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A Union Jack flag flutters in front of the Houses of Parliament in London, Britain, November 5, 2019. "Chinese recruitment schemes have tried to headhunt British and allied nationals in key positions and with sensitive knowledge and experience," the government said. The arrest of the young researcher, who denied being a spy, has led to calls by British members of parliament for a tougher stance. Sunak told parliament that he accepted the report and recognised that it identified areas where "we can do better". Last year, MI5 issued a rare security alert, warning members of parliament that a suspected Chinese spy was "involved in political interference activities" in Britain.

Persons: Hannah McKay, Sunak, Andrew MacAskill, Kylie MacLellan, Michael Holden, Christina Fincher Organizations: REUTERS, CAN, Intelligence, Security Committee, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, China, Beijing

☆ UK government says China attempting to headhunt Britons in sensitive positions
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A Union Jack flag flutters in front of the Houses of Parliament in London, Britain, November 5, 2019. "The government recognises that Chinese recruitment schemes have tried to headhunt British and allied nationals in key positions and with sensitive knowledge and experience," the government said. The arrest of the young researcher, who denied being a spy, has led to calls by British members of parliament for a tougher stance on China. Chinese spying efforts in Britain were once focused on the hacking and stealing of intellectual property, according to lawmakers. But there has been a growth in human intelligence, targeting officials in senior positions, the lawmakers said.

Persons: Hannah McKay, Sunak, Andrew MacAskill, Kylie MacLellan, Michael Holden Organizations: REUTERS, Conservative Party, Intelligence, Security Committee, ISC, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, China, Beijing

☆ France's Macron to Meet UK Opposition Leader Starmer on Sept. 19
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS (Reuters) - Britain's opposition leader Keir Starmer will meet French President Emmanuel Macron on Sept. 19 as he builds up his foreign policy experience ahead of a general election expected next year which opinion polls show he is likely to win. The meeting in Paris is due to take place the day before King Charles travels to France for a state visit. Since being Labour leader, he has ruled out a holding a second referendum, saying it would reopen "old wounds". Although meetings between British opposition leaders and foreign leaders are relatively rare, Starmer did meet with the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz last year. Sunak's press secretary said of Macron's meeting with Starmer: "It's not unusual for opposition leaders to meet world leaders."

Persons: Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron, King Charles, Rishi Sunak's, Starmer, Olaf Scholz, Sunak's, Michel Rose, Tassilo Hummel, Andrew MacAskill, Alex Richardson, Kylie MacLellan Organizations: PARIS, Starmer's Labour Party, Conservatives, European Union, Conservative, Britain, EU, Labour Locations: Paris, France

☆ Aung San Suu Kyi's son 'extremely worried' about his mother's health
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Kim Aris, the son of Myanmar's detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, attends an interview at Reuters' office in London, Britain, September 11, 2023. REUTERS/Alishia Abodunde/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Sept 12 (Reuters) - The son of Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's detained former leader, said he was "extremely worried" about his mother's health, saying she was struggling to eat and was being refused permission to see an outside doctor. Suu Kyi is facing 27 years of detention related to 14 criminal offences. In August the military pardoned Suu Kyi on five of the 19 offences for which she was convicted but said she would remain under house arrest. State media reported she had been moved from jail to house arrest shortly before.

Persons: Kim Aris, Myanmar's, Aung San, Aung San Suu Kyi, Alishia, Aung, Suu Kyi, Suu Kyi's, Suu, Aris, Andrew MacAskill, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Aris, European, Britain, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Aung San Suu, London, Britain, Suu, Myanmar, United States, European Union

☆ UK Foreign Minister to Warn of Iran Threat on Visit to Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

On the visit that begins on Monday, Cleverly will hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh. He will hold talks with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and attend a demonstration of Israel's "Iron Dome" missile defence system. During a visit to the Palestinian territories, Cleverly will visit the Jalazone refugee camp in the West Bank to see Palestinian refugees. Violence in the West Bank has worsened over the past year with frequent Israeli raids and Palestinian street attacks. The Palestinians have limited self-rule in the West Bank and remain split between a Western-backed administration and armed Hamas Islamists who reject coexistence with Israel.

