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An aerial view shows the Bibby Stockholm barge moored at Portland Port, near Poole, Britain, August 7, 2023. Britain began moving the asylum seekers onto the Bibby Stockholm, a barge anchored off Dorset on the south coast, earlier this week as part of its high-profile strategy to deter people from arriving in the country on small boats. Ministers said they wanted to reduce the cost of accommodating asylum seekers in hotels, while human rights campaigners compared the barge to a prison ship and said its use was in inhumane. "Environmental samples from the water system on the Bibby Stockholm (barge) have shown levels of Legionella bacteria which require further investigation," a spokesperson at the Home Office, or interior ministry, said. "As a precautionary measure, all 39 asylum seekers who arrived on the vessel this week are being disembarked while further assessments are undertaken."

Persons: Bibby, Toby Melville, Rishi Sunak's, Sunak, Muvija M, Andrew MacAskill, Kate Holton, Frances Kerry Organizations: REUTERS, Bibby, Ministers, Home Office, UK Health Security Agency, Conservative Party, Labour Party, Thomson Locations: Portland Port, Poole, Britain, Bibby Stockholm, Dorset

☆ UK considers response to US ban on tech investments in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A worker adjusts British and China (R) national flags on display for a signing ceremony at the seventh UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue "Roundtable on Public-Private Partnerships" at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China September 21, 2015. REUTERS/Andy Wong/File PhotoLONDON, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Britain said on Thursday it was weighing how to respond to a decision by U.S. President Joe Biden to prohibit some tech investments in China, adding it was continuing to assess potential national security risks. The U.S. government has said the measures are designed to address national security risks. A spokesperson for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government said the executive order gave important clarity on the U.S. approach: "The UK will consider these new measures closely as we continue to assess potential national security risks attached to some investments." British investment in Hong Kong stood at 77.6 billion pounds.

Persons: Andy Wong, Joe Biden, Biden, Rishi Sunak's, James, Sunak, Kate Holton, William Schomberg, Sharon Singleton Organizations: China Economic, Public, REUTERS, U.S, Treasury, Thomson Locations: China, Diaoyutai, Beijing, Britain, U.S, London, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, United States

☆ Factbox: Resistance to green policies around Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Kuba Stezycki/File PhotoAug 10 (Reuters) - Europe faces growing pushback against policies to address climate change and protect the environment, causing its green agenda to start to fray as severe heatwaves and wildfires rage. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last month warned of climate policies that "unnecessarily give people more hassle and more costs", days after his ailing Conservatives unexpectedly clinched a local election after opposing charges for the most polluting vehicles. Riding a wave of protests against the government's environmental policies, it unexpectedly beat the conservative VVD party in regional elections in March. POLANDPoland's government, long conservative on environmental policies at home and facing elections in October, has gone a step further by suing Brussels. The row has helped propel the far-right Alternative for Germany to second place in the polls.

Persons: Kuba, Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Mark Rutte, Kate Abnett, Sarah Marsh, Gloria Dickie, Anthony Deutsch, Angelo Amante, Pawel, Susanna Twidale, William James Organizations: REUTERS, Union, EU, BRITAIN, Conservatives, Farmer, Movement, Justice, Greens, Thomson Locations: Gryfino, Poland, Europe, ITALY, Italy, BRITAIN Britain, Britain, NETHERLANDS, POLAND, Brussels, GERMANY, Germany, Berlin, Bremen, London, Amsterdam, Rome, Warsaw

Poland's government, which faces October elections, is even suing Brussels over climate policies. Britain has already quickly gone from being a leader on the world stage to looking quite weak on green policies, he said. CITIZENS, BUSINESSESEurope's green policies are still more credible than U.S. ones, given see-sawing between electoral cycles in the United States, some analysts said. Rows over green policies have propelled right-wing populist parties to second place in both Dutch and German polls. "Otherwise citizens might start to feel that climate policy is always financially overwhelming and bad, and that sentiment is then exploited by populists."

