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☆ British trade minister heads to India to kick off new round of trade talks
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Dec 11 (Reuters) - British trade minister Kemi Badenoch will hold her first face-to-face meeting with her Indian counterpart on Monday in New Delhi in an effort to spark life into talks over a free trade agreement (FTA) between the countries. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in April set an ambitious target to agree an FTA with India by Diwali in October. New Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said he is committed to getting a deal with India but won't sacrifice quality for speed, in a change of tone compared to Johnson. Badenoch, who was appointed to her role in September, will meet Indian Trade Minister Piyush Goyal and address the negotiating teams before the round of talks begins. We applaud the Secretary of State and Prime Minister for listening and prioritising substance over pace," said Andy Burwell, International Director at the Confederation of British Industry.

☆ Brits told to rethink Christmas plans with strikes set to hit flights and train travel
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A train makes its way through the snow in Penistone, South Yorkshire, in March 2022. Passengers face Christmas travel disruption as workers strike over pay and working conditions. LONDON — Passengers traveling into or around the U.K. over the holiday period face significant disruption due to strikes, with the government urging people to reconsider their plans. Airport staff working for the U.K. Border Force are due to walk out from Dec. 23 to 26, and again from Dec. 28 to New Year's Eve. It will impact services at the U.K.'s busiest airport, London Heathrow, as well as London Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff and Glasgow.

☆ Fact Check-Suella Braverman told select committee Home Office staff process one asylum case each per week
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

British Home Secretary Suella Braverman told a parliamentary select committee on Nov. 24 that, on average, Home Office staff process one asylum case each per week. However, some social media users appear to have misinterpreted her comments as meaning only one case per week is processed across the whole of the department. One person wrote: “Imagine a company that had thousands of employees who only prossessed (sic) one application a week. The BBC also reported on the revelation that Home Office staff individually were deciding one case per week on average (here). Suella Braverman revealed to a select committee that Home Office staff were each, on average, processing one asylum case per week.

☆ Foreign students to reportedly be barred from UK unless studying at top universities
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Hannah Ward-Glenton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The U.K. government is looking to reduce migration, which could impact international students' ability to study in Britain. LONDON — Foreign students wanting to study in Britain may be turned away unless they have secured a place at a "top university," according to a report by The Times newspaper. The rules will also only apply to foreign students who aren't already living in the U.K. The reported plans to deter foreign students from studying in Britain seem to go against the government's International Growth Strategy from 2019, which was designed to increase the number of international students studying in the U.K. each year to 600,000 by 2030. A representative for the Home Office said there would be no comment on the "speculation" around the idea that foreign students may be prevented from entering the U.K.

REUTERS/Toby MelvilleLONDON, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Net migration to the United Kingdom rose to a record high of around 504,000 in the year to June 2022, official statistics showed on Thursday, driven by an increase in the number of non-European Union nationals. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said a recovery of travel following COVID-19, and an increase in arrivals of international students who had been studying remotely during the pandemic had contributed to the rise. At the time then Prime Minister David Cameron had failed for several years to hit a net migration target of less than 100,000 a year. The previous record high for net migration was just over 330,000 in 2015. August saw the highest number of small boat arrivals of any month since data has been collected, it said.

☆ Britain, France sign deal to boost cooperation on illegal migration
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin greets Britain's Home Secretary Suella Braverman as she arrives for a meeting and joint declaration signature at the Hotel Beauvau Interior Ministry in Paris, France November 14, 2022. So far this year more than 40,000 people have crossed the Channel in small boats, up from 28,526 last year, putting pressure on new British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and interior minister Suella Braverman to do more to stem the flow. "It is in the interests of both the UK and French governments to work together to solve this complex problem," Braverman said in a statement, after meeting with French interior minister Gerald Darmanin in Paris on Monday morning. The British government said the multi-year deal would see a 40% increase in the number of UK-funded officers patrolling French beaches in the coming months. ($1 = 0.9693 euros)Reporting by Paris Newsroom, Kylie MacLellan and Muvija M in London; Editing by Susan Fenton and Kate HoltonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UK's Rishi Sunak says he regrets making Williamson a minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Nov 9 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Wednesday that he regretted giving a ministerial role to Gavin Williamson who resigned on Tuesday after claims that he bullied colleagues. "I obviously regret appointing someone who has had to resign in these circumstances," Sunak said during the weekly Prime Minister's Questions session in parliament. Opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer called Williamson a "pathetic bully" and challenged Sunak over his decision to appoint him. [1/3] Prime Minister Rishi Sunak delivers a speech during a reception for world leaders, business figures, environmentalists and NGOs, hosted by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, London, ahead of the Cop27 Summit. Reporting by Farouq Suleiman, writing by Muvija M Editing by William SchombergOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Summary Williams resigns to comply with inquiryOpposition parties question Sunak's judgementLONDON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - British minister Gavin Williamson resigned on Tuesday from the government over claims that he bullied colleagues, raising questions about Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's judgement just weeks into the job. Sunak became Britain's third prime minister in two months in October, pledging to restore integrity and professionalism to the heart of government following months of turmoil under his predecessors, Liz Truss and Boris Johnson. The opposition Labour Party said Williamson's resignation was a "damning reflection of a weak prime minister". The government and fellow ministers had previously said that Williamson's messages, if true, were not acceptable but that more time was needed to investigate the situation. Reporting by Muvija M and Kate Holton, Editing by Kylie MacLellan and Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UK's Sunak stands by minister accused of sending bullying texts
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Nov 6 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is standing by a government minister who has been accused of bullying a colleague, cabinet office minister Oliver Dowden said on Sunday, saying the phone messages in question were sent "in the heat of the moment". I think he now accepts that he shouldn't have done it and he regrets doing so," Dowden told Sky News. "He shouldn't have sent those messages ... But of course the prime minister continues to have confidence in Gavin Williamson." Since being appointed as Britain's third prime minister in two months almost two weeks ago, Sunak has come under pressure for his government appointments, particularly Braverman's reappointment as interior minister.

