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☆ Labour's Sadiq Khan wins re-election as London mayor
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan hopes to convince U.S. tech firms to invest more in London. Sadiq Khan was re-elected as London's mayor, final results showed on Saturday, helping to cement the Labour Party's commanding lead over the governing Conservatives in local elections ahead of Britain's national vote later this year. For Labour, London is the latest of a number of councils and mayoralties it has won in the local elections, which took place on Thursday, inflicting heavy losses on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservatives. Opinion polls predict that Labour will win the next national election, propelling its leader Keir Starmer to power and ending 14 years of Conservative government in Britain. Khan, 53, who became the first Muslim mayor of the British capital in 2016, has pledged to build more social housing and work with a future national Labour government to boost police capacity.

Persons: London Sadiq Khan, Sadiq Khan, Rishi Sunak's, It's, Khan, Susan Hall, Keir Starmer, Rishi Sunak Organizations: U.S, Labour, Conservatives, Tory, Conservative, Labour Party, Labour government Locations: London, Britain

New Labour Party MP for Blackpool South, Chris Webb (C) reacts as his win is announced at the count centre in Blackpool, north-west England on May 3, 2024, during the Blackpool South by-election. The opposition Labour Party won a Blackpool South by-election, taking the seat from the Conservatives. The Reform UK party, founded by Brexit proponent Nigel Farage, came in third. Labour leader Keir Starmer posted on the social media platform X that the "swing towards Labour in Blackpool South is historic." Angela Richardson, deputy chair of the Conservative Party, told the BBC the result "was not unexpected," especially given the circumstances that sparked the by-election.

Persons: Chris Webb, Rishi Sunak's, David Jones, Nigel Farage, Scott Benton's, Keir Starmer, Angela Richardson Organizations: New Labour Party, Blackpool South, Blackpool, LONDON, Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party, Labour Party, Conservatives, New Labour, Conservative, Reform UK, Labour, Conservative Party Locations: Blackpool, England, Britain

☆ UK Opposition Labour Party Pledge Productivity Fix in Latest Pitch to Business
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's opposition Labour Party will pledge to fix Britain's stagnating productivity at a conference for businesses on Thursday, its latest charm offensive to companies and investors ahead of a national election expected this year. Keir Starmer, leader of the left-leaning party, will tell assembled executives that Labour will "get under the bonnet to fix an unprecedented stagnation in British productivity growth." "The depth of the changes we've made to transform the Labour Party's relationship with business is something I take immense pride in," he will say, according to extracts released by the party. Ahead of the conference, the party's finance policy chief Rachel Reeves said that Labour would champion Britain's financial sector and not bring in a new cap on bankers' bonuses. Labour also wants closer economic ties with the European Union, including deeper co-operation with the bloc on financial services.

Persons: Keir Starmer, Rishi Sunak's, Rachel Reeves, Alistair Smout Organizations: Labour Party, Labour, Economic, Conservative, Business, Growth, European Union Locations: Davos

☆ Barclays CEO says difference in Labour and Conservative economic policy is 'fairly minimal'
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

LIVERPOOL, U.K. - Oct. 11, 2023: Britain's main opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer applauds a speaker the final day of the annual Labour Party conference in Liverpool, northwest England, on October 11, 2023. Paul Ellis | Afp | Getty ImagesPolitical risk in the U.K. is "far less than it's ever been" as the difference between the ruling Conservative Party and main opposition Labour on economic policy is "fairly minimal," Barclays CEO C.S. The U.K. is set to hold a General Election later this year, and the latest polling consistently suggests a landslide Labour victory, bringing an end to fourteen years of Conservative rule. "I think the political risk in the U.K. is far less than it's ever been," Venkatakrishnan told CNBC at WEF. The difference in economic policies between the two, and they're both striving to say so, are fairly minimal," he said, referencing two former British leaders.