Persons: Timm Reichert, Virginijus Sinkevicius, Sinkevicius, Anna Moskwa, Nathalie Tocci, Mats Engström, GREEN, Bob Ward, Ward, Rishi Sunak, Rob Jetten, Nina Scheer, Simone Tagliapietra, Tagliapietra, Kate Abnett, Sarah Marsh, Gloria Dickie, Anthony Deutsch, Angelo Amante, Pawel, Susanna Twidale, William James, Alexnder Smith Organizations: REUTERS, European Union, Reuters, European People's Party, European Council, Foreign, United States, Grantham Research, London School of Economics, Political, Climate, Energy, Democrats, Thomson Locations: Gruenberg, Germany, EU, BERLIN, BRUSSELS, Netherlands, Brussels, Europe, United States, Grantham, India, China, Britain, Berlin, London, Amsterdam, Rome, Warsaw

☆ Britain appoints tech expert, diplomat to spearhead its AI summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Google, Microsoft and Alphabet logos and AI Artificial Intelligence words are seen in this illustration taken, May 4, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic//File PhotoLONDON, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Britain has chosen tech expert Matt Clifford and former senior diplomat Jonathan Black to lead preparations for its global summit on artificial intelligence (AI) later this year. The two will be tasked with rallying political leaders, AI companies and experts ahead of the event this autumn, the government said on Thursday. Governments around the world are wrestling with how to control the potential negative consequences of AI without stifling innovation. The European Union has taken a lead with its proposed AI Act, which it aims will become a global benchmark for the booming technology.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Matt Clifford, Jonathan Black, Rishi Sunak, Paul Sandle, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Google, Microsoft, REUTERS, European, European Union, Thomson Locations: Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United States, Hiroshima

☆ UK announces deal with Turkey to tackle flow of illegal migrants
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Umit BektasLONDON, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Britain said it had struck a deal with Turkey in a bid to slow the flow of illegal immigrants passing through the Mediterranean country on their way to Europe, including joint police operations against smuggler rings and the trade in boat parts. Customs data would be exchanged more quickly under the new memorandum of understanding, the British government said in a statement on Tuesday. "Our partnership with Turkey, a close friend and ally, will enable our law enforcement agencies to work together on this international problem and tackle the small boat supply chain," interior minister Suella Braverman said. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made cutting the numbers of illegal migrants arriving in Britain a key pledge for this year as he tried to narrow the wide lead of the opposition Labour Party in opinion polls. Writing by William Schomberg; Editing by Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Suella Braverman, Rishi Sunak, William Schomberg, Alex Richardson Organizations: Turkish Coast Guard, REUTERS, British, Labour Party, Thomson Locations: Lesbos, Canakkale, Turkey, Britain, Europe, Turkish

☆ TikToker says she spotted the prime minister of the UK at her 7 a.m. Taylor Swift-themed SoulCycle class in Santa Monica
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A TikToker said she saw Rishi Sunak at a Taylor Swift-themed SoulCycle class in LA. The UK PM has previously confessed to being a Swiftie and is on vacation in Santa Monica. UK officials wouldn't be drawn on Sunak's exercise routine, but Sunak was on vacation in Santa Monica at the time described in the post. The TikToker — Hannah Harmelin — said she realized somebody important was in the class because of heavy security there. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Anoushka Sunak, Akshata Murty and Krishna Sunak at Santa Monica Pier on August 03, 2023 in Santa Monica, California.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Taylor Swift, Santa Monica –, wouldn't, Sunak, Hannah Harmelin —, Swift, Spears, Anoushka, Akshata Murty, Krishna Sunak, Emma McIntyre, Akshata Murthy, Oppenheimer Organizations: PM, Downing, Service, LBC, Santa Monica Pier, Stanford, Infosys Locations: LA, Santa Monica, Wall, Silicon, California, Santa Monica , California, Coachella

☆ UK net-zero ‘pragmatism’ is an odd way to get real
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( George Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Yet official UK figures do not suggest the way to get real on climate change is to go any slower. Sunak himself has defended Britain’s record on climate and says he cares about reaching its 2050 net-zero target. As such the net cost of net zero may be more like 344 billion pounds over three decades, or perhaps only 0.4% of GDP per year. Policy certainty will meanwhile encourage foreign investors to help pay for Britain’s transition, reducing its exposure to gas price shocks. UK energy secretary Grant Shapps said on Aug. 2 that the government remained “absolutely committed” to hitting its net-zero carbon targets by 2050.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, dawdling, Andrew Forrest, ”, ” Sunak, Michael Gove, Grant Shapps, “, Neil Unmack, Streisand Neto, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Sunak’s Conservative Party, Budget, Reuters Graphics Reuters, ’, McKinsey reckons, Britain, Conservatives, Thomson Locations: Britain, London, China, United States, North