Persons: James, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mohammed Shtayyeh, Eli Cohen, Andrew MacAskill, Edmund Blair Organizations: Israeli, Palestinian, Iran, West Bank, West Locations: Israel, Iran, West Bank, Gaza, East Jerusalem, Israel's

☆ UK foreign minister to warn of Iran threat on visit to Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Persons: James, Peter Nicholls, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mohammed Shtayyeh, Eli Cohen, Andrew MacAskill, Edmund Blair Organizations: British, REUTERS, Israeli, Palestinian, Iran, West Bank, West, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Israel, Iran, West Bank, Gaza, East Jerusalem, Israel's

☆ UK PM Sunak faces new vote to fill seat after lawmaker accused of groping resigns
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Sept 7 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces another difficult vote to fill a vacant seat in parliament after a lawmaker who was given an eight-week suspension for groping two men at a London club last year announced he plans to resign. Johnson's initial perceived downplaying of the allegations added to pressure that ultimately led to Johnson's resignation as prime minister. But he lost that appeal on Monday and faced removal by his constituents due to the length of the suspension. The vote to replace him is held on the same day as a by-election to replace former culture minister and Sunak critic Nadine Dorries. Reporting by Muvija M, Alistair Smout and Andrew MacAskill; editing by William JamesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Chris Pincher, Boris Johnson, Pincher, Nadine Dorries, energise, Sunak, Muvija M, Alistair Smout, Andrew MacAskill, William James Our Organizations: British, London, Conservative Party, Conservatives, Labour Party, Thomson

☆ Mohamed al-Fayed, ex-Harrods owner whose son died with Princess Diana, dead at 94
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Born in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, al-Fayed began his career selling fizzy drinks and then worked as a sewing-machine salesman. Al-Fayed died on Wednesday, his family said, a day before the 26th anniversary of Dodi and Diana's death. After a quarter of century of ownership, al-Fayed sold Harrods to Qatar's sovereign wealth fund in 2010. DIANA AND DODIThat summer, al-Fayed's son Dodi began a relationship with Princess Diana, who had divorced Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne. Dodi and Diana were pictured by British tabloids on holiday on a yacht in the south of France.

Persons: Diana's, Mohamed al, Fayed, Princess Diana, –, Diana, Dodi, Prince Philip, Mohamed Al Fayed, Mohamed, sequined, Michael Jackson, Eye, Roland, Tiny, Rowland, al, sleaze, Tony Blair, DIANA, Prince Charles, Mercedes, Blair, Sarah, I'm, Andrew MacAskill, Nilutpal, Giles Elgood, Rosalba O'Brien, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Fulham FC, Ritz, Harrods, Fulham, HARRODS, Department of Trade, Conservatives, Labour, Paris, Thomson Locations: Paris LONDON, Harrods, Egyptian, Alexandria, al, Europe, Fulham, Paris, Britain, France, British, Egypt, Al, Pont, London, Bengaluru

☆ British Museum director quits over stolen items
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A sign for the British Museum which houses the Parthenon sculptures is seen in London, Britain, January 25, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 25 (Reuters) - The director of the British Museum said on Friday he was stepping down with immediate effect after admitting to failings in the museum's investigation into the theft of items from its collection. "Over the last few days I have been reviewing in detail the events around the thefts from the British Museum and the investigation into them," he said in a statement. "It is evident that the British Museum did not respond as comprehensively as it should have." The museum's board of trustees, chaired by former British finance minister George Osborne, accepted Fischer's resignation.

