Page 2 - British Government

Britain's Labour Party gets back after rocky start in govt, clothes scandal

This should be a time of celebration for Britain's Labour Party, which opens its annual conference Sunday less than three months after winning power in a landslide after 14 years in opposition. But it's no victory lap for Prime Minister Keir Starmer. His government is facing a reckoning with a battered economy and an electorate impatient for change. The mood among Labour members gathering in the northwest England city of Liverpool has been further dampened by a tempest over Starmer's acceptance of freebies at a time when the millions of people are struggling with the cost of living. Starmer insists he followed the rules when he took clothes and designer eyeglasses from Waheed Alli, a media entrepreneur and longtime Labour donor. But after days of negative headlines, the party now says Starmer won't accept any more free outfits. I get that people are angry, said Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who also accepted donations to pay for clothing. But donations for gifts and hospita

India-UK FTA talks delayed as new British govt yet to form negotiation team

The FTA talks have yet to resume because the UK has not yet appointed its negotiating team, but the process is likely to be finalised soon

PM Starmer announces police unit to counter violence after fatal stabbings

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Thursday that he will create the ability for police forces to work across the UK to crack down on violent protesters after clashes with police across England on the past two nights that followed a horrific stabbing. Starmer condemned the violence by a tiny mindless minority and said: We will put a stop to it. The announcement came after police were pelted with bottles in several cities by what Starmer called marauding mobs who apparently were reacting to a stabbing Monday at a children's dance class that killed three and wounded 10. The attack at a Taylor Swift-themed summer holiday dance class shocked a country where knife crime is a long-standing and vexing problem, though mass stabbings are rare. Far-right activists have used the deaths to stoke anger at immigrants and Muslims though the suspect is not an immigrant, and his religion has not been disclosed. The announcement came as the 17-year-old boy charged with murdering three girls and stabbi

New British Sikh MP Jeevun Sandher wishes for strong India-UK connection

Jeevun Sandher, one of Britain's newest members of Parliament elected in the Labour Party's landslide general election victory earlier this month, is determined to restore trust in politics and strengthen his party's connection with India and its diaspora communities. The British Sikh first-time MP was elected from Loughborough in the East Midlands region of England, considered a bellwether constituency which has reflected the national result in UK general elections over the years. He referenced the visit of UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy to India earlier this week as a symbol of the high level of priority the incoming government places on the relationship as it gets on with the job of delivering change. From a personal perspective, I am a part of the Indian diaspora so I see it as a natural connection, for the Labour Party and the incoming Labour government, he told PTI in an interview at the Parliament complex in London this week. It is a hugely important strategic partnership

Newly-elected British Indian MPs swear oath on Bhagavad Gita, Gutka, Bible

Newly elected Indian-origin MPs to the House of Commons have been pledging their allegiance to the British Crown as a symbol of loyalty to the country, choosing to swear on holy texts or to affirm their oath during the first week of a new Parliament. A new copy of the Bhagavad Gita' presented to Speaker Lindsay Hoyle by Shailesh Vara, former Conservative Party member of Parliament who lost his Cambridgeshire seat in last week's general election, featured early on as Rishi Sunak was among the first British Indian MPs to take his oath as Leader of the Opposition on Tuesday. Holding the text in his right hand, the former prime minister read out the customary text: I swear by Almighty God that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles, his heirs and successors, according to law. So help me God. First-time MP Kanishka Narayan, who is the first Indian-origin member of Parliament to represent Wales in the Westminster Parliament after winning the Vale of ...

Record 29 Indian-Origin MPs set to shape UK Parliament after 2024 election

Labour has emerged as the predominant party among People of Indian Origin (PIO) MPs, winning 19 seats, marking a substantial rise compared to previous terms

Who is Keir Starmer, the man on course to become new British Prime Minister

The Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, has won 360 seats and crossed the majority mark of 326 seats to form the government in the UK

Frontrunners trade barbs on economy as UK poll campaign enters final day

Opinion polls show Starmer's Labour Party is set for a big win that would end 14 years of Conservative government

India-UK innings back on track

India's ties with the UK are at an interesting crossroads. Regardless of the direction taken, relations seem poised to move in an upward trajectory

Rishi Sunak faces pre-election turmoil as 78 Tory MPs, key ministers resign

UK faces political shakeup: 78 Conservative Party MPs, including key ministers, announced their exit ahead of snap elections which are slated to be held on July 4

Ships transiting the Gulf, Western Indian Ocean should stay alert: Ambrey

Ambrey said it had received information that indicated an "Israeli military strike" was conducted on Isfahan, Iran

