Page 3 - Britain

Britain delays calling Northern Ireland election amid Brexit impasse

Northern Ireland's political deadlock deepened Friday when the UK government delayed calling an early election for the Belfast-based Assembly after a deadline to restore the mothballed administration expired. The limbo means more uncertainty and delays to government decision-making at a time when many people in Northern Ireland are struggling with soaring food and energy prices. A deadline for the Northern Ireland Assembly to elect a governing executive passed at midnight Thursday amid a dispute over post-Brexit trade rules. Under the rules of Northern Ireland's power-sharing politics, a new election must be held within 12 weeks. Civil servants will keep essential services running in the meantime. U.K. Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris had been expected to announce a mid-December poll date. Instead, he said he was holding talks with the main political parties. I hear when parties say they really do not want an election at all, he said. But he added that under the ...

UK Treasury chief delays detailing new economic plans until Nov 17

UK Treasury Chief Jeremy Hunt has delayed a statement on the country's economic affairs until November 17, only a day after the new prime minister took office. Hunt told the BBC says that a two and half week delay will ensure the right decisions are taken. The statement was originally set to be announced on October 31. The Treasury says in a tweet that new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Hunt have agreed that the statement will include a forecast from the independent Office of Budget Responsibility. It will contain the UK's medium term fiscal plan to put public spending on a sustainable footing, get debt falling & restore stability," the Treasury said on Twitter.

Working towards best FTA with 'economic superpower' India: UK's Greg Hands

Describing India as an "economic superpower", Britain said on Wednesday that it was working towards the "best" Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that is beneficial to both the countries. India and Britain launched negotiations for the FTA in January with an aim to conclude talks by Diwali but the deadline was missed due to a lack of consensus on issues. "We have already closed the majority of Chapters and look forward to the next round of talks shortly," Secretary of State for International Trade Greg Hands said while replying to a question from Nick Thomas-Symonds, Shadow international trade secretary. A "strong FTA can strengthen the economic links between UK and India, boosting the UK economy by more than 3 billion pounds by 2035, helping families and communities," he said. He said that the FTA can cut red tapes, make it cheaper for UK companies to sell into India's dynamic market , helping drive growth and support jobs across every nation and region. Greater access could help UK ...

Have completed most of India trade deal, will only sign once happy: UK

Britain has completed majority of sections of a free trade agreement with India but will only sign off on the deal once happy that it is fair and reciprocal, trade department minister Greg Hands said

Bank of England likely to go for a bigger than 75-bp rate hike: Report

Rising borrowing costs are part of a cost of living crisis hammering consumer spending as Sunak becomes Britain's third PM in less than two months

New PM Rishi Sunak pledges to lead Britain out of economic crisis

Several ministers sacked, Hunt to stay FM

Proud moment that UK will have Indian-origin PM, says Mehbooba Mufti

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said it was a proud moment that Indian-origin Rishi Sunak was elected as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said while India rightly celebrates Sunak's elevation, it should also serve as a reminder that the Britain has accepted an ethnic minority member as its premier but we are still shackled by divisive and discriminatory laws like NRC and CAA." National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, who has a British mother, did not comment on the development but retweeted a tweet by George Osborne, the former chancellor of the Exchequer in the UK. "Rishi Sunak will be Prime Minister by the end of the day. Some think, like me, he's a solution to our problems; others think he's part of the problem. But whatever your politics, let's all celebrate the first British Asian becoming PM and be proud of our country where this can happen," Osborne said.

Turmoil in Britain: Its political crisis is a self-inflicted wound

Govts should respect fiscal constraints as once confidence is lost in a country's institutions and political maturity, it cannot be easily regained

Suella Braverman supports Rishi Sunak as 'unity' candidate for UK PM

Britain's recently-resigned Home Secretary Indian-origin Suella Braverman on Sunday came out in support of Rishi Sunak to replace outgoing Prime Minister Liz Truss as the candidate who can provide unity, stability and efficiency to the governing Conservatives. In a boost to frontrunner Sunak and a blow to former prime minister Boris Johnson's expected bid for Tory leadership, the former minister with significant support on the extreme right of Tory party said Johnson was no longer the best choice for the party or the country. Her intervention comes just days after her dramatic exit from Cabinet over a breach of the ministerial code and a scathing attack on Truss' leadership. We need unity, stability and efficiency. Rishi is the only candidate that fits the bill and I am proud to support him, she writes in The Daily Telegraph newspaper. I have backed Boris from the start. From running alongside him in London in 2012, to supporting him to be our leader in 2019 and willing him to succ