Persons: Keir Starmer applauds, Paul Ellis, Venkatakrishnan, Keir Starmer, Rishi Sunak's, Rachel Reeves, Margaret Thatcher, James Callaghan, Labour's Organizations: LIVERPOOL, Labour Party, Afp, Getty, Conservative Party, Labour, Barclays, C.S, Conservative, Labour's Shadow, Economic, CNBC Wednesday, CNBC, WEF, British Locations: Liverpool, England, Davos, Switzerland

☆ Labour leader Starmer praises Thatcher in bid to woo UK Conservative voters
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Keir Starmer, leader of Britain's Labour Party, speaks during the Prime Minister's Questions, at the House of Commons in London, Britain November 29, 2023. UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Keir Starmer, leader of Britain's main opposition Labour Party, has praised former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, a deeply unpopular figure among many Labour supporters, as he seeks to woo Conservative voters before an election expected next year. Thatcher, dubbed the "Iron Lady" by the UK press at the time, was Britain's Conservative leader from 1979 to 1990. "Every moment of meaningful change in modern British politics begins with the realisation that politics must act in service of the British people, rather than dictating to them," Starmer wrote in an article for the Sunday Telegraph newspaper. After hailing Thatcher, Starmer wrote that Labour had "changed dramatically in the last three years".

Persons: Keir Starmer, Jessica Taylor, Handout, Britain's, Margaret Thatcher, Starmer, Rishi Sunak's, Thatcher, Tony Blair, Clement Attlee, Jeremy Corbyn, Victoria Atkins, Margaret Thatcher's, Michael Holden, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Britain's Labour Party, REUTERS, Labour Party, Labour, Conservative, Sunday Telegraph, Sky News, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

☆ Why the UK government's tax cuts still leave workers worse off
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

British Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt that the U.K. economy would not enter a technical recession in 2023, while announcing the government's spring Budget. The U.K. National Insurance is a tax on workers' income and employers' profits to pay for state social security benefits, including the state pension. Touted by the Conservative party as the "largest ever tax cut for workers," the move nevertheless does not shield taxpayers from the effect of frozen tax thresholds that tip more of their income into higher tax brackets, as nominal wages rise. In March 2021, then-Finance Minister Rishi Sunak announced that the personal allowance (PA) and higher-rate thresholds (HRT) of income tax would be frozen for four years until April 2026. Alongside extending the freezes, Hunt in November 2022 froze the upper earnings limit for NI contributions and lowered the additional rate hold from £150,000 to £125,140 from April 2023.

Persons: Jeremy Hunt, Dan Kitwood, Rishi Sunak's, Hunt, Rishi Sunak, Torsten Bell, Paul Johnson Organizations: British, Getty, Finance, National Insurance, Labour Party, Rishi Sunak's Conservative, Insurance, Conservative, Treasury, Institute for Fiscal Studies

[1/5] Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt leaves 11 Downing Street for the House of Commons to deliver his autumn statement, in London, Britain, November 22, 2023. "After a global pandemic and energy crisis, we have taken difficult decisions to put our economy back on track," Hunt told parliament on Wednesday in his Autumn Statement fiscal update. Hunt pointed to OBR forecasts showing the government would meet its targets for the public finances, leaving open the possibility of further pre-election giveaways to voters in his full budget statement expected in early 2024. Sunak this week promised "responsible" tax cuts, mindful of last year's "mini-budget" turmoil in financial markets triggered by his predecessor Liz Truss's plans for much bigger tax cuts. This time last year, the newly installed Sunak and Hunt raised taxes sharply to quell the bond market mayhem.

