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☆ In a health system in crisis, Britain's heart care suffers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Alistair Smout | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

Britain's cardiology departments are a microcosm of the problems that have spread through the system. In November, around 8,000 people like Cogan had been waiting more than a year for heart treatment, up from a couple of dozen pre-pandemic. Reuters GraphicsTeams were still trying to restore cardiac services to pre-pandemic levels, NHS England said. Pandemic disruptions to diagnosis and treatment, in addition to delays in emergency care, had an outsized impact on cardiological care, she said. On one visit to his local Colchester hospital, staff could not find a working ECG machine to read his heart's electrical activity when he felt a twinge.

☆ U.K. Prime Minister Fires Top Official Over Tax Probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Max Colchester | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON—British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Sunday fired Nadhim Zahawi as chairman of the U.K.’s ruling Conservative Party, after an internal probe concluded Mr. Zahawi failed to disclose an investigation into his tax affairs last year, the latest in a series of controversies to wash over the government. Mr. Sunak dismissed the former businessman after the government’s ethics adviser concluded on Sunday that not disclosing the tax probe was a serious failure.

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☆ U.K. to Toughen New Social-Media Law, Threatening CEOs With Jail Time
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Sam Schechner | Max Colchester | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The U.K.’s Online Safety Bill aims to better protect adults and children from viewing certain online content. LONDON—British legislators are set to approve a draft of a extensive new social-media bill that could see the chief executives of major tech firms held criminally liable if they don’t protect children from certain content online. As the U.K. moves closer toward enacting new legislation that technology companies say is too restrictive, its Online Safety Bill aims to better protect adults and children from viewing certain online content, including fraud, revenge porn and sexual abuse.

☆ Scottish Law on Gender Recognition Blocked by U.K. Government
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Max Colchester | David Luhnow | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack said the law ‘would have a significant impact’ on equalities rules in other parts of the U.K. The U.K. government on Monday blocked a law voted by Scotland’s parliament on gender recognition, the first time that the London-based government has stopped a Scottish law from passing, in a move that will deepen divisions between Scottish nationalists and the U.K. The controversial Scottish law, passed in November, makes it easier for transgender people to get official government recognition of their acquired gender by removing any need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria and lowering the age from 18 to 16.

☆ U.K. and EU Look to Mend Rift and Resolve Northern Ireland Trade Dispute
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Max Colchester | Laurence Norman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, pointing, in Belfast recently. Labour has urged the U.K. government to strike a deal with the European Union. British and European officials are increasingly hopeful they can heal some of the divisions over the U.K.’s split from the trading bloc, including a long-running dispute over Northern Ireland, as the war in Ukraine pushes both sides closer and opinion polls suggest British support for Brexit is waning. U.K. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and his European Union counterpart, European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic , will meet Monday and are expected to signal the start of final negotiations on a compromise agreement over the trading status of Northern Ireland, an issue that has created tensions between both sides and threats of a trade war.

☆ Prince Harry’s Book ‘Spare’ Goes On Sale, Detailing Deep Royal Rift
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Max Colchester | David Luhnow | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON— Prince Harry ’s memoir, officially published Tuesday, lays bare the scale of the family split in the House of Windsor, in an account that royal commentators say could do lasting damage to both the prince and the world’s most famous royal institution. The book, titled “Spare,” inadvertently went on sale in Spain last week, ahead of its official launch date. Since then, much of the British press has already published key details from it about how King Charles ‘s younger son fell out of love with royal life as well as allegations of dysfunction at the heart of the institution often referred to as “the Firm.”

