6:45 am, January 30, 2023
Biggest day of strikes in a decade will involve up to half-a-million workers
A strike by up to half-a-million workers in bitter disputes over pay, jobs and conditions this week should send a clear message to the government that it cannot continue to ignore the causes of the unrest, according to the head of the TUC.
Teachers, train drivers, civil servants, university lecturers, bus drivers and security guards from seven trade unions will walk out on Wednesday in what will be the biggest day of industrial action in over a decade.
Protests will be held across the country on the same day against the government’s controversial plans for a new law on minimum service levels during strikes. TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said Wednesday will be a ‘really important day’ for workers and members of the public to show support for those taking action to defend pay, jobs and services, as well as for the right to strike.
Sunak remains under pressure after Zahawi sacking
Rishi Sunak still faces questions about his own knowledge of Nadhim Zahawi’s tax affairs, after he moved to sack the Tory chairman.
The prime minister fired the Conservative Party chairman early on Sunday morning, shortly after an ethics inquiry into Zahawi found that he had committed a ‘serious breach’ in the handling of his tax affairs.
Supporters of the prime minister welcomed the decision to sack Zahawi, as well as his decision to allow ‘due process’ to take effect. But allies of Zahawi claimed that the MP had lost his job after being given only limited time to make his case, with the Telegraph citing claims suggesting he was only given a 30-minute meeting with the independent adviser to defend himself.
Emergency care plan cannot ignore staffing and funding, Sunak warned
The scale of the challenge facing the NHS will not be fixed without tackling funding and staffing, the government has been warned, as it prepares to publish a plan to boost under-strain emergency care.
Promises of thousands more hospital beds and 800 new ambulances are at the centre of a new plan that the government hopes will boost urgent and emergency care, after a difficult winter dominated by grim warnings about the severe pressure facing the NHS.
Rishi Sunak is expected to set out the ‘ambitious and credible’ measures on Monday, but he faces warnings that the outstanding issues of staff shortages and NHS funding must be grappled with.
New reforms to tackle ‘abuse’ of modern slavery laws by criminals
Tough new rules will make it harder for migrants convicted of serious offences to claim to be victims of modern slavery, under plans announced by the home secretary.
From Monday, the government will be able to withhold protections from anyone sentenced to 12 months or more, or convicted of serious offences such as murder or terrorism, as part of a wider crackdown on illegal migrants.
The measures form part of the Nationality and Borders Act, coming with the government under pressure from backbench Tory MPs in recent months to tackle small boat crossings at the Channel.
Putin threatened to kill me with a missile, says Johnson
Boris Johnson has claimed that Vladimir Putin told him ‘I don’t want to hurt you, but with a missile, it would only take a minute’, in a call ahead of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The former prime minister said the ‘extraordinary’ conversation took place in February after he had visited Kyiv in a last-ditch attempt to show Western support for Ukraine amid growing fears of a Russian assault.
Johnson, who would emerge as a vocal backer of Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration in the months after Russia invaded, made the claim in a new three-part series for BBC Two looking at how the West grappled with Putin in the years leading up to the war in Ukraine.
Boy, 16, charged with murder over fatal stabbing of teenage girl
A 16-year-old boy has been charged with the murder of a teenage girl who was stabbed to death in Northumberland.
Holly Newton, 15, of Haltwhistle, was found injured in the Priestpopple area of Hexham shortly after 5.10pm on Friday and later died in hospital. A 16-year-old boy, who was also taken to hospital, suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Another 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been charged with murder, attempted murder and possession of an offensive weapon and will appear before magistrates in Newcastle on Monday. The suspect and the victim were known to each other, police have said.
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Scottish small businesses to be surveyed on trading struggles
Small businesses in Scotland have been encouraged to take part in the ‘biggest-ever’ survey of its kind to help improve trading conditions.
The aim is to give small traders a louder voice to ensure their views are better represented to policy-makers.
The Big Small Business Survey, launched by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) in Scotland on Monday, is asking questions to better understand current trading conditions and the challenges traders in the country face.
Weather outlook
Blustery showers in the north will ease leaving a dry and bright day for the whole of the UK, reports BBC Weather. Later on, light rain will push into the north-west.
Rain will spread across most parts of the country tonight, leaving behind clear spells. The south-east will be the driest with variable cloud.
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