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☆ Over 100,000 UK civil and public servants to strike in late April -union
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, March 27 (Reuters) - More than 100,000 British civil and public servants will join another all-out strike on April 28, in a long-running dispute with the government over pay, pensions, redundancy terms and job security, Britain's Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union said on Monday. The union said 133,000 civil and public servants will take part in the April 28 strike, with workers in the Passport Office continuing on strike into early May. "It means civil and public servants will be taking strike action from today until the end of April, with workers in the Passport Office on strike for five weeks until May 6," the PCS union said in a statement. “Our members are not backing down in this dispute," PCS General Secretary Mark Serwotka said. Reporting by Muvija M; writing by Farouq Suleiman; editing by Mark Heinrich and Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ BoE's Bailey urges firms to assume lower inflation when setting prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( David Milliken | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, March 24 (Reuters) - British businesses should consider official forecasts showing inflation will fall this year when setting their prices, Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said on Friday. "When companies set prices, I understand that they have to reflect the costs that they face," Bailey told the BBC. "But what I would say, please, is that when we are setting prices in the economy and people are looking forwards, we do expect inflation to come down sharply this year. "And I would say to people who are setting prices, please understand that if we get inflation embedded, interest rates will have to go up further." Financial markets on Friday priced in one more BoE interest rate rise this year, taking rates to a peak of 4.5%.

☆ Britain's RMT union accepts improved pay offer from Network Rail
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, March 20 (Reuters) - Rail workers at Britain's RMT trade union have voted to accept an improved pay offer from Network Rail, ending a long-running dispute with the organisation which owns and maintains train infrastructure, the union said on Monday. Earlier this month, the rail union suspended planned strike action, which has caused widespread disruption to the rail network on several days over the last few months, to hold a referendum on the improved offer from Network Rail. The RMT, which represents 20,000 Network Rail members, said turnout in the ballot was nearly 90%, with 76% voting to back the improved offer covering pay, jobs and conditions. The union remains locked in another pay dispute with the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents more than a dozen train operators. Further strikes by those RMT members are due to take place on March 30 and April 1.

☆ UK govt, teaching unions to start 'intensive' talks to end strikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, March 17 (Reuters) - The British government and teaching unions agreed on Friday to begin "intensive" talks to end strikes by hundreds of thousands of teachers in England who say they are overburdened and underpaid. The government and teaching unions said the National Education Union (NEU) — the largest striking union — would maintain a "period of calm" for two weeks in which no fresh strikes would be announced. "The Education Secretary and all unions will meet (on Friday), beginning intensive talks, which will continue over the weekend," the government and the unions said in a joint statement, adding that they hoped to reach "a successful conclusion". Teachers staged their latest strikes across England this week, coinciding with the government's annual budget. Scotland's largest teaching union has also accepted a pay deal to end long-running strikes, which it said would amount to a 14.6% increase in pay for most teachers by January 2024.

☆ UK to announce 4 billion pound boost for childcare in England - Guardian
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt gives Autumn Statement at the House of Commons in London, Britain, November 17, 2022. UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/Handout via REUTERSLONDON, March 14 (Reuters) - Britain's finance minister Jeremy Hunt is set to provide a 4 billion pound ($4.87 billion) expansion to free childcare for one and two year-olds in England in his budget plan on Wednesday, the Guardian reported on Tuesday. On Sunday, Hunt said he would use this week's budget plan to remove barriers, including high childcare costs, that are stopping people from working and causing a major problem for employers after the COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit. According to children's charity Coram, the average annual price for full-time nursery childcare in England for a child under two was more than 14,000 pounds in 2022. ($1 = 0.8218 pounds)Reporting by Farouq Suleiman; editing by William James and Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

He joins junior doctors across England who will go on strike on March 13 for three days, protesting over pay and burnout that risks driving staff out of the health service as it tackles record-high patient waiting lists. "We've reached a boiling point where we have had enough," said Wang - a council member of the British Medical Association (BMA), which represents doctors and medical students. Junior doctors are qualified physicians, often with several years of experience, who work under the guidance of senior doctors and represent a large part of the country's medical community. The BMA says junior doctors' take-home pay has been cut by more than a quarter over the last 15 years, when using the Retail Price Index (RPI) gauge of inflation. The walkouts by junior doctors will put more pressure on the state-funded National Health Service (NHS) which is experiencing waves of strike action by nurses, ambulance workers and other staff.

