Page 5 - Rishi Sunak

UK's July general election: It's impact on India FTA, Indo-Pacific tilt

As the campaign for the UK general election gathers momentum after British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak surprised many this week with a snap summer poll on July 4, exactly a month after India's election results on June 4, the prospect of an India-UK free trade agreement (FTA) has been kicked into the long grass. While political analysts and strategic experts have expressed confidence that very little should change on the bilateral relationship front whatever the outcome in either election, the very small window that was open for a deal being clinched by the Sunak-led Tory government has now been swept away in the election wave of both countries. The Opposition Labour Party, in the lead in most pre-election surveys, has committed itself to finish the job but the timelines will remain uncertain for some time. Rishi Sunak's shock poll date announcement of July 4 has skewered any prospect of the finalisation of the long-awaited and much-anticipated FTA with India by a Conservative ...

Early general elections in UK may further delay FTA deal with India

Sunak sprang a surprise on Wednesday by advancing the election to July 4, well ahead of the January deadline

Growth across UK biz dips in May, in early blow to Sunak, shows PMI survey

S&P Global UK Composite Purchasing Managers' Index for the services and manufacturing sectors fell to 52.8 in May from 54.1 in April

PM Sunak, Keir Starmer to hit campaign trail as UK election race begins

Both party leaders are expected to hit the campaign trail, seeking to seize the early initiative by meeting voters and delivering the messages they hope will earn them enough seats in parliament

UK inflation drops less than expected, dashing June rate cut hopes

Consumer prices rose by an annual 2.3 per cent last month, down sharply from a 3.2 per cent increase in March

UK govt borrows more than expected in April, posing challenge for PM Sunak

Net borrowing excluding state-controlled banks was 20.5 billion pounds

Rishi Sunak apologises for Britain's historic infected blood scandal

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday apologised after Britain's state-funded National Health Service (NHS) was accused of cover up in an infected blood scandal dating back to the 1970s in a public inquiry report submitted to the government. Speaking in the House of Commons hours after inquiry chair Sir Brian Langstaff delivered his scathing verdict on the issue, the British Indian leader said it was a day of shame for the British state after a catalogue of failures and attitude of denial documented in the inquiry. The scandal involves over 30,000 people being infected with life-threatening viruses such as HIV and Hepatitis C while they were under NHS care between the 1970s and 1990s, with over 3,000 having died. I find it almost impossible to comprehend how it would have felt...I want to make a whole-hearted and unequivocal apology, said Sunak, addressing the victims and their families, some of whom were in Parliament. "On behalf of this and every government stretching back

UK universities risk closure due to curbs on international students: Report

UK Migration Advisory Committee found a dramatic 63% drop in postgraduate student registrations for the upcoming academic year

UK PM Sunak faces revolt over plans to scrap Graduate Route visa: Report

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is considering restrictions to the UK's post-study visa which allows graduates to stay on and work for up to two years after their degree course as part of efforts to curb soaring legal migration figures despite strong opposition from some of his ministers, a report claims on Sunday. According to The Observer' newspaper, Sunak is facing a Cabinet revolt over plans to scrap the Graduate Route scheme, the definitive factor for choosing UK universities among Indian students who have topped the tally of these post-study visas since it was launched in 2021. Downing Street is said to be considering further restricting or even ending the route despite the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) declaring it was not being abused and that it should continue as it helps UK universities make up for financial losses on the domestic front. Sunak is now finding himself caught between the demands of right-wingers with one eye on the Tory leadership and Conservativ

India, UK reaffirm their FTA commitment at annual Strategic Dialogue

India and Britain have reaffirmed their commitment to conclude a mutually beneficial free trade agreement (FTA) at the annual UK-India Strategic Dialogue here, as the two sides reflected the "good progress" on the 2030 Roadmap since the last review. Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, who is on a visit to the UK, held discussions with his counterpart, Sir Philip Barton, Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) on Friday. After their meeting, the FCDO said the two leaders reviewed the progress made on the UK-India 2030 Roadmap since the last strategic dialogue in January last year and looked ahead to the next phase of bilateral cooperation. The two reflected on good progress on the 2030 Roadmap since the last review, noting key areas where the UK and India have worked together to tackle some of the world's biggest challenges, the FCDO said in a statement. This included collaborating on the world's first malaria vaccine, working closely on Indi

