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☆ Where in the World Are People Back in the Office?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

In London, a politician wrote not-so-subtle notes to remote workers last year, hoping to persuade them to spend more time in the office: “Sorry you were out when I visited,” Jacob Rees-Mogg, then a government minister, recalled writing in messages left on the desks of Cabinet Office staff members who were working from home. When the coronavirus pandemic took hold in 2020, many industries across the world shifted to remote or hybrid work. It was an immense experiment that yielded different results for different cities — with long-term standoffs between executives and workers in some cases, and a sweeping return to the office in others. Whether a person is more likely to do work at a cubicle in a big office tower or on the living room couch now depends on where in the world those cubicles and couches are. Many Asian countries have lower levels of remote work than countries in Europe and North America.

Persons: ” Jacob Rees, Mogg, Jem Kim, videoconference, Autónomo, México Organizations: Sequoia, Stanford, Instituto, Ifo Institute Locations: London, Seoul, San Mateo, Calif, Europe, North America, Britain, Canada, United States

☆ Boris Johnson's honours list includes aides tied to ex-UK PM's 'Partygate' scandal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, June 9 (Reuters) - Boris Johnson awarded his political aides and allies with some of Britain's highest honours to mark his resignation as prime minister, including some who attended parties in government buildings during COVID-19 lockdowns. Martin Reynolds, a senior civil servant and Johnson's former principal private secretary, was given an Order of the Bath award for public service. Labour Party deputy leader Angela Rayner called Johnson's honours list a "sickening insult". A Conservative member of parliament, who asked not to be named, said the list was "deeply embarrassing" and showed Johnson's lack of remorse. The former prime minister also approved honours for Conservative party politicians who have recently been caught in other scandals.

Persons: Boris Johnson, Martin Reynolds, Reynolds, Johnson, Dan Rosenfield, Jack Doyle, Angela Rayner, Ben Houchen, Conor Burns, Jacob Rees, Mogg, Simon Clarke, Priti Patel, Theresa May, David Cameron, Andrew MacAskill, Michael Holden, Mark Potter, Paul Simao Organizations: Bath, Labour Party, Conservative, Thomson Locations: COVID, Britain, British, Downing, lockdowns, Tees Valley

☆ National Conservatism: Why are some British Conservatives behaving like the next election is already lost?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The list goes on, but the general theme of this conference was that British Conservatism is having an identity crisis and these ideas could be the solution. CNN spoke to several people involved in this conference as well as people inside the Conservative Party who opposed the conference and its ideas. Another group of Conservatives supporting the vocal criticisms of Sunak are, sources say, thinking beyond the election and about future leadership contests. Indeed, another Conservative conference was held at the weekend, seen widely as a “Bring Back Boris” event, which the former PM didn’t turn up to. Pro-Sunak Conservatives who still think the next election could be won are also not happy.

☆ Former UK PM Liz Truss is blaming the left-wing 'economic establishment' for ousting her
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

British Prime Minister Liz Truss announces her resignation, outside Number 10 Downing Street, London, Britain October 20, 2022. Henry Nicholls | ReutersLONDON — Former U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss is blaming a "powerful economic establishment" for bringing her chaotic 44-day tenure to an end last year. Truss was elected leader of the Conservative Party in September, defeating her eventual successor Rishi Sunak, after garnering 81,326 votes from party members following the ousting of Boris Johnson. She was acting as if winning a majority of the Conservative Party membership gave her economic credibility, and it most clearly doesn't." Current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government vowed to restore this credibility upon taking over in October, and quickly reversed Truss' entire economic agenda.

Hunt said he deferred most of the curbs on spending because cutting now would make the current recession worse. "There is nothing Conservative about spending money that you haven't got," he said. The front page of the Financial Times declared "Hunt paves way for years of pain". "All of that borrowing we've done over the last many years is coming home to roost," Johnson told BBC radio. "We're going to be stuck at 100 billion pounds a year being spent on debt interest in the medium term.

