News
Sunak’s view on Brexit, tax, immigration before becoming UK PM
Rishi Sunak on Monday emerged head of the Conservative Party and set to become a new prime minister of the United Kingdom.
For the incoming PM, here is a summary of what he has previously said about three key issues facing the country: Brexit, economy/tax and immigration.
Brexit
Sunak campaigned for leaving the European Union in the lead up to the 2016 referendum, gathering a reputation as a staunch supporter of the project in the build up to that vote.
During the summer leadership election, he said he wanted to “fix” the Northern Ireland protocol, reform all EU laws still in place by next general election and scrap inherited EU financial regulations.
Economy and tax
The former chancellor was the driving force behind the rise in corporation tax from 19% to 25%, and the (now scrapped) rise in National Insurance – but has said he aims to bring down taxes overall in the future when it’s practical.
In his first bid to become PM, Sunak suggested scrapping the 5% VAT on domestic energy bills for next year and cutting the lower rate of income tax – currently 20% – by 1% from April 2024.
Sunak has also spoken extensively about the need to bring down government debt, and was very critical over the summer of Liz Truss’s plans to pay for tax cuts via extra government borrowing.
Immigration
Sunak has pledged to stick with the government’s Rwanda policy – which aims to send some cross-Channel migrants to the east African country, but is currently undergoing legal challenges.
The Home Office says the policy will work by deterring those using “illegal, dangerous or unnecessary methods” – such as on small boats or hidden in lorries – from claiming asylum in the UK instead of other safe countries like France.
Sunak has also said the overall number of asylum claims should be capped, and the rules of who is eligible to apply for asylum must be legally tightened.
-BBC News
News
Edo Gov Okpebholo freezes govt accounts, reverses ministry’s name
Edo Gov Okpebholo freezes govt accounts, reverses ministry’s name
Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has directed the immediate freezing of all state-owned bank accounts.
In a statement issued on Thursday by his Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, the governor stated that the accounts would remain frozen until further notice.
He instructed commercial banks, ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) to comply with the order immediately or face severe consequences.
The statement reads: “All state bank accounts with commercial banks have been frozen. Commercial banks must comply with this order and ensure that not a single naira is withdrawn from government coffers until further notice.
READ ALSO:
- Wike claims Adeyanju became activist after he rejected request to be PDP Publicity Secretary
- VeryDarkMan to Falana: I won’t apologise to anybody
- Court adjourns Falana’s suit against VeryDarkMan to January 2025
“Heads of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies must ensure full compliance without delay.
“Following necessary investigations and reconciliations, the governor will take appropriate action and decide on the way forward. For now, this order remains in effect.”
Okpebholo also directed relevant agencies to revert the name of the Ministry of Roads and Bridges to its previous title, the Ministry of Works, a change made during the Godwin Obaseki administration.
“It is odd to name a government institution the Ministry of Roads and Bridges, especially when not a single bridge was built by the previous administration — not even a pedestrian bridge.
“In the coming days, we will examine further actions taken by the previous administration and make decisions that serve the best interests of the state,” the statement added.
Edo Gov Okpebholo freezes govt accounts, reverses ministry’s name
News
Israel-Palestinian conflict: Two-state solution is a deception, says Gumi
Israel-Palestinian conflict: Two-state solution is a deception, says Gumi
Prominent Islamic scholar Dr. Ahmad Mahmud Gumi has criticized the widely discussed two-state solution for the Israel-Palestine conflict, calling it a “deception.”
His remarks followed a recent summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Riyadh, where President Bola Tinubu and other leaders condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza and urged an end to hostilities.
In an interview with Daily Trust at his Kaduna residence, Gumi argued, “This Two-State Solution is a deception. No Israeli will allow a Palestinian to survive, and Palestinians will never allow Israel to survive.
READ ALSO:
- Court sacks Ondo LP candidate, two days to governorship poll
- FBI raids home of crypto platform Polymarket CEO, after accurate prediction of Trump win
- 24-hour power supply: FG seeks private sector support for $10bn funding gap
The only solution is to dissolve the two states and create a democratically electable region.”
Gumi commended the OIC’s support for Palestine, noting that Muslims and Arabs worldwide increasingly see the treatment of Palestinians as “genocide” and accuse Israel of human rights abuses.
He also called for a return to the pre-1948 structure, where Palestinians, Jews, and Christians lived together, suggesting a single, inclusive state that allows peaceful coexistence.
“When I hear people talking about Two-State Solutions, I know they are just deceiving themselves,” Gumi added, advocating for a unified region where people of all faiths can live together, similar to the multi-faith coexistence seen in countries like the United States.
Israel-Palestinian conflict: Two-state solution is a deception, says Gumi
News
Court sacks Ondo LP candidate, two days to governorship poll
Court sacks Ondo LP candidate, two days to governorship poll
The Labour Party candidature of Olusola Ebiseni for the upcoming gubernatorial election in Ondo State has been nullified.
The nullification follows the sacking of Ebiseni by the Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday.
The governorship election of the southwest State will hold on Saturday, 16 November 2024.
The judgement disqualifying Ebiseni was unanimously delivered by the three members of the panel and read out by the chairman of the panel, Justice Adebukola Banjoko.
The judgment granted the prayer of the Labour Party who preferred the case against Ebiseni.
READ ALSO:
- 12-yr-old Nigerian girl invents air filter, gets $11.5m funding
- Gunmen kill two soldiers in Abia checkpoint attack
- 94 arrested as task force raids Lagos rail corridor squatters
Justice Banjoko held that, “the appeal marked CA/ABJ/CV/1172/2024 brought by the Labour Party against Chief Olusola Ebiseni and two others is allowed.”
Justice Banjoko further stated that the Certified True Copy of the judgment would be provided to the parties involved in the appeal as soon as possible for their review.
Recall that Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja had ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to accept and recognize Olusola Ebiseni and Ezekiel Awude as the Labour Party’s governorship and deputy governorship candidates for the November 16 Ondo State governorship elections.
Justice Nwite confirmed that the second primary election conducted by the Labour Party, which resulted in Ebiseni and Awude being selected as candidates, was valid and should be upheld by INEC.
However, the appellate court has now overturned the judgment of the trial court’s judgment.
Court sacks Ondo LP candidate, two days to governorship poll
-
International3 days agoBelgium University offers scholarship up to €12,000 for Master’s students
-
Sports7 hours agoBREAKING: Super Eagles qualify for AFCON 2025
-
Railway2 days agoNigerian railway adds extra train to Friday, Saturday trips on Lagos-Ibadan route
-
International2 days agoUK announces 45,000 seasonal worker visas for 2025
-
Aviation9 hours agoDisaster averted as bird strike hits Abuja-Lagos Air Peace flight
-
Education1 day ago12-year-old Nigerian girl Eniola Shokunbi invents air filter to reduce spread of diseases in US schools
-
International3 days agoSaudi crown prince says Israel committing ‘genocide’ in Gaza
-
Business2 days agoTop 5 crypto apps that work with Nigerian Bank accounts