4 mn read The UK is set to invest £24.1 billion in defence over the next four years to dispel ideas of Britain being a “token force”.
2 mn read President-elect Biden’s victory grants a positive change for the majority of American’s who voted him into office. And with millions celebrating, it is difficult to imagine those left wondering, ‘what’s next?’ But among those wondering, are those in the UK. Amidst a pandemic-struck economy, PM Boris Johnson pushed the UK to rely heavily on a US-UK trade deal during post-Brexit relations.
4 mn read The UK sees England enter its second major, national lockdown of the year in a bid to combat the spread of COVID-19. What was once deemed an extreme, draconian move to save lives, has become an internationally recognised method to intervene in the fast-spreading nature of coronavirus. The newly dubbed “Lockdown 2.0” is expected to be observed across the whole of England, with restrictions on travelling to or from Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales, as well as other parts of the world.
3 mn read Following the UK’s exit on 31 January 2020 the UK entered a Transition Period. Trade, travel and freedom of movement remain largely unchanged during this period. The transition period ends on 31 December 2020. As the UK is about to leave the EU, it will need to re-sign a trade agreement with the EU and the US.
4 mn read A UK government review shows almost a quarter of a million households who were at risk of or already homeless have been helped by the implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act (HRA).
4 mn read Air pollution costs the UK £20 billion every year. But this just one of many problems for air quality policies in the country. Poor air quality causes approximately 34,000 deaths in the UK annually and there are many sources of pollution the government aims to address.
4 mn read The United Kingdom has promised to protect its citizens by complying with the World Health Organisation’s advice to reduce carbon emissions by at least 50%, by 2025.
4 mn read Honcques Laus (19) was exiled from Hong Kong after becoming aware that he was wanted under China’s National Security Law. Despite being exiled to the United Kingdom, Laus is keen to emphasise that he is still fighting for the civil liberty of Hongkongers. He has now written to Dominic Raab requesting the United Kingdom to apply Magnitsky sanctions to officials within the governments of Hong Kong and China. The new sanctions would be imposed on the likes of Carrie Lam for her involvement in the infringement on the rights of Hongkongers.
5 mn read The British government has officially stepped up its fight against single-use plastics by confirming that the carrier bag charge will be extended to all retailers from April 2021. The charge was first introduced in 2015, allowing the government to successfully prevent billions of plastics bags being sold and ultimately ending up in the environment.
4 mn read Evidence-based recommendations to ministers, called for by the Foreign Secretary under new reforms to the independent body that scrutinises UK aid, are now expected to drive valuable development spending overseas. According to PM Boris Johnson, taxpayers in the UK are to see “maximum value” and more significant aid spending because of the reforms.
