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LONDON, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of British nurses will go on strike for the first time over demands for better pay, their trade union said on Wednesday, adding to pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during an economic crisis. "Anger has become action – our members are saying enough is enough," RCN General Secretary Pat Cullen said in a statement. "This action will be as much for patients as it is for nurses. NHS nurses have seen their salaries cut by up to 20% in real terms over the last ten years, the RCN has said. Sunak's spokesperson told reporters earlier on Wednesday the government wanted to strike a balance between the "crucial role" played by nurses and its fiscal challenges.

☆ 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.

☆ UK's Rishi Sunak becomes richest ever occupant of Number 10
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Alistair Smout | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The wealth of Sunak's family puts him above the previous richest prime minister, who according to the Guineas Book of World Records was Edward Stanley. "Rishi Sunak's words will do nothing to reassure struggling people worried sick about the winter ahead," leader of the pro-EU Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said, calling Sunak "out-of touch". The couple faced criticism and public anger in April over Murthy's "non-domiciled" tax status which meant she did not pay tax in Britain on her earnings abroad. "This is the same Rishi Sunak who as Chancellor failed to grow the economy, failed to get a grip on inflation, and failed to help families with the Tory cost of living crisis," Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said in statement on Monday. "And it's the same Rishi Sunak whose family avoided paying tax in this country before he put up taxes on everyone else."

Average two-year and five-year fixed rates hit 6.65% and 6.51% on Thursday, according to Moneyfacts, the highest since 2008. FALLING PRICESA drop in gilt yields following Rishi Sunak's victory in the Conservative Party leadership race could potentially feed through to lower mortgage rates. But the number of loans available for first-time buyers remains at less than half those on offer before the mini-budget, according to Moneyfacts. NEW FIXESAs well as first-time buyers, brokers are dealing with thousands of people whose fixed rate mortgages are due to expire in the coming months. Redmond, who has had an offer accepted in east London, said it felt as though every turn of political event only made the fixed interest rate higher.

☆ Comeback king: Boris Johnson considering a run for UK prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Elizabeth Piper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during his visit to EDF's Sizewell B Nuclear power station, in Sizewell, Britain September 1, 2022. Chris Radburn/Pool via REUTERSSummary Johnson taking soundings from lawmakersHad said he wanted a quieter lifeUnder investigation for lying to parliamentLONDON, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Out of power for a matter of months, comeback king Boris Johnson is once again being touted as the new leader of the governing Conservative Party and Britain's prime minister. For some Conservative lawmakers, Johnson is a vote winner, able to appeal across the country not only with his celebrity but also with his brand of energetic optimism. When Johnson left Downing Street, his aides said he was going to embrace a quieter life, no longer being "public property" and able to make more money by going on the speaker circuit. After his successor as prime minister, Liz Truss, quit on Thursday after just six weeks in power, the Ukrainian government Twitter account even published, and then deleted, a meme saying "Better call Boris".

A Reuters tally of Conservative lawmakers who have made public declarations of support put Sunak on 70 backers, Johnson on 37 and Mordaunt on 20. 1/6 British Prime Minister Boris Johnson makes a statement at Downing Street in London, Britain, July 7, 2022. Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel said leaving the European Union had brought instability to Britain. Opposition parties, some newspapers and even a few Conservative lawmakers have called for a general election to be held. Some Conservative lawmakers have urged colleagues to coalesce around one candidate to avoid a bruising battle.

☆ 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!

☆ Russian aircraft missile launch not deliberate escalation - UK defence minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Britain's defence minister Ben Wallace said on Thursday that he did not consider the release of a missile by a Russian aircraft near a British aircraft patrolling in international airspace to be a deliberate escalation. "We don't consider this a deliberate escalation by the Russians, our analysis would concur it was a malfunction," Wallace told parliament. "However, it is a reminder of quite how dangerous things can be when you choose to use your fighters in the manner that the Russians have done over many periods of time." Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Kylie MacLellan, writing by Farouq Suleiman; editing by William JamesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ No need for alarm, says UK defence minister about his U.S. visit
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Britain's defence minister Ben Wallace told parliament on Thursday there was no cause for alarm over his urgent trip to meet allies in the United States. Asked about the visit to Washington, D.C., Wallace said: "I went to the Pentagon, the State Department, the National Security Adviser and other meetings, and made sure that we are all understanding our planning processes about what we would do in the event of a whole range of things." "I don't think people should be alarmed by it ... I would hope they would take comfort that my priority is if necessary getting on a plane to go and do that." Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Kylie MacLellan, writing by Farouq Suleiman; editing by William JamesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

