DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ BBC engulfed in an impartiality storm of its own making
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

“There is a long-established precedent in the BBC that if you’re an entertainment presenter or you’re a football presenter, then you are not bound by those same rules” on impartiality, former director-general Greg Dyke told BBC Radio 4 over the weekend. BBC Director General Tim Davie has made protecting impartiality one of his major priorities. Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty ImagesMore problematic still is that the same thorny questions about impartiality extend to the BBC’s leadership. “It’s a mess, isn’t it?” former BBC executive Peter Salmon told the cooperation’s flagship political presenter Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday. “He’s got views, he’s got passions … it may be that Gary has outgrown the job, and his role in the BBC.”

☆ EX-UK leader Boris Johnson nominates father for knighthood - report
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Times said Johnson had put forward as many as 100 names for awards. The newspaper did not specify what service Stanley Johnson's nomination was in acknowledgement of. All departing British leaders are entitled to draw up a "resignation honours" list that bestows knighthoods and other titles. Opposition Labour's health policy chief Wes Streeting told the BBC: "I think (his resignation honours list) speaks to a pattern of Boris Johnson's behaviour around cronyism." As prime minister, Johnson in 2020 elevated his brother Jo Johnson to the House of Lords, the upper chamber of parliament, where he has a seat for life.

☆ Trailblazing former UK House of Commons Speaker Betty Boothroyd dies
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( William James | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] FILE PHOTO-British Speaker of the House of Commons Betty Boothroyd looks on during her visit to State Duma lower house of parliament October 14. LONDON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Betty Boothroyd, the trailblazing first female Speaker in Britain's House of Commons, has died aged 93, drawing tributes from across parliament for her distinctive, firm-but-fair style honed over a five-decade political career. She remains the only woman to serve as Speaker in the House of Commons. After retiring from the House of Commons in 2000, she was made a member of parliament's House of Lords upper chamber where she continued to contribute to political debate into her nineties. Tributes to Boothroyd poured in from across the political divide, hailing her formidable parliamentary presence and her personal warmth.

☆ A risk taken, UK's Sunak announces the Windsor Framework
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Elizabeth Piper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

But it was secrecy that fostered suspicion among two big hitters in the years-long Brexit debate - the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Northern Ireland's biggest unionist party, and the pro-Brexit Conservative European Research Group (ERG). "I am 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 a news conference. Then both former leaders had threatened to rip up the Northern Ireland protocol with legislation in parliament and their administrations had regularly criticised the EU for being overly legalistic and inflexible. Pressing pause on the Northern Ireland Protocol bill which would all but rip up the earlier agreement, he saw solving the Northern Ireland standoff as a concrete "win" for his administration which has struggled to establish itself. But Sunak still has to win over not only some of his lawmakers in the ERG, but more importantly the DUP.

☆ Just one G-7 leader will join the Davos elite this year as regular people battle cost-of-living crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Congress Center, the venue for the World Economic Forum (WEF), center, in Davos, Switzerland, on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023. It is not the first time the summit has been sparsely attended by leaders from the powerful political union. That included former U.S. leader Donald Trump, who attended twice during his one term in office, unlike his predecessor Barack Obama, who never attended. His own predecessor, Angela Merkel, was a regular Davos presence during her 16-year term, most recently challenging the increasing "own interests first" mentality of some nations in 2019. "I expect it is partly reputational risks, given the current situation, of enjoying the high life in Davos," he said.

☆ UK budget: Britain is bringing back austerity. Here's why
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Julia Horowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The country is staring down the barrel of a grueling recession, and investors remain on edge as interest rates rise. That requires Hunt, who has acknowledged that Britain faces “extremely difficult” decisions, to pull off a delicate balancing act. When the government adopted an austerity program in 2010 on the heels of the Great Recession, it shaved 1% off the country’s GDP, according to the UK budget watchdog. Just four years ago, former Prime Minister Theresa May pledged to bring nearly a decade of austerity to a close. “If we hadn’t had Brexit, we probably wouldn’t be talking about an austerity budget this week.