☆ UK economy more resilient than many expected - finance minister Hunt
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, March 10 (Reuters) - Finance minister Jeremy Hunt said on Friday that the British economy had been more resilient than many had expected, commenting on official data showing economic output rose 0.3% month-on-month in January. “In the face of severe global challenges, the UK economy has proved more resilient than many expected, but there is a long way to go," Hunt said in a statement. Hunt said he will set out the next stage of the government's plan to "halve inflation, reduce debt and grow the economy" during the spring budget next week. Reporting by Farouq Suleiman; editing by William JamesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

LONDON, March 3 (Reuters) - British former Prime Minister Boris Johnson will give evidence later this month to an inquiry into whether he intentionally misled parliament about illegal parties at his Downing Street office and residence during COVID-19 lockdowns. "Mr Johnson has accepted the Committee's invitation to give oral evidence in public in the week beginning 20 March," the Committee of Privileges said in a statement. He argues he was not aware that any of the events taking place at Downing Street broke COVID-19 rules. 'OBVIOUS'The committee said the evidence "strongly suggests that breaches of guidance would have been obvious" to Johnson at the time he was at the gatherings. There is evidence that those who were advising Johnson were concerned he was breaking the rules, it added.

☆ UK to extend energy bill help for 3 months - source
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Government subsidies are scheduled to be scaled back from next month, meaning average annual bills would rise to 3,000 pounds ($3,600) from 2,500 pounds now. Hunt is due to deliver a budget statement on March 15, when any extension to the level of support could be announced. "The Chancellor has been clear that we will keep all our support under review... we are already doing all we can to support people struggling with high energy bills," a spokesperson for prime minister Rishi Sunak said on Friday. Hunt can count on a roughly 30-billion-pound windfall as he prepares his budget, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). Keeping the current level of energy subsidies would cost 2.7 billion pounds until the end of June, based on current energy price forecasts, the IFS estimated this week.

☆ YouTube child data gathering faces UK scrutiny after complaint
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, March 1 (Reuters) - Britain's information regulator said on Wednesday it would look into an official complaint accusing Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) YouTube of illegally collecting data from millions of children. McCann said in a statement that YouTube should change the design of its platform and delete data it had been gathering. A spokesperson for YouTube said it had taken steps to bolster child privacy with more protective default settings, and made investments to protect children and families by launching a dedicated kids app and introducing new data practices. "We remain committed to continuing our engagement with the ICO on this priority work, and with other key stakeholders including children, parents and child protection experts," the YouTube spokesperson said in a statement. Britain's Children's code requires providers to meet 15 design and privacy standards to protect children, including limiting collection of their location and other personal data.

☆ Britain is confident China wants Ukraine conflict resolved - defence secretary
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Feb 24 (Reuters) - British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the notion that China could supply arms to support Russia's invasion of Ukraine would not help resolve the conflict, an outcome he was confident China wanted. "It can't help the peace if China effectively supplies the one nation that has broken the international law on the sovereignty of Ukraine and been inflicting war crimes," Wallace told Sky News on Friday when asked about reports China could supply weapons to Russia. "But I'm also confident that China is pretty clear that it wants this (war) to stop," he added. Reporting by Farouq Suleiman, writing by Paul Sandle; Editing by Kate HoltonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UK issues export bans on every item used by Russia in war
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Britain marked the one-year anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine by issuing more sanctions against Russia, including export bans on every item it has used on the battlefield and import bans of iron and steel goods. It will also ban the import of 140 goods including iron and steel products processed in third countries. "Trade sanctions are working. UK goods imports from Russia have fallen by 99%, since before the invasion, and goods exports to Russia have fallen by nearly 80%," Business and Trade Secretary, Kemi Badenoch, said. The meeting of G7 leaders and Zelenskiy is expected to discuss further sanctions on Russia.

☆ Junior doctors in England to stage three-day strike from March 13
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Junior doctors - who agreed in 2019 to an annual 2% pay rise as part of a four-year deal but say that is now inadequate in light of much higher inflation. Junior doctors are qualified physicians, often with several years of experience, who work under the guidance of senior doctors and represent a sizeable chunk of Britain's workforce of doctors. While nurses have paused strikes scheduled for March as their union holds talks with the government, ambulance and other health workers are planning further strike action. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's deputy spokesperson said news of the junior doctors' strike was "disappointing". The Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association said the fewer than 1,000 junior doctors in its membership would also stage a separate three-day strike from March 13.