☆ Prince Harry’s Memoir ‘Spare’ Is Released, Detailing Deep Royal Rift
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Max Colchester | David Luhnow | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Prince Harry’s memoir, ‘Spare,’ which went on sale in London on Tuesday, details a raft of allegations about life in the royal family. LONDON— Prince Harry ‘s memoir, officially published Tuesday, lays bare the scale of a deep family split in the House of Windsor, in an account that royal commentators say could do lasting damage to both the prince and the world’s most famous royal institution. The book, titled “Spare,” inadvertently went on sale in Spain last week, ahead of its official launch date. Since then, much of the British press has already published key details from it about how King Charles’s youngest son fell out of love with royal life as well as allegations of dysfunction at the heart of the institution often referred to as “the Firm.”

☆ Prince Harry and British Monarchy See Popularity Fall Ahead of Book Release
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Max Colchester | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON— Prince Harry ’s popularity in the U.K. dropped to a low ahead of the publication of his highly anticipated memoir, which offers a rare first-person insight into life in the world’s most famous monarchy and has fueled a rolling media frenzy in Britain. The book “Spare,” which accidentally appeared in Spanish bookstores last week and is scheduled to be published in English on Tuesday, has captivated royal watchers with many details about Prince Harry’s private life and how he became estranged from the House of Windsor.

☆ U.K. and Allies Weigh Sending Ukraine Heavy Tanks, Pointing to New Phase of the War
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Max Colchester | Drew Hinshaw | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON—The British government is in talks to send main battle tanks to Ukraine to help its forces roll back Russia’s territorial gains, as other allies consider sending Kyiv their own tanks. The discussions, which have been going on for weeks, concern whether to give Ukraine some of the U.K.’s Challenger 2 tanks, British officials said, although London has yet to reach a final decision. Officials in Poland, Finland and other European nations are also considering supplying tanks.

☆ Prince Harry Book Alleges Physical Altercation With Brother William
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Max Colchester | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex detailed tensions with the British royal family in the recent Netflix series ‘Harry & Meghan.’LONDON—Buckingham Palace was silent Thursday as it looked to weather a media storm sparked by an extract from Prince Harry ’s coming memoir in which he alleged he was pushed to the floor during an altercation with his older brother and heir to the throne, Prince William. The Guardian newspaper said that in “Spare,” a book by Prince Harry that is due to be released for sale on Tuesday, the prince recounted a 2019 argument with his brother that he said stemmed from a disagreement with Prince William about the perceived behavior of his wife, Meghan Markle , Duchess of Sussex.

☆ U.K. Faces New Wave of Strikes as Workers Fight for Higher Pay
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Max Colchester | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Paddington train station in London on Tuesday during a strike by members of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers in a dispute over pay. LONDON—British rail workers Tuesday began a five-day strike over pay, as the U.K. government faces the biggest wave of industrial action to hit the country in decades. The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers said 40,000 members are expected to walk out for four days this week starting Tuesday, shutting down most rail services across the country. Meanwhile, train drivers from a separate union are striking at 15 rail companies on Thursday, adding to the disruption.

☆ U.K. Nurses Stage Biggest Ever Strike as Health System Strains
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Max Colchester | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Nurses at a picket line outside Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, on Thursday, during the mass walkout from the National Health Service. LONDON—British nurses Thursday staged their largest mass walkout, stretching the country’s already creaking nationalized healthcare system and ratcheting up pressure on a government grappling with severe economic headwinds. Tens of thousands of nurses went on strike for the day across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, arguing that they are underpaid, as the National Health Service struggles to digest double-digit inflation and a vast backlog of work caused by the pandemic. They plan another day of strikes next week, along with ambulance drivers, who said they would only pick up patients suffering life-or-death emergencies.

☆ Prince Harry Takes Aim at William in Latest Royal Drama
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Max Colchester | Sarah Ball | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON— Prince Harry and Meghan Markle , Duchess of Sussex, cemented their role as British royals non grata during a six-episode retelling of their divorce from the House of Windsor streamed on Netflix. The latest installment of the series “Harry & Meghan” landed in Britain in time for breakfast Thursday and was live-blogged on the British Broadcasting Corp. and by U.K. newspapers.