UK govt criminalises creation of deepfake images without consent

Despicable people who create sexually explicit deepfakes will face prosecution under a new law going through its parliamentary journey, the British government said on Tuesday. Deepfake refers to images and videos made to look hyper-realistic, with the victim usually unaware and unable to give their consent. Under the new offence, those who create such images without consent face a criminal record and an unlimited fine. If the deepfake content is then shared more widely, offenders could be sent to jail. The creation of deepfake sexual images is despicable and completely unacceptable irrespective of whether the image is shared, said Laura Farris, UK Minister for Victims and Safeguarding. It is another example of ways in which certain people seek to degrade and dehumanise others - especially women. And it has the capacity to cause catastrophic consequences if the material is shared more widely. This government will not tolerate it. This new offence sends a crystal-clear message that ..

The AI boom makes millions for an unlikely industry player: Anguilla

For each domain registration, Anguilla's government gets anywhere from $140 to thousands of dollars from website names sold at auctions

India's income inequality at 100-year high; worse than colonial era: Study

The top 1 per cent of Indians hold the maximum national income share at 22.6 per cent compared to key peers

Yemen's Houthi rebels attack Liberian-flagged container in Red Sea

An attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels saw an explosion take place near a Liberian-flagged container ship in the Red Sea on Monday, though the blast caused no damage, authorities said. The master of the vessel reported the explosion and said no one was hurt, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said. The UKMTO later identified the vessel as the Pinocchio, managed by a Singaporean firm. The private security firm Ambrey say the incident may have involved a missile, but information remained scarce. Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree claimed the attack early Tuesday in a prerecorded statement, claiming the Pinocchio was an American ship without offering evidence to support the assertion. He also claimed the vessel was hit by naval missiles, again providing no evidence to support the claim. He said the Houthis would continue their attacks, aimed at pressuring an end to the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. However, the Houthi attacks

Sunil Bharti Mittal conferred honorary knighthood by King Charles III

Mittal is the first Indian citizen to be awarded the Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE) under King Charles III

UK economy slips into recession; Japan loses third-largest economy title

Rishi Sunak, who came into power in October 2022, had made five major promises after assuming office, including taming down inflation and growing the United Kingdom economy

Totally up for the fight to win UK general election: PM Rishi Sunak

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said he is totally up for the fight of pitching his policies to the electorate to win another term for the governing Conservative Party as he prepares for a general election expected to take place in the second half of the year. In an interview with The Times this weekend, the 43-year-old British Indian leader said he had reasons to be optimistic because the economy was pointing in the right direction and that the future is going to be better. At the beginning of this year there is a sense that the country is pointing in the right direction, he told the newspaper. Because economic conditions have improved, because the plan is working, you are starting to see mortgage rates come down and we have been able to cut taxes. I do believe those pressures are starting to ease and that hopefully over the course of this year, we can continue to make even more progress, he said. In a message as much for the voters as for the rebels within his own Tory ran

King Charles III thanks public for support after cancer diagnosis

King Charles III has expressed his heartfelt thanks to the British public for their messages of support ever since his cancer diagnosis was revealed by Buckingham Palace this week. The 75-year-old monarch wrote the message from his royal estate at Sandringham in Norfolk, eastern England, in which he also expressed his lifelong admiration for the work done by cancer charities." The King said he was heartened that his personal experience of the disease had helped shine a light on the tireless care provided by cancer organisations around the world. I would like to express my most heartfelt thanks for the many messages of support and good wishes I have received in recent days, reads the King's message released by Buckingham Palace on Sunday. As all those who have been affected by cancer will know, such kind thoughts are the greatest comfort and encouragement, he said. It is equally heartening to hear how sharing my own diagnosis has helped promote public understanding and shine a ligh

UK gives Northern Ireland new deadline to revive its collapsed govt

The UK government on Tuesday gave Northern Ireland politicians until February 8 to restore the collapsed regional government in Belfast, after a deadline this month passed without an end to the deadlock. The extension comes amid signs Northern Ireland's largest British unionist party is close to deciding whether to end a boycott that has kept the power-sharing administration on ice for almost two years. The British government is legally obliged to call new Northern Ireland elections now that a previous deadline of January 18 has passed. Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said he would bring a bill to Parliament on Wednesday to set a new date of February 8. He said significant progress had been made towards reviving the Northern Ireland Executive, and the short extension would give sufficient time for it to bear fruit. The Democratic Unionist Party walked out in February 2022 in a dispute over post-Brexit trade rules. Ever since, it has refused to return to government w