☆ Huge Ukrainian flag painted on road outside Russian Embassy in London
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Feb 23 (Reuters) - A group of activists poured hundreds of litres of yellow and blue paint onto the road outside the Russian Embassy in London on Thursday to create an enormous Ukrainian flag ahead of the one year anniversary of Moscow's invasion. The campaign group "Led By Donkeys" halted traffic before spreading more than 300 litres of paint across the road using wheelbarrows and brushes to make the 500 square metre (5382 square feet) flag. "The existence of a massive Ukrainian flag outside (Russian President Vladimir Putin's) embassy in London will serve to remind him of that." [1/10] A cyclist rides on a painted road, after Protest group 'Led by Donkeys' spread paint in the colours of the Ukrainian flag on the road, ahead of the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, outside the Russian Embassy in London, Britain February 23, 2023. The group said the non-toxic, solvent-free and fast-dry edible paint was washable and designed for road art.

☆ UK's Hunt says U.S. green subsidy act a 'very real competitive threat'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Feb 21 (Reuters) - British finance minister Jeremy Hunt said on Tuesday the United States' Inflation Reduction Act, that promises hundreds of billions of dollars of subsidies to green industries, was a "very real competitive threat". "This is not a time when it's going to be easy for us to access the GDP equivalent of $369 billion," Hunt said, speaking at a green energy conference in London. "We have to remember in that equation that the U.S. is somewhat coming from behind, because the previous president was not remotely interested in net zero," Hunt said in response to a question on the Inflation Reduction Act. "So there is some catch-up element in what the U.S. is doing, but it is a very real competitive threat." Asked when the British government policy response could be announced, Hunt told reporters: "In the next few months, we are not hanging around on this.

☆ Scottish finance minister Kate Forbes to run for country's leadership
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Scottish finance minister Kate Forbes said on Monday she would run in the leadership contest to replace Nicola Sturgeon as Scottish National Party (SNP) leader and Scotland's first minister. Forbes, who was elected to the Scottish parliament in 2016 and became finance secretary in 2020, is the third candidate to enter the race since Sturgeon's surprise resignation last week. Forbes, a Christian, was among senior politicians who urged the Scottish government in 2019 not to rush into gender reform legislation. Health minister Humza Yousaf and former minister Ash Regan have said they will run in the contest to replace Sturgeon. Two other possible contenders, 53-year-old culture minister Angus Robertson, a former deputy leader of the party, and John Swinney, the 58-year-old deputy first minister, have ruled themselves out.

☆ UK police identify body found in river as Nicola Bulley
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Feb 20 (Reuters) - British police on Monday identified a body found in the River Wyre in northern England as Nicola Bulley, a mother of two who went missing last month sparking a large search that captured media and public attention. "Sadly we are now able to confirm that yesterday we recovered Nicola Bulley from the River Wyre," Lancashire Police Assistant Chief Constable Peter Lawson told a news conference. Bulley, 45, was last seen walking her dog near the river in Lancashire on Jan. 27. Lancashire Police said an underwater search team and specialist officers had recovered a body from the water on Sunday. The family statement went on to heavily criticise media intrusion during the search.

LONDON, Jan 20 (Reuters) - British police fined Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday for travelling in the back seat of a car without wearing his seat belt while filming a social media clip, a potentially embarrassing blow as he tries to revive his party's fortunes. Sunak, who apologised on Thursday for a "brief error of judgement", filmed a video in the back seat of his car while travelling in the north of England, without wearing a seat belt. "The prime minister fully accepts this was a mistake and has apologised. It is the second penalty Sunak has received from police after last year they found he broke COVID-19 lockdown rules, along with then-prime minister Boris Johnson. Sunak becomes the second prime minister after Johnson to have been fined in such a manner.

☆ UK's Clarkson apologises to Harry and Meghan over 'naked' column
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Jan 16 (Reuters) - British TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson said he had emailed an apology to Prince Harry and Meghan after he wrote in a national newspaper column that he hoped the Duchess of Sussex would one day be forced to parade naked through the streets. Neither Amazon Prime nor a representative for Clarkson immediately responded to a request for comment. "The language I'd used in my column was disgraceful," Clarkson said on Instagram on Monday, adding he had sent the apology on Christmas morning. Harry and Meghan have made headlines around the world in recent weeks after the couple released a Netflix series, and later Harry's book, in which they accused the British tabloid press of misogyny and racism. Following the widespread public backlash after his column was published, Clarkson has said previously he was "horrified to have caused so much hurt".

