Resigned anti-corruption minister Tulip Siddiq is still making headlines. Hacks are finally questioning Starmer’s judgement…
In an exclusive Guido interview prominent Bangladeshi opposition member Bobby Hajjaj claimed Tulip holds dual citizenship and “even though Bangladesh and the UK don’t have an official extradition treaty I believe but there are certain terms and understandings on those terms. So from our end we will certainly push for the ACC and law enforcement here to ask for Tulip to come and face law enforcement, or face the courts.“ Her team has not commented on her alleged possession of dual nationality. A Bangladeshi court order bears a Bangladeshi National ID Card number for her, suggesting she is a Bangladeshi dual national…
The UK agrees extraditions on a case by case basis with Bangladesh. The way things are going with the Anti-Corruption Commission’s multiple investigations, Tulip could be called before their courts. Guido asked Downing Street this afternoon if the UK government would oblige Tulip to comply with an order: the PM’s spokesman said Downing Street “wouldn’t get into hypotheticals.” No comment…
Fresh-faced Labour MP Chris Bloore is putting his best foot forward to cling on to his wafer-thin 789-vote majority in Redditch, playing the NIMBY card to keep locals sweet. The council is fuming over a developer’s proposal to build 214 homes, including 66 affordable homes—50 of which would be social housing aimed at helping those most in need – on a redundant part a golf club. Given the council’s record of delivering just 9% of required affordable housing in recent years, you’d think it’d would be a no-brainer…
But no. Bloore turned up to a planning inquiry today to loudly oppose the project, despite promising to tackle “housing challenges” in the area. His excuses for blocking the development:
After listing the reasons why the affordable houses should not be built, Bloore finishes strong:
“I can attest there is no one in this room who is more pro-affordable housing than me.”
Not exactly in line with Labour’s pledge to “back builders not blockers”…
The number of compulsory liquidations in the UK surged to a decade-high last year thanks to a late-year spike after Red Reeves’ record-breaking tax hikes in the Budget, according to HMRC. In 2024, the courts forced 3,230 companies to shut down, including 273 in December. A 53% increase from the same month in 2023…
Addleshaw Goddard partner Tim Cooper pointed the finger at the Chancellor, saying the budget was one of the “tipping points” for businesses. Meanwhile Reeves has said she’ll reveal multi-year spending plans for government departments in June. Spending cuts – including disability benefits cuts she fought so hard against in Opposition – are expected. Guido doubts Reeves will use this latest report at Davos to prove how well her measures are going down. She’ll be left clutching at straws…
Luxury goods conglomerate LVMH is under fire after the Olympic medals it produced for the latest games have started to severely tarnish and flake. Bronze medals are the worst affected and over 100 athletes have asked for replacements. The French mint, which executed LVMH’s medal designs for the games, is blaming the varnish. The formula for which had to be altered post-new EU regulations…
The EU has long been extending restrictions on the use of the chemical chromium trioxide, which forms a compound to prevent corrosion and rust. Seeing as the mint was unable to use it in the varnish, its formula had to be edited this time round. Who else could tarnish gold…
So far Cooper has spoken about the failings of the Prevent and other systems when it comes to Rudakubana. Watch below:
The Home Secretary says the inquiry will look at the radicalisation of young people towards violence. She says the government is speaking to online content providers to ask them to remove certain content. Ahead of the Online Safety Act’s full imposition…
The inquiry will be non-statutory to begin with. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp had questions for Cooper as to why information was withheld. Cooper snapped back at the Tories’ record on Prevent-related disclosures…
UPDATE: The entire debate is being taken up by MPs and Labour complaining about the internet.
Oliver Dowden posed a straightforward question to Reeves in the Commons just now: “how will she fund the £9 billion Chagos deal – through higher taxes, more borrowing, or spending cuts?” Reeves spluttered:
“Uh…we are in discussions with the new uh Administration in the United States regarding the future of Diego Garcia, and we’ll outline the details in the spending review, as you would expect.”
Meanwhile, arch-surrenderer David Lammy has resorted to last-minute pleas to Donald Trump to approve the giveaway, despite growing opposition from US Senators and officials. As Reeves heads to Davos in a bid to reassure business leaders rattled by her budget bombshell, she’ll want to a find more convincing explanation for why taxpayer money is being spent to hand over the UK territory to China-aligned Mauritius. She’ll struggle to find one…
Speaking at his speech on how to achieve “progressive capitalism” Wes Streeting fired a dig and Andy Burnham:
“Bond markets are not bond villains and fiscal rules matter.”