He said Russia acknowledged that the incident took place in international airspace, adding that patrols have now resumed, and British aircraft were now being accompanied by fighter aircraft escorts. Wallace visited Washington earlier this week, prompting speculation as to whether a specific threat or piece of intelligence had prompted the trip. Ukraine has retaken territory in eastern Ukraine, leading President Vladimir Putin to order a partial Russian mobilisation and also step up nuclear rhetoric. Wallace repeated that there would be "severe consequences" for Russia if it used nuclear weapons in Ukraine, adding that he discussed Ukraine's battlefield successes and the possible Russian response to them on the trip. He emphasised that the incident with the Russian fighter and the UK "Rivet Joint" plane highlighted the risks of miscalculation in interacting with Russia.

General view of signage outside the Chinese Consulate General in Manchester, Britain, October 17, 2022. REUTERS/Phil NobleLONDON, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Britain expects China to waive diplomatic immunity for any official facing police charges over an attack on a protester who was dragged inside the grounds of a Chinese consulate, a junior British foreign office minister said on Thursday. China has disputed the account of events which took place during a demonstration on Sunday against Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying protesters had stormed its grounds. "Let me be clear that if the police determine there are grounds to charge any officials, we would expect the Chinese Consulate to waive immunity for those officials. The Chinese Consul-General Zheng Xiyuan told Sky News it was an emergency situation and his colleagues' life had been threatened.

☆ Staff at British nuclear warhead facility to vote on strike
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Staff at a British company responsible for developing nuclear warheads will vote on whether to strike in a dispute over pay, a union said on Wednesday, as rising inflation spurs more industrial unrest. The Prospect union said a ballot for its members at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) would open on Oct. 24 and run for two weeks after its members rejected a 5% pay award. An additional lump sum payment offered was still inadequate and failed to address a real-terms pay reduction, it added. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"It should attract a commensurate level of pay and respect for these staff who keep the country safe." Headquartered in Aldermaston, Berkshire, in southern England, it develops and maintains nuclear warheads for Britain's Trident nuclear deterrent.

Protester Bob Chan, who was seen being pulled into the grounds of a Chinese consulate in Manchester and beaten, attends a news conference, in London, Britain, October 19, 2022. Bob Chan, who is aged in his 30s and originally from Hong Kong, said the attack started when masked men came out of the consulate to take away banners from peaceful protesters. I held on to the gate where I was kicked and punched," he told reporters. "I could not hold on for long and was eventually pulled into the grounds of the consulate." Points of contention include a British programme allowing almost three million people in Hong Kong to apply for visas.

☆ Senior adviser to UK PM Truss suspended - BBC
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - One of British Prime Minister Liz Truss's most senior advisers has been suspended and is to face a formal investigation by the government's Propriety and Ethics team, the BBC's political editor reported on Wednesday. A spokesperson for Truss declined to comment on what he called individual staffing matters, but said: "The prime minister has made very clear to her team that some of the ... briefings that we have seen are completely unacceptable about parliamentary colleagues and they must stop." Over the weekend, the Sunday Times quoted a source in the prime minister's Number 10 Downing Street office as using an expletive to describe Sajid Javid, a former minister who the newspaper said had been approached to become finance minister after the sacking of Kwasi Kwarteng. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Farouq Suleiman, editing by Elizabeth Piper and William JamesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Senior adviser to UK PM Truss has been suspended - BBC
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - One of British Prime Minister Liz Truss's most senior advisers has been suspended and is to face a formal investigation by the Propriety and Ethics Team, the BBC's political editor reported on Wednesday. The prime minister's Downing Street office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Farouq Suleiman, editing by Elizabeth PiperOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UK finance minister says will prioritise "help for most vulnerable" as inflation rises
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - British finance minister Jeremy Hunt said on Wednesday that the government will prioritise help for the most vulnerable as latest data showed that the annual rate of consumer price inflation inched up to 10.1% in September. “This government will prioritise help for the most vulnerable while delivering wider economic stability and driving long-term growth that will help everyone," Hunt said in a statement. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by William James and Farouq Suleiman; editing by Sarah YoungOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UK foreign secretary Cleverly: another leadership contest won't help financial markets stay calm
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Another Conservative Party leadership contest would not help financial markets stay calm, Britain's foreign minister James Cleverly said on Wednesday. "What I'm not convinced by, far far from convinced by, is that going through another leadership campaign, defenestrating another prime minister, will either convince the British people that we're thinking about them rather than ourselves or convince the markets to stay calm," Cleverly said on Sky News. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by William James and Farouq SuleimanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UK summons Chinese diplomat over beating of protester at consulate
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Britain has summoned China's Charge d'Affaires over an assault on a protester who was beaten after being dragged inside the grounds of the Chinese consulate in Manchester, England, British foreign office minister Jesse Norman said on Tuesday. "The foreign secretary has issued a summons to the Chinese Charge d'Affaires at the Chinese Embassy in London to express His Majesty's government deep concern at the incident and to demand an explanation for the actions of the consulate staff," Norman said in parliament. read moreRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by William James and Farouq SuleimanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