Persons: Jeremy Hunt, Stefan Rousseau, Hunt, Rishi Sunak's, Paul Johnson, we've, giveaways, Johnson, BoE, Philip Shaw, Liz Truss's, Muvija M, Paul Sandle, Sarah Young, William James, Elizabeth Piper, Alistair Smout, Andrew MacAskill, James Davey, Suban Abdulla, Farouq Suleiman, Kate Holton, Sumanta Sen, William Schomberg, Catherine Evans Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Labour, Labour Party, Institute for Fiscal Studies, Gross, Reuters Graphics, Bank of England, Graphics, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, British

☆ UK's next government will find tax rises hard to avoid
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( David Milliken | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

But tax rises will be very hard to avoid for whichever party forms the next government, says James Smith, a former Bank of England economist who is research director at the Resolution Foundation, which focuses on issues affecting low and middle earners. For earlier governments, the main way to increase tax levels has been to raise the rate of national insurance - a payroll tax paid by employers and employees - and, in the Conservatives' case, higher value-added tax. Annual GDP growth averaged 2.0% from 2010-2019, compared with 3.0% from 1997-2007. Asked on Sunday about widespread reports of looming tax cuts, Hunt told Sky News: "Everything is on the table ... Higher-than-expected inflation has boosted tax revenue and overall GDP in cash terms, giving more leeway against fiscal targets as most public services' spending budgets are fixed.

Persons: Susannah Ireland, Jeremy Hunt, Rishi Sunak's, James Smith, Smith, Britain's, It's, Carl Emmerson, Hunt, Foundation's Smith, David Milliken, Mike Harrison Organizations: REUTERS, Labour Party, Bank of England, Organisation for Economic Co, Development, Britain, Conservatives, Fiscal Studies, Foundation, Reuters, Monetary Fund, Institute for Government, Sky News, British, Reuters Graphics, Thomson Locations: City, London, Britain, Ukraine

☆ UK PM Rishi Sunak suffers two historic by-election defeats as Labour opposition surges
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Labour party candidate Sarah Edwards, centre, after polls closed in the Tamworth by-election on October 20, 2023 in Tamworth, England. LONDON — U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party suffered two historic by-election defeats on Thursday, with the main opposition Labour Party overturning huge majorities to win both seats. Labour overcame a 24,664 majority to win Mid Bedfordshire for the first time since the constituency's inception in 1931 in a 20.5% swing. In the process, it pulled off the largest Conservative numerical majority overturned in the U.K. by the main opposition party since 1945. The opposition party took on what was a 66% Conservative majority at the 2019 General Election.

Persons: Sarah Edwards, Rishi, Keir Starmer, Greg Hands, Chris Pincher, Pincher, Boris Johnson, Nadine Dorries, Johnson's Organizations: Labour, LONDON, Conservative Party, Labour Party, Tamworth, Mid Bedfordshire, Conservative, Conservatives, BBC Locations: Tamworth, England, Mid Bedfordshire, West Midlands, Bedfordshire

☆ UK Conservative lawmaker Bone faces suspension for misconduct
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Member of the Parliament Peter Bone arrives at a private reception attended by Boris Johnson, leader of the Britain's Conservative Party, in central London, Britain July 23, 2019. The Independent Expert Panel found that Bone committed "many varied acts" of bullying and one act of sexual misconduct against a staff member in 2012 and 2013. The suspension, if backed by parliament, triggers a recall petition in Bone's constituency of Wellingborough in central England. "As I have maintained throughout the proceedings, none of the misconduct allegations against me ever took place," he said in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter. The recommendation for Bone's suspension comes after he appealed a previous decision by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards that upheld allegations of bullying and sexual misconduct.

Persons: Peter Bone, Boris Johnson, Henry Nicholls, Rishi Sunak's, Bone, Sunak, Farouq Suleiman, Sachin Ravikumar Organizations: Britain's Conservative Party, REUTERS, Sunak's Conservatives, Labour Party, Conservatives, Labour, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Bone's, Wellingborough, England, Scotland

☆ London's financial heart is sizing up a win for center-left Labour party at next year's UK election
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesLIVERPOOL, England — The U.K.'s main opposition Labour party is seeking to woo London's powerful financial center as it sets its sights on winning power at next year's General Election. At the party's conference this week, lawmakers were unanimous in emphasizing Labour's renewed focus under leader Keir Starmer on spurring economic growth as its number one priority. Speaking at a fringe event on Sunday, Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury James Murray reiterated the party's mission of achieving the highest growth in the G7 and engaging the private sector. It really is crucial to underpin the encouragement of businesses to invest, to underpin everyone working together for economic growth," Murray added. Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a host of new economic pledges aimed at stimulating growth, vowing to "rebuild Britain" if Labour wins the 2024 General Election.

