Tag: UK

Wife of Welsh First Minister Dies Suddenly

The wife of Wales’ First Minister Mark Drakeford has died suddenly, the Welsh Government has confirmed. In a statement published on Saturday, a government spokesman said, “It is with deep sadness that we confirm the sudden passing of Clare Drakeford, wife of the Labour first minister. “The thoughts of everyone in the Welsh Government are…


HMRC Admits Mistakes Amid Tory Chair Nadhim Zahawi’s Tax Row

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on Saturday admitted to “administrative errors” as a report said the tax office last year stated no government minister was under investigation when Nadhim Zahawi was. It comes as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak resisted pressure to sack Zahawi, who is now the Conservative Party chairman, from his Cabinet. According to…


All Flights Cancelled as UK’s Flybe Goes Into Administration

All Flybe flights have been cancelled as the British regional airline Flybe ceased trading on Saturday. This is the second time in two years the low cost carrier collapsed. The airline announced its closure shortly after 3 a.m. local time on Twitter, saying David Pike and Mike Pink had been appointed joint administrators of Flybe…


Man Crushed to Death Under Outdoor Urinal in London

LONDON—A pop-up urinal crushed a man to death in London’s theater district Friday, police said. Firefighters used a winch to free the man after he became trapped under a hydraulic urinal at Cambridge Circus, a busy intersection in the city’s West End. The Metropolitan Police force said the man “is thought to have sustained crush…


£14.9 Billion of UK Spending on Unused COVID-19 Supplies Written Off in 2 Years

The UK government has written off £14.9 billion ($18.5 billion) of spending on COVID-19 medical supplies which remain unused, Britain’s public spending watchdog has revealed. In its report into the accounts of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), published on Jan. 26, the National Audit Office (NAO) said that the UK government’s losses…


UK Police Charge Man With Terrorism After Arrest at Leeds Hospital

LONDON—British police on Thursday said a 27-year-old man has been charged with terrorism and other offenses after he was found last week with a suspicious device in the grounds of a hospital in Leeds, in northern England. Mohammed Farooq from Leeds was charged with preparation of a terrorist act and possession of an explosive substance…


‘Innocent Christians Will Be Criminalised’ by UK Conversion Therapy Ban, Say Church Leaders

Church leaders have warned Prime Minister Rishi Sunak that Christians are at risk of being “criminalised” by a proposed new ban on gay and trans conversion therapy. In a letter to Sunak on Friday, Christians said the proposed legislation means that they are “at grave risk of being outlawed by the proposed legislation.” The authors…


UK Chancellor Rules Out Significant Tax Cuts as He Focuses on Cutting Inflation

UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt has ruled out “significant” tax cuts in the next budget as he put the top priority on reducing inflation. In a speech at Bloomberg’s London headquarters on Friday, Hunt said reducing inflation was the “only sustainable way to restore industrial harmony” in Britain as he suggested tax cuts…


UK Neurologist Says Nitrous Oxide Abuse ‘Getting Worse’ and Calls for Outright ban

One of Britain’s leading neurologists has urged the government to make nitrous oxide—sometimes known as “laughing gas”—a banned substance, but has warned of the danger of “criminalising” teenagers. In 2021 the Home Office asked the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) to consider whether to make possession of nitrous oxide a crime, but they…


UK PM Sunak Refuses to Sack Tory Chairman Zahawi as Probe Into Tax Row Continues

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has rejected calls for Conservative Party chairman Nadhim Zahawi to be removed from his post as the ethics investigation into his tax affairs continues. Sunak ordered the investigation on Jan. 23 following calls from opposition parties for Zahawi to quit after he paid a penalty to HM Revenue and Customs…