☆ UK's Sunak reinstates Braverman as interior minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Oct 25 (Reuters) - British lawmaker Suella Braverman was reappointed as interior minister on Tuesday by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, less than a week after she resigned from the role for breaching government rules. Braverman, 42, stepped down a day before former prime minister Liz Truss did after breaching email security rules, also voicing concerns about the direction of Truss's government in her resignation letter. First elected to parliament in 2015, Braverman is regarded as being on the right wing of the governing Conservative Party. A committed Brexit supporter, she was appointed as a minister in the Department for Exiting the European Union but resigned in protest at former prime minister Theresa May's proposed divorce deal. Reporting by William James, writing by Muvija M and Alistair Smout, editing by Elizabeth PiperOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: Dominic Raab returns to government as deputy PM under Sunak
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Oct 25 (Reuters) - British lawmaker Dominic Raab was appointed deputy prime minister and minister of justice on Tuesday, returning to the roles he held for a year until September. Here are five facts about Raab:- Raab, 48, lost his roles as deputy prime minister and justice minister when Liz Truss entered Downing Street earlier this year and has been a staunch supporter of now Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in two leadership campaigns. - As deputy prime minister under Boris Johnson, Raab had to step in when the former leader was hospitalised in intensive care with COVID-19 in April 2020. - Raab is a hardline eurosceptic, who long campaigned for Britain to leave the European Union and was appointed to Brexit minister in 2018 by another former prime minister, Theresa May. - Raab ran against Johnson to become leader of the Conservative Party and prime minister in 2019.

Like Truss, Sunak promised a tough approach to illegal immigration and vowed to expand the government’s controversial Rwanda immigration policy. At the time Johnson was running to lead Britain's Conservative Party and Sunak was a member of Parliament. Danny Lawson/PA Images/Getty Images Sunak speaks during a general election debate in Cardiff, Wales, in November 2019. Danny Lawson/PA/Getty Images Sunak delivers a speech during the annual Conservative Party Conference in Manchester in October 2021. Hollie Adams/Bloomberg/Getty Images Sunak and Murty are seen with their daughters, Krishna and Anoushka, while campaigning in Grantham, England, in July 2022.

☆ Twitter is bowing down to Larry the Cat, Downing Street's Chief Mouser, for outlasting 4 prime ministers
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Larry the cat is Downing Street's Chief Mouser, and has worked there since February 15, 2011. When Truss leaves office, Larry the Cat will have outlasted four prime ministers. Larry, the official cat at the British prime minister's 10 Downing Street residence, holds the title of Chief Mouser. "The King has asked me to become Prime Minister because this nonsense has gone on long enough," read a tweet from the account on Thursday. One Twitter user posted a photoshopped image of Larry in front of a crowd holding signs that reads: "Larry for Leader."

☆ Factbox: Conservative leadership race: who will replace Liz Truss as UK prime minister?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Kate Holton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, Oct 21 (Reuters) - A fast-tracked Conservative Party leadership election is underway to replace Liz Truss, who said on Thursday she would resign just six weeks after being appointed as British prime minister. If the person in second place does not drop out, then the Conservative Party membership will vote, with results announced by Friday. BORIS JOHNSONFormer prime minister Johnson, a journalist, has loomed large over British politics ever since he became London Mayor in 2008. Conservative lawmakers said Johnson, who has been on holiday in the Caribbean, could stand in the leadership contest and was taking soundings. Wallace, a former soldier, was defence minister for both Johnson and Truss, leading Britain's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

☆ British minister Penny Mordaunt announces bid to be next UK PM
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 21 (Reuters) - British minister Penny Mordaunt on Friday launched her bid to replace Liz Truss as prime minister, becoming the first Conservative lawmaker to announce they are running. That race saw Truss defeat former finance minister Rishi Sunak. "I’ve been encouraged by support from colleagues who want a fresh start, a united party and leadership in the national interest." Bookmakers place Mordaunt third, behind Sunak and Johnson, who are also expected to enter the race to succeed Truss. Largely unknown outside Westminster prior to taking an early opinion poll lead among Conservative Party members earlier this year, some of the public may have first seen Mordaunt on the reality TV show Splash!