Persons: Keir Starmer, James Murray, Murray, Rishi, Liz Truss's, Kwasi Kwarteng, Rachel Reeves, Reeves, Jeremy Corbyn, Starmer, Emma Reynolds Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty, Labour, Shadow, Conservative Party, Treasury Locations: Canary, London, LIVERPOOL, England, Britain, Liverpool

☆ Britain's Labour Party hails 'seismic' win in Scottish vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Alistair Smout | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

People in Rutherglen and Hamilton West have sent a clear message – it is time for change. And it is clear they believe that this changed Labour Party can deliver it," Labour leader Keir Starmer said in a statement. John Curtice, Britain's most prominent pollster, said it was a "remarkable result" for the Labour party, which comes on the eve of its annual conference next week. "This is the kind of result that suggests that the Labour Party is potentially capable of winning seats again in Scotland," he told BBC News. "However, we will reflect on what we have to do to regain the trust of the people of Rutherglen & Hamilton West."

Persons: Rishi, Hamilton West, Keir Starmer, Margaret Ferrier, Michael Shanks, Katy Loudon, John Curtice, Ferrier, Humza Yousaf, Yousaf, Nicola Sturgeon, Alistair Smout, Jamie Freed, Michael Perry 私 Organizations: Labour, LONDON, Labour Party, Scottish Nationalist Party, Conservative Party, Hamilton, Hamilton West, BBC News, Scottish, COVID, Rutherglen & Hamilton, Rutherglen Locations: Scotland, Rutherglen, Glasgow, London's, Britain's, United Kingdom

☆ Bank of England forecasts 150 billion pound loss from QE gilt programme
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( David Milliken | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, July 25 (Reuters) - The Bank of England forecast on Tuesday that it would make a net loss of just over 150 billion pounds ($193 billion) over the next 10 years as it unwinds its quantitative easing (QE) gilt purchases, up from 100 billion pounds projected in April. In the short term, the BoE expects the government to pay around 40 billion pounds a year in 2023, 2024 and 2025, roughly 10 billion pounds a year more than its last estimate in April. Markets currently expect BoE rates to peak at 5.75% later this year, up from around 5% at the time of April's report. The BoE projections assume holdings continue to fall at their current target rate of 80 billion pounds a year. That is still more than 50 billion pounds greater than forecast in April.

Persons: Rishi, BoE, BoE Governor Andrew Bailey, David Milliken, Paul Sandle, Kylie MacLellan, Andy Bruce Organizations: Bank of England, Conservative Party, Thomson

☆ European markets flat ahead as traders react to earnings, look ahead to Spanish election
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON — European markets were flat on Friday as investors digested a fresh round of corporate earnings and looked ahead to a crucial Spanish election over the weekend. Tech stocks shed 1.6% to continue the previous session's slide, while insurance stocks added 0.8%. The European blue chip index closed out Thursday's session 0.4% higher, though the tech sector dropped 2.5% on the back of weak U.S. tech earnings. The results were ominous for Sunak's ruling party as it looks ahead to a general election in 2024. Earnings season kicks off in earnest next week, when Europe's major banks, pharmaceutical firms, automakers, energy giants and aircraft manufacturers are all due to report.

Persons: Rishi, Pedro Sanchez, Glencore Organizations: Tech, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Conservative Party, Labour Party, Liberal Democrats Locations: Asia, Pacific, Europe, Europe's, Swiss

☆ UK holds crisis talks as top water supplier seeks cash
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Engineers from a Thames Water leak hunting team unloads equipment from their van during a night shift in London, UK, on Wednesday, May 2, 2023. The chief executive of Britain's biggest water supplier stepped down with immediate effect on Tuesday. The British government has held emergency talks over the fate of the country's biggest water supplier, Thames Water, and said it is ready for any outcome, including temporary state ownership, as the company buckles under huge debts. "We need to make sure that Thames Water as an entity survives," business and trade minister Kemi Badenoch told Sky News. Ofwat said it had been in ongoing talks with Thames Water about the need for a credible plan to turn the business around.