Liz Truss quits as UK Prime Minister after 45 days in office

Speaking outside the door of her Number 10 Downing Street office, Truss accepted that she could not deliver the promises she made when she was running for Conservative leader

Nominations open for new UK PM to replace Liz Truss; cut-off set at 100 MPs

The nominations for Conservative Party members planning to contest in the leadership election to replace Liz Truss as Tory leader and British Prime Minister officially opened on Thursday evening, with a high threshold of 100 members of Parliament set for the final shortlist. Graham Brady, chair of the 1922 Backbench Committee in charge of Tory elections, said that potential candidates are expected to file their nominations by 2 pm local time on Monday for a final two contestants to be shortlisted. Unless there is parliamentary consensus struck around a single candidate, the final two will be put up for an expedited online voting process before the wider Tory party membership to be concluded by October 28. It [100 MPs] should be achievable by any serious candidate, who has a realistic prospect of going through," said Brady, as he confirmed the likelihood of three possible candidates emerging, given the 357 Tory MPs in the House of Commons. "It is up to the Members of Parliament whet

'Eager' to secure trade deal with India, says UK's Home Secretary Braverman

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has said the UK is "eager" to secure a trade deal with India to boost both economies and that Brexit has meant that Britain no longer has a Eurocentric mindset towards trade or visas, days after she caused a stir with her "concerns" over what she feared could be an "open borders" approach in the ongoing trade talks with India. Addressing a Diwali event organised by UK-based India Global Forum (IGF) here on Tuesday evening, the Indian-origin Cabinet minister spoke of being a proud member of the British Indian community and hailed the contribution made by the Indian diaspora to British life. In an apparent effort to override her recent controversial remarks about Indians forming the largest group of visa overstayers, the minister said the UK's villages, towns and cities have been profoundly enriched by immigration from India. "Naturally, there is an economic imperative for our countries to work together, which is why we are so eager to secure a trade ..

Eager to secure trade deal with India, says UK's Suella Braverman

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has said the UK is eager to secure a trade deal with India to boost both economies and that Brexit has meant that Britain no longer has a Eurocentric mindset towards trade or visas. Addressing a Diwali event organised by UK-based India Global Forum (IGF) in London on Tuesday evening, the Indian-origin Cabinet minister spoke of being a proud member of the British Indian community and hailed the contribution made by the Indian diaspora to British life. In an apparent effort to override her recent controversial remarks about Indians forming the largest group of visa overstayers, the minister said the UK's villages, towns and cities have been profoundly enriched by immigration from India. Naturally, there is an economic imperative for our countries to work together, which is why we are so eager to secure a trade deal, said Braverman. But the boost to our economies is not the only virtue in making our friendship even stronger. We have a shared vision that

Britain in talks with British Steel and Tata to secure industry's future

Britain said on Monday it was in talks with steel makers, including British Steel, owned by China's Jingye Group, and India's Tata to help secure the industry's long-term future

British PM removes Kwarteng as finance minister amid row over economic plan

Truss had been under intense pressure to scrap some of the £43 billion ($48 billion) in unfunded tax cuts that roiled financial markets and led the BoE to step in to prevent a wider economic crisis

British Sikh MP Preet Kaur Gill seeks 'urgent action' on rising hate crimes

Preet Kaur Gill, an Indian-origin British Sikh MP, in a letter to Home Secretary Suella Braverman, has sought protection and urgent action against rising crimes against the community in the UK.

UK needs more migrants to boost growth, says CBI business lobby survey

Three-quarters of respondents believe a lack of access to labor is threatening the UK's competitiveness as a place to employ people, the Confederation of British Industry said Tuesday.

Indian car makers propose tax cut on imports in trade deal with Britain

Indian car makers have proposed cutting to 30% the tax rate on imported cars as part of a trade deal with Britain

UK shows labour market slowdown with recession concerns rising: Survey

As a result, vacancies and the number of people placed in roles both rose at the slowest pace in more than a year and a half

UK Home Secretary casts doubt on FTA over open borders with India

Britain's Indian-origin Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, has cast doubts over a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) with India over the issue of migration and branded Indians as the largest group of people who overstay their visas in the UK. Expressing concerns over what she feared would be an open borders migration policy in an interview with The Spectator' on Thursday, the senior minister seemed to indicate that she would not offer Cabinet backing to a trade deal that offers India greater visa concessions. It would pitch her in a possible clash with British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who wants an FTA with India now in the final round of negotiations within the Diwali deadline set by her predecessor Boris Johnson. I have concerns about having an open borders migration policy with India because I don't think that's what people voted for with Brexit, Braverman told the British weekly news magazine. Asked about visa flexibility for students and entrepreneurs under an India-UK FTA,