‘Our latest wave of measures will bring an end to the UK’s imports of Russian energy, and decimate Putin’s war machine, ’ said UK’s Foreign Secretary Liz Truss.
As UK armed forces remembered the Falkland Islands Conflict in 1982, UNGA suspended Russia from the UNHCR on a US resolution for gross and systemic violations and abuses of human rights in Ukraine by Russian troops; the Russian Federation declared it had withdrawn before its membership term had expired. As each side competes for victory, Dmytro Kuleba, Foreign Secretary of Ukraine, appealed on Thursday for more weapons that he stressed were needed within days. Ben Wallace UK Defence Secretary discussed with his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksii Reznikov, the supply of further operational and lethal support. It is understood Ukraine has requested tanks, armoured vehicles, aircraft, air defence systems, long-range artillery, and anti-ship missiles, the latter to defend Odessa.
NATO has a renewed raison d’être to provide collective security against the Russian Federation, which is not dissimilar to NATO’s original raison d’être which was to deter Soviet expansionism. Sweden and Finland could be fast-tracked into NATO if they wish, both countries are now taking part in all NATO consultations about the war; there are speculations that Georgia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina could be next. Meanwhile, the Foreign Secretary Liz Truss announced a ratcheting up of UK sanctions on Russia applied to banks, individuals, industry, and technology, she said: “Our latest wave of measures will bring an end to the UK’s imports of Russian energy and sanction yet more individuals and businesses, decimating Putin’s war machine.” Folks in the UK are ready to sponsor and host refugees from Ukraine but the Minister for Refugees has been critical of the process. The Minister also has denied that the Home Office has plans to send Channel crossing migrants to Rwanda for processing.
The Government introduced a Bill to prohibit sexual orientation and gender identity conversion therapy. The ban seemingly conflated sexual orientation and gender identity, and thus transgender people are excluded until this can be understood further. As a result, the first-ever International LGBT+Conference in June has been cancelled as up to 100 organisations have pulled out until the Bill becomes Trans-inclusive.
RishiSunak’s ordeal is not over, his Indian-born wife Akshata Murthy has reportedly chosen to be a “non-dom”, and many people do not consider this appropriate for a Chancellor’s wife. This comes at the same time as Sunak’s new unpopular Health and Social care Levy is introduced, set to raise £17billion for the Treasury but adding 1.25% to the National Insurance contribution paid by both employee and employer. The Levy is designed to tackle to NHS Covid backlogs, reduce waiting times for appointments, scans and operations. There might be more to this than meets the eye. The Telegraph reports “Sunak’s bad press could be more conspiracy than coincidence, insiders believe that Boris Johnson loyalists are chipping away at the Chancellor’s reputation with a series of negative briefings” to diminish his popularity.
The Culture Secretary has created a furore announcing plans to sell Channel 4 after forty years of independent productions funded by advertisements, independent financially but not politically as the channel has acquired an anti-Tory flavour. It is hoped the privatisation will make the channel more competitive with rivals Amazon Prime and Netflix.
Boris Johnson donned his yellow vest and hard hat to visit the nuclear reactor Hinckley C in Somerset, on the day his government published their British Energy Security Strategy, to avoid being dependent on Russian oil and gas UK will build one reactor a year for the next eight years. The PM plans a major acceleration of homegrown clean and affordable power in a plan for greater energy independence, including wind, solar, hydrogen, and domestic production of oil and gas. Critics complain this plan does not help the current rising cost of energy that is affecting the UK.
Everyone wants Free Trade Agreement with India, the huge market and tech expertise are very compelling; in the wake of the India-Australia (both QUAD members) FTA, it is being reported that Boris Johnson will visit India in the coming weeks but there has been no official announcement. Data flow and e-commerce will play an important role in a trade agreement and the necessary data protection legislation will be required.
This week it was announced that the implementation of the AUKUS partnership has begun. AUKUS will develop and provide joint advanced military capabilities to promote security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Scott Morrison and President Joe Biden “reaffirmed their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, and more broadly to an international system that respects human rights, the rule of law, and the peaceful resolution of disputes free from coercion – a commitment whose importance has only grown in response to Russia’s unprovoked, unjustified, and unlawful invasion of Ukraine.”