Author: Miles Donavan

The Telegraph reports that the book also claims that the Queen said Mr Johnson was “perhaps better suited to the stage.” The late Queen Elizabeth II joked “at least I won’t have that idiot organising my funeral now” after accepting Boris Johnson’s resignation as prime minister, it has been revealed. The revelations were made in the book ‘Out’ by author Tim Shipman, in which it is alleged that the Queen made the comments during a gathering of family and her closest aides in Balmoral two days before her death. Johnson, whose premiership ended in disgrace, was booted out of office…

Discontent has been growing about the budget among some of the wealthiest figures, both sides of the Pond. Discontent has been growing about the budget among some of the wealthiest figures, both sides of the Pond. Among the prominent voices from the business and entertainment worlds to express their outrage is James Dyson. Speaking to the Times, Dyson, one of Britain’s biggest industrialists and Brexit cheerleaders, described Rachel Reeves’ raised taxes on school fees and multimillion-pound estates as “spiteful.” Dyson owns 36,000 acres of farmland in Somerset and Lincolnshire. He criticised plans to cut agricultural property relief (APR) – a…

‘Including investments in arms companies in environmental, social and governance funds would make a mockery of the entire concept.’ There are concerns that the progress President Joe Biden made in gun safety law could be undone now Trump is to return to the White House, this time accompanied by a vice president who has called for disbanding the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).  Since 2015, 25 Republican states have passed laws allowing residents to carry concealed weapons without a permit, US media said. Both Trump and JD Vance have openly played down gun violence and have proposed…

‘We look forward to presenting the results of this latest trial to the new Labour government next summer.’ A thousand employees in Britain are getting extra time off without a reduction in pay in part of the Four-Day Week Campaign. The trial launched on November 4 and will run until April. It follows a successful similar trial in 2022, which, after reports of improved staff morale, and a reduction in stress without negative repercussions on performance, 56 out of the 61 participating companies permanently adopted a four-day working week. 17 businesses are involved in the current trial. Most are running…

Trump’s repeated attacks on ‘fake news’ and traditional media are one of the reasons why he’s been labelled a fascist, given that one of the first things fascist governments do is close down independent media outlets. “If Trump is gone before I wake, I pray to God the news ain’t fake,” read one viral meme on the night of the election. Sadly, the prayer went unanswered, but the notion of ‘fake news,’ which has become synonymous with Trump, feels more relevant than ever. Since he announced his campaign for the US presidency first-time round in 2015, Donald Trump has repeatedly…

‘People in the north of England should not be expected to put up with a substandard service.’ Anger is mounting in the North West over Northern Rail’s poor performance. After numerous cancellations and delays, Jon Pearce, Labour MP for High Peak, has written to the train company demanding an urgent meeting. In a Facebook post, Pearce expressed the frustration of his constituents:  “Such a poor railway service is not acceptable for High Peak and a barrier to the growth of our area and Britain. We need this to change.” The MP posted a letter he had sent to Tricia Williams,…

“In the wake of hundreds of dead in Valencia and the devastation caused by Hurricane Milton, this UK government must stop this egregious, massive oil field or it has totally lost touch with reality.” Campaigners today (November 8) staged a ‘die-in’ outside the Houses of Parliament in protest over the proposed licensing of Rosebank oil field. Placards at the protest read “Dying for Labour to Stop Rosebank” and ”Stop new North Sea oil”.  Rosebank is the largest undeveloped oil and gas field in the UK. Campaigners have claimed that extracting from the field would mean the UK would fail to…

‘With the full approval of the state, too many industries are dominated by organisations of dubious practices, if not downright criminal activities.’ Prem Sikka is an Emeritus Professor of Accounting at the University of Essex and the University of Sheffield, a Labour member of the House of Lords, and Contributing Editor at Left Foot Forward. The UK’s regulatory structures provide a window for assessing power, politics, and public accountability. With the full approval of the state, too many industries are dominated by organisations of dubious practices, if not downright criminal activities. The privatised water industry in England provides such a…

“It’s absolutely essential to reduce emissions drastically now” Ahead of the COP29 climate summit, the United Nations general secretary António Guterres has given a stark warning about the climate crisis. Speaking to the Guardian, Guterres said: “I have no doubt that we are risking reach[ing] a number of tipping points that will dramatically accelerate the impacts of climate change.” Guterres’ comments come at a particularly worrying moment for the climate. Scientists recently revealed that it is ‘virtually certain’ that 2024 will be the hottest year on record. Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election have triggered significant concerns…

These are the first petitions since the general election to meet the threshold Two petitions on the official parliamentary petitions website have reached the threshold required to trigger a formal response from the government. Once a petition reaches 10,000 signatures on the website, the government is required to respond to it. If a petition reaches 100,000 signatures it is considered for a debate in parliament. Over 17,000 people have signed the petition calling for all firework displays in the UK to be licensed and for fireworks to only be sold to license holders. Meanwhile, more than 13,000 people have signed…