☆ Fact Check-Video of Zelenskiy with a robot in Ukraine is edited
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A video of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy meeting and greeting former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2022 has been edited to show Zelenskiy interacting with a robot in Kyiv. “New leaked footage of a robot sent to Ukraine from UK,” reads the caption in the video, with a “Breaking News” banner, shared on Facebook (here) (ghostarchive.org/archive/wn9JM). The edited video uses footage from an April 2022 Sky News report (here). Johnson met Zelenskiy in Kyiv on April 9, 2022, and discussed providing Ukraine with more financial and military aid, Reuters reported (here). Video does not show a robot sent to Ukraine from the UK.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Boris Johnson, ”, Rishi Sunak, Johnson, Zelenskiy, Read Organizations: Facebook, Reuters, British, Sky Locations: British, Kyiv, “, Ukraine, Ukraine’s

Economists polled by Reuters last week forecast BoE rates would peak at 5.75% later this year. The BoE forecast inflation would fall to 4.9% by the end of this year - a faster decline than it had predicted in May. Wage rises had been a bigger driver of high inflation than companies' profit margins, the BoE said. The BoE forecast housing investment would fall 5.75% this year and 6.25% in 2024. (This story has been corrected to clarify that the unemployment rate forecast is for late 2025, not late 2024, in paragraph 17)Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Hollie Adams, BoE, Andrew Bailey, Catherine Mann, Jonathan Haskel, Swati Dhingra, Rishi Sunak Organizations: Bank of England, City of, REUTERS, U.S . Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Reuters, MPC, Markets, Thomson Locations: City, City of London, Britain

☆ Bank of England Raises Key Interest Rate by Quarter Percentage Point
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Paul Hannon | Chelsey Dulaney | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Core inflation is rising in the U.K. while falling in other big economies like the U.S. WSJ’s Anna Hirtenstein explains why, and how it affects Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s goal of halving inflation by the end of 2023. Illustration: Daniel Orton/WSJLONDON—The Bank of England on Thursday raised its key interest rate for the 14th time in a row, and said it may do so again as it tries to cool the fastest rise in consumer prices in the Group of Seven advanced democracies.

Persons: WSJ’s Anna Hirtenstein, Rishi Sunak’s, Daniel Orton Organizations: Bank of England, Seven Locations: U.S

That has drawn fury from climate protesters who have stepped up their campaigns, disrupting high-profile sporting events, classical music concerts and political speeches. loadingPictures posted online by Greenpeace UK on Thursday showed four protesters atop the property in Yorkshire, northern England, covering it in swathes of black fabric, while a banner read "RISHI SUNAK - OIL PROFITS OR OUR FUTURE?" Around two hours later at 11:00 BST (1000 GMT), four protesters were still on the roof with a sign saying "NO NEW OIL." Greenpeace said they were protesting the government's backing for new North Sea oil and gas licences and a proposed development of Equinor's (EQNR.OL) Rosebank oilfield, which is subject to a final investment decision. "We desperately need our prime minister to be a climate leader, not a climate arsonist," Greenpeace UK said.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Rishi, Read, Sunak, YouGov, Vladimir, Putin, William James, Farouq Suleiman, Kate Holton, Giles Elgood Organizations: Greenpeace, British, Greenpeace UK, Wednesday . Police, Sunak's Conservative, Thomson Locations: Yorkshire, England, Britain, California, Ukraine, Sunak's

☆ The Bank of England Raises Rates Again
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Eshe Nelson | More About Eshe Nelson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Alongside its policy decision, the central bank published new inflation and economic forecasts. Policymakers said they would make sure interest rates were “sufficiently restrictive for sufficiently long” to push inflation down to their target level. As interest rates have climbed and inflation has slowed, policymakers around the world are trying to determine the right level of monetary policy tightness. They want to push interest rates high enough to stamp out high inflation, without making economic conditions so restrictive that they push their economies into recessions, high unemployment and deflation. Last week, the European Central Bank and Federal Reserve both raised interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Christine Lagarde, ” Organizations: European Central Bank, Federal Reserve Locations: Britain

