Page 6 - Rishi Sunak

Obama-Sunak's first one-to-one meet surprises many: All you need to know

Rishi Sunak was "happy" to have Barack Obama at 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the UK PM, where the two held informal talks, an official statement said

UK's contentious plan to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda likely to clear Parl

The British government hopes one last push can revive its stalled plan to send some asylum-seekers on a one-way trip to Rwanda. A bill aimed at overcoming a UK Supreme Court block on deportation flights returns to the House of Commons and could be passed into law within days. That would be a boost for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is facing disquiet from fellow Conservative lawmakers as the party lags in opinion polls ahead of an election due this year. Britain and Rwanda signed a deal almost two years ago that would see migrants who cross the English Channel in small boats sent to the East African country, where they would remain permanently. So far, no migrant has been sent to Rwanda under the agreement. Lawmakers in the House of Commons on Monday rejected changes made to the Safety of Rwanda Bill by Parliament's upper chamber, the House of Lords. The Lords inserted a series of amendments designed to water down the legislation. All 10 amendments, backed by opposition members of

Sunak's leadership in turmoil amid infighting in Conservative Party

Transport Secretary Mark Harper was directly asked during a television interview if he thinks Sunak will be the leader of the Conservative Party at the general election

UK PM Rishi Sunak rules out possibility of holding early general election

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has firmly ruled out an early general election to coincide with local polls scheduled for May 2 amid intense speculation from the Opposition Labour benches. The British Indian leader had indicated earlier in the year that he was considering going to the polls in the second half of the year but in recent weeks there had been mounting theories that he may call a snap election in early May. But during an interview with ITV News West Country' channel on Thursday, he sought to quash the speculation having previously preferred to keep people guessing. In several weeks' time we've got elections for police and crime commissioners, for local councils, for mayors across the country, the 43-year-old prime minister said. Asked if there would also be a general election at the same time, Sunak said: There won't be a general election on that day but when there is a general election, what matters is the choice. I can see that the Labour Party are trying to whip

UK govt notifies stricter, 'more precise' definition of extremism

The UK government on Thursday issued a new "more precise" definition of extremism in response to increased threats since the October 2023 Hamas terror attacks in Israel and to protect liberal democratic principles against extreme right-wing and Islamist extremists. Extremism in the UK is now defined as the promotion or advancement of an ideology based on violence, hatred or intolerance, that aims to: negate or destroy the fundamental rights and freedoms of others; or undermine, overturn or replace the UK's system of liberal parliamentary democracy and democratic rights; or intentionally create a permissive environment for others to achieve the results in the first two categories. The previous definition, introduced in 2011 under the government's Prevent strategy, defined extremism as "vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and belief". UK Levelling Up and

UK PM Sunak forced to defend Conservative Party after 'racist' remarks

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was on Wednesday forced to defend the governing Conservative Party even as he admitted one of the party's biggest donor's comments targeted at an Opposition Labour Party MP were racist. During Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) in the House of Commons, Sunak referenced his Indian heritage as he defended his government amid intense pressure over wealthy businessman Frank Hester's reported remarks in a 2019 meeting that Labour MP Diane Abbott makes you want to hate all black women. In a separate meeting, Hester who has donated GBP 10 million to the Tories in the past year said Abbott should be shot. The alleged comments were wrong, they were racist and he has rightly apologised for them and that remorse should be accepted, Sunak told members of Parliament. There is no place for racism in Britain and the government that I lead is living proof of that, he said. While Labour Leader Keir Starmer sought to capitalise on the controversy as he said it wa

PM Modi talks with UK counterpart Sunak to review progress of FTA

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to his British counterpart Rishi Sunak on Tuesday as they welcomed the progress made in the ongoing discussion between the two countries for an early conclusion of a free trade agreement (FTA). During their telephonic conversation, they reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership, a statement said. In a post on X, Modi said, "Had a good conversation with PM @RishiSunak. We reaffirmed our commitment to further strengthen the bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and work for early conclusion of a mutually beneficial Free Trade Agreement." The statement said the two leaders expressed satisfaction over the progress made under the "Roadmap 2030" in diverse areas including trade, investment, defence, security, emerging technologies and others. "They assessed positively the progress made towards early conclusion of a mutually beneficial Free Trade Agreement," it said. The two leaders also excha

Sudha Murty holds about Rs 5,600 crore worth of stocks in Infosys

Sudha Murty, who was on Friday nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the President, holds a 0.83 per cent stake in IT bellwether Infosys which at current prices is worth close to Rs 5,600 crore. The 73-year-old philanthropist is the wife of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy. She is the chairperson of the Murty Trust and has authored several books. According to the latest shareholding filed by Infosys with the BSE, she holds 3.45 crore shares of the company. At the last closing price of Rs 1,616.95 on the BSE, Murty's holding in Infosys is currently worth Rs 5,586.66 crore. Her husband Narayana Murthy owns 1.66 crore equity shares that are worth Rs 2,691 crore. Sudha Murty, who was awarded the Padma Shri in 2006 and Padma Bhushan in January this year, is also the mother-in-law of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. While Padma Shri is the country's fourth-highest civilian award, Padma Bhushan is the second-highest civilian honour. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday morning took to the

Former British PM Theresa May to stand down at next election after 27 years

Theresa May, who was the prime minister of Britain between 2016 and 2019, on Friday announced her exit from frontline politics after 27 years as a member of Parliament in the House of Commons. The 67-year-old, whose travails with getting a Brexit deal through Parliament in the wake of the June 2016 referendum ended in a forced exit from 10 Downing Street over four years ago, said she had taken the "difficult decision" to not contest in the next general election from her Maidenhead constituency in south-east England. She has been the Conservative MP for the Berkshire seat since 1997, having been elected seven times. "Since stepping down as prime minister I have enjoyed being a backbencher again and having more time to work for my constituents and champion causes close to my heart including most recently launching a Global Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking, said May in a statement to her local Maidenhead Advertiser'. These causes have been taking an increasing amount

