Irish mortgage rates have resumed their upward trend and reached their highest level since at least mid-2017, according to the Central Bank of Ireland. At 3.54 per cent in March, the average interest rate on a new mortgage was up significantly from 2.92 per cent in February. The figures revealContinue Reading
A n inquiry into the Metropolitan Police’s arrests of anti-monarchy protesters over King Charles’s Coronation weekend is to be launched. The cross-party home affairs committee met this morning and discussed the response to the event after new powers to deal with demonstrators were given to police under the Public OrderContinue Reading
F ormer prime minister Sir John Major has warned against “excessive zeal” to be tough on crime leading to “unwise policy”, as he said the UK is locking up too many offenders. The ex-Tory leader argued that “pointless” short-term prison sentences are being imposed in cases where non-custodial measures wouldContinue Reading
T he Archbishop of Canterbury will make a rare intervention in the House of Lords on Wednesday to condemn the Government’s Illegal Migration Bill as it faces its first test in the upper chamber, according to reports. Justin Welby is set to argue against the flagship legislation aimed at ensuringContinue Reading
Donald Trump sexually abused magazine writer E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s and then defamed her by branding her a liar, jurors decided on Tuesday, dealing the former US president a legal setback as he campaigns to retake office in 2024. The nine-member jury in Manhattan federal court awarded about $5 millionContinue Reading
A rugby league ball, bees and Lancashire roses feature in the new coat of arms for Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle. The design was revealed as Sir Lindsay unveiled two stained glass windows celebrating the British overseas territories (BOTs) and crown dependencies. The coats of arms from the BOTs –Continue Reading
A ndrew Bridgen MP is set to join Laurence Fox’s Reclaim Party following his expulsion from the Conservative Party after comparing Covid-19 vaccines to the Holocaust. The MP for North West Leicestershire is expected to be announced as the first representative of Mr Fox’s party in the House of CommonsContinue Reading
R ishi Sunak would have been removed as chancellor if Boris Johnson had not been forced from office, the ex-prime minister’s former director of communications has claimed. Guto Harri, who served as No 10’s director of communications under Mr Johnson, said that Rishi Sunak would likely have been removed fromContinue Reading
Focus Ireland will today launch a campaign to require Local Authorities to take the ‘Best Interests of the Child’ into account when working with families who present as homeless. The campaign comes at a time when there are almost 3,500 children in emergency accommodation. The director of advocacy with FocusContinue Reading
T he SNP would “undo Brexit as far as possible” if the next general election results in a hung parliament, the party has said. Analysis of England’s local authority election results indicates Labour could fall short of a majority in the Commons when the UK next goes to the polls.Continue Reading
