Number 10 has rejected any suggestion that parliament may be recalled before the end of recess, despite growing calls for action. More than 100 MPs from all parties except the DUP put their name to an open letter calling on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to end summer recess early. The letter claimed the country was facing “a national emergency”, adding “true democrat should not fear such scrutiny… The question is whether you are one.” The letter comes alongside a petition signed by more than 15,000 members of the public. But the Prime Minister’s spokeswoman told journalists Johnson would not bow to this pressure. “The House of Commons agreed the date it would rise for summer recess, as well as its return on September 3 and this was passed by a majority of close to 200 MPs,” she said. MPs are increasingly clamouring for their holiday to be cut short following a new leak of the government’s no deal preparation at the weekend. … [Read more...] about Number 10 rejects move to recall parliament
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Significant number of stores could be sold if supermarket merger goes ahead, watchdog warns
PUBLISHED: 09:02 20 February 2019 | UPDATED: 09:02 20 February 2019 Sarah Chambers Sainsbury's in Ipswich town centre. Shoppers could face price rises if a proposed merger between Sainsbury's and Asda goes ahead, a watchdog says Picture: PHIL MORLEY Archant Prices could be pushed up and a significant number of stores sold if supermarket giants Sainsbury’s and Asda merge, the competition watchdog has warned. Shoppers at Asda in Ipswich. Shoppers could face price rises and there could be shop closures if a proposed merger with Sainsbury's goes ahead, a watchdog has warned Picture: @Eagle_ChaserThe Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it would be “difficult” for the companies, which have stores across East Anglia, to address the concerns it has identified so far in its probe into the deal.They would probably need to sell off a significant number of stores and potentially one of the two brands to address “extensive” … [Read more...] about Significant number of stores could be sold if supermarket merger goes ahead, watchdog warns
More women soldiers and less equipment: A look at Germany’s army in numbers
Friday marks the first day of the weekend-long Munich Security Conference, in which 500 security experts – and over 4,000 police protecting them – will gather at the Bayerischer Hof hotel in Bavaria's capital to discuss the state of security in Germany and abroad. It's a key time for keeping an eye on Germany's military, which has been slowly dwindling in size, but maintains its importance due to its role in NATO, still-active peacekeeping missions around the world, and its own internal defence. At the end of January, an annual parliamentary report sparked calls to discuss Germany's military readiness after it revealed that 21,500 positions remained vacant, recruitment numbers fell by 3,000 in 2018, and that there are equipment issues in the army, navy, and air force. In the same report, though, a positive statistic emerged, showing more women are joining the Bundeswehr – or Germany's armed forces – than ever before. Vacancies and recruitment issues These … [Read more...] about More women soldiers and less equipment: A look at Germany’s army in numbers
Tax return deadline: 10 things you need to do to get it done today
Now that the Christmas and New Year festivities have well and truly concluded, time is of the essence if you still need to get your affairs in order ahead of the Jan 31 deadline to submit your tax return electronically. So far this year, approximately 52pc of taxpayers have already filed their self-assessment returns, which leaves around 5.5 million taxpayers with around two weeks to complete their return. History tells us that come February, a significant number of people will have missed the deadline and therefore run the risk of incurring an immediate £100 fine. Last year, this was more than 750,000 people. For those who have left it to the last minute, here are my top 10 tips for making... To continue reading this article Start your free trial of Premium Access all Premium articles Subscriber-only events Cancel any time Free for 30 days then only £2 per week Try Premium Access one Premium article per week … [Read more...] about Tax return deadline: 10 things you need to do to get it done today
STV News reliant on young ‘inexperienced’ journalists after losing ‘significant number’ of ‘valuable’ staff in restructure, says union rep
STV News is now “highly dependent on young, multi-skilled, inexperienced journalists”, a union representative has warned following a restructure that resulted in around 30 people taking voluntary redundancy. The Scottish broadcaster announced in May last year that it planned to cut 34 jobs in its news division and another 25 with the closure of its loss-making channel STV2.TimelineOctober 10, 2018STV News appoints Canadian TV boss to lead three-year 'transformation' plan as head of newsJuly 10, 2018BBC poaches ITV talent and promotes its own in naming anchors for flagship daily news programme on new Scotland channelJune 26, 2018Ofcom gives green light to new BBC Scotland channel despite fears of threat to STV and news publishers National Union of Journalists members voted almost unanimously to strike, but never took industrial action after STV backed down on plans for compulsory redundancies.STV confirmed to Press Gazette this week that its overarching restructure to … [Read more...] about STV News reliant on young ‘inexperienced’ journalists after losing ‘significant number’ of ‘valuable’ staff in restructure, says union rep