While Abbott will take the heat, some very raised eyebrows in Westminster at inclusion of "Golden Gerry" Grimstone on the new board of trade. The peer and minister is one of the most obsequious pro-Beijing figures in Govt/Britain
A ormer boss of Barclays bank... Lord Grimstone has boasted that he’s been to China ‘200 times, I go there once a month’. dailymail.co.uk/debate/article…
Before his appointment Lord Grimstone warned anti-Beijing protesters in an interview with the state-backed China Daily: ‘Hong Kong people should ask themselves a question: What is Hong Kong without China?’ dailymail.co.uk/debate/article…
Lord Grimstone also said violent protests against Chinese rule were ‘utterly unacceptable’ and appeared to defend an authoritarian clampdown by the regime, asking: ‘How would British police respond if petrol bombs were thrown at them?’ dailymail.co.uk/debate/article…
In 2018 Lord Grimstone heaped praise on Communist dictator Xi Jinping’s leadership style, saying: ‘The fact that Xi is prepared to give such strong authoritarian guidance within the context of a market economy is great for companies like mine.’ dailymail.co.uk/debate/article…
no guesses where he will be banging the drum then!
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EXC: Effort to get Germany to unlock sale of 48 Typhoons to Saudi “going nowhere” with ministers warned UK production faces closure — French now line for multibillion deal instead
UK facing lost decade of fighter jet assembly with 6k direct jobs on line
Berlin blocking multi-billion deal to sell 48 more Typhoons to Saudis - with ministers warned BAE production lines “will close” immediately if the order is blocked.
Sources say diplomatic battle to “unstick” led by National Security Adviser Sir Tim Barrow “is going nowhere.”
UK will phase out more than 100 Typhoons from 2025, to be replaced by US-made 47 F-35B Lightnings.
Brit 4th generation GCAP fighter being built with Japan and Italy will not “theoretically” be ready until at least mid 2030s, according to warning circulated a top of Whitehall.
Rishi the candidate: “China is the biggest-long term threat to Britain and the world’s economic and national security." (24 July 2022)
Rishi the PM: "It means standing up to our competitors, not with grand rhetoric but with robust pragmatism.” (28 Nov 2022)
Rishi in July: “Enough is enough. For too long, politicians in Britain and across the West have rolled out the red carpet and turned a blind eye to China’s nefarious activity and ambitions..
...I will change this on Day 1 as PM. I will stop China taking over our universities, and get British companies and public institutions the cyber-security they need. And I will work with Biden and other world leaders to transform the West’s resilience to the threat China poses.”
Furious Tory MPs pointing finger at Jeremy Hunt for pushing the move toward the new closer relationship that would mean a return to EU judges, contributions to the EU budget and closer alignment on rules.
💥 IDS hit out at attempts to “reopen a settled debate” adds: “The Chancellor needs to himself slap this story down, this should never have got going and if he meant it or not, he needs to make it clear this is not what the government is about.”
🚨 LIZ Truss is considering raising Corporation Tax next year in spectacular mini-Budget u-turn
Her vow to cancel Rishi Sunak's hike from 19 to 25 per cent tax next April was the centrepiece of her campaign to be PM - but that promise could now be junked thesun.co.uk/news/politics/…
Truss and Kwarteng have been warned they have a £60billion black hole in their tax and spending plans - with source confirming "a rise in CT is on the table."
Another Downing Street insider insisted "it will not go all the way up to 25 per cent".