- Saturday, March 25, 2023
FORMER home secretary Priti Patel has reiterated her stance that Shamima Begum remains a “threat to our country” as she hit back at suggestions that the UK has become an “outlier” to its western allies over its stance to not allow the former Daesh member to return to the country.…
A British-born woman who went to Syria as a schoolgirl to join the Daesh (Islamic State) lost her latest appeal against the UK government's decision to take away her citizenship on Wednesday (22). Shamima Begum left London in 2015 aged 15 and travelled with two school friends to Syria, where…
Former The Daily Show host Trevor Noah has lashed out at Britain again saying the country wishes to believe that it exists in some post-racial utopia. In a recent interview with The Times, the South African comedian-political commentator who dons many other hats, said, "The UK wishes to believe it…
The 75th anniversary of the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush in the UK, which marked a key moment in the country's history of migration, is a "Diamond Jubilee for modern, diverse Britain", according to campaigners. Voices from across British society – from sport and culture to politics, faith and business…
Former health secretary Sajid Javid has called for an “honest debate” on funding the NHS to make the health organisation sustainable for the future.He did not specify how it should be funded but suggested the UK should emulate Germany and France which run hybrid health systems.In Germany, employees pay seven…
2022 was a year when decades happened. The year of three Prime Ministers and a Royal funeral, war in Europe and recession at home could fill many pages in the future history books. Boris Johnson was sure he could survive the pressure over rule-breaking in Downing Street. For six months,…
Former UK Chancellor and Conservative Party leadership candidate Sajid Javid will not stand for re-election at the next national election, he said on Friday. Javid is the most high-profile lawmaker in the governing party so far to say he will not stand for re-election, with a handful of other politicians…
Seven former home secretaries in UK on Thursday (24) urged prime minister Rishi Sunak to implement Martyn’s Law, a critical anti-terror reform, without delay. Named after Manchester Arena victim Martyn Hett, the Martyn’s Law requires public places like pubs to take basic security steps like training and evacuation plans. Plans…
Shamima Begum, who left the UK to join ISIS in Syria about seven years, would face capital punishment if she were to return to Bangladesh, the country of her origin, a court heard. Born in east London to Bangladeshi immigrants, she travelled to Syria in 2015 when she was a…
A Nottingham man has been sentenced to three months in jail after asking government staff to “kill” Sajid Javid MP when the Conservative politician was the home secretary. Kestutis Cesna sent 22 emails to the HM Treasury in 2018 asking the staff to “sack” Javid or “kill” him if he…
A hospital electrician serving a full-life sentence in Britain for murdering two women and sexually abusing corpses in mortuaries on Thursday admitted defiling a further 23 dead women. David Fuller, 68, previously admitted strangling 25-year-old Wendy Knell and 20-year-old Caroline Pierce months apart in Kent, southeast England, in 1987. He…
Noted comedian and television host Trevor Noah has defended himself following a row over his comments on the appointment of Britain’s new premier, saying he never said “the entire UK is racist” and was only responding to those who do not want Rishi Sunak in that role. Sunak, Britain’s first…
Former British cabinet minister Sajid Javid has slammed presenter and comedian Trevor Noah for claiming that Rishi Sunak experienced a racist “backlash” after becoming the first British Asian prime minister. Javid, who is of Pakistani origin, said that the Noah's claims were simply wrong and detached from reality. On Twitter,…
Being the first ethnic minority in any job brings a lot of pressure and becoming Prime Minister, particularly in the current climate, is no easy feat. As the first woman of colour in the Welsh Parliament, I have no qualm in saying that any role where a person bears the…
Rishi Sunak is already a marmite prime minister, writes Barnie Choudhury. Feted by his MP colleagues but rejected by the Conservative grass roots just six weeks ago (September 5). They accuse Sunak of causing Johnson’s downfall, rather than accept that it was the fault of his once next-door Downing Street…
WHAT should you give a man who has got almost everything for Diwali? Most of Rishi Sunak’s parliamentary colleagues decided, after all, that the answer was the leadership of the Conservative party, unopposed, and the chance to be Prime Minister of his country. There are rarely many political rewards for…
Former British finance minister Sajid Javid endorsed Rishi Sunak to be the next leader of the Conservative Party and the country's next prime minister. "It is abundantly clear that Rishi Sunak has what it takes to match the challenges we face - he is the right person to lead our…
Just days after firing Kwasi Kwarteng as the chancellor of the exchequer, British prime minister Liz Truss has suspended one of her key advisers pending an investigation. Jason Stein, a special adviser to the prime minister, is set to face a formal investigation by the Cabinet Office's propriety and ethics…
Rupa Huq MP has been suspended from the Labour party on Tuesday (27) after calling Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng 'superficially black'. She will now sit in Parliament as an independent MP. While speaking at a party conference fringe event on Monday (26), Haq said: "He's superficially, he's, a black man but…
Liz Truss, Britain's next prime minister, is expected to begin making key ministerial appointments soon after her formal appointment as leader on Tuesday. Below is a brief overview of the people likely to serve in key roles in her government. FINANCE MINISTER - KWASI KWARTENG Truss is expected to appoint…
BRITAIN will not get its first Asian prime minister next week, unless every prediction and poll has got it wrong. Former chancellor and Tory leadership candidate Rishi Sunak found himself in the wrong economy at the wrong time. Though he was Britain’s most popular chancellor earlier in the pandemic, the…
A new book has claimed that Shamima Begum was smuggled into Syria by a Canadian spy to join Daesh (Islamic State group), according to media reports. The book 'The Secret History of the Five Eyes' by Richard Kerbaj has accused Canada of withholding information about Begum's whereabouts while the Metropolitan…
A woke NHS Foundation Trust sparks rage for saying “birthing people” instead of “mothers” or “women” in a Twitter post that said it was seeking “birthing people” to provide feedback on its perinatal services. Perinatal care is a broad term that refers to the treatment that is received while a…
The NHS is looking to hire diversity managers with well-paid salaries despite the government telling health service bosses to reduce woke positions. A dozen equality, diversity and inclusion roles have been advertised by the NHS, with the annual pay for some of the posts exceeding £60,000. The jobs could together…
A minority of racists among Conservative grassroots members could stop Rishi Sunak from becoming the first non-white prime minister. That is the concern among some south Asian Tories who have spoken to Eastern Eye. They are concerned that Britain is “not ready to take orders from a brown boy”. They…
Former Conservative health minister Sajid Javid announced Wednesday (3) his support for Liz Truss as the UK's next Conservative prime minister, adding to the roster of senior Tories backing her leadership bid. Javid resigned as health secretary in Boris Johnson's government in early July at the same time as Truss's…
LIZ TRUSS or Rishi Sunak will become Britain’s next prime minister in September. A fierce ‘blue on blue’ contest is underway, though the two candidates actually have much in common. As Boris Johnson’s foreign secretary and chancellor, respectively, they were the more experienced leadership candidates against insurgent rivals. Both are…
ELECTIONS divide – and the race to determine the next leader of the Conservative party is no different. Every candidate for prime minister has reminded the Tories they will need to unite around whoever emerges as leader. But calls for a clean contest have been honoured more in the breach…
ONE of the hardest psychological lessons for anyone brought up outside the UK, to grasp about Britain, is how the natives of this land remain uniquely gifted in concealing what they really think. For example, if, in conversation, a Briton responds with the word ‘interesting’, to anything you just said,…
ELECTIONS divide – and the race to determine the next leader of the Conservative party is no different. Every candidate for prime minister has reminded the Conservatives that they will need to unite around whoever emerges as leader. But calls for a clean contest have been honoured more in the…
Senior Conservative parliamentarians have told Eastern Eye the country is ready for its first south Asian prime minister. They believe the days of the Tories being considered as the “nasty and racist” party are over. Four candidates of colour were among the eight nominated in the leadership race as Eastern…
ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) in the UK mentions that most people become addicted to nicotine and take up smoking when they are still children. Recently, an 11-year-old girl was rushed to a hospital after her mother, Holly Smith, 29, discovered her to be extremely lethargic and barely able…
Promises of tax cuts from candidates to succeed British Prime Minister Boris Johnson pose another inflationary risk which could pressure the Bank of England to raise interest rates more aggressively, cancelling out any potential boost to the economy. Most of the 11 contenders, trying to portray themselves as defenders of…
Britain's new prime minister will be announced on Sept. 5, with the first votes to begin eliminating candidates in a crowded and increasingly unpredictable and divisive contest to replace Boris Johnson coming this week. So far 11 candidates have thrown their hats in the ring to succeed Johnson as leader…
Broadcaster Sky News is likely to hold the first live debate on July 18 for Conservative candidates vying for the party leadership.The evening programme to be hosted by Kay Burley will feature all prime ministerial hopefuls who will remain in the fray.The new chancellor of the exchequer, Nadhim Zahawi, has…
Prime minister Boris Johnson certainly went down fighting. Sajid Javid and Rishi Sunak had decided that enough was enough, resigning last week from the Cabinet over Downing Street’s inability to tell the truth. Fifty ministerial resignations later, the refusal of the prime minister to accept that the game was up…
While several possible successors are seen as frontrunners, there is no clear favourite -- and such contests are notoriously volatile. Rishi Sunak The UK's first Hindu finance minister, Sunak quit on Tuesday and declared he was standing three days later. Long seen as Johnson's most likely successor, his prospects were…
BRITAIN's former health secretaries have launched leadership bids to succeed Boris Johnson as prime minister, according to a report. Jeremy Hunt and Sajid Javid used interviews with the Telegraph newspaper to announce their intention. Both Hunt, who lost out to Johnson in the 2019 leadership race, and Javid, said as…
Former chancellor Rishi Sunak’s allies are believed to be trying to prevail upon his former cabinet colleague Sajid Javid to back his candidacy for the Conservative Party leadership.They have reportedly reached out to Javid’s friends to convince the former health secretary that it would not help either of them if…
BRITAIN's Boris Johnson will reportedly announce his resignation as Conservative leader, paving the way for an internal party contest to replace him and become prime minister. While several possible successors have been suggested, there is no clear favourite. Rishi Sunak The UK's first Hindu chancellor of the exchequer, who quit…
Boris Johnson lasted just three years as British prime minister. Weakened by scandals, he refused for months to resign but on Thursday was poised to quit, forced by his own colleagues.July 2019: triumphant victory After Theresa May's resignation, Brexit figurehead Johnson is elected head of the Conservative party in July…
A group of Boris Johnson's senior ministers were set to tell him to resign as British prime minister on Wednesday, media reports said, after he insisted he would not quit in the face of a mounting rebellion in his party. With a BBC report that a group of his most…
Stand-up comedian and television presenter Nish Kumar waded into a controversy with his tweet on the UK’s political developments reported for racism.After the chancellor of exchequer Rishi Sunak and health secretary Sajid Javid resigned from prime minister Boris Johnson’s cabinet on Tuesday, Kumar took to social media saying he would…
Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid were two of the biggest hitters in UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government until they quit on Tuesday in protest at his scandal-hit leadership. Sunak, 42, had been on a meteoric trajectory to power that could have made him Britain's first Hindu prime minister. Javid,…
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces what looked to be the final blow for his premiership as two senior ministers resigned after trying to apologise for his administration's latest scandal. Below May 28, 2020 - 'Minor' breach of lockdown by PM adviser British police say Johnson's senior adviser Dominic Cummings…
HEALTH authorities need to overcome misconceptions about British Asian communities in order to change an “outdated” dementia care service, according to the researcher whose review found that the system had been “designed for white British patients”. Dr Karan Jutlla’s research highlighted that the system was “totally inadequate” to support dementia…
Britain's finance and health ministers resigned on Tuesday, in what looked to be the final blow for Prime Minister Boris Johnson's premiership after he had tried to apologise for the latest scandal to dog his administration. Both finance minister Rishi Sunak and health minister Sajid Javid resigned in what appeared…
In a move to mark the 74th anniversary of the NHS’s creation by the postwar Labour government on July 5, drones will be flown to deliver chemotherapy drugs to cancer patients in England, to help avoid long journeys required to collect them. In the trial run, the devices will reportedly…
THE Conservative Friends of India recently held a farewell reception in honour of the outgoing high commissioner of India, Her Excellency Gaitri Kumar Issar. High commissioner Issar began her service in May 2020, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. She not only represented the high commission at the best…
According to an alarming review that has come to light – thousands of south Asian people with dementia are not provided with the right treatment for this disease due to an outdated system that favours white British patients. The report by the Alzheimer’s Society consists of 55 pages and is…
It is critical for the world to prevent the overuse of antibiotics and the India-UK collaboration in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the next big frontier after the vaccine partnership during the COVID-19 pandemic, UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid said on Thursday. His comments at the India Global Forum’s UK-India Week…
BRITISH health secretary Sajid Javid has promised to reverse gender-neutral language in NHS advice after health chiefs removed the term 'women' from guidance for menopause and womb cancer. On Tuesday (28), MailOnline exposed how 'women' and 'woman' had been scrubbed from online guidance for menopause. Earlier, ministers had promised to…
PEOPLE experiencing a mental health emergency will be able to access more care in the community, such as through crisis houses and safe havens, and those detained under the Mental Health Act will benefit from landmark reforms which provide patients with more control over their care and treatment. A £150…
Health secretary Sajid Javid has called for treating suicides with the same urgency as “any other major killer” as he set out his “deeply personal” mission to address mental health issues of people. “I am determined to make a difference on this issue,” said Javid whose brother took his own…
UK HEALTH and social care secretary Sajid Javid on Friday (24) set out actions being taken to prevent suicides and urged men to talk about their mental health in a speech at suicide prevention charity Papyrus’s headquarters in London. In his speech, spurred by his own family’s experience of suicide…
Fewer than five per cent of blood donors who gave blood in the last year were from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. Yet 1,000 people in England – mostly people from Asian backgrounds – suffer from a disease called thalassaemia that affects red blood cells, requiring regular blood transfusions…
WEALTHY British Asians continued to pump money into the Conservative Party with businessman Dr Selva Pankaj making the largest total donation with £78,250 in the first quarter of 2022. Dr Pankaj is the CEO of Regent Group, a London based educational group which has a number of institutes across the…
Britain’s House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle is expected to pledge to make the lower house of Parliament “menopause-friendly”.He said the parliamentary village should open up about menopause as he sought to “break the taboo” about it.Sir Hoyle is set to sign the Menopause Workplace Pledge, a move which…
PHARMACISTS and nurses in UK can issue sick notes starting from July 1 as part of a new law that wants to unclog the appointments crisis, a media report has said. With the change in law, patients will no longer need to see their family doctor and GPs will get…