☆ Guy Fawkes Night: What those fireworks and bonfires are all about
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Francesca Street | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —Every year on November 5, skies across England, Scotland and Wales are illuminated by fireworks as Brits head out into the night to enjoy Guy Fawkes Night celebrations. Also called Fireworks Night or Bonfire Night, this autumn tradition has been a staple of the British calendar for the past 400 years. A photograph from 1955, depicting children at a school in Surrey, England, preparing the Guy Fawkes Night bonfire. What’s Guy Fawkes Night like today? Lewes Bonfire Night celebrationsEffigies of former UK prime minister Boris Johnson and fellow UK Conservative politician Jacob Rees-Mogg are paraded through the streets of Lewes during traditional Bonfire Night celebrations in 2019.

Persons: Guy Fawkes, Guido Fawkes, Fawkes, Tudor King Henry VIII, Robert Catesby, Catesby, King James I, James Sharpe, Sharpe, ”, What’s Guy Fawkes, Ronald Hutton, ” Hutton, Hutton, That’s, you’re, Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees, Mogg, Peter Summers, it’s, that’s, “ They’re, Donald Trump, “, Mary, Phil Clarke Hill, Ottery, Mary’s, Patrick Kinsella, parkin, there’s, –, Alexandra, Chris J Ratcliffe, Hallows, Halloween’s, you’ll Organizations: CNN, Getty, Catholic, of, London, University of York, CNN Travel, Conservative, Lewes, Lewes Bonfire Society, Alexandra Palace, Celtic, Battersea Power Locations: England, Scotland, Wales, of England, Surrey, Britain, Lewes, Zulu, Lewes . The, spectate, Ottery St Mary, Devon, Ottery, North America, In Yorkshire, Lancashire, Yorkshire, London, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, York, South, Battersea

☆ Fact Check-Image of Jacob Rees-Mogg at centre of scuffle is from 2018, not alleged House of Commons incident in October 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Social media users are sharing a photo of UK Parliamentarian Jacob Rees-Mogg at the centre of a fracas and claiming it shows an alleged scuffle inside the House of Commons on Oct. 19, 2022. However, the picture was taken at an event at the University of the West of England (UWE) on Feb. 2, 2018. One Facebook page (here), uploaded an article (here) which uses a thumbnail image of the British MP in the centre of a group of tussling men. Similar social media posts can be seen on Facebook (here and here) and Twitter (here and here), where the tweets have amassed more than 1,500 shares combined. This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team.

☆ 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.

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.

☆ Details on UK fracking consent mechanism expected on Wednesday, says PM
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

British Prime Minister Liz Truss leaves Number 10 Downing Street for the Houses of Parliament, in London, Britain, October 19, 2022. REUTERS/Toby MelvilleLONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - British business minister Jacob Rees-Mogg will provide details later on Wednesday on what kind of mechanism will be used to establish whether local communities agree to fracking, Prime Minister Liz Truss said. "We will consult on the robust system of local consent, give clear advice on seismic limits and safety before any fracking takes place," Truss, whose government last month lifted a fracking moratorium in England, told parliament. "The business Secretary will be saying more about this later today." Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by William James, writing by Sachin Ravikumar, editing by Elizabeth PiperOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

"I think it is a shambles and a disgrace," he said, in a video that a couple of other Conservative lawmakers tweeted in agreement. "I have made a mistake, I accept responsibility, I resign," she said in a letter to the prime minister. As a replacement, Truss appointed former minister Grant Shapps, who said recently that Truss faced a massive battle to survive. He also failed to offer a ringing endorsement of the prime minister. "I have been very clear that I am sorry, and I have made mistakes," Truss told jeering opposition lawmakers in parliament.

☆ Britain's failed tax experiment will leave economic scars and credibility issues, analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss faces increasing pressure to resign. The yield on these bonds, which reflect the cost of borrowing for the government and influence interest rates on many products such as mortgages, eased lower after the statement Monday. The yield on 10-year bonds, the closely-watched benchmark seen as the indicator of long-term interest rates, remains significantly elevated at 4.045%, up from 3.49% before the budget. Bonds tend to become less attractive when interest rates rise, decreasing their price and sending up the yield. watch nowWider effectsWith the ideologically-driven policy platform Truss ran on now dead in the water, there is uncertainty in many other areas.

