Page 4 - Rishi Sunak

UK PM Rishi Sunak plans to cap work and family visas annually: Details here

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged that a new Conservative government would cut the number of available visas each year

King Charles III banknotes to enter circulation, may be rare for some time

The Bank of England said that new notes will only be printed to replace those depicting Queen Elizabeth II that are worn or to meet any rise in demand at a time when cash usage is in decline

Over 100 business leaders back UK's opposition Labour Party before polls

Rishi Sunak's governing Conservatives have typically been the party of big business but Labour's finance policy chief Rachel Reeves has spent years courting business owners

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

Rishi Sunak's national service plan faces enforcement, funding questions

Sunak is hoping that, if he can't beat Labour leader Keir Starmer, he can at least save the Conservatives from a historic wipeout, his allies have told Bloomberg

Impending changes

The Tories stare at the likely end of 14 years in power

Rishi Sunak backtracks plan to restrict Graduate Route; tightens visa rules

The UK government decided to keep the Graduate Route intact for now after facing opposition from cabinet but introduced stricter measures for student visas to prevent abuse of the immigration system

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