Persons: Toby Melville, Hartwig Fischer, George Osborne, Osborne, Andrew MacAskill, Sachin Ravikumar Organizations: British, REUTERS, British Museum, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

☆ Firefighters battle large blaze in east London
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Fifteen fire engines and around 100 firefighters were battling a huge fire in east London on Friday with clouds of black smoke visible across the city's skyline. The fire is at a business centre in Bow, Tower Hamlets, according to London Fire Brigade. "The cause of the fire is not known at this stage," London Fire Brigade said in a statement. Reporting by Andrew MacAskill Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Andrew MacAskill, Chris Reese Organizations: London Fire Brigade, Fire Brigade, Thomson Locations: London, Bow

☆ British Museum director quits over stolen treasures
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A sign for the British Museum which houses the Parthenon sculptures is seen in London, Britain, January 25, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 25 (Reuters) - The director of the British Museum said on Friday he would step down after admitting to failings in its investigation into the theft of items from its collection. "It is evident that the British Museum did not respond as comprehensively as it should have," he said in a statement. Fischer said that he withdrew remarks made about the art dealer who first alerted museum bosses to the stolen items. Earlier this week, Fischer said Ittai Gradel, an antiquities dealer, withheld information about the scale of the stolen items when he contacted the museum.

Persons: Toby Melville, Hartwig Fischer, Fischer, Ittai Gradel, George Osborne, Osborne, Andrew MacAskill, Sachin Ravikumar, Angus MacSwan, Andrew Heavens Organizations: British, REUTERS, British Museum, Police, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

☆ Britain will host AI summit at World War Two code-breaking centre
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A piece of paper sits on the Colossus machine at Bletchley Park in Milton Keynes, Britain, September 15, 2016. REUTERS/Darren Staples/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Britain will host a global summit on artificial intelligence at the old home of Britain's World War Two codebreakers in November as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pitches Britain as global leader in guarding the safety of the fast-developing technology. The summit will take place on Nov. 1 and 2 at Bletchley Park, the site in Milton Keynes where mathematician Alan Turing cracked Nazi Germany's Enigma code, the government said on Thursday. "The UK has long been home to the transformative technologies of the future, so there is no better place to host the first ever global AI safety summit than at Bletchley Park," Sunak said. Governments around the world are wrestling with how to control the potential negative consequences of AI without stifling innovation.

Persons: Darren Staples, Rishi Sunak, Alan Turing, Sunak, Joe Biden, Matt Clifford, Jonathan Black, Andrew MacAskill, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: REUTERS, Bletchley, Tech, European Union, Thomson Locations: Milton Keynes, Britain, Washington, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United States, Hiroshima

☆ Exclusive: British police investigate exiled former Myanmar envoy for trespass
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( John Geddie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Since his protest, praised by the British government at the time, Kyaw Zwar Minn has stayed at the northwest London ambassador's residence, a mansion surrounded by razor wire and CCTV cameras. Britain last year urged Kyaw Zwar Minn to leave the residence, citing pressure from the junta, Reuters reported. Earlier this week Kyaw Zwar Minn was interviewed by police over "an allegation that he trespassed on diplomatic premises," said Neil Swift, his London-based lawyer at Peters & Peters. Myanmar's embassy in London, Britain's Foreign Office and London's Metropolitan Police did not respond to requests for comment. Kyaw Zwar Minn was interviewed by police on Aug. 15 but charges have not yet been brought, according to Swift.

Persons: Kyaw, Toby Melville, Kyaw Zwar Minn, Aung San, Zwar Minn, Neil Swift, Peters & Peters, Swift, Chris Gunness, Suu Kyi, John Geddie, Andrew MacAskill, Conor Humphries Organizations: REUTERS, British, Reuters, Peters &, Union of Myanmar, Metropolitan Police, National Unity Government, Vienna Convention, Diplomatic Relations, Thomson Locations: Myanmar, Britain, London, United Kingdom, Aung San Suu Kyi, British, Union, Myanmar's, Vienna

☆ Britain warns of possible terrorist attacks in Sweden
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Britain on Sunday warned citizens going to Sweden of possible terrorist attacks following Koran burnings by anti-Islam activists that have outraged Muslims. In updated travel advice, Britain's foreign ministry said Swedish authorities had successfully disrupted some planned attacks and made arrests. "You should be vigilant at this time," it said, adding that "terrorists are very likely to try and carry out attacks in Sweden" with places visited by foreigners potential targets. In a statement acknowledging Britain's changed travel advice, Sweden's National Security Advisor Henrik Landerholm reiterated the increased threats to Sweden since the burnings. The U.S. government has also warned of possible terrorist attacks in Sweden in its travel advice.

