Nadhim Zahawi calls for unity as any delay in government plans would ‘end in defeat’
Liz Truss has sent a signal of her intent to bridge the divide blighting the Tory party as she handed a government job to Greg Hands, a Conservative who backed her rival Rishi Sunak in the leadership race.
The seasoned minister will replace Conor Burns, who was sacked from his post in the Department of International Trade last Friday, following a complaint of misconduct.
While Mr Burns has vowed to clear his name as he “fully co-operates” with a Tory probe, Mr Hands’s appointment has been welcomed by Grant Shapps, another supporter of the former chancellor.
He appreciated the decision saying: “No one is more experienced and knowledgeable than Greg Hands on trade.”
Meanwhile, Kwasi Kwarteng is being urged to “act now” and bring forward his fiscal plan, as new analysis suggests more than 3,000 households are facing “staggering hikes” in their mortgage payments everyday.
The Liberal Democrats are warning of a “mortgage ticking time bomb”, as the party predicts that roughly 168,000 more homeowners will have been hit by a new higher rate by the time chancellor releases medium-term fiscal plan on 23 November.
School meals industry ‘on its knees’ with shortages and rising costs – Survey
Children face a deterioration in school meals due to shortages and increasing prices, a survey suggests.
School meal providers have said they are being forced to cut back on the quality of meals and are using more processed food and poorer-quality meat for student lunches because of cost pressures.
The school food industry has now warned it is “on its knees” because of a mismatch between funding and rising food costs – and said that the situation was only likely to get worse in the coming months.
Speaking to The Independent, one headteacher said that colleagues were even considering the idea of serving just cold food in order to cut down on costs.
My colleague Zoe Tidman reports:
School meals industry ‘on its knees’ faced with shortages and rising costs
Some providers using more processed food and ditching British meat as prices soar, poll finds
Namita Singh10 October 2022 06:01
Chancellor urged to ‘act now’ to ‘diffuse mortgage ticking time bomb’
The chancellor is being urged to “act now” as new analysis suggests more than 3,000 households are facing “staggering hikes” in their mortgage payments every day.
The Liberal Democrats are warning of a “mortgage ticking time bomb”, as the party predicts that between now and the expected release of Kwasi Kwarteng’s medium-term fiscal plan on 23 November, roughly 168,000 more homeowners will have been hit by a new higher rate.
This is based on figures attributed to UK Finance showing 600,000 fixed-rate mortgage deals are coming to an end in the second half of 2022, equivalent to an average of 3,296 a day.
Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey arrives at Buckingham Palace following the proclamation ceremony on 10 September 2022 in London, United Kingdom
(Getty Images)
Meanwhile, rates are continuing to climb, pushing up costs for borrowers – with the average two-year fixed-rate deal topping six per cent for the first time in 14 years last week.
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey has called on the chancellor to bring forward his fiscal plan, as he warned people could lose their homes.
“Every day the government fails to defuse this mortgage ticking time bomb, thousands more homeowners are being hit with staggering hikes to their bills,” he said.
But Kwasi Kwarteng has shown he doesn’t get it or doesn’t care. He may see it as just a ‘little turbulence’, but for people facing a catastrophic increase to mortgage payments it could mean losing their homes. Waiting until November 23 to act will be far too late for the thousands of families being tipped into mortgage misery. Conservative MPs must act now to help struggling mortgage borrowers on the brink.
Sir Ed Davey
Namita Singh10 October 2022 05:37
Truss appoints Sunak ally to cabinet in bid to restore Tory unity
Liz Truss has sent a signal of her intent to bridge the divides blighting the Tory party as she prepares to make a plea for unity to colleagues filing back into Westminster.
The prime minister handed a government job to Greg Hands, who backed her rival Rishi Sunak in the Conservative leadership race, in a move that will be widely seen as a peace offering to critics who have accused Ms Truss of surrounding herself with allies.
The seasoned minister replaces Conor Burns, who was sacked from his post in the Department for International Trade (DIT) on Friday following a misconduct complaint.
Mr Burns has vowed to clear his name and said he will “fully co-operate” with a Tory probe into claims of inappropriate behavior.
Read more in this report:
Truss appoints Sunak ally to Cabinet in bid to restore Tory unity
PM hands government job to MP who backed rival Rishi Sunak in Conservative leadership race
Namita Singh10 October 2022 05:33
Kaynak: briturkish.com