☆ VIEW Bank of England raises rates for a 14th time
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The BoE raised interest rates by 25 basis points to 5.25% and said high inflation meant it was unlikely to stop raising rates any time soon. However, with Thursday's decision, traders began to price in a lower peak in UK rates. MONEY MARKETS: Interest-rate derivatives showed traders believe UK rates will peak around 5.67% by March, compared with an expected peak of 5.73% in the run-up to the decision. Rising interest rates means higher borrowing costs, which will lead to larger monthly mortgage payments for many homeowners." The Bank of England remains committed to bringing inflation down, unfortunately raising interest rates is one of the only tools the Bank can use to sap demand out of the economy."

Persons: BoE, Sterling, VIVEK PAUL, we’ll, STUART COLE, JEREMY BATSTONE, CARR, RAYMOND JAMES, MARCUS BROOKES, ” SEEMA SHAH, Rishi Sunak, GILES COGHLAN, THOMAS PUGH, JOHN LEIPER, Amanda Cooper, Samuel Indyk Organizations: Bank of England, FTSE, BLACKROCK, LONDON, TOM HOPKINS, Bank of, RSM, Bank, EMEA, Thomson Locations: LONDON, EUROPEAN, U.S

☆ Activists cover Rishi Sunak’s mansion in black cloth after climbing onto the roof with ropes and ladders
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Martin Goillandeau Chris Liakos Laura Paddison | Martin Goillandeau | Chris Liakos | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Climate activists draped black cloth over British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s private mansion in northern England on Thursday, in a protest against his policy to “max out” the UK’s oil and gas resources in the North Sea. Four demonstrators from the environmental group Greenpeace managed to climb onto the Conservative party leader’s manor house in his North Yorkshire constituency of Richmond early Thursday. They used ladders and climbing ropes to access the roof, where they unraveled 200 square meters of “oil-black fabric” to cover part of the mansion, Greenpeace said in a statement. Greenpeace said Sunak’s announcement is a blow to the UK’s environmental goals. “We desperately need our prime minister to be a climate leader, not a climate arsonist,” said Philip Evans, Greenpeace UK’s climate campaigner.

Persons: Rishi, Sunak, greenlighting Rosebank, “, ”, Philip Evans, ” Evans, Downing, Putin, Kirby Sigston Organizations: CNN —, British, ., Greenpeace, Conservative, Richmond, International Energy Agency, Downing Street, CNN, Downing, North Yorkshire Police Locations: England, North, North Yorkshire, Europe, Southeast Asia, greenlighting, Kirby

☆ Bank of England hikes rates by quarter percentage point in split vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

People walk outside the Bank of England in the City of London financial district, in London, Britain, January 26, 2023. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted 6-3 in favor of the quarter-point hike, with two members preferring a second straight 50 basis point increase and one voting to keep rates unchanged. Market pricing was split roughly 60/40 in favor of a quarter-point hike as of Thursday morning, according to Refinitiv data. Inflation is expected to dip below 2% during the second quarter of 2025, the Bank said in its accompanying Monetary Policy Report, finishing 2024 at 2.5% and 2025 at 1.6%. Prices have since shown signs of cooling, but the MPC is navigating a more complicated picture in the labor market.

Persons: imminently, Rishi Sunak, Jeremy Hunt, Hunt Organizations: Bank of England, LONDON, Monetary Policy, MPC, Bank, Committee Locations: City, London, Britain

☆ Greenpeace Protesters Scale U.K. Prime Minister’s Roof With Ease
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Isabella Kwai | More About Isabella Kwai | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Greenpeace activists, angered by Britain’s decision to issue new licenses for oil and gas exploration in the North Sea, took their opposition to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Thursday — or at least to the rooftop of one of his homes. With apparent ease and unhindered by security guards, the four protesters walked onto the grounds of the manor house Mr. Sunak owns in the village of Kirby Sigston in North Yorkshire, climbed onto the roof and draped the facade with panels of black fabric. “It really was about this image of pouring oil all over the prime minister's house,” said Ami McCarthy, a political campaigner for Greenpeace, who said Mr. Sunak was choosing profits over addressing climate change. “We need our prime minister to stop being so hellbent on fossil fuels.”Mr. Sunak and his family, who live in London, were not at the residence at the time, the North Yorkshire police said, and the four protesters were eventually arrested after spending several hours on the roof. They were taken into custody on suspicion of causing criminal damage and public nuisance.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Kirby Sigston, ”, Ami McCarthy, Mr Organizations: Greenpeace, North Yorkshire police Locations: North, Kirby, North Yorkshire, London

