Rishi Sunak

UK PM Rishi Sunak creates new taskforce to go after 'vile' child abusers

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday vowed to do whatever it takes as he condemned the political correctness which has prevented action against vile criminals behind the sexual abuse of children and young women and launched a new taskforce to go after such gangs. Sunak's announcement comes a day after his Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, said that the perpetrators of such crimes are groups of men, almost all British Pakistani, but that authorities have turned a blind eye to these signs of abuse out of political correctness, out of fear, of being called racists, out of fear, of being called bigoted. Asked about the ethnicity of the criminals during a visit to Rochdale one of the cities with a history of British Pakistani grooming gangs, Sunak told reporters: All forms of child sexual exploitation carried out by whoever are horrific and wrong". "But with the specific issue of grooming gangs, we have had several independent inquiries look at the incidents here in Rochdale, bu

UK PM Sunak releases tax returns showing over GBP 1 million paid since 2019

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has released his tax returns, revealing that the British-Indian leader paid more than GBP 1 million to the Exchequer since becoming a frontline politician in 2019. The tax release is part of a transparency commitment the UK premier made in November last year. Sunak, among the wealthiest British politicians, on Wednesday, revealed that he earned a total of GBP 4.766 million between 2019 and 2022 and paid GBP 1.053 million in tax - at a tax rate of around 22 per cent. Over the last tax year, when he was the finance minister, the 42-year-old leader paid GBP 325,826 in capital gains tax and GBP 120,604 in UK income tax on a total income of GBP 1.9 million. "I published my tax returns in the interests of transparency, as I said I would, and I am glad to have done that," Sunak said during a visit to north Wales on Wednesday. "I think ultimately what people are interested in is what I am going to do for them," he added. Sunak came under pressure to publish his

UK boosts defense spending by $6 bn in response to Russia and China

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged Monday to increase military funding by 5 billion pounds (USD 6 billion) over the next two years in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the epoch-defining challenge posed by China. The increase, part of a major update to U.K. foreign and defense policy, is less than military officials wanted. Sunak said the U.K. would increase military spending to 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product in the longer term, but didn't set a date. Britain currently spends just over 2 per cent of GDP on defense, and military chiefs want it to rise to 3 per cent. The extra money will be used, in part, to replenish Britain's ammunition stocks, depleted from supplying Ukraine in its defense against Russia. Some will also go towards a U.K.-U.S.-Australia deal to build nuclear-powered submarines. The world has become more volatile, the threats to our security have increased, Sunak told the BBC during a visit to the U.S. It's important that we protect ourselves ..

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hikes country's defence spending on US tour

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is on a tour of the US on Monday for a trilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, during which he confirmed a hike in Britain's defence budget of an extra GBP 5 billion over the next two years. The world leaders will agree on details of a UK-US agreement to supply Australia with nuclear-powered submarines as part of the AUKUS pact, which was signed in 2021 as part of a joint effort to counter Chinese military power in the Indo-Pacific region. Downing Street said GBP 3 billion from the extra defence spending would be earmarked to support the pact, along with boosting industrial infrastructure and servicing UK submarines. As the world becomes more volatile and competition between states becomes more intense, the UK must be ready to stand our ground, said Sunak. By investing in our armed forces for the long-term, we will be ready for the challenges of today and of the future. As I will discuss with

UK PM Rishi Sunak takes nuanced approach to China threat in defence plan

It's a regime that is increasingly authoritarian at home and assertive abroad and has a desire to reshape the world order," Sunak told reporters on his way to the US Sunday

No risk of UK contagion from SVB collapse: UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak

Asked if the Treasury will come up with a solution by the time the London markets open on Monday morning, Sunak replied: "The Treasury is working at pace."

UK to pay France $576 mn over next 3 years to combat illegal immigration

As per Illegal Migration Bill, people who come to UK illegally cannot claim asylum, benefit from UK's modern slavery protections, make spurious human rights claims and also cannot stay in the country

Rishi Sunak unveils new framework to make UK science & tech superpower

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday launched a new framework through his newly created ministry the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology as part of a vision to cement the UK's place as a science and technology superpower by 2030. The British Indian leader said the new Science and Technology Framework is designed to challenge every part of government to better put the UK at the forefront of global science and technology this decade through 10 key actions, creating a coordinated cross-government approach. Downing Street said that the framework will work alongside a raft of new measures backed by over GBP 370 million in funding to boost investment in innovation, bring the world's best talent to the UK, and seize the potential of ground-breaking new technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI). "Trailblazing science and innovation have been in our DNA for decades. But in an increasingly competitive world, we can only stay ahead with focus, dynamism and ...

Illegal immigrants will not be able to apply for asylum: UK PM Sunak

Sunak's government is expected to push legislation cracking down on illegal immigration later this week, with a special emphasis on illegal immigrants arriving in boats across the English Channel

UK PM travels to Belfast to convince his toughest audience on Brexit deal

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak traveled to Belfast on Tuesday to sell his landmark agreement with the European Union to its toughest audience: Unionist politicians who fear post-Brexit trade rules are weakening Northern Ireland's place in the United Kingdom. The UK and the 27-nation EU announced Monday that they had struck a deal to resolve a dispute over Northern Ireland trade that has vexed relations since the UK left the bloc in 2020. The agreement will ease customs checks and other hurdles for goods moving to Northern Ireland from the rest of the U.K. that were imposed after Brexit to maintain an open border between the north and its EU neighbour, the Republic of Ireland. The deal, dubbed the Windsor Framework, was hailed by London and Brussels as a breakthrough. But Northern Ireland's British unionist politicians have yet to give it their blessing. Their support is key to restoring Northern Ireland's semi-autonomous government, which has been toppled by the trade feud, leaving 1