To replace him, she appointed Jeremy Hunt, a former foreign and health secretary who had backed her rival Rishi Sunak in this summer's race to become Conservative Party leader. He is the fourth finance minister in as many months in Britain, where millions are facing a cost of living crisis. Kwarteng becomes Britain's shortest serving finance minister except for a predecessor who died suddenly in office in 1970. Christopher Chope, a veteran Conservative lawmaker and Truss supporter, said the party was now a laughing stock. "The markets have lost trust in the Conservative Party - and who can blame them?"

☆ UK finance minister says growth plan will address challenges as economy shrinks
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Britain's finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng said on Wednesday that the government's growth plan will address the challenges faced by the country after the latest data showed the economy had shrunk. "Our Growth Plan will address the challenges that we face with ambitious supply-side reforms and tax cuts, which will grow our economy, create more well-paid skilled jobs and in turn raise living standards for everyone," Kwarteng said in a statement. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Farouq Suleiman; editing by Sarah YoungOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 'Although not alive, I can still create art,' robot Ai-Da tells UK lawmakers
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Described as "the world's first ultra-realistic AI humanoid robot artist", it appeared in one of parliament's ornate wood-panelled rooms, wearing a short black-haired wig and denim dungarees. Although not alive, I can still create art," Ai-Da said when asked how its creations differed from those produced by humans. The committee heard from the humanoid robot as well as industry experts and academics about the effects of technology on workers in the creative industry. "How this differs to humans is consciousness; I do not have subjective experiences despite being able to talk about them," Ai-Da said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Farouq Suleiman; editing by William James and Alexandra HudsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UK police arrest 17-year-old on suspicion of hacking
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterA hooded man holds a laptop computer as cyber code is projected on him in this illustration picture taken on May 13, 2017. Top U.S. fuel pipeline operator Colonial Pipeline has shut its entire network after a cyber attack, the company said on Friday. read moreRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe police could not confirm if the arrest was related to that investigation. In April, City of London Police charged two teenagers aged 16 and 17 in connection with an investigation into hacking. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Farouq Suleiman and Paul Sandle; editing by William James and Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Bank of England raises rates to 2.25%, despite likely recession
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A general view of the Bank of England (BoE) building, the BoE confirmed to raise interest rates to 1.75%, in London, Britain, August 4, 2022. REUTERS/Maja SmiejkowskaLONDON, Sept 22 (Reuters) - The Bank of England raised its key interest rate to 2.25% from 1.75% on Thursday and said it would continue to "respond forcefully, as necessary" to inflation, despite the economy entering recession. However, it noted that the energy price cap, while reducing inflation in the short term, would boost pressures further out. Before the rate decision, financial markets expected the BoE to raise rates to 3.75% by the end of the year, with a peak of 5% reached in mid-2023. Less than a year ago, BoE rates were at a record-low 0.1%.

☆ Some UK royals to resume engagements following queen's funeral
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Procession on the day of the state funeral and burial of Britain's Queen Elizabeth in London, Britain, September 19, 2022. The UK Armed Forces have played a part in the procession for Her Majesty The Queen’s funeral and committal service today, in London and Windsor. Around 4,000 regular and reserve soldiers, sailors, marines and aviators, as well as musicians from Armed Forces bands, took part in the proceedings today. This included over 3,000 military personnel in central London, with 1,650 personnel forming part of the procession from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey and procession from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch. In Windsor, over 1,000 military personnel were involved in ceremonial activity, including 410 taking part in the procession from Albert Road, Windsor, to St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterPin-drop silence fell over London's Hyde Park nearby as thousands of people, who for hours had picnicked and chatted, went quiet the second the queen's coffin appeared on screens erected for the occasion. Inside the abbey, lines of scripture were set to music that has been used at every state funeral since the early 18th century. Among those walking behind the casket was the queen's great-grandson and future king, nine-year-old Prince George. Those who had camped out in nearby streets were watching the service on smartphones, while hush descended along the Mall, one of London's grand ceremonial boulevards, as the funeral service was relayed live through loudspeakers. 1/35 The funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Abbey.

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