Persons: Britain's, Henrik Landerholm, Landerholm, Andrew MacAskill, Anna Ringstrom, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Sunday, National, Thomson Locations: Britain, Sweden, Iraq, Lebanon, Swedish, Turkey, U.S

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

France has used an anti-terrorism unit to question some climate activists, the police confirmed to Reuters. Britain’s National Police Chiefs’ Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment and its interior ministry did not comment. Germany does not have a national policy targeting climate activists, who the government considers mainly non-extremist, a spokesperson for the country’s interior ministry said. "Climate protesters can perhaps be locked away, but the climate catastrophe will come anyway," Lachner said after being convicted in Berlin in July for glueing incidents last year and fined 2,700 euros. In the January newspaper interview, the local office of the interior ministry confirmed both devices had been installed.

Persons: Yves Herman, Simon Lachner, he'd, “ radicalisation ”, Lachner’s, Lachner, Regensberg, Lafarge Holcim, SLT, Julien Le Guet, Le Guet, Pascale Leglise, Riham Alkousaa, Juliette Jabkhiro, Andrew MacAskill, William James, Katy Daigle, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: REUTERS, GPS, Bavaria, Reuters, Britain’s National Police Chiefs ’, Los, Prosecutors, Bavarian, Berlin, Military, National Commission, Control, Thomson Locations: France, Sainte, Soline, BERLIN, Lachner, Britain, Germany, Berlin, Europe, Los Angeles, Brandenburg, Bavaria, Bavarian, Regensberg, French, Deux, Sevres, Nouvelle Aquitaine, SLT, Paris, London

☆ Israel judicial overhaul: protests mount against Benjamin Netanyahu after bill passed
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Dan Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The bill curbing Supreme Court review of some government decisions passed in a stormy Knesset parliament on Monday after a walkout by lawmakers. Protest leaders said growing numbers of military reservists would no longer report for duty if the government continued with its plans. First elected to top office in 1996 and now in his sixth term, Netanyahu, 73, is facing his biggest domestic crisis. A Lebanese source familiar with the development said the men were members of a Hezbollah elite unit on a patrol that had nothing to do with Israel's domestic crisis. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Monday said Israel's domestic crisis showed it was on a "path of collapse and fragmentation".

Persons: Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yair Lapid, Zion Hagay, Kan, Corinna Kern, striding, Hassan Nasrallah, Bezalel Smotrich, Dan Williams, Ari Rabinovitch, Henriette Chacar, Andrew MacAskill, Laila Bassam, Tom Perry, Andrew Cawthorne, Nick Macfie Organizations: Israeli Democracy, Israel Bar Association, Israel Medical Association, Health Ministry, REUTERS, BANK, Orthodox Jewish, West Bank, Hamas, Hezbollah, Finance, Army Radio, Thomson Locations: JERUSALEM, Israel, Histadrut, United States, Britain, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Washington, Nablus, Palestinian, Lebanese, Iran, London, Beirut

☆ British Prime Minister Sunak avoids wipeout in key elections
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, July 21 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's governing Conservatives lost two strategically important parliamentary seats on Friday but unexpectedly retained Boris Johnson's old constituency in a setback for the main opposition Labour Party. The Conservatives retained Johnson's former seat by fewer than 500 votes in a huge relief for Sunak who narrowly avoided becoming the first British leader to lose three by-elections on a single day in more than half a century ago. Labour won the constituency of Selby and Ainsty from the Conservatives by 4,000 votes after an ally of Johnson resigned in solidarity. The party said overturning the majority of 20,137 from the last general election marks the biggest majority the party has overturned at a by-election since World War Two. The two main "political party leaders have been left with something to think about in the wake of these results", he said.

