Page 3 - Rishi Sunak

Despite 20% lesser jobs on offer, starting pay in UK up 6.5% on year in May

The 6.5 per cent rise in advertised starting pay compared with a year earlier outstrips the 6.0 per cent rise in official wage data for the three months to April

Who is Keir Starmer, Labour leader favoured to win UK's July 4 election?

Dutiful, managerial, a bit dull Keir Starmer is no one's idea of a firebrand politician. The Labour Party hopes that is just what Britain wants and needs after 14 turbulent years of Conservative rule. Starmer, the centre-left party's 61-year-old leader, is the current favourite to win the country's July 4 election. Starmer has spent four years as opposition leader dragging his social democratic party from the left towards the political middle ground. His message to voters is that a Labour government will bring change of the reassuring rather than scary kind. A vote for Labour is a vote for stability economic and political, Starmer said after Prime Minister Rishi Sunakcalled the election on May 22. If opinion polls giving Labour a consistent double-digit lead are borne out on election day, Starmer will become Britain's first Labour prime minister since 2010. A lawyer who served as chief prosecutor for England and Wales between 2008 and 2013, Starmer is caricatured by opponents a

Rishi Sunak struggles with missteps while trying to lift Conservatives

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has portrayed himself as thorough and evidence-led throughout his relatively brief political career, but there's always been a nagging question over the keenness of his political antenna. The general election campaign over the past five weeks has clearly shown that he hasn't got the instinctive touch of some of his predecessors, such as Tony Blair or even Boris Johnson. Sunak's campaign has seen several missteps since he announced the July 4 election date in the pouring rain in late May, including his suspension of candidates mired in a scandal over betting on the date of the election a week after Labour Party leader Keir Starmer pressed him to do so. The biggest blunder one that prompted him to apologize was his decision to leave the 80-year D-day commemorations in northern France on June 6 early. Critics said the decision to skip the international event that closed the commemorations showed disrespect to the veterans and diminished the U.K.'s

UK general election betting scandal now engulfs Opposition Labour Party

The escalating scandal of candidates placing general election-related bets has widened from the British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak-led Conservative Party to engulf the Opposition Labour Party after its leader, Keir Starmer, suspended one of his candidates for betting against himself ahead of the July 4 polls. Kevin Craig is running to become Labour's member of Parliament for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich in eastern England, considered a safe Conservative seat. It was previously held by Dan Poulter, who defected from the Tories to Labour ahead of the election before exiting politics. On Tuesday, Craig took to social media to confirm his huge mistake of betting in favour of the Tories holding on to their stronghold. "A few weeks ago when I thought I would never win this seat I put a bet on the Tories to win here with the intention of giving any winnings to local charities, said the now-suspended Labour candidate. "While I did not place this bet with any prior knowledge of the ...

Uncertainty over general elections drags UK business growth to 7-month low

Opinion polls suggest Keir Starmer's Labour Party is set to return to power for the first time since 2010 as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservatives head for a historic defeat

Incredibly angry over election date betting accusations: British PM

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said that anyone involved in using inside information to bet on the date of Britain's July 4 national election should be expelled from his Conservative Party. Sunak said on the BBC on Thursday that he was "incredibly angry, incredibly angry" to learn of allegations that Conservative politicians betted on the election date, and that they "should face the full force of the law" if they were found to have broken the law. "It's right that they are being investigated properly by the relevant law enforcement authorities," he said. "If anyone is found to have broken the rules, not only should they face the full consequences of the law, I will make sure that they are booted out of the Conservative Party." Two weeks ahead of the general election, it was an uncomfortable experience for Sunak, whose Conservative Party is trailing the main opposition Labour Party by 20 points by many polls ahead of the vote. Earlier, asked about reports that the UK's ..

Bank of England to keep rates at 16-year high of 5.25% before UK election

Last month the central bank forecast inflation would rise to around 2.6 per cent by the end of the year

UK takes top spot in Europe, Israel for GenAI startups, says Accel

Accel analysed 221 GenAI startups and found that 30 per cent were founded in the UK, 14 per cent in Germany, and 13 per cent in Israel

UK approval of arms exports to Israel plunged sharply at start of Gaza war

The United States and Germany increased arms sales to Israel after the start of the war with the Palestinian group Hamas in October last year

High cost of living bites UK. Many believe election won't change anything

Dominic Watters watches his gas and electricity metre like a hawk. He topped it up a few days ago, but now there's just 1.85 pounds (USD 2.40) of credit left. That may determine what kind of dinner he and his teen daughter get tonight, he says. Watters, a campaigner for better access to nutritious food, is a single dad in Canterbury in southern England who relies on government welfare. He knows microwave meals don't compare to home-cooked dinners, but sometimes he simply cannot afford to use the gas stove or oven. It's become more and more of a struggle, especially for single parents on benefits, he said. It leaves you feeling stranded. It doesn't allow you enough to pay for fresh fruit and vegetables, and also to pay for the gas and electric to cook the food. Since calling a general election for July 4, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been at pains to repeat a key message on the campaign trail: The economy is turning a corner. Inflation is down. Things are looking up. That'

Highlights: Odisha CM Majhi allocates portfolios to ministers; keeps home, finance with himself