☆ British police say immigration centre attack was terrorist incident
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Nov 5 (Reuters) - British police said on Saturday evidence showed an extreme right-wing terrorist ideology had motivated a petrol bomb attack on an immigration centre in the southern English port town of Dover on Oct. 30. Nobody was seriously hurt in the incident, and police said 66-year-old Andrew Leak - who was found dead at a nearby service station soon after the attack - had apparently acted alone. This meets the threshold for a terrorist incident," said Tim Jacques, senior national coordinator for counter terrorism policing. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said Britain is a compassionate and welcoming place for asylum seekers, but this depends on the country being able to effectively police its borders. Sunak's interior minister, Suella Braverman, is facing heavy criticism for describing the arrival of asylum seekers as an invasion.

☆ Fact Check-TIME magazine ‘front page’ depicting Suella Braverman with blood on hands and wearing swastika is digitally altered
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Social media users have been sharing a screenshot of a purported TIME magazine front page which depicts British home secretary Suella Braverman in a demonic manner. However, the cover is not authentic, according to a spokesperson for the publication. However, a spokesperson for TIME magazine told Reuters via email that the mocked-up front page does not belong to the publication. Small writing in the bottom-right of the screenshot, which reads, “a SIRHAIRYPOPPINS parody issue,” suggests it originated from a satire page (on Twitter here and Instagram here). The image was created for a satire page and, according to TIME, is not an authentic front cover for one of its magazines.

☆ UK interior minister denounced for asylum seeker 'invasion' comments
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Her comments came a day after a man used fire bombs to attack an immigration processing centre in the port town of Dover. Robert Jenrick, an immigration minister in Braverman's interior ministry, said his boss's language reflected the scale of the challenge, after a record number of nearly 40,000 asylum seekers arrived in Britain via small boats so far this year. She has also been accused of failing to listen to legal advice on the prolonged detention of migrants at another processing centre, and failing to secure adequate accommodation, both claims she has denied. "Let's stop pretending they are all refugees in distress, the whole country knows that is not true," Braverman told parliament. "No Home Secretary who was serious about public safety or national security would use highly inflammatory language on the day after a dangerous petrol bomb attack on a Dover initial processing centre," she said.

☆ UK counter-terrorism police lead investigation into Dover bomb incident
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/7] Members of the military and UK Border Force extinguish a fire from a petrol bomb, targeting the Border Force centre in Dover, Britain, October 30, 2022. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File PhotoLONDON, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Britain's counter-terrorism police are now leading the investigation into an incident in which petrol bombs were thrown at an immigration centre in the southern English port of Dover, police said on Tuesday. The attack came as British policy towards migrants and asylum seekers remains a heated political issue. Sunak's interior minister Suella Braverman is facing heavy criticism for describing the arrival of asylum seekers as an invasion. Reporting by William Schomberg and Sachin Ravikumar; Editing by Kate Holton and Michael HoldenOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.K.'s Sunak face Parliament for the first time as prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Rishi Sunak faced the opposition in Parliament for the first time as Britain’s prime minister Wednesday, seeking to provide assurances that his new government would offer economic stability and continuity after his predecessor’s tax plans triggered market tumult. He also quietly reinstituted a moratorium on fracking that was part of the Conservative Party’s 2019 election platform. “We will have to take difficult decisions to restore economic stability and confidence,” Sunak told the House of Commons. Sunak is seen by Conservatives as a safe pair of hands they hope can stabilize an economy sliding toward recession — and stem the party’s plunging popularity. Sunak brought in people from different wings of the Conservative Party for his Cabinet.

