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Tag: UK Prime Minister

  • UK announces plans for digital ID cards

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    UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a new requirement for all working adults in the country to carry a digital identification called the Brit Card. In practice, the Brit Card will be based on the One Login infrastructure already used by the UK government.

    Supporters of the plan say digital ID cards can ensure that people have the right to work in the UK, and thus could help crack down on illegal immigration and exploitative employment schemes. “It will send a clear message that if you come here illegally, you will not be able to work, deterring people from making these dangerous journeys,” Starmer’s office wrote bluntly in the announcement. The UK government also plans to have an “outreach programme, including face-to-face support” for those “who aren’t able to use a smartphone” or those who “aren’t as experienced with the digital world, like the homeless and older people.”

    The announcement claims the scheme will use “state-of-the-art encryption and authentication technology” and that “digital credentials will be stored directly on people’s own device.” However, critics say the IDs may infringe on civil liberties by requiring citizens to give the government additional personal information. They also raise concerns about how the administration plans to protect all those sensitive details from misuse or theft.

    “No system is immune to failure, and we have seen time and again governments and tech giants fail to protect people’s personal data,” said David Davis, a Conservative MP and former cabinet minister. “If world-leading companies cannot protect our data, I have little faith that Whitehall would be able to do better.”

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    Anna Washenko

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  • UK PM Rishi Sunak may restrict foreign students to only top schools: Report

    UK PM Rishi Sunak may restrict foreign students to only top schools: Report

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    UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is reportedly considering restrictions on foreign students enrolling in “low quality” degrees and bringing dependents.

    According to a report by Economic Times, quoting the PM’s official spokesman, Sunak is “fully committed” to reducing overall immigration levels, who also attributed the record high to “unprecedented and unique circumstances.”

    “We’re considering all options to make sure the immigration system is delivering, and that does include looking at the issue of student dependents and low-quality degrees,” the official added.

    Suella Braverman, the Home Secretary, has previously expressed concern about foreign students “bringing in family members who can piggyback on their student visa” and “supporting, frankly, substandard courses in inadequate institutions.”

    After net immigration to the UK soared to a “breathtaking” record high of 504,000 in the year to June, the UK Prime Minister on Thursday vowed that immigration will decline and suggested that student visas may be subject to greater scrutiny.

    According to the nation’s official immigration statistics, Indian students have for the first time surpassed Chinese students as the largest group of foreign students studying in the UK. This is due to a huge 273 per cent increase in visas granted over the past few years.

    Indians continue to be the most common nationality granted visas in the skilled worker category, according to UK Home Office data compiled by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), with 56,042 work visas granted in the previous year.

    Also Read: Committed to working quickly on UK-India FTA: British PM Rishi Sunak

    Also Read: UK PM Rishi Sunak faces first rebellion of his premiership; here’s what’s happening

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  • “Vijay Mama, Hi, It’s Rishi”: Rishi Sunak calls chef Sanjay Raina’s uncle to 10 Downing Street

    “Vijay Mama, Hi, It’s Rishi”: Rishi Sunak calls chef Sanjay Raina’s uncle to 10 Downing Street

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    Celebrity chef Sanjay Raina’s video featuring Rishi Sunak has gone viral on Twitter. Sunak, 42, recently made history by becoming the first person of Indian origin to be appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Raina can be heard greeting the chef’s uncle and inviting him to Downing Street, the London neighbourhood that houses the official residences and offices of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

    In the video, which was shared on Twitter, the chef is heard saying to the camera, “Mama, I have somebody to say hello to you.” He then pans the camera to the left, where we can see Mr Sunak greeting us. “Hello, Vijay mama. “Hello, Rishi, how are you?” says the British Prime Minister. That, however, is not the case. Mr Sunak then extends an invitation to “Vijay mama” to 10 Downing Street. “I hope you come here to see me. So, when you arrive, instruct your nephew Sanjay to take you to Downing Street. “Take care,” he concludes.

    Sanjay Raina poked fun at the ongoing visa issue in the UK, writing, “Visa on arrival ab pakka. [Visa on arrival is now confirmed]”

    The video went viral as thousands of people watched it on the microblogging site, and many of them found Sunak’s use of the Hindi word for uncle, “Mama,” to be endearing.

    Rishi Sunak is married to Akshata Murthy, the daughter of Infosys billionaire Narayana Murthy. Sunak’s property portfolio reportedly comes with a penthouse in California, an apartment in London’s exclusive Kensington district, and a mansion in his Yorkshire constituency in the north of England.

    During his first phone call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the two leaders discussed the possibility of concluding a balanced free-trade agreement between the two countries. Prime Minister Modi tweeted following his conversation with Mr Sunak, “Glad to speak to Rishi Sunak today. Congratulated him on assuming charge as UK PM. We will work together to further strengthen our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. We also agreed on the importance of early conclusion of a comprehensive and balanced FTA.”