Persons: Rishi Sunak's, Boris Johnson's, Sunak, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Steve Tuckwell, Johnson, John Curtice, Britain's, Curtice, Andrew MacAskill, Tom Hogue, Robert Birsel Organizations: British, Conservatives, Labour Party, Conservative Party, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Conservative, Thomson Locations: Uxbridge, South Ruislip, Downing, England, Selby, Ainsty, Somerton, Frome

☆ British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak braced for defeats in key elections
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Sunak, a former finance minister and investment banker, has cultivated an image as a technocrat who can solve complex policy challenges. About two-thirds of voters currently have an unfavourable view of Sunak, the poll found. The betting odds suggest the Conservatives will lose all three elections, even though the party won large majorities in two of them in 2019. In Somerton and Frome in southwest England, the opposition Liberal Democrats are hoping to overturn a Conservative majority of 19,213. Asked if the prime minister was confident of winning the three seats, a spokeswoman for Sunak said by-elections were historically difficult for governments, and the contest that the Conservatives were most focused on was the general election.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Boris Johnson, Sunak, Andrew MacAskill, Elizabeth Piper, Alex Richardson Organizations: Labour, Labour Party, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Conservative, Thomson Locations: Downing, Selby, Ainsty, England, Somerton, Frome, Uxbridge, South Ruislip, London

The planned recipient of the colorful batik top was Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang, who has not been seen in nearly a month and is set to miss at least one other important meeting, in South Africa, next week. It is not clear whether even then Borrell would meet Qin as initially planned, the official said. The former aide to President Xi Jinping was appointed foreign minister in December after serving less than two years as ambassador to the United States. Qin's absence has also been widely discussed in the diplomatic community, with some saying it is another example of China's lack of transparency. Some diplomats have even started to speculate on who may replace Qin, with three telling Reuters the ranking vice foreign minister, Ma Zhaoxu could be a candidate.

Persons: Qin Gang, Qin, Yun Sun, Mao Ning, Wang Yi, Josep Borrell, Wen, Xi Jinping, Antony Blinken, Ma Zhaoxu, Ma, Wang, Xie Feng, Xie, Laurie Chen, Martin Quin Pollard, Yew, Tian, Kate Lamb, Gabriela Baczynska, Andrew MacAskill, John Geddie, Robert Birsel Organizations: China Program, Stimson, Reuters, EU, Australian National University, Qin, Baidu, London School of Economics, United, Aspen Security Conference, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, JAKARTA, China, Indonesia, Jakarta, South Africa, Washington, Johannesburg, Britain, United States, Beijing, Sri Lankan, United Nations, Brussels, London

☆ UK Labour leader defends plan to stick with two-child welfare cap
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 18 (Reuters) - Britain's opposition Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer on Tuesday defended his pledge to keep a controversial limit on welfare support payments for children if his party wins a general election expected next year. Starmer, whose party enjoys a double-digit lead over the Conservatives in opinion polls, is trying to convince voters that Labour would not be reckless with government money. The Conservatives have accused Labour of being reckless with public money and Starmer's comments are seen as an attempt to avoid that criticism. Starmer, at the event in London organised by former prime minister Tony Blair, said the economic turmoil during last year's brief premiership of Liz Truss underlined the need for careful spending. Truss was forced to resigned after six weeks as prime minister after announcing a series of unfunded tax cuts that shattered Britain's reputation for financial stability.