Britain's governing Tories hope tax cuts can lift ailing election fortunes

In the run-up to the UK's general election that opinion polls show the governing Conservative Party losing, Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt will seek to regain the political initiative by announcing tax cuts Wednesday during his annual budget statement. With the British economy hitting one definition of recession and public finances stretched, he hasn't got much room for big tax cuts unless he lays out a plan for another period of austerity for already cash-starved public services. In comments released by the Treasury ahead of his budget, Hunt is set to tell Parliament that the British economy withstood the coronavirus pandemic and the sharp spike in energy prices following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which sent inflation soaring and prompting the Bank of England to raise interest rates aggressively. Of course, interest rates remain high as we bring down inflation," he plans to say. But because of the progress we've made, because we are delivering on the prime minister's economic ...

UK's Jeremy Hunt plays down talk of big tax cuts in pre-election budget

'We don't have as much of a positive outlook as we had at the end of the Autumn Statement,' he said in an interview, referring to last November's fiscal update

Rishi Sunak warns of 'toxic' culture in UK politics amid threats to MPs

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has warned against a growing toxic culture in politics amid reports of members of Parliament facing security threats over their voting intentions in the House of Commons related to the Israel-Gaza conflict. The 43-year-old British Indian leader issued a statement on Saturday to condemn the hijacking of protests on the streets of the country by extremists to glorify terrorism. It came as a report in The Sunday Times' newspaper claims that three unnamed female MPs have been sanctioned additional security after concerns about their safety. "The explosion in prejudice and antisemitism since the Hamas attacks on the 7 October [2023] are as unacceptable as they are un-British. Simply put antisemitism is racism," said Sunak in his statement. "Legitimate protests hijacked by extremists to promote and glorify terrorism, elected representatives verbally threatened and physically, violently targeted and antisemitic tropes beamed onto our own Parliament ...

Free world united with Ukraine, says Sunak on Russian conflict anniversary

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak marked the second anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on Saturday with a pledge to renew the UK's determination to support the Ukrainians and declared the free world united in its response to President Vladimir Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine. The British Indian leader reflected upon his recent visit to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv when he announced a major package of defence aid to Ukraine, taking the UK's total support to GBP 12 billion. It comes as the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) pledged GBP 8.5 million in humanitarian funding allocations to the Red Cross Movement and the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund. When Putin launched his illegal invasion two years ago, the free world was united in its response. We stood together behind Ukraine. And on this grim anniversary, we must renew our determination, said Sunak in a statement from 10 Downing Street. I was in Kyiv just a few weeks ago and I met wounded Ukrainian soldiers. Eac

UK economy puts recession behind it but price pressures rise: PMI survey

That is likely to be a relief for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who has had to endure taunts of "Rishi's recession" from the opposition Labour Party which is riding high in opinion polls

UK voters deliver double blow to Sunak, elect Labour lawmakers in polls

Voters in two districts in England delivered new blows to beleaguered Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, electing opposition-party lawmakers in seats that Sunak's Conservatives had held for years. Labour Party candidate Dan Egan won the House of Commons seats of Kingswood in southwest England, and Labour's Gen Kitchen took Wellingborough in the country's center, results announced Friday showed. The Conservatives won both by large margins at the last national election in 2019. The hard-right Reform Party came third, putting more pressure on the Conservatives. Labour leader Keir Starmer said the results show people want change. The results will likely worsen fears among Conservatives that, after 14 years in power, the party is heading for defeat when a national election is held in less than a year. The Tories consistently lag between 10 and 20 points behind Labour in opinion polls.

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

UK PM Rishi Sunak paid over half a million pounds in personal tax

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak paid over half a million pounds in personal tax for the financial year 2022-23, Downing Street revealed on Friday as part of its transparency data release. The 43-year-old Indian-origin leader had indicated his plans to publish his tax returns. His tax assessment document shows he paid a tax bill of GBP 508,308, around GBP 75,000 more than what he paid in the previous financial year (2021-22). The tax documents show that Sunak made nearly GBP 1.8 million through capital gains up from GBP 1.6 million in 2021-22 as well as GBP 293,407 in other interest and dividends. All of the investment income and capital gains came from a US-based investment fund listed as a blind trust, according to the summary. He also earned GBP 139,477 during the year from his roles as a member of Parliament and Prime Minister including allowances for the use of 10 Downing Street. Prepared by accountancy service Evelyn Partners, the tax summary follows the publication of h

Parents wanted me to speak without an accent to fit in: UK PM on racism

Rishi Sunak, the UK's Indian-origin Prime Minister, has said that he experienced "racism" when he was a child and his parents sent him for extra drama lessons so that he could "speak properly" without an accent to "fit in". In 2022, Sunak scripted history when he was appointed by King Charles III as Britain's first Indian-origin Prime Minister after being elected unopposed as the new leader of the governing Conservative Party on Diwali. The 43-year-old former Chancellor of the Exchequer, a devout Hindu, is the youngest British prime minister in 210 years. He is also the first Hindu Prime Minister of Indian heritage in the UK. Speaking to ITV News, Sunak shared how his parents were so determined he should fit in and speak without an accent that he was sent for extra drama lessons. You are conscious of being different, he said. It's hard not to be, right, and obviously I experienced racism as a kid. Sunak also recalled the pain of hearing slurs directed at his younger siblings, add

UK's ruling party chairman hints at tax cuts in March and later in year

Finance minister Jeremy Hunt is due to set out his fiscal plans in an annual budget statement scheduled for March 6