LONDON — Her tenure as Britain’s prime minister began in the early days of fall, but it didn’t even last until winter. The plan was criticized not only by the opposing Labour Party, but also President Joe Biden and the International Monetary Fund. Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng and British Prime Minister Liz Truss attend the annual Conservative Party conference on Oct. 2. Truss told Parliament on Wednesday, “I am a fighter, not a quitter,” after repeatedly being told she was unfit for office by opposition lawmakers. Under an expedited process, leadership challengers must win the support of 100 fellow Conservative Party lawmakers (out of a total of 357) by Monday afternoon.

☆ Factbox: Britain's shortest-serving prime ministers
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Liz Truss resigned as prime minister on Thursday 44 days after starting the job, making her Britain's shortest-serving premier. * The Duke of Devonshire - 225 daysWilliam Cavendish, the 4th Duke of Devonshire and a Whig, was seen as de facto prime minister during a caretaker government and stepped down in June 1757. * The Earl of Shelburne - 265 daysDublin-born William Petty, the 2nd Earl of Shelburne, was in office when the treaty of Paris, which ended the American War of Independence, was signed. * The Earl of Bute - 317 daysJohn Stuart, third Earl of Bute, was the first prime minister from Scotland after the Acts of Union in 1707. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterCompiled by Andrew Heavens; Editing by Andrew CawthorneOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: Liz Truss resignation: who were the UK’s shortest serving prime ministers?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Liz Truss resigned as prime minister on Thursday 44 days after starting the job, making her Britain's shortest-serving premier. * The Duke of Devonshire - 225 daysWilliam Cavendish, the 4th Duke of Devonshire and a Whig, was seen as de facto prime minister during a caretaker government and stepped down in June 1757. * The Earl of Shelburne - 265 daysDublin-born William Petty, the 2nd Earl of Shelburne, was in office when the treaty of Paris, which ended the American War of Independence, was signed. * The Earl of Bute - 317 daysJohn Stuart, third Earl of Bute, was the first prime minister from Scotland after the Acts of Union in 1707. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterCompiled by Andrew Heavens; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Jon BoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

"The prime minister is not under a desk," Mordaunt said in parliament, keeping a straight-face despite the jeers and laughter from the opposition Labour Party facing her. Mordaunt now has her second chance to run for the top job, after just missing out on the final two in the contest to become the leader of the ruling Conservative Party earlier this year. She also promoted her patriotism, talking about her memories of the Falkland's conflict that helped to define former prime minister Margaret Thatcher. Her first post came as a local government minister in 2014, followed by armed forces minister and disabilities minister. Truss appointed Mordaunt as the leader of the House of Commons, charged with setting out the government business with her no-nonsense attitude gaining admirers.

☆ Factbox: Who are the candidates to replace UK PM Truss?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Kate Holton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Liz Truss said on Thursday she would resign as British prime minister just six weeks after she was appointed. A leadership election will be completed within the next week to replace Truss, who is the shortest serving prime minister in British history. Wallace, a former soldier, was defence minister for both Johnson and Truss, leading Britain's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Boris JohnsonFormer prime minister Johnson, a journalist, has loomed large over British politics ever since he became London Mayor in 2008. The Times reported that Johnson is expected to stand in the Conservative Party leadership contest.

☆ U.K.'s new finance chief warns of 'difficult decisions ahead' amid political and market turmoil
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

LONDON — The U.K.'s new finance minister warned of “difficult decisions ahead” on Saturday, the morning after he had replaced his predecessor who was only 38 days into the job. Warning of “difficult decisions ahead” Hunt told British broadcaster Sky News: “Some taxes will not be cut as quickly as people would want, some taxes will go up.” (Sky News is owned by Comcast, the parent company of NBC News.) Kwarteng became the second shortest-serving chancellor of the exchequer, as the British finance minister is known. Britain's Prime Minister Liz Truss at a news conference on Friday. Truss is Britain’s third prime minister in six years.

