Author: LoveWorld UK

Jeremy Hunt has told ministers there will be no extra money to give millions of public sector workers an average 6% pay rise, potentially leaving departments facing a difficult choice between raising salaries or cutting frontline services. The Guardian understands the chancellor has ruled out providing a further cash injection beyond what is already budgeted if Rishi Sunak decides to implement the recommendations of independent pay review bodies, which are expected as soon as Thursday. Government sources said the decision over whether to back the proposal for no more funding would only be made once the prime minister was back…

The Treasury’s tax and spending watchdog is preparing to sound the alarm over the impact of rising interest rates on the public finances, delivering a serious blow to the government’s scope for pre-election tax cuts. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility will warn that stubbornly high inflation and soaring borrowing costs are adding to the challenges facing Rishi Sunak, making it less likely that he will meet one of his five key pledges – tackling Britain’s public debt. It is understood the OBR will produce a range of scenarios in its annual “fiscal risks and sustainability report” on Thursday, setting out the…

Washington, D.C. Council voted on July 11 to pass an emergency public safety bill granting judges and law enforcement officials more power as part of efforts to address soaring crime rates in the area. The bill, known as the “Prioritizing Public Safety Amendment Act,” was put forward by Councilmember Brooke Pinto and passed Tuesday in a 12–1 vote. Just one council member—Janeese Lewis George, a Democrat—voted against the measure, which will remain in effect for 90 days after it is signed into law by Mayor Muriel Bowser. Under the emergency public safety bill, council members aim to prevent crime and violence by establishing a “rebuttable presumption in…

KING CHARLES HOSTS U.S. PRESIDENT BIDEN AT WINDSOR CASTLE – Biden was in Britain at the start of a three-nation trip including the NATO summit Britain’s King Charles hosted U.S. President Joe Biden during a reception at Windsor Castle Biden, who skipped the king’s coronation in May in line with the longstanding practice of U.S. presidents, was expected to discuss climate change in Windsor, a cause on which Charles has campaigned for more than five decades. The 74-year-old king greeted the 80-year-old president in the quadrangle of the castle, where he was given a guard of honour. Biden was in…

UK PUBLIC SECTOR PAY DEAL MUST AVOID ENTRENCHING INFLATION – Faced with high inflation after years of stagnant wages The Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt said that the next round of public sector pay rises must avoid embedding inflation deeper in the economy, but would be as generous as possible. Public employees’ pay settlements are due to be announced in the coming weeks on a sector-by-sector basis following a series of reviews by independent panels. Those panels make a recommendation to the government which then takes a final decision. Asked by reporters ahead of a major policy speech whether…

Andre Onana has the potential to be a transformative signing for Manchester United. That isn’t something said too often about a goalkeeper but the Cameroonian, who United hope to sign from Inter Milan for around £43million, could take Erik ten Hag’s team to the next level. Onana, 27, is very well known to United’s manager given they spent four-and-a-half years working together at Ajax, but it’s fair to say it wasn’t always straightforward between them. Nonetheless, it’s clear Ten Hag wants Onana to succeed David de Gea as United’s No 1 and this offers us plenty of clues about how the Dutchman wants his team…

Priti Patel has said key pillars of the government’s flagship illegal migration bill have been abandoned as a cabinet minister insisted the government could “make real and clear progress” on stopping small-boat crossings in the Channel. The former home secretary tweeted on Tuesday: “We were told that the illegal migration bill would ‘stop the boats’. Key pillars of that bill have now been abandoned.” She also used her Twitter account to highlight the fact that her former department was now spending £500,000 a day on 5,000 empty hotel beds as a buffer for higher than expected numbers of migrants crossing the Channel.…

Two-year fixed mortgage rates in the UK have risen to the highest level since the 2008 financial crisis, adding to the pressure on households. A typical two-year deal has risen to 6.66%, up from 6.63% on Monday, according to data provider Moneyfacts. It is the highest rate since 2008 – bad news for homeowners whose deals are coming to an end and who need to remortgage soon. It means they will be paying hundreds of pounds more each month. The rise takes the cost of two-year mortgages slightly above the peak of 6.65% reached last autumn, when the borrowing market…

The Supreme Court resurrected two whistleblower lawsuits against companies for allegedly defrauding Medicare and Medicaid. The cases concern the federal False Claims Act (FCA), a key tool the government uses to combat health care fraud, and “scienter,” a legal term meaning prior intent or knowledge of wrongdoing. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) has called the FCA “the centerpiece of the government’s anti-fraud arsenal.” The new orders followed the court’s unanimous decision on June 1 to reinstate whistleblower actions against pharmacy operators SuperValu and Safeway for allegedly overcharging the government by filing false Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement claims for prescription drugs they sold. That ruling,…

On Saturday, Chief Judge Jeffrey Sutton of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit issued a preliminary injunction that allows Tennessee’s law to prohibit health care providers from performing or administering cross-sex procedures on minors to take place, a week after a federal judge blocked it. “Because Tennessee is likely to succeed on its appeal of the preliminary injunction, we grant the stay,” Mr. Sutton wrote. Tennessee was one of several states this year to pass legislation to shield minors from cross-sex surgery, procedures, and hormones, which fall under the umbrella of “gender-affirming care,” and many of these…