UK, EU conclude new post-Brexit trade arrangement for Northern Ireland

The agreement - dubbed the 'Windsor Framework' - was struck over the Northern Ireland Protocol, aiming to ease the trading issues created by the Protocol

British PM Rishi Sunak, EU strike deal over trade in Northern Ireland

A government source said Sunak had agreed the terms with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as they met in London

'Decisive breakthrough': UK PM Rishi Sunak declares new Brexit pact

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday unveiled a decisive breakthrough in achieving a new deal with the European Union (EU) to resolve the post-Brexit trade dispute related to Northern Ireland. After weeks of intensive negotiations, Sunak was joined by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for a final set of in-person talks in Windsor, south east England, after which the duo addressed the media to confirm a new Windsor Framework. It replaces the previous Northern Ireland Protocol, agreed by Sunak's former boss Boris Johnson to prevent a hard border between UK territory Northern Ireland and EU member-state Ireland but eventually proving unworkable and causing much tension between the UK and EU. I'm pleased to report that we have now made a decisive breakthrough. Together we have changed the original protocol and are today announcing the new Windsor framework, Sunak told reporters. Today's agreement delivers smooth-flowing trade within the whole United Kingdom, ..

UK and EU leaders to hold talks amid hope to fix Brexit trade dispute

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Union leader Ursula von der Leyen are set to hold face-to-face talks, with expectations high they will seal a deal to resolve a thorny post-Brexit trade dispute. That would mark a breakthrough after months of bitter wrangling that has soured UK-EU relations, sparked the collapse of the Belfast-based regional government and and threatened to set back Northern Ireland's decades-old peace process. In a joint statement on Sunday the UK and the EU said European Commission President von der Leyen will travel to Britain on Monday so the leaders can work towards "shared, practical solutions for the range of complex challenges around the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland. Sunak's office set out a tightly choreographed agenda for Monday suggesting a deal is all but done. It said the leaders' lunchtime final talks would be followed by a meeting of the UK Cabinet, then, if there is a deal, by a joint news conference and a statement by Sunak

British PM Sunak pledges to 'give everything' for new Brexit deal

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Sunday pledged to give everything he has got to fix the lingering problems of Brexit and clinch a new deal with the European Union (EU) that resolves the problematic Northern Ireland Protocol. The protocol, agreed by his former boss Boris Johnson, was struck to prevent a hard border between UK territory Northern Ireland and EU member-state Ireland. However, in practice, it has proved controversial and created a standoff between the UK and EU over a resolution until now, when hopes of a new deal have been revived after intensive talks. I voted for Brexit and I believe in Brexit because it offers vast opportunities for families and businesses across our whole country, writes Sunak in The Daily Telegraph'. He notes that while Brexit was about restoring the UK's sovereignty, the Northern Ireland Protocol had undermined that and created "serious barriers to trade within the United Kingdom, and that is unacceptable". "My job is to seize this ...

UK doubled visas for residence last year despite aim to cut migration

The figures mark a contrast with the goal of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government cut immigration sharply, one of the main things the Conservatives promised to deliver after leaving the EU

UK PM Rishi Sunak set for his biggest political test yet with Brexit deal

Sunak oversaw a diplomatic flurry in recent days, holding meetings with parties in Northern Ireland and with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to lay the groundwork

AI chatbot ChatGPT grills Rishi Sunak, Bill Gates in an interview

The AI chatbot's first question was about the impact of technology on the global economy and job market over the next 10 years

It's time to double down on support for Ukraine, says UK PM Rishi Sunak

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called on world leaders on Saturday to double down on support for Ukraine, saying additional arms and security guarantees are needed to protect the country and the rest of Europe from Russian aggression now and in the future. Sunak delivered the message in a speech to the Munich Security Conference, an annual meeting of heads of state, defense ministers and other world leaders. This year's conference is focused on threats to the accepted rules of international relations nearly a year after Russian troops invaded Ukraine. Highlighting Britain's recent commitment to provide battle tanks, advanced air defense systems and longer-range missiles to Ukraine, Sunak urged other nations to follow suit before Russia launches an expected spring offensive. Now is the moment to double down on our military support, Sunak said. When Putin started this war, he gambled that our resolve would falter. Even now he is betting we will lose our nerve. Sunak also called

UK First Lady Akshata Murty, daughters spotted holidaying in south Goa

Akshata Murty, the wife of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, their two daughters and her mother Sudha Murty were spotted holidaying at Benaulim beach in south Goa, about 40 km from state capital Panaji. A fisherman named Francis Fernandes, locally known as Pele, said he immediately identified the UK First Lady when she approached him on Monday inquiring about water sports at the popular tourist attraction. In a video shot by locals, Pele can be seen interacting with Akshata, whose father Narayana Murthy co-founded Infosys. Later, he also uploaded his picture with her and Sudha Murty on social media. She (Akshata) asked me, is water sports safe in Goa? I told her, Ma'am, it is 100 per cent safe and I will keep you and your family safe if they wish to enjoy water sports, he said. Sharing a few more snatches of his conversation with the 10 Downing Street resident, Pele said, Before they got on our speed boats, I told her that there are many Goans living in the UK and I want her to see th