London CNN —A barge on which the United Kingdom government plans to house hundreds of asylum-seekers has been described as a “death trap” by the country’s Fire Brigades Union. Yui Mok/WPA Pool/Getty Images/FileThe Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said it will write to the UK Home Office on Wednesday to set out its safety concerns. The government’s plans to house migrants on the barge has been widely criticized by human rights groups. “We’ve got British taxpayers stumping up millions of pounds a day to house migrants in hotels.”Rival protesters argue in Portland, Dorset, where the Bibby Stockholm docked on July 18, 2023. Ben Birchall/PA/APThe Home Office announced plans to house around 500 single adult males on the barge in April.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Bibby, it’s, ” Sunak, hasn’t, ”, Sunak, Yui Mok, Ben Selby, ” Selby, Selby, ” Natasha Tsangarides, “ We’ve, Ben Birchall Organizations: London CNN, country’s Fire Brigades Union, LBC, Channel, Fire Brigades, Office, Sky News, CNN, “, ”, Home Office, United Nations Locations: United Kingdom, Portland, Dorset, England, Bibby Stockholm, “, Britain, Australian, Dover, London, Portland , Dorset, France

☆ HSBC CEO on Farage-Coutts spat: 'We do not exit clients based on their lawful personal views'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

HSBC's U.K. headquarters are seen at the Canary Wharf financial district of London on July 31, 2018. Although refusing to discuss details of other banks and their clients, HSBC boss Quinn told CNBC on Tuesday that "our policy is not to de-bank or exit a client based on their lawful personal views." "We also have a responsibility as an institution to look at any areas of financial crime compliance or we have an obligation to collect information on KYC (Know Your Customer), so we have those competing obligations but to reiterate, as a policy we do not exit clients based on their lawful personal views." The closure of Farage's account triggered a heated debate in the U.K. and rocked the domestic banking industry. NatWest CEO Alison Rose was forced to resign, after she admitted discussing details of Farage's Coutts account with a BBC reporter in the wake of his allegations.

Persons: Tolga Akmen, Noel Quinn, Coutts, Nigel Farage's, Farage, Coutts —, —, Quinn, Alison Rose, Farage's Coutts, Peter Flavel, Rishi Sunak, Jonathan Bachman Organizations: AFP, Getty, LONDON, HSBC, Trump, NatWest Group, CNBC, NatWest, BBC, Brexit Party, UKIP Locations: London, U.K

☆ PM Sunak says UK climate record 'better than everyone else's'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Alistair Smout | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Aug 2 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak defended his government's policies on the environment on Wednesday after criticism from campaigners, saying its record on cutting carbon emissions is better than other major countries. Britain adopted the target of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050 under former Prime Minister Theresa May and was quick to build up its renewable energy capacity in earlier years. Asked on LBC radio whether he was a "dangerous radical" for wanting increased production of fossil fuels, Sunak defended Britain's climate record. It's better than everyone else's," Sunak said during questions with LBC listeners. Sunak said he cared about Britain reaching the target of net zero by 2050 and wanted to leave the environment and the climate in a better state for his children.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Theresa May, Sunak, YouGov, Alistair Smout, Angus MacSwan, Nick Macfie Organizations: British, LBC, United Nations, Britain, Thomson Locations: Britain

☆ Bank of England set to raise rates for 14th time in a row
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( David Milliken | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A pedestrian carrying an umbrella walks near the Bank of England in the City of London, Britain, July 30, 2023. Market expectations for peak Bank Rate reached 6.5% on July 11 after data showed record wage growth before falling back to 5.75% after a sharp decline in consumer price inflation. Investors see a two-in-three chance of the BoE raising Bank Rate to 5.25% on Thursday but for most economists polled by Reuters the BoE's decision is finely balanced. However, some BoE critics argue it risks causing an unnecessary downturn, and that higher rates are a poor tool to tackle inflation caused by higher food and energy prices. "The main winners are banks, whose profits have flourished thanks to higher rates," said Fran Boait, co-executive director of campaign group Positive Money.