☆ U.K. Loosens Banking Regulation in Bid to Spur Financial Sector After Brexit
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Max Colchester | Josh Mitchell | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Now outside of the European Union, the U.K. is free to create its own rules to regulate the financial sector, centered in the City of London. LONDON—The British government said Friday it would ease regulatory rules on banks, insurers and investors to bolster London’s status as a global financial hub after its allure was dented by Britain’s departure from the European Union. The U.K. presented a 30 point-plan called the “Edinburgh reforms” that the government hailed as a regulatory fine-tuning to boost the British economy, which has suffered a severe slowdown in recent years and is entering a recession. The government said the regulatory changes strike a balance between boosting competitiveness of the country’s financial sector, one of the U.K. economy’s few engines of growth, while guarding against a return to the freewheeling days that led to the 2008 financial crisis.

☆ U.K. Braces for Biggest Strikes in Years Over the Holiday Period
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Max Colchester | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Unions in the U.K. argue that workers can’t afford to see their inflation-adjusted wages fall. LONDON—The U.K. is set to face some of the worst strikes in at least a decade, raising fears that a “winter of discontent” will hit the country as workers push for bigger pay raises amid double-digit inflation and a gloomy economic outlook. University professors, teachers, railway staff and even security guards at the luxury department store Harrods have held strikes recently. Nurses for Britain’s state health service are threatening their first-ever strike on selected days near Christmas and ambulance drivers have also voted to walk out, for the first time in 30 years. Passport-control officials also announced a strike in December at several U.K. airports.

☆ In ‘Harry & Meghan’ Netflix Series, Couple Airs Royal Grievances
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Max Colchester | Sarah Ball | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, pictured in New York earlier this week, have sealed deals with Netflix and Spotify worth about $120 million. LONDON— Prince Harry and Meghan Markle , Duke and Duchess of Sussex, launched their latest broadside at the British royal family, highlighting the institution’s historic links to slavery and the struggle that the biracial actress faced integrating into the house of Windsor during a television series for Netflix Inc. The first three episodes of the series, titled “Harry & Meghan,” tell the story of how the couple met, fell in love and their friction with paparazzi ahead of their wedding in 2018. “We’ve never been allowed to tell our story… until now,” said Ms. Markle in one episode. Three more episodes, detailing their split with the rest of the family, are expected next week.

☆ U.S. Diplomat’s Wife Gets Suspended Sentence for U.K. Car-Crash Death
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Max Colchester | David Luhnow | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A justice, watched by the victim’s family, sentenced Anne Sacoolas on Thursday in an artist’s rendition of the court hearing in London. A British court sentenced the wife of a U.S. diplomat to a suspended prison sentence Thursday for causing death by dangerous driving after she was involved in a 2019 car crash that killed a 19-year-old motorcyclist and fled the country. Harry Dunn died after a car driven by Anne Sacoolas , who was mistakenly going down the wrong side of the road, collided head on with his motorcycle near her husband’s workplace, an air force base in central England that is used for communications by the U.S. military.

☆ Higher Taxes, Spending Cuts to Follow in Other Countries, U.K. Chancellor Says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Max Colchester | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON—U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt defended his decision to implement steep tax increases and public spending cuts, saying that many other governments are going to have to follow suit after years of ramped-up spending from the pandemic and new energy subsidies. The U.K. on Thursday became the first Western economy to say it would sharply curtail its spending growth, even as a recession begins to take hold. Mr. Hunt announced £55 billion of budget cuts and tax increases aimed at convincing investors that the U.K. government is serious about tackling its rising debt load and combating inflation running at 11.1%.