    Also Read: PM Modi to meet UK PM Rishi Sunak on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Bali in Nov

    Also Read: ‘Very intimidating’: When UK PM Rishi Sunak opened up about his equation with father-in-law Narayana Murthy

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  • A Restless Christmas Ahead As UK Consumers Plan To Cut Spending

    A Restless Christmas Ahead As UK Consumers Plan To Cut Spending

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    As new UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak attempts to pick up the pieces from outgoing PM Liz Truss’s budget chaos which announced tax rises and major public spending cuts, the scene is set for yet another unusual Christmas buying period in the UK.

    2020 was the Christmas of Isolation as families remained apart from loved ones and the UK plunged into another lockdown.

    2021 was the Christmas of Confusion. Despite people making big plans to undo the sorrow of the year before and travel generally making a comeback, the Omicron variant saw many cut back on their plans.

    Households vowed on New Years Eve 2021 that 2022 would be different. It has been, but it has not proved to be the year that we expected.

    February of this year marked the major escalation of the Russia’s continuing war on the Ukraine ; the International Monetary Fund foresaw a ‘gloomy’ economic situation by July. As we edge towards November, millions of households are considering how to pay basic bills after fuel, food, rent and mortgages have seen record increases and the value of savings and pensions have plummeted.

    Retailers were hoping for a celebratory mood in consumers wanting to spend, spend, spend after years of constant challenge. The reality is the indication that consumers will cutting back significantly on Christmas spend, simply to be able to survive what many cite as the most challenging year yet.

    Research from YouGov indicates 60% of shoppers will spend less than usual on Christmas this year, which compares starkly to the mere 2% who stated they will spend more.

    Less than a third (28%) are predicting that they will enjoy a ‘normal’ Christmas, rising to 36% amongst the over 65’s.

    The numbers also make for stark reading when considering the country’s deepening isolation crisis. One third of adults say they’ll cut back on family gatherings, trips to theatres and Christmas markets (33%). 21% will step back from travel plans to family and friends.

    It isn’t just the social aspect of Christmas that may be different this year. A third of Britons (33%) say they will reduce food expenditure, and half (51%) of Britons are planning to cut the amount they spend on gifts.

    Sadly even gifting for children looks to be also an area that will be impacted as 55% of parents with children under 10 confirm that they will have to spend less on presents.

    The impact of reduced spend could be felt by charities too as the survey predicts that more than a fifth of adults (22%) will limit the amount they donate to charities as they continue to battle the rising cost of living.

    2022 may prove to be the Christmas of Desperate Times for many and the focus will be fixed on 10 Downing Street and the new UK Prime Minister’s next moves. Can a Christmas miracle be delivered reassuring households that this year might not be as bleak as feared? And what will be the reality of Christmas Future? Will December 2023 see the nation enjoying a festive holiday just like the ones they used to know?

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    Kate Hardcastle, Contributor

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  • Rishi Sunak, first Indian-origin PM of Britain: Key facts

    Rishi Sunak, first Indian-origin PM of Britain: Key facts

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    Rishi Sunak is set to become the new British prime minister after garnering almost 200 public nominations from Tory lawmakers.

    Sunak would replace Liz Truss, who has resigned after defeating him in a Tory contest less than two months ago. He would serve as the first British-Asian prime minister of the United Kingdom.

    Truss took over from a disgraced Boris Johnson, who resigned himself three years into his term after a slew of scandals threatened to bring down his administration. On the other hand, Truss was only in office for 44 days.

    Rishi Sunak’s Indian connect

    Rishi Sunak was born to an Indian family in the UK’s Southampton area, the son of a pharmacist mother and a National Health Service (NHS) general practitioner father. The grandparents of Rishi Sunak are from Punjab. 

    Sunak’s family moved to East Africa in search of a better life, but as unrest erupted there due to strong anti-Indian sentiments, his grandfather changed his base to Britain.

    Personal life

    Sunak is a Stanford and Oxford University alumni. He is married to Akshata Murthy, the daughter of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy. The couple has two daughters, Anoushka and Krishna.

    His political life

    In 2015, Sunak was first elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) in Richmond, Yorkshire. He quickly advanced through the Conservative party’s ranks and backed “Brexit” calls. Sunak participated in Johnson’s “leave EU” campaign as one of his backers. When he was appointed to the most important UK Cabinet position, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in February 2020, he made history.

    During the Covid-19 epidemic, Sunak rose to prominence for his economic support for workers and businesses that included a job retention scheme that is said to have prevented widespread unemployment in the UK.

    Sunak’s reputation suffered as a result of the ‘partygate’ scandal, which involved him violating Covid norms and organising lockdown parties at government offices. This eventually led to a crisis in the Johnson administration.

    He was also chastised for his wealthy wife’s non-domiciled tax status. The tax status allows a person born in another country, or whose parent was born in another country, to pay tax in the UK only on income earned in the country.

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