Persons: Hollie Adams, Bailey, BoE, Rishi Sunak, James Smith, Smith, Andrew Bailey, Dave Ramsden, Swati Dhingra, Silvana Tenreyro, Megan Greene, Fran Boait, ING's Smith, David Milliken, William Schomberg, Giles Elgood Organizations: Bank of England, City of, REUTERS, U.S . Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Mortgage, Investors, Reuters, ING, Kroll Institute, Monetary, Thomson Locations: City, City of London, Britain, Germany

☆ UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledges to maximize production of oil and gas in the North Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailUK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledges to maximize production of oil and gas in the North SeaThe move involves more than 100 new drilling licenses to bolster the U.K.'s energy security, but critics warn of climate consequences. CNBC's Dan Murphy reports.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, CNBC's Dan Murphy Organizations: UK

☆ The UK once vowed to be a global climate leader. Now Rishi Sunak is stoking a culture war on green policies
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Since becoming prime minister, critics say he has diminished the UK's standing as a leader on the climate. A Just Stop Oil protester disrupts a match at July's Wimbledon Championships. Foreign Office minister Zac Goldsmith resigned in June, lambasting Sunak’s climate policies. A North Sea oil rig off the coast of Scotland. Sunak's decision to expand drilling in the North Sea was criticized by climate experts.

Persons: Boris Johnson, Queen Elizabeth II, Rishi Sunak’s, Sunak, DANIEL LEAL, ” Luke Murphy, they’ve, Murphy, ”, “, We’ve, ” Murphy, Steve Tuckwell, Tuckwell, Hannah Mckay, Grant Shapps, Keir Starmer, ” Tim Bale, “ Uxbridge, ” Bale, Sadiq Khan, Khan nodded, Rishi Sunak, Zac Goldsmith, Chris Skidmore, ” Skidmore, – Organizations: London CNN, Telegraph, Getty, CNN, Conservative Party, Conservatives, Labour Party, July's Wimbledon, Reuters, Energy, Queen Mary University in, “, Office, National Statistics, London’s, Foreign, Conservative, Uxbridge Locations: Britain, Glasgow, North, Sunak, Uxbridge, London, Queen Mary University in London, Europe, lambasting, Scotland

☆ U.K.’s New Alcohol Taxes Are Aimed at Keeping Pubs Open and Votes Flowing
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Stephen Castle | More About Stephen Castle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When Britain’s prime minister, Rishi Sunak, a teetotaler, dropped in on a west London beer festival on Tuesday, he was looking for votes rather than pints while promoting a government policy that he said would ease the financial squeeze on some of Britain’s drinkers. Yet not everyone is convinced by the new set of alcohol tax rates, which are expected to cut the cost of beer for pub-goers but which have angered many other Britons by raising the fees on most other alcoholic beverages. As Mr. Sunak served a pint of beer at the festival, one bystander heckled him, crying out: “Prime minister! Oh, the irony that you’re raising alcohol duty on the day that you’re pulling a pint.” Another thought Mr. Sunak needed reminding that the drink he was pouring was “not Coca-Cola,” Sky News reported. With high inflation rates eroding living standards in Britain, an election expected next year and Mr. Sunak’s Conservative Party trailing badly in the polls, his government was trying hard to put its best spin on what the new rules would mean for the average voter.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak Organizations: Sky News, Sunak’s Conservative Party Locations: London, Britain

☆ Britain angers climate campaigners after committing to issue hundreds of new oil and gas licenses
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Anmar Frangoul | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

"Now more than ever, it's vital that we bolster our energy security," U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Monday. The U.K. government on Monday provoked outrage from environmental groups after it confirmed plans to grant hundreds of new oil and gas licenses for the North Sea. "Now more than ever, it's vital that we bolster our energy security and capitalise on that independence to deliver more affordable, clean energy to British homes and businesses," Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement. "Even when we've reached net zero in 2050, a quarter of our energy needs will come from oil and gas," he added. "But there are those who would rather that it come from hostile states than from the supplies we have here at home."

Persons: Rishi Sunak, It's, we've Organizations: Humber Locations: Ukraine, Scotland, England

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