☆ U.K. Unveils Largest Tax Increases and Spending Cuts in a Decade
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Max Colchester | Paul Hannon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON—The U.K. government announced sweeping tax increases and spending cuts on Thursday, becoming the first major Western economy to start sharply limiting its spending growth after years of ramped-up fiscal stimulus during the pandemic and recent energy subsidies. The measures mark a second major shift in U.K. economic policy in just a matter of months, after previous British Prime Minister Liz Truss spooked financial markets by pledging to jump-start growth with tax cuts funded by more borrowing. Her successor Rishi Sunak is now taking economic policy in the other direction, trying to convince investors the U.K. is serious about eventually taming rising government debt. His challenge will be to regain market confidence without causing major damage to an economy widely expected to enter a recession.

☆ U.K. Unveils Tax Increases and Spending Cuts in a Decade to Shore Up Finances
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Paul Hannon | Max Colchester | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The U.K. government announced the largest tax increases and spending cuts in a decade on Thursday, becoming the first major Western economy to start sharply limiting its spending growth after years of ramped-up fiscal stimulus during the pandemic and recent energy subsidies. The measures mark a second major shift in U.K. economic policy in just a matter of months, after previous British Prime Minister Liz Truss spooked financial markets by pledging to jump start growth with tax cuts funded by more borrowing. Her successor Rishi Sunak is now taking economic policy in the other direction, trying to convince investors the U.K. is serious about eventually taming rising government debt. His challenge will be to regain market confidence without causing major damage to an economy widely expected to enter a recession.

☆ U.K. Unveils Tax Increases and Spending Cuts to Corral Debt
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Paul Hannon | Max Colchester | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The U.K. government announced the largest tax increases and spending cuts in a decade on Thursday, becoming the first major western economy to start sharply limiting its spending growth after years of ramped-up fiscal stimulus during the pandemic and recent energy subsidies. The measures mark a second major shift in U.K. economic policy in just a matter of months, after previous British prime minister Liz Truss spooked financial markets by pledging to jump start growth with tax cuts funded by more borrowing. Her successor Rishi Sunak is now taking economic policy in the other direction, trying to convince investors the U.K. is serious about eventually taming rising government debt. His challenge will be to regain market confidence without causing major damage to an economy widely expected to enter a recession.

☆ Lesbians score big political gains in midterm election's 'rainbow wave'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Matt Lavietes | Matt Lavietes Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

The 2022 midterm elections ignited what LGBTQ advocates called yet another “rainbow wave,” with over 430 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer candidates emerging victorious. Across the country in Oregon, fellow Democrat and lesbian Tina Kotek was in a much tighter three-way gubernatorial contest. Lesbians and other queer women were successful in down-ballot races as well, according to advocacy groups and political action committees that have been tracking these races. “These are people who have taken the normal political path and are ready for the big leap,” she said, referring to lesbian election winners. “Queer women, just like all other women, understand that we’re in a really fraught time here in America.”Follow NBC Out on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram.

☆ Russian Oligarch Roman Abramovich Wins Apology From Police in Channel Islands
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Max Colchester | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Roman Abramovich holds a large chunk of his wealth via companies registered on the English Channel island of Jersey. LONDON—A court on the English Channel island of Jersey ordered the local police force to apologize to Roman Abramovich and pay damages to the Russian oligarch after it concluded the police unlawfully gained warrants to search properties linked to him earlier this year. In a rare legal victory for a recently sanctioned Russian billionaire, the Royal Court of Jersey said Wednesday in a filing that the police had agreed to issue “a private apology for the unlawful warrants” to Mr. Abramovich and pay unspecified damages.

☆ Rishi Sunak Becomes U.K. Prime Minister Amid Growing Economic and Political Crisis
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Max Colchester | David Luhnow | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON— Rishi Sunak , a former hedge-fund manager and U.K. Treasury chief, formally became Britain’s prime minister on Tuesday after he was appointed by King Charles III , vowing to steer the U.K. through a period of growing political and economic troubles. In his first speech as prime minister, Mr. Sunak warned of a “profound economic crisis” facing the country, which is suffering from stagflation and has been plunged recently into deeper political uncertainty with three different prime ministers in seven weeks.

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