The legal age of sale for cigarettes in England should be raised by one year every year until eventually no one can buy tobacco products, a government-commissioned review recommended on Thursday.Progressively increasing the minimum age from 18 was one of 15 interventions recommended in the review ordered by health minister…
British health secretary Sajid Javid has supported “the biggest shake-up of leadership in decades” in healthcare after a review recommended actions to improve equality and diversity in the sector.He said the country should accept “only the highest standards” in health and care as “culture and leadership can be the difference…
There are growing calls for prime minister Boris Johnson to cut taxes to ease the cost of living burden after he managed to sail through a confidence vote.A reduction in levies amid historic inflation levels would help reunify his traditionally low-tax Conservative Party, according to his supporters.Health secretary Sajid Javid…
Speaking at Alzheimer’s Society Conference 2022 in central London last Tuesday (18), he confirmed that the plan will focus on how new medicines and emerging science and technology can be harnessed to improve outcomes for dementia patients across the UK. Javid said he wanted the initiative, which would be published…
The Mind mental health charity said mainstream services often fail to provide therapies that meet a person’s cultural or language needs and they are not referred to the right support. It comes after a study in May by the Mental Health Foundation found that people from a black, Asian or…
SOUTH ASIAN men and women owe it to their families to get tested for cancer. That is the stark message from Britain’s top south Asian newsreader, George Alagiah. The BBC journalist, who was born in Sri Lanka, has lived with bowel cancer for nine years, and he told Eastern Eye…
HEALTH and social care secretary Sajid Javid has announced a 10-year plan to boost research into neurodegenerative diseases.Speaking at Alzheimer’s Society Conference 2022 on Tuesday (17), he said the plan will focus on how new medicines and emerging science and technology can be harnessed to improve outcomes for dementia patients…
THE vast majority of Britons say they are comfortable with having a south Asian as their prime minister. A survey by the think-tank, British Future, found that a third of the British public would see an Asian prime minister as a good thing for our country. At least eight in…
IN 2021, nearly half of the new nurses and midwives registered to work in the UK have come from abroad, with India and the Philippines supplying the most, a media report said. Last year, a record high of more than 23,000 nurses and midwives joined the workforce when the country…
THE leader of NHS GPs has written to the home secretary Priti Patel demanding to scrap “bureaucratic” hurdles as hundreds of overseas-born trainee GPs are at risk of deportation because of immigration rules, according to a report. Prof Martin Marshall, the chair of the Royal College of GPs, pointed out…
BRITISH health secretary Sajid Javid has warned of action against hospitals which refuse to return to normal despite the government significantly lifting the pandemic restrictions.Last month, fresh guidelines were issued to the healthcare sector to enable hospitals to attend to patients on waiting lists - which crossed 6.2 million in…
THE UK on Tuesday (12) started a call for evidence to form a new 10-year mental health plan to level up mental health across the country and put mental and physical health on an equal footing. People with lived experience of mental health conditions and those who support people with…
THE NHS has started providing a new antiviral treatment against Covid for high-risk patients at home that improves symptoms “within hours”, the health service said in a statement. Known as Paxlovid, has been given to more than 6,000 patients already – with over 1,400 patients benefitting in the last seven…
THE UK’s health service has launched a new review to promote the importance of Vitamin D and identify ways to improve intake across the population, especially among South Asians. Vitamin D deficiency is linked to rickets in children and bone pain and muscle weakness in adults. A call for evidence…
UK health secretary has announced an extension on the cancer call for evidence to inform an ambitious 10-year cancer plan, a statement said. As part of the extension given by Sajid Javid, more people can share their experiences and views on how the country can lead the world on cancer…
RATES of Covid infection have hit a record high in the UK, official data showed, just as free government testing ended for millions in England. Some 4.9 million people in the UK are estimated to have had Covid-19 in the week ending March 26, or 600,000 more than the previous…
Getting screened and tested early for cancer is a personal battle, Sajid Javid revealed. Speaking to Eastern Eye, the health secretary, disclosed how his late father was diagnosed too late for the illness. “My father died from cancer, but he died from, firstly, lung cancer, then it spread everywhere,” Javid…
BRITAIN said that healthcare workers, social care staff and the most vulnerable will still get Covid-19 tests without any charge when it ends free testing for the general public next month. When he announced all coronavirus restrictions would be scrapped in February, prime minister Boris Johnson said free tests would…
ENGLAND will begin rolling out its fourth coronavirus vaccine shot this week, the National Health Service (NHS) announced Sunday (20), with millions of the country's most vulnerable people being offered jabs.The latest booster shot will be made available to care home residents, people aged over 75 and the immunosuppressed.Around five…
UK health secretary has said that an increase in Covid infections following the easing of coronavirus restrictions was ‘expected’. Sajid Javid told Sky News that there is no “cause for concern” despite the number of people in hospital with Covid climbing back above 10,000. Daily Covid cases in the UK have…
THE NHS Blood and Transplant has launched a new project bringing together Commonwealth nations to share expertise in organ donation and transplantation to increase ethical organ donation and transplantation. The 'Tribute to Life' project, launched on Commonwealth Day on Monday (14) by health secretary Sajid Javid, is the culmination of…
THE UK government will lift all its remaining Covid-19 pandemic-related international travel restrictions from Friday (18), including the requirement for travellers to fill in a compulsory Passenger Locator Form prior to entering the country.From 4 am GMT on Friday, arrivals into the UK will no longer be required to submit…
AN independent review of the government’s ambition to make England smoke-free by 2030 is considering a ban on under-25s buying cigarettes, The Times reported. Javed Khan, a former chief executive of the children’s charity Barnardo’s, is leading the review. He is now scrutinising whether national action on smoking goes far…
WOMEN are very much on the move – rising to roles not previously seen before and smashing glass ceilings in the process. The GG2 Power List was unveiled on Tuesday (8) evening at Eastern Eye publisher AMG’s high-profile and glittering GG2 Leadership & Diversity Awards, where the role of highflying women…
NEW research has revealed stark disparities in cancer rates between different ethnic groups in the UK, reported the Guardian. According to the study published in the British Journal of Cancer, black people are twice as likely to get prostate cancer while white people have double the chance of getting skin…
NHS and social care workers in England will no longer have to have a Covid jab as a condition of employment from later this month, the government said. The UK government announced on January 31 that it intended to revoke the regulations that made vaccination compulsory, subject to the results…
HEALTH secretary Sajid Javid on Monday (28) launched England’s first rare diseases action plan which aims to speed up diagnoses and care.The initiative will allow the healthcare workforce to support patients better by leveraging the UK’s technology, Javid said.There are more than 7,000 rare diseases, affecting an estimated 3.5 million…
THE Queen tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday (20) but her symptoms are "mild" and the 95-year-old intends to continue with light duties at Windsor Castle, aides said. The news comes after Prince Charles tested positive on February 10, two days after meeting his mother at Windsor. No information was…
UK health secretary Sajid Javid has thanked NHS staff across the North West and West Midlands for their tireless efforts to provide care during the pandemic during his visit to the region. Javid as part of his ‘Road to Recovery’ tour across England on Wednesday (16) visited Deeplish Community Centre,…
There must be a root and branch investigation into the culture of racism, misogyny, and Islamophobia in every police service in England and Wales. That is the demand from south Asian and black MPs, as well as serving and past police officers. They have told Eastern Eye that they do…
A senior officer has admitted that racism is a problem in the Metropolitan Police, however, he denied that Met was a "racist organisation". Deputy assistant commissioner Bas Javid, brother of health secretary Sajid Javid, told BBC Two's Newsnight that some officers "have racist views and are racist". His comments came…
Health secretary, Sajid Javid and London mayor, Sadiq Khan, have led tributes to Lata Mangeshkar, who passed away on Sunday (6). The Bollywood legend and playback singer died after a long illness caused by contracting Covid. She was afforded the sobriquet of the “Nightingale of India”, and the popularity of…
BRITISH health minister Sajid Javid said on Monday (7) that reports of prime minister Boris Johnson's wife Carrie Johnson was interfering with his ability to lead were sexist, undignified and unfair. A book by Michael Ashcroft, a former deputy chairman of Johnson's Conservative Party, serialised in a newspaper over the…
BRITISH prime minister Boris Johnson invoked Disney's "The Lion King", insisting "change is good" as he rallied his dwindling inner circle in the fallout over lockdown-breaking parties held in his Downing Street office. Chief policy advisor Munira Mirza unexpectedly quit on Thursday (3), delivering a serious blow to the embattled…
ALLEGATIONS of Islamophobia within the Conservative party have been deeply damaging. They go against the fundamental social fabric of what the party stands for – to promote equality of opportunity to all for a better life, regardless of colour, background or creed. Such allegations must quite rightly be investigated. There…
BRITAIN plans to revoke its decision to make Covid-19 vaccination mandatory for health workers in England after warnings that an already-stretched service could face serious staff shortages. The NHS race and health observatory, which raised concerns last year that any mandatory Covid vaccination policy could be potentially discriminatory, welcomed the…
NHS workers and staff who work on the frontline in England have been asked to get fully vaccinated by April 1 or will be redeployed or dismissed. However, on Monday (31) the ministers will be meeting to decide whether or not to scrap mandatory Covid jabs for NHS workers in…
SEVEN projects have received a share of £100,000 funding as part of government’s commitment to tackle health inequalities and promote living kidney donation among black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. The Living Kidney Transplant Scheme has been launched as part of NHS Blood and Transplant’s ongoing commitment to address the…
As party faces Islamophobia allegations, Sunak touted as next leader THE Conservative party has a problem with black and Asian ministers, an influential Tory politician has said, after MP Nusrat Ghani’s claimed last week she was sacked in a reshuffle because of her ‘Muslimness’. Former junior transport minister Ghani, who…
ENGLAND on Thursday (27) lifted coronavirus restrictions imposed to tackle the Omicron variant, with masks no longer required in enclosed places and vaccine passports shelved. The number of positive Covid-19 cases has fallen sharply over the past two weeks, and although still at high levels, have plateaued in recent days.…
The chair of Yorkshire cricket has urged south Asian communities to trust that his team and he will stamp out racism at the club. Lord Patel of Bradford was speaking exclusively to Eastern Eye after the culture, media and sport select committee concluded there was “deep-seated racism in cricket”. The…
THE UK government announced Wednesday (19) that restrictions reimposed in England last month to fight the surge in Omicron coronavirus cases would be lifted, citing data that showed infections had peaked. Guidance advising people to work from home was lifted immediately, while from the middle of next week they will…
Prime minister Boris Johnson will meet with his Cabinet on Wednesday (19) to review restrictions to tackle the spread of Covid-19 in England as he seeks to move attention away from parties held at his residence during coronavirus lockdowns. The restrictions, known as "Plan B" measures, were introduced by the…
BRITAIN on Monday (10) put the biggest private health companies on high alert to deliver crucial treatments such as cancer surgery should Omicron overwhelm National Health Service hospitals in England. The United Kingdom's death toll from the Covid-19 pandemic stands at 150,154, the world's seventh worst official Covid toll after…
BRITAIN'S Ministry of Defence on Friday (7) said that it had begun the deployment of the military to support hospitals experiencing staff shortages and extreme pressures due to record Covid-19 cases in the country. The government said that 200 Armed Forces personnel had been made available to support the National…
A man responsible for allegedly staging an anti-vaccine protest outside health secretary's home, has been charged. In a video footage, posted online, shows someone delivering a letter with an anti-Covid vaccine message outside Sajid Javid's London address in Fulham. The man addresses the camera, claiming the letter puts the health…
AN ORGANISATION representing Indian doctors has raised the issue of cancelled qualification exams in the UK with health secretary Sajid Javid. The General Medical Council (GMC) announced on December 22 that it was cancelling all PLAB2 tests for foreign doctors in January and February 2022. However, this decision was made…
UK health secretary Sajid Javid has urged to ensure priority for NHS workers for Covid tests or risk a “devastating” impact on patient care, The Guardian reported. Javid conceded to MPs that the supply of lateral flow kits would have to be “constrained” over the next fortnight in light of rocketing…
England is building temporary hospitals to deal with a potential overspill of inpatients as surging virus cases put the country's health service on a "war footing", officials said Thursday. Fuelled by the highly contagious Omicron variant, daily cases have ballooned, standing at more than 183,000 on Wednesday. NHS England said…
ENGLAND is building temporary hospitals to deal with a potential overspill of inpatients as surging virus cases put the country's health service on a "war footing", officials said Thursday (30). Fuelled by the highly contagious Omicron variant, daily cases have ballooned, standing at more than 183,000 on Wednesday (29). NHS…
THE BRITISH government has asked public sector managers to test their contingency plans against a worst-case scenario of 25 per cent staff absence as part of efforts to minimise disruption from the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19. With daily infection numbers at a record high and people…
ENGLAND will not get any new Covid-19 restrictions before the end of 2021, health minister Sajid Javid said on Monday (27), as the government awaits more evidence on whether the health service can cope with high infection rates. Prime minister Boris Johnson continues to resist new measures, which would be…
FOREIGN social care workers, including those from India, will soon be eligible for a UK Health and Care Visa for 12 months as part of temporary measures to meet shortages in the sector. The government said on Friday (24) that thousands of additional care workers could be recruited, following temporary…
IN order to tackle Omicron variant of coronavirus, the UK government has secured millions more antivirals for NHS patients by signing two new contracts. The significant new deals have been accelerated following the emergence of the Omicron variant to protect vulnerable people over the coming months. The move would help…
THE BRITISH government said that from Wednesday (22), it was reducing the Covid-19 self-isolation period to seven days from 10 days for people in England who get a negative result on a lateral flow test two days in a row. With the Omicron variant spreading rapidly in Britain and record…
BRITAIN'S health secretary on Sunday (19) declined to rule out the chance of further Covid-19 restrictions before Christmas, saying the spread of the Omicron variant was a very fast moving situation. Britain has reported a surge in Omicron cases, which government advisers said could be just the tip of the…
AN additional £22.5million in funding and an army of vaccine ambassadors have been deployed across the UK to encourage vaccine uptake in the run-up to Christmas and the New year, a statement said. The department for levelling up, housing and communities' community vaccines champion scheme will target 60 local authorities…
THE UK government and faith leaders have united in the national effort to see the people get Covid-19 doses in the wake of a surge in Omicron cases. The drive is being supported by religious leaders, including members of the Prime Minister’s Places of Worship Taskforce, the Archbishop of Canterbury,…