UK PM Rishi Sunak, wife Akshata Murty's fortunes rise in 2024 Rich List

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and wife Akshata Murty, who made their debut in the annual Sunday Times Rich List' two years ago, have moved up the ranks in the 2024 edition released on Friday thanks to the Murty's lucrative Infosys shareholding. The couple, both 44, have risen from 275th last year to 245th with an estimated wealth of GBP 651 million, making them the wealthiest people to call 10 Downing Street home. Murty's earnings are said to far exceed that of her husband as financial statements published in February are quoted to say Sunak made GBP 2.2 million in 2022-23 compared to Murty's estimated GBP 13 million in dividends over the past year. The couple's most valued asset is Murty's shareholding in Infosys, a Bangalore-based IT company co-founded by Murty's father [Narayan Murthy], reads the newspaper's analysis. Over the past year, the shares have grown in value by GBP 108.8 million to nearly GBP 590 million. The latest annual report suggests that Murty received about

Russia asks British diplomat to leave country in a week in tit-for-tat move

Russia on Thursday declared Britain's defence attach persona non grata and gave the diplomat a week to leave the country in response to London's decision to expel the Russian defence attach earlier this month over spying allegations. Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it summoned a representative of the British Embassy in Moscow on Thursday to express its strong protest in connection with the unfriendly and groundless decision to expel the Russian attach from London. We emphasized that we regard this step as a politically motivated action of clearly Russophobic nature, which is causing irreparable damage to bilateral relations, the statement read. Britain on May 8 announced several measures to target Moscow's intelligence gathering operations in the UK Those included a decision to boot Maxim Elovik, a Russian colonel who the British government termed an undeclared military intelligence officer, rescinding the diplomatic status of several Russian-owned properties ...

UK exits recession with better-than-expected forecast 0.6% GDP growth

The Office for National Statistics said gross domestic product expanded by 0.6 per cent in the three months to March, the strongest expansion since the fourth quarter of 2021

UK PM Rishi Sunak asks university chiefs to fight rise in antisemitism

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Thursday urged university chiefs to address the rise in antisemitic abuse on campus and disruption of learning in reaction to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Sunak and his ministers will meet with university vice-chancellors to ensure a zero-tolerance approach to antisemitic abuse is adopted on all campuses, Downing Street said. The government said it wants to make it clear that debate and the open exchange of views in universities is essential but that this can never tip over into hate speech, harassment or incitement of violence. Universities should be places of rigorous debate but also bastions of tolerance and respect for every member of their community, said Sunak. A vocal minority on our campuses are disrupting the lives and studies of their fellow students and, in some cases, propagating outright harassment and antisemitic abuse. That has to stop, he said. The meeting is to also help to inform planned government guidance on combatting ...

UK PM Sunak suffers defection of MP amid charge of 'incompetence'

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday suffered a humiliating defection from his party benches as a Conservative member of Parliament walked across the floor of the House of Commons to join the Opposition Labour ranks. Natalie Elphicke, MP for Dover, said the Tories under Sunak "have become a byword for incompetence and division" in a resignation statement just moments before the weekly Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs). The 43-year-old British Indian leader went on to face off with Labour Leader Keir Starmer, who made the most of the shock move which marks the second defection from the Tories to Labour in two weeks and comes on the back of bruising local election results for the governing party. "When I was elected in 2019, the Conservative Party occupied the centre ground of British politics. The party was about building the future and making the most of the opportunities that lay ahead for our country, Elphicke, a staunch critic of the Labour Party until only a few days