LONDON, Oct 26 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will gather his newly appointed cabinet for the first time on Wednesday, a day after taking power with a promise to fix the mistakes of his predecessor and stabilise the economy. "(Sunak), of course, will want to take some time to work on the detail on that," Cleverly said. As Britain's third prime minister this year, Sunak faces a daunting list of problems beyond the economic crisis, including how to unite and rebuild a fractured party whose reputation has been shredded by months of scandals and rows. "The hard work begins now and together, the prime minister's new cabinet will deliver for the British people," a source in his Number 10 Downing Street office said in a statement. ($1 = 0.8718 pounds)Reporting by William James; Editing by Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ What do Indians think about Rishi Sunak’s rise? Like UK-India relations, it’s complicated
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Now, an Indian-origin man has become the Prime Minister of England,” a Zee News anchor said. Leon Neal/Getty Images Sunak and Boris Johnson watch as a sheep is sheared during a visit to a farm in North Yorkshire, England, in July 2019. Danny Lawson/PA Images/Getty Images Sunak speaks during a general election debate in Cardiff, Wales, in November 2019. Hollie Adams/Bloomberg/Getty Images Sunak and Murty are seen with their daughters, Krishna and Anoushka, while campaigning in Grantham, England, in July 2022. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested as much in a tweet welcoming Sunak’s appointment.

☆ 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.

☆ Boris Johnson battles to win support in shock U.K. PM comeback bid
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( Hyder Abbasi | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

LONDON — Thousands tracked his flight back to the U.K. as he returned from a Caribbean vacation, and several lawmakers have tweeted “welcome back boss,” but on Sunday, Boris Johnson was fighting to get enough support to make a shock return as Britain’s prime minister. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during a Cabinet meeting alongside Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak in London in May. Former Conservative party leader William Hague said Friday that Johnson’s return would lead to a “death spiral” for the party. A selection of the front pages of British national newspapers showing the reaction to the resignation of Prime Minister Liz Truss in London on Friday. “A significant majority of the British people wanted him to resign as prime minister, and his approval ratings were historically low by the time he stopped being prime minister,” he said.

☆ Could Boris Johnson be next U.K. prime minister? Liz Truss replacement race is on
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Patrick-Smith-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Patrick Smith | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

Some Conservative lawmakers have suggested they may even quit the party if Johnson wins. “His manipulation of the Conservative Party, his dishonesty and boosterism were all designed to cloak the absence of any realistic policies. Sunak commanded the support of more Conservative lawmakers than Truss, but lost out in the final members’ vote. But he is viewed as responsible for Johnson’s downfall by some allies of the former prime minister, who are unlikely to cheer a Sunak premiership. Starmer, the Labour Party leader, would be the clear favorite to be prime minister if an election were held any time soon.

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.

☆ Lettuce 1, Liz Truss 0
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Henry Austin | Henry Austin Is A London-Based Editor For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON — Liz Truss lost to a head of lettuce. The leafy vegetable's decay was more gradual than Truss' crumbling tenure as British prime minister, which ended with her resignation Thursday. Her decision provided an unlikely victory for the lettuce, which had been pitted against her by a tabloid newspaper last Friday. Amer Ghazzal / Shutterstock“The lettuce outlasted Liz Truss,” the caption declared as a remix of “Celebration” by Kool & the Gang kicked in, lights flashed in the background and bottles of alcohol were added to the scene. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev tweeted “congrats to lettuce” shortly after Truss’ speech.

☆ Morning Bid: Truss drama deepens
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Anshuman DagaBritain's political drama keeps getting more and more interesting. The abrupt resignation of Britain's interior minister Suella Braverman, who criticised Liz Truss, reflects the continued erosion of the prime minister's authority after just weeks in the job. And as markets watch the political chaos, there seems to be no respite for the beleaguered pound. The yen has depreciated by about 23% so far this year, making it the weakest major currency in Asia. Asian stocks headed down on Thursday, taking a cue from rising yields and cutting short a brief rally that was triggered by strong earnings reports by U.S. and European companies.

☆ Truss resigns: What you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

She said she will remain as Prime Minister until a successor had been chosen within a week. Following are latest events, comments and context:Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterPOLITICS* The text of Truss' resignation speech at Downing Street. * Truss said the Conservative party she heads would hold a leadership election to be completed within a week. * Truss's resignation came after she lost her interior minister, Suella Braverman, less than a week after she fired her finance minister. Reuters GraphicsRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterCompiled by Frank Jack DanielOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ How Liz Truss’ term as British prime minister went from bad to worse
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Sana Noor Haq | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Here are the lowlights – and lowerlights – of Truss’ term as Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister. Jessica Taylor/UK Parliament/ReutersThe prime minister later defends her government’s controversial tax cuts in an exclusive interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper. October 20: Truss quitsAfter a chaotic six-week spell in Downing Street, Truss announces her resignation. She will remain UK prime minister until her successor is chosen. Her swift exit as prime minister prompts calls for an early general election in Britain.

☆ Britain's political scene is in absolute chaos — right at the worst possible time. Here's what you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Hannah Ward-Glenton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Political chaos in the U.K. continues, including a high-profile resignation and questions over how long Liz Truss has in office. House of Commons - PA Images / Contributor / Getty Imageswatch nowTruss said she was "a fighter not a quitter" as she was grilled by parliamentarians. Opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer asked how the British public could have faith in a leader whose "promises didn't last a week." Truss has apologized for mistakes made during her first six weeks in office. Members were also told they would "lose the whip" – effectively losing their position in Parliament – if they voted to ban fracking.

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