BRITAIN has administered booster shots to more than one-third of its population amid surging cases of new infections. The health department said “a record” 745,000 people received a third jab in the UK on Thursday (16) alone, taking the total to more than 25 million. Health secretary Sajid Javid said…
Revealed: Fewer than one in four has had third vaccination Health experts are urging south Asians to get their booster jab after Eastern Eye revealed that fewer than one in four has taken a third vaccine. Analysis by this newspaper suggests that as of 5 December, only 22.6 per cent…
THE UK is to drop 11 African countries including South Africa from its "red list" barring incoming travel, ministers said on Tuesday (14). From 0400 GMT on Wednesday (15), all will be removed from the list, said transport secretary Grant Shapps. The UK government had responded to the identification of…
AT LEAST one person has died in the UK after contracting the Omicron coronavirus variant, prime minister Boris Johnson said. The death on Monday (13) is the first publicly confirmed death globally from the swiftly spreading strain. Since the first Omicron cases were detected on Nov. 27 in Britain, Johnson…
PEOPLE who are fully jabbed and identified as a contact of someone with Covid-19, whether Omicron or not, will have to take an NHS rapid lateral flow test for the next seven days from Tuesday (14). The move comes in order to slow the spread of the Omicron variant in…
PEOPLE in Britain have been urged to get the booster dose of a Covid-19 vaccine because double-jabbed people are vulnerable against the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. As Britain faces a "tidal wave" of the Omicron variant of coronavirus and two vaccine doses will not be enough to contain it,…
A senior emergency doctor has warned that NHS staff are dealing with the worst health crisis in 20 years. They are under so much pressure more health workers than ever are quitting front line medicine for other hospital jobs. Dr Joydeep Grover, a consultant who has worked in emergency medicine…
BRITISH prime minister Boris Johnson has announced the tightening of virus restrictions in England as Omicron variant cases surge, including guidance to work from home and mandatory Covid passports. Johnson said at a briefing that the rate of Omicron cases was doubling every two to three days, risking a "big…
British prime minister Boris Johnson apologised and announced an internal probe on Wednesday (8) after a video emerged of senior aides joking about a Christmas party at Downing Street last year when social events were banned under Covid-19 rules. The leaked footage appears to contradict more than a week of…
BRITAIN's health minister has said that there is now community transmission of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus across regions of England but it is too early to say if this will "knock us off our road to recovery". Defending the introduction of stricter rules to slow the spread of…
BRITAIN said on Wednesday (1) it had agreed deals to buy 114 million more Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna Covid-19 vaccine shots, saying it had sped up signing the new contracts in light of the emergence of the new Omicron variant. The deal involves an additional 60 million Moderna shots and 54…
As a new variant hits Britain, infections’ expert warns of surge in pandemic deaths A leading infections’ expert has launched a scathing attack on the prime minister for not doing enough to protect lives after the discovery of a new Covid virus variant. The World Health Organization named the variant…
BRITISH health secretary Sajid Javid urged people to book a Covid-19 booster shot on Wednesday (1) as he said there were 22 confirmed cases of the Omicron virus variant in the country. Javid said the government believed a booster campaign would help protect against severe disease from Omicron, even if…
LABOUR MP for Wigan Lisa Nandy has a new role as shadow secretary for levelling up, as party leader Sir Keir Starmer carried out a reshuffle on Monday (29). The former shadow foreign secretary was quoted as saying her new role was “to deliver on the broken promises” of the…
THERE is no sign of a surge of the Omicron coronavirus variant in Britain so far, the chief of the UK Health Security Agency said on Tuesday (30), saying there was no rise in the proportion of tests with a quirk that distinguishes it from Delta. Jenny Harries said there…
ALL adults in Britain will now be eligible for a third Covid jab, the government said, as concern mounted about the spread of the new Omicron variant. The move, backed by a scientific advisory body and health secretary Sajid Javid, comes as ministers scramble to react swiftly to the new…
BRITAIN on Saturday (27) announced tougher entry rules for all arriving passengers and the return of a masks mandate, after confirming its first two cases of the new Omicron strain of Covid-19. The cases were both linked to travel from southern Africa, and the government also expanded travel restrictions on…
BRITAIN said on Friday (26) that a newly identified coronavirus variant spreading in South Africa was considered by scientists to be the most significant one yet found and so it needed to ascertain whether or not it made vaccines ineffective. Defending a ban on flights from South Africa, Namibia, Botswana,…
Praise for Sajid Javid’s inquiry, but more action needed say doctors Doctors’ leaders and hospital chiefs want ministers to widen their investigation into health disparities among south Asian and black communities. The leader of the British Medical Association (BMA) and a senior health authority boss have told Eastern Eye that…
TO increase the diversity of participants, AstraZeneca is planning to allow more people take part in clinical trials from their homes, The Guardian reported. Recruiting volunteers to clinical trials is a crucial step in the development of new drugs, tests, devices and other interventions. Diversity among trial participants is crucial,…
SAJID JAVID said he was racially abused almost every day at school when he was growing up, as he urged the ECB to "take a long, hard look at themselves" after the racism scandal rocked the sport. The health secretary was asked about the racism scandal at the Yorkshire County…
Javid hails the 'incredible' test results of Pfizer and Merck pills HEALTH experts are studying the relative merits of the world’s first two antiviral Covid drugs that can be taken orally. One is Molnupiravir, made by Merck, and the other is Paxlovid, which comes from Pfizer. Both are pharma giants…
BRITAIN'S health secretary announced on Sunday (21) that he has launched an independent review to examine if "systematic bias" exists in the development of medical devices after Covid-19 brought the issue "to the fore". Sajid Javid said he would also work with his counterpart in the United States, Xavier Becerra,…
MPs have backed Tory MP Pauline Latham's Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) bill to raise the legal age of marriage to 18 to stop vulnerable children from being forced to wed, the BBC reported. In England and Wales, parental consent is needed for 16 and 17-year-olds. But there is…
THE government has urged people to get Covid-19 booster vaccines ahead of Christmas as the National Booking service will open on Monday (22) to people aged 40-49 for their booster jab, and people aged 16-17 for their second jab, a statement said. People can book by calling 119 or get…
TRAVELLERS who have had a booster jab, or a third top-up dose, of a Covid-19 vaccine will now be able to show their fully updated vaccine status through the National Health Service (NHS) Covid Pass, the UK government announced on Friday (19). Those having taken their booster or third dose…
THE UK government will invest £375 million over the next five years to help improve understanding and treatment for a range of neurodegenerative diseases. The funding would help people living with neurodegenerative diseases to live longer, healthier lives because of innovative new research. At least £50 million will be made…
BRITAIN'S Covid-19 booster vaccine rollout is to be extended to people between 40 and 49 years old, officials said on Monday (15), in a bid to boost waning immunity in the population ahead of the colder winter months. Currently all people over 50, those who are clinically vulnerable and frontline…
Sadiq Khan: Bring back police enforcement on mask wearing More south Asians will catch and die from Covid during the traditional winter health crisis unless the government toughens its stance on vaccinations and mask wearing in public places. That is the warning from the British Medical Association, the London mayor,…
NEARLY 5,000 NHS staff in East London could lose their jobs if they do not get the coronavirus vaccine. The government announced on November 9 that all frontline NHS staff would be required to get both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, or risk losing their jobs. Barts Health NHS trust,…
Cricket’s governing body, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), must immediately investigate racism at all levels of the sport. That is the demand from Bradford West MP, Naz Shah. Speaking exclusively to Eastern Eye, Shah said that the game was institutionally, structurally and systemically racist, and the problem went…
BRITAIN said India’s Covaxin will be added to its list of approved Covid-19 vaccines for international travellers from November 22, meaning that those inoculated with the Bharat Biotech-manufactured jab will not have to self-isolate after arrival in England. The move follows the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Emergency Use Listing for…
By Sunder Katwala Director, British Future thinktank ‘That word – the ‘P**i’ word – has real meaning for me. I don’t need to be told it’s not banter’, said Lord Kamlesh Patel, after becoming the new chair of Yorkshire County Cricket Club because the county’s leadership lost all confidence in…
BRITAIN'S health ministry on Saturday (6) said it would open up bookings for booster shots a month before people were eligible to receive the shots to help speed up the rollout ahead of the challenging winter months. Prime minister Boris Johnson is relying on booster doses as a major plank…
Cricket had promised to have a reckoning with racism, and to embark on a new era of inclusion, in the wake of the anti-racism protests of last summer. [caption id="attachment_146207" align="alignright" width="300"] Sunder Katwala[/caption] Yet the game is now going backwards before it goes forwards. The bungling of an anti-racism…
A key promise made in the Conservatives' general election manifesto 2019 is likely to break, as the number of GPs in England can't be increase by 6,000 - health secretary Sajid Javid has admitted. The reason why the target cannot be met, Javid says the GPs are retiring early. He…
THE UK on Wednesday (3) launched a new adult social care recruitment campaign to encourage people to pursue a rewarding career in the sector. The ‘Made with Care’ campaign will run across, broadcast and social media for five months, a statement said. More than 105,000 vacancies are there in adult…
THE health secretary said more than 800 secondary schools in England will be visited by health teams from Monday (31) to offer Covid-19 vaccine to children aged 12 to 15. Sajid Javid said the vaccines "will help keep children in the classroom". According to the NHS, more than 600,000 children…
ENGLAND could soon become world’s first country to prescribe e-cigarettes as a medical product to help people stop smoking tobacco products. With health secretary Sajid Javid welcoming the latest step towards the licensing process for manufacturers, e-cigarettes could be prescribed on the NHS. Javid said: “This country continues to be…
HINDU, Jain and Sikh families across the UK are preparing to celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights, which falls on November 4 this year. London and Leicester kicked off celebrations last weekend, as people gathered in the capital last Saturday (23) for Diwali on the Square, with a light display,…
EVEN though my family didn’t celebrate it, I learned a lot about Diwali growing up and saw how much it means to people. From the kids bringing halwa and jalebi to the playground, to the decorations at Dr Gandhi’s clinic on Bristol’s Stapleton Road, it was always a point of…
A new app to help people make positive changes to their diet and physical activity will launch next year, the UK government has announced. From January 2022, a pilot scheme will see users wear wrist-worn devices that can generate personalised health recommendations, such as increasing their step count, eating more…
OF NEARLY 7,400 people admitted to hospital in England in recent weeks, about 2,500 had yet to receive a single dose and a further 400 had been given only their first, The Times reported citing official figures. Around five million people aged over 16 in the UK are still unvaccinated,…
THE UK on Sunday (24) started a cheaper lateral flow test instead of a PCR for fully vaccinated passengers arriving from countries not on the red list. Passengers and most under 18s can use the test on or before day 2 of their arrival in England, a statement said. Bookings…
THE England GP Committee of the British Medical Association (BMA) has formally rejected the support package recently announced by health secretary Sajid Javid and called upon GPs not to participate in the implementation of the government’s plan. It is also set to ballot on industrial action against the government’s new…
UK health secretary Sajid Javid has given the green light to use Artificial intelligence (AI) to tackle racial inequalities in the NHS, reported The Guardian. Under the new plan, millions of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) Britons are expected to get benefit from revolutionary computer techniques designed to transform care…
Conservative MP David Amess has died this afternoon (15) after being stabbed at an event in his local constituency in southeast England. Police did not name Amess, but said: "A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a man was stabbed in Leigh-on-Sea" and that the victim "later…
FULLY vaccinated passengers from 24 October, mostly under-18s, arriving in England from countries not on the red list can now take the cheaper lateral flow test instead of a PCR test. They can book for the test from 22 October, on or before day two of their arrival in the…
PEOPLE who want to donate blood, particularly Black African donors, will be able to do so more easily by the end of 2021. The UK government on Monday (11) outlined plans to remove the question on sexual activity, asked in the donor safety check. Currently, prospective donors are asked if…
A Tory MP has been asked to step back from his work at a charity, after reports suggest that he mixed up two ethnic minority ministers at an event, saying "they all look the same to me". According to MailOnline, James Gray confused then vaccine minister Nadhim Zahawi with health…
SAJID JAVID and Nadhim Zawahi have urged reluctant teenagers to ignore fake news and go and get the Covid-19 jab. Javid, the health secretary and Zawahi, the education secretary are writing to the parents and saying the vaccines are safe, seeking to boost uptake among the teenagers. All parents of…
A new video campaign was launched on Friday (8) to encourage those eligible to get a free flu vaccine and Covid-19 booster jab ahead of winter. The new film sees media medics Dr Amir Khan, Dr Dawn Harper and Dr Karan Ranj explain why it is more important than ever…
Figures reveal four in 10 British-Pakistanis still unprotected The health secretary, Sajid Javid, has told Eastern Eye that he is “very concerned” that three in 10 south Asians remained unprotected against Covid. During a meeting of specially invited non-white press and broadcasters, Javid revealed that among British-Pakistanis the take up…
BRITAIN is aiming early next year to be ready to start charging for some previously free Covid-19 tests, two sources close to the health service said, a step one described as driven by the finance ministry's desire to rein in spending. The government and health officials have said that rapid…
A new film with Love Island contestant and medical student Priya Gopaldas and TV doctor Dr Emeka Okorocha encourage uptake of the life-saving Covid-19 vaccine in youngsters. The pair take questions from students and underline that Covid-19 jabs are the best way of preventing serious illness. The latest statistics show…
The UK government has ordered a crackdown on overprescribing of medicines following a review that revealed 10 per cent of the prescribed items in primary care are inappropriate for patients. Led by chief pharmaceutical officer for England, Dr Keith Ridge CBE, the study found that overprescribing may disproportionately affect black,…
NHS APP has currently become the most downloaded free app in England with now over 16 million users. Over 12 million new users since NHS Covid Pass was added on 17 May, after joint work by NHSX and NHS Digital. Moreover, 265,000 people have registered their organ donation decision for…
PAKISTAN, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are among eight countries which will come out of the red list next week as the British government on Friday (17) relaxed pandemic restrictions on travel into England. The UK government overhauled its complicated "traffic light" watchlist with a simpler regime for fully vaccinated arrivals. …
BRITISH health and social care secretary Sajid Javid has vowed to overhaul public and mental health provision and tackle the “hidden costs of Covid-19”. Speaking at the Grange Community Centre in Blackpool on Thursday (16), Javid said he is “determined” to address the “social backlog” that has built up, including…
BRITISH health minister Sajid Javid, a former finance minister, said on Wednesday (15) he thought the 3.2 per cent jump in inflation in August was probably a temporary increase but keeping an eye on inflation would make sense for governments around the world. Inflation spiked in August to a nine-year…