Persons: Keir Starmer, Starmer, Tony Blair, Liz Truss, Truss, Andrew MacAskill, William James Our Organizations: Labour Party, Labour, Conservative Party, Poverty, Thomson Locations: London

☆ More Brits than ever say Brexit was wrong choice: YouGov survey
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, July 18 (Reuters) - The proportion of Britons who say Brexit was a mistake hit a new record high this month, a survey from pollsters YouGov showed on Tuesday. With few economic benefits to show for the June 2016 vote to leave the European Union, 57% of Britons said the decision to leave the European Union in 2016 was the wrong one, compared with 32% who thought it was correct. More than half - 55% - said they would vote to rejoin the EU, against 31% who said they would stay out, if a referendum were to be held today. YouGov said the results marked a "moderate shift" from January 2021, when 49% said they would vote to rejoin and 37% to stay out. The YouGov survey of more than 2,000 British people showed 63% now regard Brexit as more of a failure than a success, compared with 12% who saw it as more of a success.

Persons: Brexit, YouGov, Rishi Sunak, Andy Bruce, Andrew MacAskill Organizations: European Union, Thomson

☆ Britain's Labour focuses on economy as PM Sunak faces electoral test
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

He swiftly went back to concentrating his attacks on the government's handling of the economy and public services. "People are all talking about what is going on with the economy and the crisis that is affecting so many ordinary lives." Sixty-four percent of voters said the economy was the most important issue for them in a YouGov survey earlier this month. 'BUCKET FULL OF HOLES'Uxbridge and South Ruislip, on the western edge of London, is traditionally a Conservative stronghold. Labour's message is more focused on national issues such as the economy and mortgages, while the Conservatives are hammering local issues.

Persons: Danny Beales, Boris Johnson's, Susannah Ireland, Boris Johnson LONDON, Boris Johnson, Beales, Rishi Sunak, Johnson, Sunak, Maria Genjatovic, Paul Mathews, Mathews, Steve Tuckwell, Andrew MacAskill, Elizabeth Piper, Alex Richardson Organizations: Labour, British, REUTERS, London Labour, Labour Party, Conservatives, Reuters, Britain, Conservative, Thomson Locations: Uxbridge, South, Uxbridge , Middlesex, Britain, London, South Ruislip

☆ China opposes UK's 'discriminatory actions' against China-linked deals
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING/LONDON, July 12 (Reuters) - China firmly opposes what it called the British government's "discriminatory actions" against Chinese firms, the country's embassy in the UK said after London intervened in Chinese-linked takeovers eight times in the last year. The British government said in a report that it had blocked or imposed conditions on eight transactions involving China-linked investment in domestic companies under its National Security and Investment Act in the last year. "We strongly urge the British side to stop its unreasonable suppression of Chinese enterprises and provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for them," the Chinese embassy in London said on Wednesday. In November Britain ordered Chinese-owned technology company Nexperia to sell at least 86% of Britain's biggest microchip factory, Newport Wafer Fab, following a national security assessment under the law. Britain is attempting something of a reset of relations with China, working together on areas of agreement while balancing national security concerns.

Persons: Ella Cao, Ethan Wang, Bernard Orr, Alistair Smout, Andrew MacAskill, Kate Holton Organizations: London, National Security and Investment, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, LONDON, China, London, Britain, Newport, Beijing

[1/4] An exterior view of the proposed site for the new China Embassy, near to Tower Bridge in London, Britain, June 23, 2023. That has led officials in Britain, which is trying to forge deeper economic ties post-Brexit, to fear it could also halt their own plans to rebuild its embassy in Beijing. Chinese officials told Reuters they suspected the British government had plotted to stop the embassy plans and orchestrated the local opposition. British officials, who declined to be identified, said they feared that London's plan to rebuild its embassy in Beijing would be affected. Residents say they are also worried about more local security issues.

Persons: Hannah McKay, Rishi Sunak, David Cameron, Xi Jinping, Michael Gove, Xi, Iain Duncan Smith, Dave Lake, Martin Quin Pollard, Kate Holton, Andrew Heavens Organizations: China Embassy, REUTERS, of, Reuters, British, Royal Mint, Conservative Party, Uyghur, Royal Mint Court Residents Association, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Beijing London, of London, Beijing, China, Europe, Washington, United States, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Sunak

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