☆ Factbox: How could British PM Truss be removed, and how would she be replaced?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Alistair Smout | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, Oct 14 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Liz Truss is clinging on to her job after a political crisis and market turmoil sparked by her fiscal plans that has seen her fire her finance minister and reverse major parts of her flagship tax-cutting agenda. CONFIDENCE VOTE AMONG CONSERVATIVE LAWMAKERSA vote of confidence among Conservative lawmakers is one mechanism to remove their party leader. However, as Truss only became leader last month, current rules say such a vote cannot be held until September 2023. CONFIDENCE VOTE AMONG ALL LAWMAKERS IN PARLIAMENTA vote of no confidence in the government could be put forward by opposition parties. - If Truss resigns or loses a vote of confidence among Conservative lawmakers in her leadership, there is a process to select a new leader, overseen by the 1922 Committee.

After being the longest-serving health secretary in British history and stints running the foreign office and culture ministry, Hunt returns from government exile after two failed bids to become Britain's prime minister himself. "The appointment of Jeremy Hunt as Chancellor is a wise choice," Conservative lawmaker Bernard Jenkin said on Twitter. Ironically, though, while Truss has said she will press ahead with a cut to income tax, Hunt said at the time that could wait. Other critics said some of the problems that the state-run health service faced were a consequence of his role as health minister. During a trip to China in July in 2018, he mistakenly described his wife Lucia, who hails from China, as being Japanese.

☆ Trump asked British Prime Minister Theresa May to 'imagine if some animals with tattoos raped your daughter' in conversation about abortion: book
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A new book from Maggie Haberman details Trump's first meeting with UK Prime Minister Theresa May. He reportedly brought up abortion, saying "imagine if some animals with tattoos raped your daughter." The graphic statement suggests a private sympathy with abortion rights, despite his record. "Imagine if some animals with tattoos raped your daughter and she got pregnant?" As president, Trump often sought to satisfy his evangelical base, most of whom are strongly opposed to abortion rights.

☆ Trump spoke about his years-long crusade to block a wind farm near his Scottish golf resort with UK PM Theresa May: book
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Trump asked UK Prime Minister Theresa May about one of his private golf courses, per a new book. Trump spoke about his years-long effort to block an offshore wind farm near one of his Scottish courses. Trump fought for years to block the development of an off-shore wind farm in the vicinity of his Trump International Golf Links, Scotland course near Aberdeen. In 2019, the Trump Organization was ordered to pay $290,000 to the Scottish government after losing a legal battle. Trump first met with May at the White House in January 2017 just days after he was sworn into office.

☆ Liz Truss and King Charles III could be the end of the 'United' Kingdom
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Peter Mcloughlin | World Politics Review | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

King Charles III and Prime Minister Liz Truss now lead a United Kingdom with profound divisions. However, when this ends with the late queen's funeral Monday, the new heads of state and government, King Charles III and Liz Truss, will be left leading a United Kingdom that is profoundly divided. However, the EU, the Irish government and most nationalists in Northern Ireland oppose any unilateral changes to the treaty. Nationalists, who are growing in numbers in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, might see this as the moment to unravel the union. Peter McLoughlin is a lecturer at Queen's University Belfast, where he focuses on contemporary political history in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

☆ Former senior Obama advisor guides lobbying and policy strategy of London cryptocurrency firm
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The crypto industry has been ramping up lobbying around the world with potentially strict regulations on the horizon. The Biden administration released its framework on potential U.S. crypto regulations earlier this month, including ways that could help fight fraud. Kasselman described Messina as a critical guide to the company's lobbying and overall policy efforts. He noted that Messina is not a registered lobbyist, yet often advises their team on lobbying strategy. Kasselman credits Messina with the company hiring Ian Mair as Blockchain.com's head of U.S. policy and Giles Swan to run its European policy.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II inspects a guard of honor at the Presidential palace in New Delhi during her visit to India in 1997. Queen Elizabeth II meets Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Buckingham Palace in London, England in 2015. “If you don’t see people mourning the death of Queen Elizabeth in India, (it is) because she doesn’t have that connection with the new generation of Indians,” Ravi Mishra said. Queen Elizabeth II meets Indira Gandhi at Hyderabad House in Delhi, India, in 1983. The proposition before this house is the principle of owing reparations … the question is: is there a debt?… As far as I’m concerned, the ability to acknowledge a wrong that has been done, to simply say sorry, will go a far, far, far longer way than some percentage of GDP in the form of aid,” Tharoor said.

Search resuls for: "Theresa May"

25 mentions found