ALL 12- to 15-year-olds in England will be offered a Covid-19 vaccine after top medical advisers said on Monday (13) that children would benefit from reduced disruption to their education. The British government confirmed that the offer would be extended to all children aged 12-15 after a unanimous recommendation by…
BRITISH prime minister Boris Johnson will set out on Tuesday (14) his plans to manage the Covid-19 pandemic in the winter months, announcing a decision to scrap the introduction of vaccine passports and steps to end some emergency powers. Johnson, under fire from some in his governing Conservative Party for…
IT would be unnecessary to give Covid booster shots to everyone because immunity for most was "lasting well", the scientist behind the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine said. Prof Dame Sarah Gilbert told the Daily Telegraph that vulnerable groups may require the booster jab but called for doses to be sent to countries…
THE government is seeking plans for frontline staff in healthcare settings in England, who may be required to have Covid-19 and flu vaccines to protect patients from infection, serious illness or death. A six-week consultation was launched on Thursday (9), looking at whether requirements should apply for health and wider…
THE September 11 terrorist attack in the United States was a “landmark moment that dramatically shifted how the British public saw Muslims”, race activists said ahead of the 20th anniversary of the tragedy on Saturday (11). Nearly 3,000 people died in coordinated attacks in the US on September 11, 2001,…
PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson will address lawmakers on Tuesday (7) on his plans to fix Britain's social care system, with many in his own party furious that he wants to pay for it by hiking taxes in a clear breach of his election pledges. After splurging on the Covid-19 pandemic,…
THERE are chances of a cabinet reshuffle as Boris Johnson is expected to hand £34 billion to the NHS as part of a reform of health and social care. According to a report by The Sunday Times, the first ministreal reshuffle by the prime minister in more than 18 months…
PEOPLE across the UK will now have more choice over when to start a family as the government sets out plans to increase the storage limits for eggs, sperm and embryos. Following a public consultation earlier this year, proposals will be introduced to increase the statutory storage limits for everyone…
THE UK government's independent advisory body on vaccines has said that it would not recommend jabbing all 12- to 15-year-olds against coronavirus, arguing the benefits were "too small". The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), a panel of experts that advises ministers, has been weighing the issue after numerous…
A blog post on the NHS Leadership Academy website has provided anti-racism tips, and advised white staff to read about white privilege, The Telegraph reported. The post suggested reading an article on white privilege by the US activist Peggy McIntosh, followed by a discussion of “whiteness” in author Robin DiAngelo’s…
A joint initiative of two organisations that represent the 213 NHS care trusts have informed ministers that the NHS needs a £10bn annually to cover the costs of Covid-19 and tackle the huge treatment backlog, The Guardian reported. The NHS Confederation and NHS Providers have said that without this extra…
BRITAIN will give severely immunosuppressed people a third dose of Covid-19 vaccine to increase their chances of generating a better immune response, although officials stressed the offer was separate from any broader booster vaccine programme. With the move, Britain follows the United States, which last month authorised a third dose…
Shadow minister Yasmin Qureshi and other MPs have made a renewed request to the UK government to reconsider Pakistan’s travel status and remove it from the red list. In a letter to health secretary Sajid Javid, 13 MPs led by Qureshi said the red list status of Pakistan has been…
HEALTH SECRETARY Sajid Javid’s daughters are taking part in a run to raise money for the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. The country has descended into chaos in recent days as the Taliban seized control of the government, almost two decades after they were expelled by a US-led coalition. Following…
BRITAIN on Monday (23) announced it will take delivery of another 35 million doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine in the second half of next year to "future-proof" its jabs rollout. Meanwhile, deaths from Covid-19 and daily infection numbers are again on the rise, says official data, as reports suggest…
More than 80 private COVID-19 travel testing companies are being issued a two-strike warning from Monday that they could be removed from the official government-approved list for misleading prices if they fail to rectify discrepancies. UK health secretary Sajid Javid said his department conducted a “rapid review” of the pricing…
SEVERAL young Britons have shared stories of the debilitating effects of long Covid in a new video released by the UK's National Health Services (NHS) on Monday (23), urging everyone to get their Covid jabs- amid a sharp rise in hospitalisation among young unvaccinated Britons. Featuring several young Britons…
CALLING on the “cowboy behaviour” of private testing companies, the UK government on Monday (23) announced that more than 80 Covid travel test providers listed on the government's website will now be issued two-strike warnings over misleading prices. As per the Department of health and social care (DHSC), 82 Covid…
The UK government on Sunday (22) announced the rollout of a new nationwide antibody surveillance programme, which will make free home antibody tests available for up to 8,000 COVID-positive people a day. The UK Health Security Agency will offer these finger-prick tests to help improve the understanding of immunity against…
SERUM Institute of India (SII) Chairman Cyrus Poonawalla has revealed that he has taken a third Covid booster shot, along with thousands of other SII employees, amid many countries, including the UK, preparing to start offering booster doses. Bating for the booster dose while speaking at a press conference…
THE mass rollout of Covid-19 booster vaccines in Britain to residents over 50 this autumn could be shelved, with government scientists considering limiting third doses only to the most vulnerable, The Telegraph reported on Thursday (19). Britain's National Health Service (NHS) had drawn up plans to roll out a booster…
PEOPLE in England and Northern Ireland who have had two Covid vaccine doses need not have to isolate if they come into contact with someone who has tested positive. They no more have to quarantine for 10 days, but have been advised to take PCR test, which is also not…
EARLIER this month, Rishi Sunak received some bad news when the conservative Home website, edited by Paul Goodman, made the chancellor favourite to take over from prime minister Boris Johnson. Goodman does concede that by the time the next Conservative leadership election comes along, there might be a very different list…
ALL 16 and 17-year-olds in England will be offered their first Covid-19 vaccine dose by August 23, according to a target set by British health secretary Sajid Javid. Javid said on Sunday (15) that offering young people the vaccine by that date will allow the teenagers in that age bracket…
THE UK government has slashed the charges of NHS coronavirus tests for international arrivals to the country. Test and Trace tests have been cut from £88 to £68 for people arriving from green-listed countries and for those coming from amber-listed countries who are fully vaccinated. Besides, the price of two…
BRITAIN’S competition watchdog assured the government on Thursday (12) that it would help in taking action against Covid-19 testing companies if they were found to be violating consumer law. The statement comes in the wake of concerns raised about the price and reliability of PCR travel tests and the quality…
FROM Monday (16), people who are double jabbed or aged under 18 will no longer be legally required to self-isolate even if they are identified as a close contact of a positive Covid-19 case, the department of health and social care said on Thursday (12). Under the new rules people…
Pakistan’s top health official has written to the UK’s health secretary highlighting the 'discrepancies' in the British government’s policy to retain Pakistan on the COVID-19 travel red list while moving India to the amber list. Pakistan was placed on the red list in early April and India on April 19…
Business barriers remain despite change in India's travel status, says analyst THE UK government’s decision to move India from the red list of countries to amber will help UK-India bilateral trade and business – but more needs to be done to reduce the barriers. This is the view of Anuj…
BRITAIN is taking a cautious approach as it decides how many under-18s should receive the Covid-19 vaccine. A scientist says there is a "delicate balance" between benefits and risks when it comes to inoculating the under-18s. As of now 75 per cent of UK adults have had both the shots,…
COVID booster shots are not currently needed and the doses should be given to other countries, Oxford vaccine chief Andrew Pollard said on Tuesday (10) in contrast to the position taken by Britain's health minister Sajid Javid amid reports that the UK is set to "hoard" up to 210 million…
MORE than three quarters of adults in the UK have now received both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine, latest data shows. Moreover, according to the data 60,000 deaths and 66,900 hospitalisations have been prevented by the vaccines. A total of 86,780,455 doses have been administered in the UK, with 47,091,889…
AFTER holidaymakers complained of huge prices and poor service from the firms offering PCR tests, UK's health secretary has asked the competition watchdog to investigate "excessive" pricing and "exploitative practices". Sajid Javid has written a letter to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and has asked them to do a…
THERE could be up to 14 million people on NHS waiting lists in England by next autumn, a new analysis has suggested. It said as of now some five million are waiting for routine operations and procedures. However, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) say there is also a hidden…
THERE will now be extra places on medical and dentistry courses in the UK universities as the cap has been adjusted to allow intake of 9,000 students for the 2021 courses. Backed by up to £10m in government support for the teaching of high-cost courses - medical and dentistry schools…
TO encourage more people to get their Covid jabs, leading figures of the nightlife industry – including venues Ministry of Sound and Heaven – have joined the vaccination drive. The industry will share vaccine messaging online and at their venues, along with Heaven hosting a vaccine event this Sunday (8),…
IT WAS with a heavy heart that Eastern Eye reported the death last Monday (26) of Dr Kailash Chand, a friend and supporter of this newspaper for many years. This week, some of those who knew Dr Chand have paid tribute to him in a special memorial feature. Dr Chaand…
FEWER people will now get “pinged” after coming in close contact with a positive case as changes have been made in the NHS app, Department of Health and Social Care announced today (2). The announcement comes amid the widespread “pingdemic” as hundreds of thousands of Britons were told to self-isolate…
CHEAP taxi rides and discounts from the biggest food takeaway companies will be offered soon to unvaccinated young Britons in an attempt by prime minister Boris Johnson to boost the relatively low Covid-19 vaccine take-up among 18-30s. Talks are on with Uber, Deliveroo and Pizza Pilgrims for offering incentives…
SAJID JAVID has written his “isolation diary” in the Spectator, expressing satisfaction that after more than a year in the political wilderness, he is back in the cabinet as health secretary. Matt Hancock’s misfortune brought Sajid good luck. He reveals, “my mum was delighted – like many Asian mothers she…
UK health secretary has said that it is unpredictable what trajectory the Covid pandemic will take in the weeks ahead, reported the Guardian. "The truth is, when it comes to case numbers no one really knows where they are going to go next," Sajid Javid was quoted as saying while…
DOUBLE-vaccinated travellers from the US and European Union can now avoid quarantine when arriving in England from amber list countries, as per a government announcement recently made today (28). The policy change was agreed at a top-level ministerial Covid meeting on Wednesday (28) afternoon, and will apply from 4…
Rishi Sunak tops annual ranking of most influential Asians in the UK PANDEMIC heroes who went above and beyond their call of duty have been honoured in a special edition of the GG2 Power List, which ranks the 101 most influential Asians in Britain. Thirty Asian doctors, nurses and researchers…
UK government on Monday (26) expanded the list of "critical" sectors falling under daily testing pilot scheme so that its "named" double-jabbed workers can avoid self-isolation even when “pinged” by the NHS Covid app. To support the expansion of the scheme, some 1,200 new sites are being added to 800 already…
BRITISH health secretary Sajid Javid apologised for and deleted a tweet urging people to take a Covid-19 vaccine and not to "cower" from the virus, saying on Sunday (25) he had made "a poor choice of word". Javid, who replaced Matt Hancock as health secretary last month after his predecessor…
UK government on Thursday (22) released a list of 16 sectors where fully vaccinated workers may be exempted from isolation, even if they get “pinged” by NHS Covid app. The announcement came after business leaders warned that the economy might “grind to a halt” due to the so-called 'pingdemic'. …
DAILY Covid testing scheme will be rolled out for food and drink supply chain staff, the government announced on Thursday (22). The move came after the concern raised by supermarkets, business groups and shoppers over empty shelves caused by lack of staff and delay in deliveries allegedly due to widespread…
Nurses and other medics unions have slammed the UK government's three per cent pay rise offer to National Health Services (NHS), calling it “grossly inadequate” and “paltry”. The pay rise, announced on Wednesday (21) evening, is three times higher than the government's initial one per cent offer, though nurses…
LAST week’s horrifying floods in Germany make Alok Sharma, president of COP26, just about the most important man in Britain – possibly even in the world. It’s his job to bring competing nations together as mankind confronts climate change at the conference due to be held in Glasgow from November…
SERIOUS health challenges exist in Britain’s coastal towns- such as Blackpool, Hartlepool and Hull- which must be tackled soon by the government or they only “will get worse”, England’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Professor Chris Whitty has claimed in a recent report. He has recommended a cross-government strategy, greater coastal…
HEALTHCARE workers, pharmacists, faith leaders, restaurateurs and retailers have expressed concern over rising Covid-19 infection rates, as experts predicted the UK will soon have more new cases each day than it did at the height of a second wave of the pandemic earlier this year. Laws requiring masks to be…
AN investment of £20 million has been announced in 15 research studies to find ways to diagnose, treat and support those suffering from long Covid. The Department of Health and Social Care on Sunday (18) said the £19.6m will find ways to benefit sufferers and explore new treatments. Research shows…
DOUBLE vaccinated frontline NHS and social care staff in England- who if told to self-isolate- will be permitted to attend work in exceptional circumstances, Department of Health and Social Care said on Monday (19). Staff, including social care, will be exempted from isolating in "exceptional circumstances", when absences may…
THE government on Monday (19) lifted Covid restrictions on daily life in England, scrapping all social distancing in a step slammed by scientists and opposition parties as a dangerous leap into the unknown. From Sunday midnight, nightclubs were able to reopen and other indoor venues allowed to run at full…
The UK government on Sunday (17) declared it had hit its target of offering every adult in the country a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of this month ahead of time. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said a total of 81,959,398 doses of COVID vaccines have been…
SHREYAS ROYAL, 12, started playing chess at the age of six and has been winning games at tournaments too. The chess prodigy has has returned recently from Budapest, after participating in a tournament where his rating rose for him to become a Fide master. He is now two titles short…
BRITISH health secretary Sajid Javid on Saturday (17) said he had tested positive for Covid-19, but that his symptoms were mild and he had had two doses of the vaccine. Javid, who has been health secretary for three weeks, has backed prime minister Boris Johnson's plan to fully re-open England's…
BRITAIN reported its highest number of new Covid cases in more than six months on Friday (16), days before the government plans to relax curbs on pubs, restaurants and nightclubs in England and ease requirements to wear masks. Government data showed there were 51,870 new cases of coronavirus, up from…
A latest antibody surveillance report shows almost 100 per cent of people tested positive for antibodies 14 days after taking the second dose of a Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine. Imperial College London and Ipsos MORI conducted the study over 207,337 participants across England using a finger prick test between May…