Persons: Rebecca Pow, Rishi Sunak's, Pow, Kemi Badenoch, Ofwat Organizations: Engineers, Thames, Conservatives, Sky News, Water Locations: London, England, Wales

DIRTY BEACHESClean water campaign groups accuse the water companies of failing to invest in infrastructure. She was replaced by two co-chief executives, Chief Finance Officer Alastair Cochran and former Ofwat boss Cathryn Ross, who has been at Thames Water since 2021. Jefferies analysts said Britain's listed water operators Severn Trent (SVT.L), Pennon Group (PNN.L) and United Utilities (UU.L) were better capitalised than Thames Water, but the issues with the largest company meant a "heightened regulatory environment". Daily headlines about rivers and beaches polluted by sewage released by water companies look set to turn water into a major issue at the next general election, expected next year. Thames Water said in its annual report in October that it had not paid a dividend to its shareholders for the last five years.

Persons: Rishi Sunak's, Jeremy Hunt, Sarah Bentley, Alastair Cochran, Cathryn Ross, Alix, Ofwat, Australia's Macquarie, Sarah Young, Paul Sandle, Radhika Anilkumar, David Evans, Mark Potter Organizations: Company, British, Sky News, Conservatives, Thames, Times, Ontario, China Investment Corp, Water, Alix Partners, Daily Telegraph, Jefferies, Trent, Pennon, United Utilities, Environment Agency, Financial Times, Thomson Locations: England, Wales, Britain, Thames

☆ UK estimates cost of deporting each asylum seeker to Rwanda will be 169,000 pounds
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The government sees the plan as central to deterring asylum seekers arriving in small boats from France. In an economic impact assessment published on Monday, the government said the cost of deporting each individual to Rwanda would include an average 105,000-pound payment to Rwanda for hosting each asylum seeker, 22,000 pounds for the flight and escorting, and 18,000 pounds for processing and legal costs. Home Secretary (interior minister) Suella Braverman said these costs must be considered alongside the impact of deterring others trying to reach Britain and the rising cost of housing asylum seekers. Unless action is taken, Braverman said that the cost of housing asylum seekers will rise to 11 billion pounds a year, up from about 3.6 billion pounds currently. "The economic impact assessment clearly shows that doing nothing is not an option," she said.

Persons: Rishi Sunak's, Sunak, Suella Braverman, Braverman, Andrew MacAskill, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Conservative, Labour Party, Home, Labour, Scottish National Party, European, of Human, Court, Thomson Locations: Rwanda, France, Britain, London, Syria, Sudan, Iraq, Iran, Vietnam

☆ Rishi Sunak’s party just took a pounding in UK local elections. The road to recovery is steep
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

And they made grim viewing for a man hoping to lead his Conservative Party back to power in just over a year’s time at the next UK general election. With nearly three-quarters of results declared by late afternoon on Friday, the Conservatives had shed 35 local authorities and more than 600 councilors. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party suffered a drubbing at local elections. They are downplaying the local elections and pointing out that Labour would still need a swing bigger than Tony Blair achieved in 1997 to win a majority of just one seat. The Conservative Party has developed a taste for regicide since 2016.

☆ UK Conservatives suffering 'terrible' night with local election losses
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Peter CziborraLONDON, May 5 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservatives were facing a bleak set of local election results with voters punishing his party over political scandals, sluggish economic growth and high inflation, early results showed on Friday. The Conservative Party suffered a net loss of 144 seats on local councils that were up for re-election, the early results showed. Johnny Mercer, a member of parliament for the area, said it had been a "terrible" night for the Conservatives. The Labour leader Keir Starmer visited Plymouth and Stoke-on-Trent during local election campaigning as the party threw resources into winning back control of the councils. The last time most of these local election seats were contested was in 2019 when the Conservatives lost more 1,300 seats, shortly before the then prime minister Theresa May was forced to resign, which had been expected to help limit the losses in these elections.