☆ Manchester City's Mendy found not guilty on six counts of rape
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Manchester City's Benjamin Mendy arrives at Chester Crown Court for his trial following allegations of rape and sexual assault, Chester, Britain, December 22, 2022 REUTERS/Phil Noble/File PhotoLONDON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy was found not guilty of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault on Friday, while jurors could not reach verdicts on one count of rape and one of attempted rape, British media reported on Friday. The trial had been taking place at Chester Crown Court since August after 13 women made allegations against Mendy and co-accused Louis Saha Matturie. The BBC reported that Mendy covered his face with both hands as the jury foreman repeated "not guilty" to the six counts. The verdicts were delivered on Wednesday but could not be reported until the jury finished considering the remaining two charges. Mendy last played for City against Tottenham Hotspur in August, 2021 and was suspended by the Premier League club later that month when he was arrested.

☆ ITV says new streaming service ITVX performing strongly
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - British broadcaster ITV (ITV.L) said its new streaming service ITVX delivered a 55% increase in its streaming hours in its first month boosted by the soccer World Cup, and advertisers were responding well to the platform. "Excluding the football, our underlying streaming viewing during the month was up 29% year on year and we continue to see strong year on year growth in January," ITV's chief executive Carolyn McCall said in a statement on Friday. Reporting by Sarah Young, edited by Farouq SuleimanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Prince Harry's book becomes UK's fastest selling non-fiction book - publisher
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] A person looks at a copy of Britain's Prince Harry's autobiography 'Spare' displayed at Waterstones bookstore, in London, Britain January 10, 2023. REUTERS/Peter NichollsLONDON, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Prince Harry's memoir "Spare" has become the UK's fastest-selling non-fiction book ever, the book's publisher said on Tuesday, having sold 400,000 copies so far across hardback, ebook and audio formats. Harry's book, whose Spanish language edition went on sale earlier than planned by mistake, officially went on sale on Tuesday, with eager readers heading to bookshops to get their copy of a book that contains intimate revelations about the British royal family. The book has garnered attention around the world due to its disclosures about Harry's accusations about his father King Charles, stepmother Camilla and elder brother Prince William. Reporting by Muvija M, Michael Holden and Farouq Suleiman; editing by William JamesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UK strikes to continue after govt's talks with unions fail
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Kylie Maclellan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Teaching unions, who will announce the result of their strike ballots later this week, met with the education minister, while the health minister also spoke to unions representing nurses. The RCN, representing nurses, called the meeting with Barclay "bitterly disappointing". It said there was a long way to go if ministers want to avert nurses strikes scheduled for Jan. 18 and 19. Unions Unite and Unison, both representing health workers, also condemned the government's approach. The government has argued that inflation-matching pay rises will only fuel further price increases and cause interest rates and mortgage payments to go up further.

☆ UK outlines electricity capacity market reforms, incentivising clean suppliers
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Britain announced new proposals on Monday aimed at avoiding electricity blackouts and incentivising greater investment in low carbon technologies. The so-called capacity market ensures there is reliable electricity supply to meet peaks in demand, safeguarding against the possibility of blackouts if intermittent sources such as those dependent on weather, are not generating enough. Security of energy supply has become a more urgent political issue in light of threats to long-term gas supplies across Europe following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "The plans set out today will deliver this reliable energy and ensure the scheme that sits at the heart of Britain’s energy security is fit for the future." Addressing industry concerns, the government is proposing multi-year contracts for low carbon flexible capacity.

LONDON, Jan 3 (Reuters) - British rail workers kicked off the new year with a week-long strike on Tuesday, disrupting the return to work for millions of commuters in the latest bout of industrial action to hit the country. Repeated rail strikes have crippled the network in recent months while nurses, airport staff, paramedics and postal workers have also joined the fray, demanding higher pay to keep pace with inflation that is hovering around 40-year highs, reaching 10.7% in November. "Due to industrial action, there will be significantly reduced train services across the railway until Sunday 8 January," Network Rail said. "Trains will be busier and likely to start later and finish earlier, and there will be no services at all in some places." Mick Lynch, the head of the RMT rail union, said the government seemed content for the strikes to go ahead.

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