HEALTH secretary Sajid Javid has condemned racial abuse targeted at black England footballers after the Euro 2020 final on Sunday (11), saying racism has no place in the country. “Racism has no place in football, or in our society, and I know the House will agree that we must show…
PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson urged people on Monday (12) to show caution when nearly all remaining Covid-19 restrictions are lifted in England next week, as he emphasised that an increase in cases underlined that the pandemic was by no means over. England will from Monday (19) be the first nation…
LONDON mayor Sadiq Khan on Wednesday (14) called for use of face coverings to remain compulsory on public transport in the British capital after government plans to relax Covid curbs begin on July 19. Under the plans passengers on Transport for London (TfL) services - which include the city's tube,…
UK health secretary Sajid Javid on Tuesday (13) visited the Aashna house residential care home at Streatham in South London. Javid said that reforms in the social care sector will be a huge priority for him. "Social care is as important to me as health care. In dealing with the…
UK government is taking a massive U-turn by tightening advice on Covid passports, masks, vulnerable people and working from home, media reports claim, as the country’s lockdown is set to be axed as planned in seven days on July 19. Health Secretary Sajid Javid on Monday (12) confirmed that…
UK health secretary Sajid Javid has warned that the NHS waiting list may rocket to 13 million in the coming months as the health service continues to grapple with the Covid third wave on top of a huge backlog of treatment. Speaking during his first interview after taking over…
MORE than 80 million Covid-19 vaccines have been administered across the UK, the Department of health and social care declared on Friday (9), adding that every Briton now has a chance to be double-jabbed by mid-September. About 86.8 per cent of Britons have received the first dose while 65.3 per…
POLITICAL analysts have detected a dangerous jihadi strain in the Conservative party first detected in Westminster. Those infected with this deadly mutation say: “We want all Covid restrictions lifted, no matter what the cost. Raising alarms about the 25,000 people a day testing positive for the Delta strain from India…
CHANCELLOR Rishi Sunak said the government was looking at changes to its Covid-19 app due to frustration among the public about the continued need for 10 days of self-isolation if it alerts them to a possible exposure to the virus. The government plans to lift capacity restrictions on pubs, restaurants…
Infection rates for double vaccinated under-65s are three times lower than in unvaccinated under-65s despite infection rates quadrupling since last month, says a study, suggesting the impact of the vaccination roll out in the country. According to the latest report of REACT-1, claimed to be one of the country’s largest…
PEOPLE who have been fully vaccinated and children will no longer have to self-isolate after close contact with someone who tests positive for Covid-19 from August 16, health secretary Sajid Javid said on Tuesday (6). His comments follow prime minister Boris Johnson’s plans on Monday (5) to end social and…
UK prime minister Boris Johnson’s decision to drop mandatory face-masks and social distancing from July 19 may condemn thousands of young Britons to years of sickness with long Covid, scientists have warned, as reports state that the country is “very close” to reaching herd immunity. As many as 10,000…
LONDON'S Heathrow airport said on Wednesday (6) it plans to offer fast-track lanes for fully-vaccinated arriving passengers, as the UK government winds down its pandemic curbs. The government is expected on Thursday (8) to announce that travellers coming to England from "amber" countries - the middle ranking for Covid incidence,…
BRITAIN's medical bodies have warned that the “freedom” may last only for a few weeks as all forms of Covid-19 restrictions in England are set to end on July 19 amid rising cases. UK health and social care secretary Sajid Javid said that the country is entering “uncharted territory” and…
BRITAIN’S National Health Service (NHS) is set to face acute staff shortage as many senior doctors are planning to retire in the coming times and more trainees are expected to opt for flexible working, medical leaders have warned, calling on the health and social care secretary Sajid Javid to give…
UK PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson will today confirm the end of lockdown on July 19 though scientists have warned that lifting restrictions is like building new “variant factories” at a very fast rate. Some medics also described the attitude of the new health and social care secretary, Sajid Javid, as “frightening”, as…
BRITISH prime minister will on Monday (5) unveil a plan to lift coronavirus restrictions from July 19, while urging the population to "learn to live with" the virus. Johnson had initially aimed for a full reopening on June 21 but was forced to push back the date because of a…
ENGLAND is all set to go mask-free as latest media reports claim that wearing face masks will become a matter-of-choice everywhere – including on public transport- under a raft of measures that are set to come into force from July 19 which will “make Britain the most open country in…
UK prime minister Boris Johnson is upbeat about easing lockdown on July 19 but with some "extra precautions", as daily new cases in England touched 26,068 on Wednesday (30), with cases of reinfections also coming to light. Meanwhile, booster Covid-19 vaccine is expected to be deployed rapidly from September for…
IT WOULD be ironic if Sajid Javid, who is back from the political wilderness as Matt Hancock’s replacement as health secretary, and Rishi Sunak, who succeeded him 16 months ago as chancellor, fight it out one day for the top job in British politics. Asian vs Asian for the post…
British Medical Association on Thursday (1) has urged England’s newly-appointed health secretary Sajid Javid to tackle racism within the healthcare sector, claiming that the government commission report had “ignored well-documented” evidence of structural racism in NHS and failed to give a true picture of the barriers faced by ethnic minority health…
THE number of students sent home from school due to Covid infection has spiked leading to widespread absence, statistics have shown. According to new Department of Education (DoE) data, more than 375,000 pupils –about one in 20 – were not in school for Covid-related reasons. This was an increase by…
AT LEAST one in three south Asians, aged 18 or over, is still not fully protected from the Covid virus, Eastern Eye can reveal. Despite the government spearheading a “concerted community-led effort” to persuade minority communities to get vaccinated, the latest figures reveal that about 67 per cent of “Asians…
IT is time for Britons to “learn to live” with the coronavirus, said UK health secretary Sajid Javid on Monday (28), as he vowed to end all the restrictions on July 19, while experts continue to differ on vaccinating teenage children to further curb the spread of Covid-19. While addressing…
PUPILS in England will no longer have to undergo 10-day isolation after contact with a positive Covid case when schools return in September as ministers are expected to replace the existing self-isolation system with a daily testing regime. “We are conducting trials of daily contact testing as a possible…
Lockdown easing in England will not happen earlier but there will not be any “going back” once it happens on July 19, suggested prime minister Boris Johnson and UK’s new health secretary Sajid Javid in different statements. Meanwhile, the cases continue to rise with more spikes reported among children, leading…
FORMER chancellor Sajid Javid will replace Matt Hancock as the UK's health and social care secretary, Downing Street said on Saturday (26). Javid resigned as chancellor early last year after he refused to fire his political advisers as demanded by Johnson. The British Asian MP from Bromsgrove has previously held…
LAST month Professor Swaran Singh published his independent investigation of discrimination within the Conservative Party. This was a thorough and comprehensive independent report, with Singh having full access to party records and conducting interviews with prime minister Boris Johnson and cabinet ministers. Clearly, the party took the investigation seriously, and…
The government has decided to raise the minimum legal age of marriage to 18 in England and Wales marking a victory of campaigners eyeing the revision. Currently, 16- and 17-year-olds can marry with parental consent and charity bodies have warned that this loophole is being exploited to encourage child marriage.…
THE Conservative government needs to prioritise engagement with ethnic minority communities, a former MP has said, following a report which found anti-Muslim sentiment “remains a problem” in the Tory party. An independent inquiry, led by Professor Swaran Singh, found a “widespread perception” that the Tories have a “Muslim problem”. The…
Exclusive The government, police and councils are failing thousands of south Asian children, some just a few months old, who have been sexually abused, an eleven month Eastern Eye investigation has uncovered. Using freedom of information requests, we asked 50 councils and 13 police forces how they collate figures for…
FORMER chancellor Sajid Javid has urged the Conservatives to get their “house in order” on Islamophobia as he reveals that he was blocked from standing in a safe Tory seat on the basis that its constituents wouldn’t vote for a Muslim MP. In a piece for The Times, he called…
By Sunder Katwala Director, British Future IT WAS 20 years ago that three nights of rioting in Oldham catapulted the Lancashire town into the headlines – and reshaped national debates about integration for a generation. Ted Cantle’s concept of “parallel lives” – two communities living side by side, with…
THE extradition coordination between Indian and UK has fundamentally changed and improved, said Britain's Home Secretary Priti Patel. A new India-UK Migration and Mobility Partnership (MMP) was signed between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Patel last week. MMP aims to cover the whole spectrum of immigration issues, including streamlining extradition…
By Barnie Choudhury THE Asian Media Group (AMG) and the University of Southampton have teamed up to recognise south Asians who have transformed the UK. Named after the founder of AMG, the Ramniklal Solanki Pioneers Project will tell the life stories of 100 people whose work has left an…
By Amit Roy THE Supreme Court ruled last week that the Home Office was right to keep Shamima Begum out of the country if the intelligence services felt she posed a threat to national security. This is a strange case in which a Bangladeshi girl was stripped of her nationality…
Research says disregard for women enables abuse as Patel vows justice for victims MOST group-based offenders of child sexual exploitation (CSE) offences are white, a new government report has found. Research published on Tuesday (15), showed that although there is an overrepresentation of Asian and black offenders in group-based CSE,…
By Amit Roy THIS might sound like an odd thing to say, but it is probably in the interests of the UK’s Bangladeshi community that Shamima Begum not be let back into Britain. She has an absentee father who lives with a second wife in Bangladesh, but Shamima inflicted pain…
By Amit Roy LORD MICHAEL ASHCROFT, a former treasurer and deputy chairman of the Conservative party, has revealed why he decided to write the first-ever biography of the chancellor, Going for Broke: The Rise of Rishi Sunak. “At the beginning of the year, hardly anyone outside Westminster and Yorkshire had…
LONDONER Shamima Begum, who went to Syria aged 15 to join Daesh (the Islamic State group) should not be allowed to return to the country as she poses a security risk, the UK government told the Supreme Court on Monday(23). The government has asked the country's highest court to decide…
By Sunder Katwala British Future “I’VE placed our rangoli outside No 11, the mithai is set to be delivered and the family Zoom is booked in. I know things will feel a bit different, and it’s hard not to be able to see family, but we will get through…
UK prime minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Keir Starmer have supported the ‘Remember Together’ initiative ahead of Remembrance Sunday. The campaign, a joint initiative by thinktank British Future and the Royal British Legion, urges greater efforts to commemorate the service and sacrifice of black and Asian servicemen and women…
By Sunder Katwala British Future IT WILL be a very different Remembrance Sunday this weekend, with local parades and services cancelled and the annual service at the Cenotaph closed to the public for the first time in its history. Many people will mark a two-minute silence from their doorsteps at…
A NEW campaign launched on Thursday(29) to highlight the role of soldiers from across the Commonwealth during the WW2. The ‘Remember Together’ joint campaign by thinktank British Future and the Royal British Legion has received support from prominent voices from culture, politics, faith, civil society and the military. Actors Adrian…
By Safya khan-ruf Researcher at Hope Not Hate IN RECENT times, race and religion have been at the forefront of our politics. The years prior to the 2019 general election saw the Labour party mired in a battle with antisemitism. This year we have seen worldwide protests against racial injustice…
By S Neeraj Krishna TORY MP Sajid Javid believes the fight for racial justice is important but is wary of the Black Lives Matter movement, which he labelled as a "neo-Marxist" force. Addressing a virtual event during the Conservative Party’s annual conference on Monday (5), the former chancellor said there…
Rishi Sunak's appointment as Britain's chancellor of the exchequer after only five years in politics raised eyebrows because of his age and relative inexperience. But he is now the subject of leadership talk as one of the few ministers to emerge largely unscathed by the government's handling of the coronavirus…
By Amit Roy IT IS claimed that Sajid Javid and Boris Johnson remain on friendly terms, but there are indications “our Saj” is not expecting a quick recall to government. Seven months after he resigned as chancellor on February 14 – Valentine’s Day, incidentally, though there was little love lost…
SAJID JAVID on Monday (14) said “respect for the rule of law” was sacrosanct as he rebelled against Boris Johnson’s legislative bill that would override parts of the Brexit treaty struck with the European Union last year. The former chancellor was joined by top Tory figures such as former attorney-generals…
By Amit Roy BORIS JOHNSON will wonder if Gavin Williamson is the right man to be education secretary after the A-levels fiasco, which is so serious it has become an election loser for the Conservative party. I remember Williamson being invited to the Hinduja Diwali party when he was chief…
WALL STREET giant JPMorgan has hired former British chancellor Sajid Javid as a senior adviser, in a move that sees the politician resume his career in investment banking. Javid quit his role in government earlier this year after falling out with Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a cabinet reshuffle. He…
By Amit Roy THE chancellor Rishi Sunak, who is also “master of the mint”, is said to have decided that the first-ever ethnic minority figure on a British coin is to be Mahatma Gandhi. In a letter to former Conservative candidate Zehra Zaidi, who is leading the ‘We Too Built…
Campaigners in the UK on Tuesday (4) sought to clarify confusion arising out of recent reports of Mahatma Gandhi being featured on a future commemorative coin being mistakenly associated with a separate drive for ethnic minority representation on British legal tender. The UK's Treasury department confirmed that the commemorative coin…
UK chancellor Rishi Sunak on Sunday (2) backed a campaign for influential ethnic minority figures to be featured on a set of UK coins to celebrate Britain’s diversity. Mahatma Gandhi is in the running as an influential Commonwealth figure, as the UK’s Royal Mint considers the plans as part of…
THE UK government has won a bid for the Supreme Court to decide if a woman stripped of her citizenship after joining the Islamic State group in Syria can return to fight the decision. The Home Office successfully appealed a lower court ruling this month which would have allowed Shamima…
A WOMAN who had her UK citizenship revoked after travelling to Syria to join the Islamic State group should be allowed to return home to challenge the decision, a London court has ruled. Shamima Begum, 20, lost the first stage of her case about the legality of the government's decision…
A 2011 VIDEO featuring Munira Mirza has resurfaced under the spotlight as she is seen arguing against banning hate speech, and asking a black youth how using the “N-word” was different from calling someone “fat”. The head of Number 10’s policy unit – who’s been asked to set up UK’s…
By Sunder Katwala Director British Future thinktank “ACTION this day!” became Winston Churchill’s Second World War watchword. So he might have been looking down quizzically as his successor Boris Johnson announced a new cross-government commission to look at all aspects of inequality, in an article pledging “to resist with every…
CONSERVATIVE leaders have slammed critics of No.10 adviser Munira Mirza’s involvement in the new racial equalities commission announced by Boris Johnson. Following the recent anti-racism protests in the UK, the prime minister had said he was setting up a commission to study "all aspects of inequality — in employment, in…
ALLIES of Shaun Bailey have dismissed murmurs about some Tory insiders machinating to replace him with a stronger candidate – like Sajid Javid – for London's mayoral election. The former youth leader, who emerged as one of the Conservative Party’s prominent black voices, had been picked to take on incumbent…
