters when they turned aggressive. "The words that she used are not words that I myself would have used," UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt told broadcasters when asked about the row. While clearly distancing himself from her stance, the senior Cabinet minister stressed that he has a productive relationship with her as a colleague"

British economy flatlines in Jul-Sep quarter ahead of budget statement

The British economy flatlined in the third quarter of the year, official figures showed Friday ahead of a budget statement from the government later this month. The Office for National Statistics said growth in the July-to-September period was zero compared to the previous three-months. All sectors, such as manufacturing and construction, broadly showed the same subdued picture. Despite the uninspiring headline figure, the quarterly outcome was slightly ahead of analysts' expectations for a modest decline in output. The British economy, like many others particularly in the world, is struggling to grow in the face of higher interest rates, which are aimed at taming inflation. Last week, the Bank of England kept its main interest rate unchanged at the 15-year high of 5.25% and indicated that borrowing costs will likely remain at these sort of elevated levels for a while. The Bank of England, like other central banks, raised interest rates aggressively from near zero as it sought to

UK to add India as 'safe state' to cut asylum claims amid migrant crisis

With this addition, all asylum claims from Indian nationals who arrive on small boats or illegally on other routes will be deemed inadmissible. There will be no appeals and they will be sent back.

Japan, UK look to boost security ties under new pact on sidelines of G7

Japanese and British foreign and defense ministers are to talk on Tuesday about deepening their military cooperation under a new security pact that allows their militaries to enter each other's turf for joint exercises. Japan and Britain have expanded their cooperation in recent years amid concern about China's growing influence. Japan, whose only treaty ally is the United States, has signed the Reciprocal Access Agreement with Australia and the UK so far, making them semi-allies. The talks in Tokyo among Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and Britain's Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and Defense Secretary Grant Shapps are the first since the RAA took effect in mid-October. They are meeting on the sidelines of the meeting of foreign ministers from the Group of Seven advanced nations on Tuesday and Wednesday that are expected to focus on the Israel-Hamas war, the Russia-Ukraine war and tension in the Indo-Pacific region. The four ministers' .

Russia to face trial in Britain over $60 billion unpaid dues to Yukos Oil

The Wednesday ruling is the latest staging post in a sprawling legal saga that's dragged on for two decades

India agrees to historic international AI collaboration pact at UK summit

Some of the countries who are publicly endorsing the Declaration include India, Brazil, France, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates

India, United Kingdom negotiations for proposed FTA going on, says Official

Negotiations between senior officials of India and the UK on the proposed free trade agreement are going on with a view to bridge differences on issues related to goods and services sector, a senior government official said. "Talks on the 13th round is underway virtually. We have not talked about any deadlines to conclude talks," the official said. India and Britain launched the talks for Free-Trade Agreement (FTA) in January 2022, with an aim to conclude talks by Diwali (October 24, 2022), but the deadline was missed due to political developments in the UK. There are 26 chapters in the agreement, which include goods, services, investments, and intellectual property rights. The investment treaty is being negotiated as a separate agreement between India and the UK. The Indian industry is demanding greater access for its skilled professionals from sectors like IT, and healthcare in the UK market, besides market access for several goods at nil customs duties. On the other hand, the