UK facing disaster of hung parl, warns Sunak after local election debacle

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak warned on Monday that an analysis of the local election results shows the country is headed for a hung Parliament led by the Opposition Labour Party, which would be a disaster for Britain. The 43-year-old British Indian leader told The Times' in the wake of a debacle for the governing Conservative Party, who lost hundreds of local council seats and key mayoralties across England in results over the weekend, that he was bitterly disappointed but determined to fight back. He sought to paint a less bleak picture for party rebels, demanding a change of political course to win back voters in time for a general election, expected later this year. These results suggest we are heading for a hung parliament with Labour as the largest party, Sunak told the newspaper. [Labour Leader] Keir Starmer propped up in Downing Street by the SNP [Scottish National Party], Liberal Democrats and the Greens would be a disaster for Britain. The country doesn't need more political

UK PM Sunak under pressure amid dire local election results for his party

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's leadership is under severe pressure on Friday as the results of local elections and a crucial by-election poured in overnight, delivering what is being characterised as one of the worst poll outcomes for the governing Conservative Party in 40 years. Rebels from within his party are expected to renew their attacks on the British Indian leader after the Opposition Labour Party made definitive gains, including overturning the Tory majority in the Blackpool South by-election which was necessitated following a resignation amid a lobbying row. Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer declared the result as a "seismic" victory and an overall poll verdict in favour of the party as it comes on the eve of a general election, expected later this year. "Blackpool speaks for the whole country... This is the one contest where voters had the chance to send a message to Rishi Sunak's Conservatives directly, and that message is an overwhelming vote for change," said Starmer

Nothing will stand in way of Rwanda flights: Sunak after key bill passes

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's latest effort to send some migrants to Rwanda finally won approval from Parliament early Tuesday, hours after he pledged deportation flights would begin in July. The parliamentary logjam that had stalled the legislation for two months was finally broken just after midnight when the unelected House of Lords recognised the primacy of the elected House of Commons and dropped the last of its proposed amendments, clearing the way for the bill to become law. Earlier in the day, Sunak held a rare morning press conference to demand that the Lords stop blocking his key proposal for ending the tide of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats, promising that both houses of Parliament would remain in session until it was approved. The legislative stalemate was just the latest hurdle to delay implementation of a plan that has been repeatedly blocked by a series of court rulings and opposition from human rights activists who say it is illegal and .

Good market access offered on both sides, says UK on India FTA talks

There has been good market access offered on both sides but not enough to secure a free trade agreement (FTA), the UK government has said as Indian negotiators are in London this week to continue discussions with their British counterparts. During a debate in the House of Lords this week, UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron was addressing questions from British peers on the current state of freedom of religion or belief in India. The recent restructuring of the BBC to create a new Indian-owned entity in order to comply with the country's foreign direct investment (FDI) rules was flagged by Liberal Democrat peer Lord Jeremy Purvis, who questioned the level of market access being offered to India in the field of media, data and telecoms as part of the FTA negotiations. My understanding of where we are with the trade deal is that good market access has been offered on both sides, but not quite enough yet to secure a deal. It is important with such trade deals, as you only really get one

UK PM Sunak tells Netanyahu to exercise restraint in wake of Iran's attack

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called on his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu to exercise restraint and let calm heads prevail in the wake of Iran's missile attacks as his Foreign Secretary David Cameron landed in Tel Aviv for talks on Wednesday. In a phone call, Sunak reiterated the UK's steadfast support for regional stability and told the Israeli leader that Iran had miscalculated its move, being isolated on the global stage as a result. Netanyahu is said to have thanked Britain for its rapid and robust support in the face of Iran's unprecedented direct attack on Israel on Saturday. The Prime Minister [Sunak] said Iran had badly miscalculated and was increasingly isolated on the global stage, with the G7 coordinating a diplomatic response, Downing Street said in a readout of the call on Tuesday evening. He stressed that significant escalation was in no one's interest and would only deepen insecurity in the Middle East. This was a moment for calm heads to prevail, t