By Amit Roy THE home secretary, Priti Patel, has condemned the demolition of the statue of slave trader Edward Colston by ‘Black Lives Matter’ protestors in Bristol last Sunday (7). “I think that is utterly disgraceful,” she said. “Sheer vandalism and disorder is completely unacceptable and it’s right the police…
ANTI-RACISM protests in Britain have been "subverted by thuggery", Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday (8), warning those responsible would be held to account. Tens of thousands took to the streets of London on Sunday, rallying for a second day running to condemn police brutality after the killing of…
SAJID JAVID has vowed to take the child abuse “epidemic” head on as he leads an inquiry looking at sexual crimes against children, along with the Centre for Social Justice think tank. Elaborating on the scale of child sex abuse in the UK, the former home secretary and chancellor said…
THE British government has turned down India's request for the extradition of Tiger Hanif, an alleged aide of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim wanted in India in connection with two bomb blasts in Surat in 1993, the UK Home Office has confirmed. Mohammed Hanif Umerji Patel had been traced to a…
Vijay Mallya on Thursday (14) lost his application seeking leave to appeal in the UK Supreme Court against an extradition order to India on charges of fraud and money laundering. Last month, the liquor baron had lost a High Court appeal in the case related to unrecovered loans to the…
Vijay Mallya on Monday (20) lost a UK High Court appeal against his extradition to India. The dismissal of the High Court appeal effectively clears the decks for Mallya's extradition to India to face the charges in the Indian courts, with 14 days for him to apply for permission to appeal…
RISHI SUNAK would take responsibility for leading the country if Dominic Raab, currently standing in for hospitalised Prime Minister Boris Johnson, were also incapacitated. Johnson spent a night in intensive care receiving oxygen treatment following his admission to hospital with a persistent high temperature and cough, more than a week…
By Barnie Choudhury Former BBC Journalist OM SHANTI OM. Greetings from socially distancing SouthAsiastan, better known as Leicester. You know, that Rishi is such a good boy. His parents could not have known, but they named him appropriately. Significantly, the past few weeks suggest that ‘Rish’, as our esteemed prime…
By Nadeem Badshah BUSINESS leaders have praised chancellor Rishi Sunak’s budget for scrapping business rates for small firms and his Coronavirus response fund, but critics have hit out at the chancellor’s response to the social care crisis. Sunak announced in his first spring Budget last Wednesday (11) that thousands of…
RISHI SUNAK’S Budget delivery seems to have hoisted his “PM-in-waiting” tag, with analysts hinting that he could emerge as Boris Johnson’s successor. The chancellor—who had made a “surprise entry” into No 11, after Sajid Javid quit to preserve his “self-respect”—displayed grace under fire as he had hardly a month to…
NEXT month, the race for the Labour leader and deputy leader will come to a close. Following Jeremy Corbyn’s resignation in December, Indian-origin MP Lisa Nandy announced she would be standing as a candidate to succeed him. Meanwhile, fellow ethnic minority MPs Rosena Allin-Khan and Dawn Butler are both running…
BRITAIN launched a £30 billion economic stimulus plan just hours after the Bank of England slashed interest rates, a double-barrelled package aimed at warding off the risk of a coronavirus recession. Prime minister Boris Johnson's new Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, said in his maiden budget speech that the…
A CARTOON on Priti Patel as a “sacred cow” to some, a “bull-y” to others has stirred social media, with tweeple finding it “racist”, “derogatory” and amounting to “a hate crime”. The cartoon by Steve Bell in the Guardian, featuring bovine caricatures of the home secretary and the prime minister,…
UK chancellor Rishi Sunak has cast himself as the country's finance director with prime minister Boris Johnson as the CEO. The 39-year-old, who is putting the finishing touches to his maiden Budget to be delivered next Wednesday, was promoted last month after his predecessor, Sajid Javid, stepped down amid a…
CHANCELLOR Rishi Sunak will scrap the unpopular “tampon tax” as he presents the Budget on Wednesday (11). Reports said the 5 per cent rate of value-added tax (VAT) on women’s sanitary products will be abolished from January 1, as the Brexit transition period ends. The move will be the culmination of…
RISHI SUNAK had been entrusted with the daunting task of “rewriting” his predecessor Sajid Javid’s budget agenda. The looming coronavirus threat, however, has made the chancellor embark on a much more vital 'rewriting' mission—“prioritise economic security”. Sunak has ordered Treasury officials to chalk out plans to bolster public health response,…
By Rithika Siddhartha WHEN he took to the stage at the Asian Business Awards in March 2018, it was the first and only time that Ramniklal Solanki was the recipient of an accolade at an AMG event – usually it would be him who had the honour of presenting awards…
By Nadeem Badshah LEADING businessmen have backed the High Speed 2 (HS2) rail project despite the controversies over its spiralling budget. Boris Johnson recently gave the green light for the route London to Birmingham, Manchester, and Leeds. Supporters of the plan say it will improve transport times, reduce overcrowding, create jobs…
By Amit Roy SHOULD Sir Philip Rutnam be sacked as permanent secretary at the home office, the most senior civil servant in the department, for allegedly frustrating Priti Patel and previous home secretaries? To be sure, he seems to have a problem with Priti, who is accused of “bullying” senior…
SAJID JAVID minced no words in saying that the power play that saw him resign as chancellor was “not in the national interest”. Delivering a short but sharp resignation speech in the House of Commons on Wednesday (26), Javid started off saying he had hoped he would have had “a…
by LAUREN CODLING INDEPENDENT London mayoral candidate Rory Stewart has pledged to make the safety of Londoners a priority. Having spent time speaking to thousands of voters during his campaign trial, ahead of the election in May, Stewart has found a common concern from most is the level of safety…
Government spending under Rishi Sunak could cross the £1 trillion mark by 2023-24, says a new report. The chancellor was likely to push spending to 40 per cent of GDP, going past the scale of public expenditure under former prime minister Tony Blair. The Resolution Foundation, which released the report…
By Barnie Choudhury Former BBC Journalist IT WOULD seem that British politics is more ruthless than the Game of Thrones. Last September, Sajid Javid was Ned Stark. He rallied the party faithful during the Conservative conference in Manchester. We learnt his mother thought that the first south Asians to…
By Sunder Katwala Director of British Future THIS was expected to be a quiet reshuffle. So, the brutal Valentine’s Eve political power play which saw chancellor Sajid Javid crash out of government took Westminster by surprise. Javid had been the only Cabinet minister to receive a public commitment that…
by NADEEM BADSHAH NEW chancellor Rishi Sunak has been urged to focus on "prevention" and long-term strategies to support vulnerable people in his Budget on March 11. Charities working with domestic abuse victims, the elderly and the disabled have called on Sunak, who was given the job after Sajid Javid's shock…
RISHI SUNAK has confirmed that he would present the Budget on March 11, adding that it “will deliver” on “levelling up and unleashing the country’s potential”. The chancellor is reportedly working “round the clock” and has decided to skip the G20 summit of finance chiefs set to be held in…
BRITAIN'S new finance minister Rishi Sunak said he will stick with the March 11 date for the government's first post-Brexit budget, dispelling speculation that the plans, likely to entail a big increase in spending, would be delayed. Sunak's predecessor Sajid Javid, who was already working on plans to increase public…
RISHI SUNAK is a man in a hurry. After his surprise promotion as chancellor last week, his first big task is presenting the government’s “scene-setter” Budget. Though he was "down to work" right from the word go, Sunak might postpone the current Budget date of March 11. He was likely to…
BESIDES Sajid Javid’s resignation and Rishi Sunak’s elevation, Boris Johnson’s cabinet reshuffle witnessed another historic development: Suella Braverman was appointed the attorney general of England and Wales. The Fareham MP became the second woman, after Baroness Scotland of Asthal in 2007, to be elevated to the post that was created…
Britain's new Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said that he was honoured to be appointed as the new finance minister. He showered praises on Sajid Javid, who resigned on Thursday (13) from the post of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. "My predecessor and good friend Saj did a fantastic…
by S. NEERAJ KRISHNA BORIS JOHNSON's cabinet reshuffle wasn’t expected to raise much of a kerfuffle. The prime minister, it is said, wanted to maintain a “business-as-usual” air over the exercise. Things, however, took an unusual turn with Sajid Javid resigning as chancellor of the exchequer. He refused to bow…
PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson forced the resignation of his finance minister on Thursday (13) for refusing to toe the line, a sign he was tightening his control in a government reshuffle designed to deliver his vision for Britain beyond Brexit. Johnson, who had wanted to minimise any disruption from his…
Rishi Sunak, a 39-year-old high-flying business investor who only entered politics five years ago, has enjoyed a rapid rise to become Britain's new Chancellor of the Exchequer. Sunak entered parliament in 2015 and got his foot on the most junior rung of government in January 2018 -- and was still…
SAJID JAVID has resigned as chancellor after Prime Minister Boris Johnson reportedly asked him to sack his team of advisers. A source close to Javid said: “The PM said he had to fire all his special advisers and replace them with No 10 special advisers to make it one team.…
COMBATING criticism over HS2’s spiralling cost assessment, Prime Minister Boris Johnson chose to make a “historic choice” of going ahead with project on Tuesday (11). He said it was part of strengthening the “spine” of connectivity in the process of solving the “great musculoskeletal problem of UK transport”. Chancellor of…
SCOTLAND YARD officers are preparing to hand over alleged bookie Sanjeev Chawla to their counterparts in Delhi Police by Thursday (13) to face match-fixing charges in Indian courts. The 50-year-old British national is a key accused in the match-fixing scandal involving former South African cricket captain Hansie Cronje in 2000. According to officials…
LIQUOR baron Vijay Mallya on Tuesday (11) appeared before the Royal Courts of Justice in London for his appeal against extradition to India, where his lawyer claimed “multiple errors” in a magistrates’ court order favouring the Indian government. The former Kingfisher Airlines boss, who remains on bail since his arrest…
Liquor baron Vijay Mallya is expected to return to court on Tuesday as the UK High Court begins hearing his appeal against being extradited to India to face fraud and money laundering charges amounting to Rs 9,000 crores (£1 billion). The Royal Courts of Justice in London will hear the…
SHAMIMA BEGUM—one of the three east London schoolgirls who went to Syria to join ISIS—lost the first stage of her appeal against the government annulling her British citizenship. Begum, 20, had left the UK in February 2015. She married a Dutch jihadi and lived under ISIS for nearly four years.…
THE European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Thursday (6) rejected alleged bookie Sanjeev Chawla’s application for an interim measure on human rights grounds to block his extradition from the UK to face match-fixing charges in India. The legal paperwork process for his extradition will now go ahead through the…
JUST two of the 23 people who applied to succeed Mark Carney as Bank of England (BoE) governor were women and both were interviewed, according to a letter published by Britain's finance ministry on Monday (3). The government named Andrew Bailey, a 30-year veteran of the bank, as the next…
BORIS JOHNSON and Sajid Javid have instructed all ministries to identify potential cost savings worth up to 5 per cent each by March 2. And that means axing of projects that are not priority. “This will allow us to refocus our efforts towards the things which matter most: strengthening our NHS;…
BRITAIN’S leading Asian entrepreneurs have urged chancellor Sajid Javid to axe inheritance tax and lower business rates when he presents his budget in March. The government’s annual financial plan on March 11 is set to be Britain’s first in more than four decades as a non-European Union member state.…
A British court on Monday (27) ordered that a luxury yacht owned by Force India Limited be sold and its proceeds be used to pay back Qatar National Bank to enforce its mortgage on the vessel. During court proceedings, brought by the bank in the Admiralty Division of the High…
Priti Patel assailed British companies for being “far too reliant” on “low-skilled” and “cheap” labour” from the European Union. The home secretary asserted that business houses would have to invest more on British workers as per post-Brexit rules. The statements regarding new policy shifts came on Monday (27), just days…
The UK government on Sunday (26) unveiled a new 50-pence commemorative Brexit coin ahead of the UK's exit from the European Union (EU) next Friday. Chancellor of the exchequer Sajid Javid, who is also the UK’s master of the mint, said the new coin marks a new chapter in the…
By Rithika Siddhartha BRITISH-ASIAN MEN of Pakistani origin are not disproportionately represented among those found guilty of child sexual offences, two academics have said. Arguing that the “overwhelming focus on Asian men abusing white girls” risks ignoring other victims and overlooking other offenders, the experts said that child sexual…
The UK High Court on Thursday (16) began hearing an application for permission to appeal filed by alleged bookie Sanjeev Chawla against his extradition to India to face charges of match fixing. Chawla is wanted in India to face charges of cricket match-fixing dating back to 2000 and has been…
By Amit Roy SIR ANWAR PERVEZ, the founder and chairman of the Bestway Group, was described by the Sunday Telegraph last week as “the richest Pakistan-born Briton”. My father would confer on him his highest praise – “one of nature’s own gentlemen”. Anyway, it was good to read the Telegraph’s questions and…
THE UK government has announced a 6.2 per cent increase in the National Living Wage (NLW), set to take effect on April 1, 2020. The rise will see the NLW increasing from £8.21 to £8.72 for over 25 years olds, to meet the government’s current target of reaching 60 per…
By Barnie Choudhury Former BBC journalist FOR the past 20 years, I have been resolute that I would return to karate. I gave up soon after our daughter was born, and the once-toned muscles of a former British champion went to mush. Perhaps writing it down, in black and…
ANDREW BAILEY has been appointed as the next governor of the Bank of England on Friday (20). Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid named Bailey, the head of the Financial Conduct Authority regulator, as new governor of the BoE to guide it through Brexit. "I am delighted to announce that…
by RITHIKA SIDDHARTHA PEOPLE’S priorities will be the focus of the Conservative government, chancellor Sajid Javid said, as prime minister Boris Johnson held his first cabinet meeting on Tuesday (17) after winning a majority in last week’s general election. The Conservatives secured 365 seats – their best result for three…
THREE Indian-origin ministers, including UK home secretary Priti Patel, have retained their posts in prime minister Boris Johnson's Cabinet, which met on Tuesday (17) ahead of the first Parliament session since the Conservative Party won a strong 80-seat majority in the General Election last week. The newly-elected MPs and ministers…
British Asian candidates across both the Conservative and Labour parties on Friday (13) registered strong results in the UK's general election, with around a dozen MPs retaining their seats alongside some new faces. Prime minister Boris Johnson clinched an emphatic victory in Thursday's election, setting the UK on course for…
by BARNIE CHOUDHURY Former BBC journalist SO THAT’S that then. All done until the next time. We are slowly dissecting the outcome of the general election. What does it mean for our nation? How much nearer are we to ‘getting Brexit done’? Will we ever recover from the political torpor…
by RITHIKA SIDDHARTHA PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson has praised the Indian community in the UK, saying they are one of Britain’s “greatest national assets”. In an exclusive interview with Eastern Eye ahead of Thursday’s (12) general election, the leader of the Conservative party also paid tributes to immigrants, saying they…
By Rithika Siddhartha LEADING Asian business leaders have collectively written a letter to Eastern Eye pledging their support for Boris Johnson, saying that the Conservative party’s manifesto “respects the needs of business to provide jobs and generate growth for the economy”. Ahead of the general election next Thursday (12), a…
By Nadeem Badshah BRITAIN’S top entrepreneurs have urged the next UK government to make ending the Brexit uncertainty, addressing the lack of housing and enabling more trade deals with India among its top priorities. Ahead of the general election on December 12, they have unveiled their Christmas wish lists,…