☆ Morning Bid: Apple comforts as payrolls loom
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Apple upped its dividend and authorized another $90 billion share repurchase program, same as a year ago. Apple's stock has outperformed most of Wall Street in 2023, up 28% year-to-date. After a torrid 2022, that narrow index is up 35% so far this year - far outstripping the Nasdaq 100's (.NDX) 18% gain and accounting for the bulk of the more modest 6% rise in the S&P500 <.S&P500>. And after three hefty daily retreats in a row for the S&P500 this week, futures are up 0.4% ahead of Friday's open. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ UK's taxes are at a 70-year high. But its finance minister won't splash the cash at upcoming Budget
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

U.K. Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt has said Britain should have a "20-year plan" to become the world's next Silicon Valley. Public sector borrowing has also undershot by around £30 billion year-to-date, economists noted this week, in part reflecting higher-than-expected tax receipts. This will lend credence to Hunt's aims of bringing public sector net borrowing below 3% by 2027/28. LONDON — British Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt will deliver the government's Budget commitments on Wednesday against a better-than-expected economic backdrop, but economists expect him to stay cautious for now. The U.K. economy flatlined in the final quarter of the year to narrowly avoid entering a technical recession, though suffered a sharp slump in December.

☆ Setting out growth plan, UK opposition Labour warn Britain is in downward spiral
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Britain's Labour Party leader Keir Starmer prepares for his speech to delegates at Britain's Labour Party's annual conference in Liverpool, Britain, September 26, 2022. Labour has promised to ensure Britain has the fastest growing economy among the G7 on a sustained basis if it wins power. Britain's economy narrowly avoided a recession according to data published earlier this month, but faces a difficult 2023 as the effects of double-digit inflation hit households. Labour cited the latest available World Bank data showing Gross Domestic Product per capita in Britain at $44,979 in 2021 and $34,915 in Poland. The party said that, based on average 0.5% annual growth between 2010 and 2021 in Britain, that figure would fall behind Poland's per capita GDP by 2030 if Poland kept up its 3.6% average annual growth.

☆ UK, EU inching towards Northern Ireland deal, Irish prime minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Momentum has been building for weeks towards a deal to ease checks on trade that were introduced under the Northern Ireland Protocol - the arrangements agreed to avoid a hard border with EU member Ireland when Britain exited the EU in 2020. Lawmakers in British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative party have been told to be in parliament on Monday, in a sign that a deal could be imminent. Certainly the deal isn't done yet, but I do think we are inching towards a conclusion," Leo Varadkar told reporters. While an agreement would mark an end to a two-year standoff between Britain and the EU, Sunak could face a battle with pro-Brexit Conservative lawmakers and pro-British Northern Irish politicians to make the deal work. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), the region's largest pro-British party, has said it will not end its boycott of the assembly unless all checks on goods bound for Northern Ireland from Britain are removed.

☆ UK's Sunak wants to 'get the job done' on Brexit with Northern Ireland deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"There's unfinished business on Brexit and I want to get the job done," Sunak told The Sunday Times newspaper in an interview. Sunak said he would try to resolve the concerns of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) which is worried about the EU retaining influence over Northern Ireland. Ireland's prime minister Leo Varadkar told reporters earlier on Saturday that Britain and the EU were inching forwards and an agreement was possible, but not guaranteed, in the coming days. Sunak, in a nod to the DUP's worries, said the Good Friday peace agreement for Northern Ireland had been unbalanced by the Brexit deal for the province's trade rules. He said the shooting of a police officer on Wednesday "reminds us of the delicate situation in Northern Ireland, the fragility of it, and we shouldn’t take it for granted.

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