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Modi wraps up Italy visit, meets world leaders at G7 summit: Key takeaways

India was among 12 countries and five international organisations invited to the G7 summit by Italy

PM Modi, Meloni review progress of India-Italy strategic partnership

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni have reviewed the progress of the bilateral strategic partnership and agreed to strengthen cooperation in global fora and multilateral initiatives, including the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor. The two leaders met on Friday towards the end of Prime Minister Modi's day-long visit to Apulia, southern Italy, during which he thanked the Italian Prime Minister for the invitation to attend the G7 Summit. A Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) readout of the meeting said the leaders committed to fulfil their shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific and also discussed the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). Both leaders look forward to joint activities to be implemented under the Indo-Pacific Ocean Initiative framework to fulfil their shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific," the Ministry of External Affairs said, amidst China's aggressive actions in the region. They also discussed

PM Modi, Rishi Sunak review FTA negotiations, vow to boost India-UK ties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met his British counterpart Rishi Sunak and is believed to have discussed bilateral relations and issues of common interests. The two leaders met on the sidelines of the G7 summit here in the southern Italian resort city. Sunak and Modi last met in person at the G20 Summit in New Delhi last September, when they had agreed to accelerate the FTA talks with the hope of signing off before India's general election. However, the trade talks are now expected to resume only after a new UK government is elected on July 4. The India-UK FTA negotiations, which opened in January 2022, are aimed at significantly enhancing bilateral trade currently worth around 38.1 billion pounds a year as per official statistics from earlier this year.

India-UK FTA: Pending issues to be solved post Britain's general elections

The outstanding issues with regard to the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between India and the UK will be taken up after the general elections in Britain, a senior government official said on Friday. The issues which need to be ironed out include duties in sectors like electric vehicles, alcoholic beverages, and services. "The outstanding issues to seal the deal will be resolved once the general elections in the UK are over," Additional Secretary in the Department of Commerce L Satya Srinivas told reporters here. The UK's general election will be held on July 4. India and the UK launched talks for an FTA in January 2022 to boost economic ties between the two nations. There are 26 chapters in the agreement, which include goods, services, investments and intellectual property rights. The bilateral trade between India and the UK increased to USD 21.34 billion in 2023-24 from 20.36 billion in 2022-23. On the India-EU trade pact, Srinivas said that the eighth round of talks is .

G7 Summit: UK PM Sunak advocates for 'decisive' support for Ukraine

Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) nations on Thursday began their three-day summit on global affairs in the southern Italian region of Apulia, where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited for the Outreach session to be held on Friday. The Russia-Ukraine conflict is set to dominate the agenda as leaders of the G7 the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France and Japan are hosted by Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni at the luxury resort of Borgo Egnazia on the Adriatic coast. While India has reiterated its stance on dialogue and diplomacy as the best approach, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is leading calls for decisive efforts to support Ukraine whatever it takes. We must be decisive and creative in our efforts to support Ukraine and end (Russian President) Putin's illegal war at this critical moment, Sunak said in a statement ahead of the summit talks. The UK remains at the forefront of the international response as we have been from the outset

Rise in Britain's jobless rate muddies PM Sunak's message to voters

Official data on Tuesday showed the jobless rate for the three months to April rose to 4.4 per cent from 4.3 per cent

Prince Harry can now appeal rejection of publicly funded security in UK

Prince Harry has been given permission to appeal the British government's rejection to provide him with publicly funded police protection in the UK. The Court of Appeal gave the Duke of Sussex the go-ahead to challenge a ruling earlier this year in the High Court. The permission was granted in May but only reported Thursday. Judge Peter Lane ruled in February that a government panel's decision to provide bespoke security on an as-needed basis after Harry quit as a working member of the royal family was not unlawful, irrational or unjustified. Insofar as the case-by-case approach may otherwise have caused difficulties, they have not been shown to be such as to overcome the high hurdle so as to render the decision-making irrational, Lane wrote. The long-running fight began more than four years ago when Harry first challenged the panel's decision, arguing that he and his family need an armed security detail because of hostility directed toward him and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Susse

UK polls: Britain's rich race to save their wealth from election hit

The UK was expected to lose a net 3,200 high-net-worth individuals last year, the most in Europe and double 2022's level, citizenship advisory firm Henley & Partners estimated

Election year reveals deep dissatisfaction among voters in democracies

In a community centre in East London, about 20 men gathered for their regular lunch meeting, sipping coffee and tea from mismatched mugs and engaging in an increasingly popular pastime in the world's democracies: Complaining about their government. They feel estranged from the country's leadership its wealthy prime minister and their members of parliament. It feels like you are second-class people. Our MPs don't represent us people. Political leaders don't understand what we go through, said Barrie Stradling, 65. Do they listen to people? I don't think they do.' In a coffee shop in Jakarta, Ni Wayan Suryatini, 46, bemoaned the results of the recent election, in which the son of Indonesia's former president ascended to the country's vice presidency and the opposition parties seemed to do little to stop him. It is difficult to trust them since they only want to reach their goals. As long as they achieve their goals, they will forget everything else, Suryatini said of politicians. A