Sajid Javid has defended Boris Johnson's controversial remarks about Muslim women and said the prime minister had given valid explanation over why he compared veil-wearing women to "letterboxes" and "bank robbers." Javid, who is of Pakistani Muslim heritage, however, failed to say whether he would use the same language to…
by SUNDER KATWALA Director, British Future WHEN the class of 1987 saw Diane Abbott, Paul Boateng, Bernie Grant and Keith Vaz become the first black and Asian members to enter the Commons in the post-war era, that breakthrough quartet accounted for one in every 165 MPs. Even a decade ago,…
BRITAIN’S parliament could be the most diverse ever – with 67 ethnic minority MPs – when the results of the December 12 election are announced next month, a leading thinktank has predicted. There were 52 BAME MPs when parliament was dissolved in October, in the run up to the general…
By Amit Roy ASIAN peer Lord Karan Bilimoria has spoken for the first time of “the two three things I want to do” when he takes over as president of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). The CBI, which has 190,000 members who employ a total of seven million…
ASIAN-origin Sajid Javid will remain the Chancellor if the Conservatives win next month’s election. In an address to business leaders in London on Monday (18), British prime minister Boris Johnson promised that the Treasury will continue to be led by Javid. Johnson told the Confederation of British Industry conference: “I'm…
British prime minister Boris Johnson said on Monday (18) he was putting on hold further cuts in corporation tax and told voters he would pump the money into services such as health instead, addressing a central issue in the December 12 election. "We are postponing further cuts in corporation tax,"…
LABOUR'S John McDonnell has accused chancellor Sajid Javid of "running scared" after he refused to take part in a television debate with his opposition rivals. After McDonnell was told that the 90-minute piece proposed for Sunday has been shelved, the shadow minister accused Javid of being afraid to defend Tory…
THE Conservative party has been accused of refusing to deal with Islamophobia within its ranks after chancellor Sajid Javid revealed that a broader probe into prejudice makes sense. Several senior Tory leaders, including former party chair Sayeeda Warsi, have called for an independent inquiry into Islamophobia within the party. During…
Chancellor Sajid Javid said on Sunday (10) the Labour Party's "reckless" spending plans would trigger an economic crisis within months if it won the December 12 election, citing a contested dossier published by his Conservative Party. Labour strongly dismissed the report, which said it would increase spending by 1.2 trillion…
British chancellor Sajid Javid said a new Conservative government would spend up to £20 billion ($25.7 billion) more each year on road, rail and other infrastructure projects, and there would be room for tax cuts too. If Boris Johnson is re-elected as prime minister on Dec. 12, Javid said the…
In what can be described as a blow to chancellor Sajid Javid, the Treasury was on Tuesday (5) stopped from publishing its assessment of nine Labour's policies. Javid told a meeting of the Cabinet on Tuesday that his department would be publishing a report on the cost of nine Labour…
COMEDIAN SHAZIA MIRZA SPEAKS ABOUT HER NEW SHOW AND FINDING INSPIRATION IN EVERYDAY LIFE by ASJAD NAZIR She has been described as one of the bravest and funniest comedians in the world, but Shazia Mirza is also a pioneer who has smashed open the door for a generation of British…
TURKEY has threatened to send Daesh (Islamic State) fighters back to their home countries, and this could see Jihadi Jack returning to Britain. Interior minister Suleyman Soylu on Saturday (2) warned the nation "is not a hotel" for captured terrorists. "We are not going to keep them until the end…
Chancellor Sajid Javid has joined a host of other public personalities condemning a magazine column suggesting that Muslim people should be deterred from voting. In a column for news magazine The Spectator, right-wing controversialist Rod Liddle suggested that elections should be held on Islamic holy days so as to deter…
BRITAIN'S government will not name a successor to Bank of England Governor Mark Carney before a national election due on December 12, a finance ministry official said. Earlier on Thursday (31), a spokesman for prime minister Boris Johnson said the process for the appointment remained on track to be made…
CHANCELLOR Sajid Javid has slammed actor Hugh Grant for refusing to shake his hand at a film premiere. Javid said the Hollywood actor was "incredibly rude" at an event earlier this month for Martin Scorsese's movie The Irishman. In his interview, Javid told ES magazine: "I recognised him and put…
Chancellor Sajid Javid has postponed his first budget statement which he had been due to give on November 6 because of delays to Brexit and the government's attempts to call an early election, a Treasury source said on Thursday. "Parliament has voted for a delay. We're calling for an election,…
Rishi Sunak, the chief secretary of the treasury, made great strides in his career this year which was reflected in his rise to seventh in this year GG2 Power list. Speaking to the BBC, Sunak reveled his delight at making in on the coveted annual list that showcases the 101…
MINISTERS have been warned that ethnic diversity in Parliament is on course to “stall” after it was revealed that there has been a significant drop in the number of candidates selected from a black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) for the next general election. Both the Conservatives and Labour Party…
A LEADING corporate boss, a prominent mental health advocate and a lawyer to the stars were among the winners at this year’s annual GG2 Leadership Awards in London last Thursday evening (10). Nitin Paranjpe, chief operating officer at Unilever, one of the world’s most renowned consumer goods companies, scooped the…
THE Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sajid Javid said on Monday (14) he planned to deliver Britain's first post-Brexit budget statement on November 6, less than a week after the country's deadline for leaving the European Union, if it exits with a deal. "I will be setting out our plan to…
BRITAIN will commission a commemorative coin to mark the 90th anniversary of the final visit by Indian independence hero Mahatma Gandhi, Chancellor Sajid Javid announced Thursday (10). Gandhi came to London in 1931 for a roundtable conference on India's future and ended up travelling around Britain, including visiting textile workers in…
A LEADING corporate boss, a prominent mental health advocate and a lawyer to the stars were among winners at this year’s annual GG2 Leadership Awards in London on Thursday evening (10). Nitin Paranjpe, chief operating officer at Unilever, one of the world’s most renowned consumer goods companies, scooped the…
CHANCELLOR Sajid Javid has been named the most influential Asian in Britain for the second consecutive year, as the annual edition of the GG2 Power List will be unveiled this evening. Britain’s first Asian chancellor of the exchequer tops the ranking, while Priti Patel, Javid’s successor in the Home Office and…
THE process to appoint the next Bank of England governor remains on track, and parliament will have time to scrutinise the new appointment before Governor Mark Carney steps down, chancellor Sajid Javid said in a letter released on Tuesday (8). Javid's predecessor, Philip Hammond, said the appointment would be made…
Chancellor Sajid Javid pledged on Monday (30) to prepare Britain for a no-deal Brexit, saying the "full armoury of economic policy" would be on hand if needed. Speaking at his party's annual conference in Manchester a month before Britain is due to leave the EU, Javid said his department would…
CHANCELLOR of the Exchequer Sajid Javid pledged on Monday (30) to prepare Britain for a no-deal Brexit, saying the "full armoury of economic policy" would be on hand if needed. Speaking at his party's annual conference in Manchester a month before Britain is due to leave the EU, Javid said…
A top executive at the BBC on Friday (27) appeared to accuse Naga Munchetty's co-host Dan Walker for the ongoing racism row. David Jordan, the BBC's director of editorial policy and standards, said that Walker's contribution to the debate was not helpful. Jordan said: "Dan Walker’s contribution was not, as…
A group of 150 BAME broadcasters have written a letter to the BBC asking the corporation to reverse its ruling against Naga Munchetty. Munchetty was reprimanded by the BBC for accusing US president Donald Trump of racism. A BBC spokeswoman said on Wednesday (25) the corporation's Executive Complaints Unit [ECU]…
NEXT Wednesday (2), there will be a commemoration event at the site of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi – to mark his 150th birthday – in London’s Parliament Square. The statue, sculpted by Philip Jackson, is a stunning example of its kind. Jackson worked from a photograph of Gandhiji just…
Shamima Begum has once again begged to be allowed back into the UK saying she hates Daesh (Islamic State) following the death of her three children. Begum fled Britain to join Daesh in Syria when she was 15. She was soon married off to Dutch fighter Yago Riedijk, with whom…
A 34-year-old Birmingham man has denied causing damages worth approximately £11,500 to five mosques in a series of attacks in March. Arman Rezazadeh indicated not guilty pleas to charges of racially or religiously aggravated criminal damage. The charges related to damage to Witton Islamic Centre, the Al-Habib Trust, and the…
by LAUREN CODLING ETHNIC minorities in the UK have been urged to consider a career in the police as a campaign to recruit 20,000 new officers was launched by the government last Thursday (5). Prime minister Boris Johnson officially unveiled the national campaign last week, saying it was set to…
The UK government declared an end to a decade of austerity Wednesday (4) despite the economic uncertainties of Brexit -- a spending pledge that saw the opposition accuse it of "electioneering". Finance minister Sajid Javid's promise of more money on "people's priorities" came hours after prime minister Boris Johnson proposed…
CHANCELLOR Sajid Javid said he was "turning the page on austerity" as he promised the biggest spending increases in 15 years, a move widely seen as part of prime minister Boris Johnson's push for an election to break the Brexit impasse. "After a decade of recovery from Labour's great…
By Rithika Siddhartha LABOUR MP Tan Dhesi prompted unprecedented applause in the Commons this afternoon (4) as he challenged prime minister Boris Johnson over the use of his language describing women wearing veils as looking like letterboxes. Dhesi, a turban wearing Sikh who represents Slough, said: “If I wear…
by BARNIE CHOUDHURY Former BBC journalist FOR those who don’t know about the best city in the UK, let me enlighten you. Leicester is home to the 2015-16 Premier League football champions; the place which produced Martin Johnson, the man who led the England squad to a glorious rugby World…
LABOUR shadow minister Shami Chakrabarti has sparked fury among BBC News viewers for claiming that a former aide of chancellor Sajid Javid was removed from Downing Street "at gunpoint." Appearing on BBC Breakfast on Tuesday (3) to discuss Labour's plans to prevent a no-deal Brexit, Chakrabarti launched an attacked on…
British home secretary Priti Patel's move to scrap EU free movement rules have been abandoned amid fears that the government will be sued, it was reported on Sunday (1). The proposal to ditch the rules has been put on hold after lawyers hired by the Home Officer said it could…
A SENIOR government official who has been accused of leaking Brexit documents was last night (29) marched out of Downing Street by police. Sonia Khan, a senior Treasury aide, was allegedly confronted by prime minister Boris Johnson's chief adviser Dominic Cummings and her services were terminated on the spot. Cummings…
Chancellor Sajid Javid's decision to cancel a planned speech on Tuesday to announce next week's spending review has been labelled a "panic measure." Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell, in a speech on Thursday (29), will say that any pay boost for public services will last only long enough to get…
THE incoming boss of Britain’s biggest business lobby has urged ministers to drop former prime minister Theresa May’s proposed £30,000 minimum salary threshold for skilled migrants. Lord Karan Bilimoria, president-designate of the CBI, said the requirement was “impractical” and claimed it was also “ruining” the south Asian restaurant trade in…
By Nadeem Badshah IT IS the birthplace of cricketer Monty Panesar, top hat manufacturing, and boasts one of the most diverse populations in England. And now Luton is set to be put on the global stage with Gurinder Chadha’s new film Blinded By The Light. The movie is about how…
SAJID Javid has cancelled his first major speech as Chancellor, prompting speculation that an election could be on the horizon. The speech was due to take place in Birmingham, and it was now being rescheduled, a Treasury spokesperson said. The one-year spending review, called a spending round, was now being…
A FORMER defence minister has criticised the UK government's move to deprive Daesh (Islamic State) members of their British citizenship. Tobias Ellwood, who was sacked as defence minister by Boris Johnson, believes that detention of thousands of jihadis in Syria could lead to a resurgence of Daesh, the Independent reported…
A MAN has been charged with religiously aggravated criminal damage after five mosques in Birmingham were attacked in the wake of the Christchurch terror attack. Arman Rezazadeh, from Handsworth, is accused of smashing windows at the mosques in March. He was previously detained under the Mental Health Act, but is…
LONDON mayor Sadiq Khan has slammed the government's move to instantly end free movement of EU citizens in the event of a no-deal Brexit. In a letter to home secretary Priti Patel on Monday (19), Khan said he was “very concerned” about plans to end free movement on day one…
Britain's home secretary reportedly wants to enforce tough border controls for EU citizens on day one of a no-deal Brexit. Priti Patel is pressing for border restrictions to be imposed immediately on October 31, reported The Independent. This move has been slammed by the Liberal Democrats, who accused Patel of…
THE UK prime minister Boris Johnson's government has made billions of pounds of new spending commitments in its first three weeks in office, even before the potential costs of a disruptive, no-deal Brexit are taken into account. New finance minister Sajid Javid will give more details of the plans next…
By Nadeem Badshah MINISTERS have been criticised by a prominent expert for turning the strategy to tackle extremism into a “toxic brand” which communities are shunning. Hanif Qadir, the founder of the Active Change Foundation (ACF), has worked with around 300,000 young people over 17 years, including more than…
OVER 50 British retailers, including Sainsbury's, Marks & Spencer, Asda and Morrisons have urged the government to freeze business rates to help out the struggling sector. In a letter to the new finance minister Sajid Javid, published on Tuesday, the retailers called on the government to take action to "fix…
CHILDREN of British Daesh (Islamic State) members in Syria will not be allowed to return to the UK, the government has ruled. The decision was made by Sajid Javid in one of his final acts as home secretary. Debates on the fate of children born to British jihadis came to…
Prime Minister Boris Johnson used his Eid message on Monday to celebrate the contribution of Britain's 3.3 million Muslims from all walks of life in the UK. In an indirect reference to Sajid Javid Britain's senior-most Pakistani-origin Cabinet minister whom he appointed as his Chancellor last month, Johnson said the…
Chancellor Sajid Javid on Thursday (8) announced that a review of Whitehall spending will be fast-tracked to honour pledges to public services. Spending reviews typically happen every two to three years, and Javid said a "fast-tracked" spending review would "clear the ground ahead of Brexit while delivering on people's priorities."…
by HARRIS BOKHARI National board member Prince’s Trust Mosaic Initiative PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson has brought together the most diverse cabinet in our political history to match the most diverse parliament that has ever been elected, but will his new top team tackle some the most pressing challenges facing our…
by BARNIE CHOUDHURY Former BBC journalist “I HEAR you’re the most hated Asian in the BBC,” the national newspaper journalist said. It was December 2001, and I was at a Radio 4 Today Christmas party. “I was told by one of your Asian colleagues that you’re a sell-out, an Uncle…
by LAUREN CODLING SENIOR doctors and MPs have called for more funding for the NHS as prime minister Boris Johnson announced the health service would receive £1.8 billion to improve hospital facilities and equipment. Last Sunday (4), Johnson said various NHS Trusts across the country would receive the one-off cash…
The Scotland Yard on Tuesday (6) sought to gain access to unpublished material held by jounrlists who interviewed Shamima Begum, the teenager who ran away from her home in east London to join the Daesh (Islamic State) in 2015. Scotland Yard wants the BBC, ITN, Sky News and the Times…
LABOUR'S John McDonnell has sparked outrage by claiming that Sajid Javid was unfit to be chancellor. McDonnell has also urged Boris Johnson to launch a probe over Javid's financial career, saying he had traded in a "particularly dangerous" type of debt that played a role in the 2008 financial crash.…