☆ Britain in talks with British Steel and Tata to secure industry's future
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Britain said on Monday it was in talks with steel makers, including British Steel, owned by China's Jingye Group, and India's Tata to help secure the industry's long-term future. The government said British Steel had agreed to maintain current operations and job numbers while the talks were under way. A government spokesperson said: "We are working across the steel sector on achieving their sustainable and competitive long-term future. "We recognise that businesses are feeling the impact of high global energy prices, particularly steel producers, which is why we announced the Energy Bill Relief Scheme to bring down costs." Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Paul Sandle, editing by Elizabeth Piper and Angus MacSwanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Airbus 'turns page' on Brexit but presses UK on helicopters, space
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 12 (Reuters) - The head of planemaker Airbus "turned the page" on the planemker's past opposition to Brexit and pledged to keep wings production in Britain, but said the European aerospace giant hoped to be "better understood" on helicopters and space. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterA British government source said Truss had joined her business minister's introductory meeting with Airbus. Britain also plans to buy up to 44 medium helicopters to replace its fleet of Pumas and other military models, with Airbus' European rival Leonardo (LDOF.MI) seen as front-runner. Analysts say Leonardo dominates the UK military market where Airbus is touting a military version of its H175. Faury said Airbus had "turned the page" on its public opposition to Brexit during Britain's 2016 referendum, which had been inspired by the European scale needed to build planes.

☆ The UK's recent market turmoil wasn't caused by the mini-budget, and the chaos was a result of interest rate 'differentials', Britain's business secretary says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Carla Mozée | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The turbulence in UK financial markets stems from the gap between UK and US interest rates, acob Rees-Mogg said Wednesday. The turbulence is "primarily caused by interest-rate differentials rather than by the fiscal announcement," he said. The fed funds rate in the US stands at 3%-3.25% and the UK's Bank Rate stands at 2.25%. "What has caused the effect in pension funds, because of some quite high-risk but low-probability investment strategies, is not necessarily the mini-budget. That decision was released after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by a hefty 75 basis points, marking the third consecutive increase of that size, as it also battles inflation that's around a four-decade high.

☆ The UK lifted its ban on fracking to pursue energy independence as power bills soar, but experts say it's unlikely to help the energy crisis this winter
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The UK lifted a temporarily ban on fracking amid the ongoing energy crisis. UK energy bills are expected to be 80% higher in October than they were a year ago. The UK temporarily banned shale gas fracking in 2019 due to concerns about earth tremors from the process, which breaks up rocks with water at chemicals at high pressure in order to extract shale gas. Fracking companies welcomed the lifting of the ban, but some experts raise doubts over the impact of the move on UK consumers and the size of their energy bills. A Thursday report from the London School of Economics said it's a "false assumption" that shale gas produced at home would be priced significantly below international market prices.

☆ Britain lifts ban on fracking for shale gas
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A fracking rig flares gas during an anti-fracking protest by Greenpeace activists outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Britain February 9, 2016. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth/FilesLONDON, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Britain on Thursday formally lifted a moratorium on fracking for shale gas that has been in place since 2019, saying strengthening the country's energy supply was an "absolute priority". Business and Energy Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg said all sources of energy needed to be explored, "so it's right that we've lifted the pause to realise any potential sources of domestic gas". Fracking, which involves extracting shale gas from rocks by breaking them up with water and chemicals at high pressure, was banned after the industry regulator said it was not possible to predict the magnitude of earthquakes it might trigger. The government said that ending the ban would allow drilling to restart and more data to be gathered, building an understanding of how shale gas can be safely extracted where there was local support.

☆ Energy crisis spurs Britain to end its fracking ban, digging up a long-running debate
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The derrick is seen behind anti-fracking banners at Cuadrilla's Lancashire fracking site. Christopher Furlong | Getty ImagesLONDON — The U.K. government lifted its ban on fracking Thursday, citing the need to increase domestic energy supply following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The divideA 2020 review by Warwick Business School estimated fracked gas could account for between 17% and 22% of U.K. energy consumption between 2020 and 2050. A past study found that shale gas operations themselves would contribute relatively little to greenhouse gas emissions. A report commissioned by the government in April and published Thursday found it was still not possible to accurately predict geological activity as a result of U.K. fracking operations.

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