SAJID Javid is the first Asian chancellor, one of the great offices of state. The son of a Pakistani immigrant bus driver moves to 11 Downing Street, a short distance from the Home Office, where he was the first BAME politician to head it. The 49-year-old father of four, who…
By Barnie Choudhury Former BBC Journalist I WILL never forget the first time I got up close and personal with Boris Johnson. It was in New York in 2017, and we were at the UK embassy. He was the foreign secretary and I was the Commonwealth secretary-general’s media and PR…
By Nirj Deva I TRIED not to whoop with joy last Friday (26) as I saw the unfolding story of Boris Johnson’s appointments to his new cabinet and government. The chancellor is my friend Sajid Javid, son of a Pakistani Muslim immigrant; the home secretary Priti Patel from a…
Chancellor Sajid Javid has announced the UK is ramping up preparations for a no-deal Brexit by spending an extra £2.1 billion pounds ($2.6 billion) to stockpile medicines, hire more border officials and fund one of the biggest peacetime advertising campaigns. Prime minister Boris Johnson, who took power last week, has…
By Sunder Katwala I cast my first vote just eight days after my 18th birthday, a coincidence of the timing of the April 1992 General Election. I was keen enough to stay up until 5 am on election night to find out whether John Major or Neil Kinnock would be…
Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service and Minister for the Union Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP HM Treasury Chancellor of the Exchequer – Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP Chief Secretary to the Treasury – Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP*&** Financial Secretary to the Treasury…
SAJID Javid is the first Asian chancellor, one of the great offices of state. The son of a Pakistani immigrant bus driver moves to 11 Downing Street, a short distance from the Home Office, where he was the first BAME politician to head it. The 49-year-old father of four, who…
by RITHIKA SIDDHARTHA HOME SECRETARY Sajid Javid announced last Friday (19) that his department would start work on a new counterextremism strategy, as he admitted politicians were part of the problem of rising extremist views. Javid, who was not invited to the state dinner last month for US president Donald…
by BARNIE CHOUDHURY Former BBC journalist NO MATTER how old your son or daughter, you don’t want to see or hear them cry in pain. It’s absolutely heart-breaking, and worse when you cannot physically comfort them. So, when Olivia, our Leicester-born, Cambridge-educated and absolutely resilient 22-year-old rang in tears, we…
Boris Johnson has appointed four British Asian leaders, including Priti Patel as the home secretary and Sajid Javid as Chancellor, as part of his top team in what has been dubbed as Britain's most diverse Cabinet as the new prime minister who has pledged that the UK would leave the…
Priti Patel, an ardent Brexiteer who was among the most vocal critics of Theresa May's Brexit strategy, took charge as Britain's first Indian-origin home secretary as part of prime minister Boris Johnson's top team on Thursday (25). She replaces Sajid Javid, who moves to the Treasury department as the first…
A prominent Indian-origin peer in the House of Lords on Wednesday (24) said he believes that Britain's prime minister-in-waiting, Boris Johnson, will appoint one of the UK's most ethnically diverse Cabinets in history. With British Indian Conservative Party parliamentarians Priti Patel, Rishi Sunak and Alok Sharma all tipped for frontline…
Sajid Javid became Britain's first ethnic minority Chancellor on Wednesday (24), capping off an unlikely rise from a humble start on a street dubbed the country's worst to holding the purse strings for the world's fifth-biggest economy. The 49-year-old son of Pakistani Muslim immigrant parents, Javid cut his teeth early…
Britain's new prime minister, Boris Johnson, named Sajid Javid as Chancellor on Wednesday, a promotion for the former interior minister. "Deeply honoured to be appointed Chancellor by PM @BorisJohnson. Looking forward to working with @hmtreasury to prepare for leaving the EU, unifying our country and priming our economy for the…
BORIS Johnson took office as British prime minister today (24), vowing to implement the result of the 2016 Brexit referendum and lead Britain out of the European Union on Oct. 31 with "no ifs or buts". Speaking outside Downing Street, Johnson - who spearheaded the "Leave" campaign in the 2016…
BORIS JOHNSON took office as British prime minister on Wednesday (24), vowing to implement the result of the 2016 Brexit referendum and lead Britain out of the European Union on October 31 with "no ifs or buts". Johnson enters Downing Street at one of the most perilous junctures in post-World…
by LAUREN CODLING BORIS JOHNSON has promised to “deliver Brexit and unite the United Kingdom”, as he won the race to become Britain’s next prime minister on Tuesday (23). The Conservative MP and former London mayor made the comments after he comfortably beat his rival, foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt, with…
NEWLY elected prime minister Boris Johnson is expected to present an ethnically diverse Cabinet after he meets the Queen later today (24). Sources close to Johnson say that his team will reflect "modern Britain." It will see more women and a better representation from ethnic minorities. "Boris will build a…
By Sunder Katwala Director, British Future AS Boris Johnson, decisive victor of the Conservative leadership contest, took office on Tuesday (23) as our new prime minister, a tale of two Borises could be heard around Britain. To his critics, he could hardly be less qualified for Downing Street. They just…
HOME secretary Sajid Javid this morning (19) announced his department would start work on a new Counter Extremism Strategy as he admitted that politicians were part of the problem of rising extremist views. Javid, who was shunned from the state dinner during US president Donald Trump’ visit to the UK…
BRITISH home secretary Sajid Javid wants leaders to moderate their language in a bid to fight against extremism. In a speech in London on Friday (19), Javid is expected to say he "knows what it’s like to be told to go back to where I came from”. The home secretary's…
THE younger brother of Manchester Arena bomber appeared in court on Thursday (18) charged with murdering the 22 victims of the attack. Hashem Abedi was arrested in Libya shortly after his older brother, Salman, killed 22 people, and injured more than 500 in a suicide bombing at Manchester Arena during…
EMBATTLED liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya's appeal in the UK High Court against his extradition order has been listed for a three-day hearing from February 11, 2020, the UK court said on Thursday (17). The 63-year-old former Kingfisher Airlines boss had won a reprieve earlier this month when a two-judge panel…
PRIME minister Theresa May has vowed to tackle the "vile crimes" of domestic abuse by ensuring perpetrators are brought to justice and victims get necessary support as they rebuild their lives. In a major step towards transforming the response to domestic abuse crimes, the government on Tuesday (16) introduced the…
THE NHS, councils and police are to be legally required to help tackle serious violence by sharing data, intelligence and knowledge, home secretary Sajid Javid announced on Sunday (14). "Violent crime is a disease that is plaguing our communities and taking too many young lives," the home secretary said. "It's…
BRITISH home secretary Sajid Javid has backed the use of facial recognition cameras designed to help spot suspects in public cases. The technology is being trialed by several police forces and Javid said it was important to be "on top of the latest technology." Speaking at the launch of new…
THE HOME OFFICE has said it feels "real concern" about the fate of international students who were wrongly accused of cheating in an English language test. Sir Philip Rutnam, the department's most senior civil servant, said on Wednesday (10) that home secretary Sajid Javid would make a statement about the…
by SUNDER KATWALA Director, British Future WE WILL have a new prime minister in a fortnight, and Theresa May’s successor will inherit the conundrum of the Brexit stalemate. Whether the overwhelming favourite, Boris Johnson, or his rival Jeremy Hunt wins the Conservative leadership contest, their first 100 days will be…
By NADEEM BADSHAH SHOPKEEPERS have slammed police chiefs and ministers for failing to treat thefts and assaults seriously enough. The Federation of Small Businesses warned this month that criminal activity is costing the industry almost E17 billion every year and have called for more officers on the streets to…
LONDON mayor Sadiq Khan on Sunday (7) paid tributes to the victims of the 7/7 bombings on the 14th anniversary of the attacks in London. Khan stood side-by-side with chiefs of the Metropolitan Police, British Transport Police and City of London Police and laid flowers at a 7/7 memorial. Fifty-two…
Britain's home secretary Sajid Javid will this week formally endorse Boris Johnson to be the next leader of the Conservative Party and the country's next prime minister, The Sunday Times reported. Johnson is the frontrunner in a contest with foreign minister Jeremy Hunt to be the next leader. Voting is…
THE HOME OFFICE announced on Thursday (4) that it will start make payments as part of the Windrush scandal compensation scheme. In a written statement to Parliament, home secretary Sajid Javid said he was committed to providing appropriate compensation promptly. Javid announced: “The government deeply regrets what has happened to…
BRITISH home secretary Sajid Javid has emphasised on the need for religious freedom saying everyone should have the freedom to practice their faith "freely, peacefully and without fear." Javid on Monday (1) became the first British minister to visit the Kotel in 19 years. Reflecting on his three-day visit to…
TYCOON Vijay Mallya on Tuesday (2) won the right to challenge in court Britain's decision to order his extradition to India to face fraud charges. A two-judge panel at the High Court in London ruled the appeal by the 63-year-old owner of Kingfisher beer, who also heads the Force India…
EMBATTLED liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya arrived at the UK High Court today (2) as he seeks permission to appeal against an extradition order signed off by UK home secretary Sajid Javid for him to be extradited to India to face alleged fraud and money laundering charges amounting to Rs 90…
EMBATTLED liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya's extradition case will return to the UK courts on Tuesday (2) as he seeks permission to appeal against an order signed off by the UK home secretary Sajid Javid for him to be extradited to India to face alleged fraud and money laundering charges amounting…
MORE than 100 students have signed a letter to home secretary Sajid Javid urging him to "put right" a Home Office decision to accuse them of cheating in English language tests with no right to appeal. Almost 34,000 students were accused of cheating in an English language test in 2015,…
by BARNIE CHOUDHURY Former BBC journalist LET’S make one thing absolutely crystal clear. I am proud to be British. No ifs, no buts. The UK is the place I call home, and I have withdrawal symptoms if I am away from this green and pleasant land for more than seven…
BRITISH home secretary Sajid Javid yesterday (24) asked the Migration Advisory Committee to review on salary thresholds for the future immigration system, which will start to take effect from 2021. Javid has asked the committee whether an existing threshold of £30,000 for experienced workers is still appropriate. Javid said: “It’s…
The UK on Saturday (22) marked the first-ever National Windrush Day in honour of the Windrush generation of migrants who were brought to Britain to address labour shortages in the wake of the World War II. The Windrush generation refers to citizens of former British colonies who arrived in the…
by BARNIE CHOUDHURY Former BBC Journalist IF THERE was anyone with any doubt that the Conservative party has tried to get rid of its racist tag, then the support for Sajid Javid should have given them pause for thought. In the past few weeks, ‘The Saj’ bandwagon has rolled into…
SAJID JAVID, the sole Asian candidate of the Tory leadership election, has been knocked out of the contest, it was announced earlier today (20). The home secretary received 34 votes coming behind foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt with 59 votes. The bookies' favourite Boris Johnson got 157 votes while environment secretary…
By Amit Roy HOME SECRETARY Sajid Javid walked into an LBC studio in London last week just as a listener named "Louis" called presenter lain Dale to offer his personal opinion that 160,000 Tory party members would never pick a Muslim as prime minister. "I heard that," the home secretary…
An imam chosen by the BBC for a select panel of members of the British public to put their questions to the UK’s prime ministerial hopefuls during a live television debate has triggered controversy over some of his past anti-Jewish remarks on social media. Imam Abdullah Patel challenged frontrunner Boris…
THE BRITISH leadership race narrowed to five today (18) as Brexit figurehead Boris Johnson prepared to defend his runaway favourite status in his first television debate. Johnson expanded his lead over his remaining rivals in a second secret ballot held by 313 Conservative MPs. The former foreign secretary and London…
THE six Conservatives vying to become Britain's prime minister face off in the second round of voting on Tuesday (18), with the final pair to be decided by the end of the week. The outcome of the leadership battle could determine under what conditions Britain leaves the European Union. It…
Hundreds have signed an online petition addressed to UK home secretary Sajid Javid urging him to grant visitor visas to two blind musicians from India, who were due to perform in Scotland as part of a UK-India cultural exchange programme. Prem Bhagavan Nagaraju, 25, and Jyothi Kalaiselvi, 19, were scheduled…
by LAUREN CODLING A SENIOR minister in the running for Tory leadership has urged politicians to “call out Islamophobia and racism” as he continues his campaign this week. Rory Stewart, who is currently the secretary of state for international development, is among six candidates to be the next prime minister,…
HOME secretary Sajid Javid on Sunday (16) said it was important to elect someone who can unite people, and said he would be an ideal candidate as he was not from “central casting.” Javid, along with Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove, Dominic Raab and Rory Stewart, took part in the Channel…
HOME secretary Sajid Javid, one of the candidates to replace Theresa May as prime minister, said today (13) it was odd that he was blocked from attending a royal banquet with US president Donald Trump earlier this month. In his first comments on being excluded, Javid said he had written…
by BARNIE CHOUDHURY, Former BBC journalist BACK in 2002, I was investigating how the Metropolitan Police was dealing with a senior ethnic minority officer they had accused of corruption. In his corner was a relatively unknown human rights lawyer and Labour councillor. Unlike other south Asians who had a taste…
HOME secretary Sajid Javid has described himself as the “change candidate” who can lead Britain as he launched his campaign to be the country's next prime minister. He added that fellow MP and a frontrunner to succeed Theresa May, Boris Johnson, was “yesterday's news” and said the Conservatives must…
BRITISH home secretary Sajid Javid on Tuesday (11) launched his campaign video, and it focuses on his heritage and business background. The video features his wife, children, and mum and it shows him returning to his childhood home in Bristol. Sharing the video on Twitter, Javid wrote that he joined…
UK home secretary Sajid Javid has issued another personal apology for the Windrush scandal, involving migrants being wrongly denied their British citizenship rights, as a latest official update revealed that hundreds more Indians were caught up in the row. The Windrush generation refers to citizens of former British colonies who…
By Rithika Siddhartha IMMIGRATION has been fantastic for Britain, Sajid Javid has said, as the home secretary - who is in the race to be the next prime minister – called for a sensible and flexible approach. Britain's first Asian to hold one of the great offices of state and…
SCOTTISH Conservative leader Ruth Davidson has endorsed home secretary Sajid Javid to become the next prime minister. Describing Javid as "the real deal" in an article for the Mail on Sunday, Davidson said Javid was "the man for the job" who has the vision to united a "divided Britain." Davidson…
UK home secretary Sajid Javid has set out his stall in the race to Downing Street with a pledge to reverse Theresa May's stringent visa norms that restricted overseas students from countries like India from staying on to work for a few years at the end of their university degree.…
BRITISH home secretary Sajid Javid on Tuesday (4) promised to spend £100 billion to develop regions outside London. Javid's announcement comes following a report that warned that all new jobs were set to go to London and the south east. The rest of the nation would end up competing for…
by SUNDER KATWALA Director of British Future AS THERESA MAY stands down as Conservative Party leader on Friday (7), there has never been a more crowded field of contenders to be our next prime minister. Sajid Javid, the first British Asian politician to hold one of the great offices of…
BRITISH home secretary Sajid Javid will announce on Wednesday (5) his decision to allow soldiers from Commonwealth countries to bring their families to Britain. The home secretary told the Daily Mail: "As we celebrate the incredible heroism of those who stormed the beaches of northern France, it’s only right that…