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SubscriptionsAuthor: David Hencke
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Unlawful Rwanda Scheme Set to Cost UK ‘Staggering’ £500 Million, National Audit Office Reveals
With the Government refusing to say how much the controversial asylum plan would cost, MPs commissioned the NAO to produce its own report
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People in North of England ‘Live Shorter, Sicker, Poorer Lives Simply Because of Where They Were Born’
A new report has found it will take 55 years for those living in the north-east to have the same healthy life expectancy now enjoyed in London and the south-east of England
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Home Office Attacked by Peers Over False Information on Zombie Knives Ban
A press release by the department containing misleading information was only corrected after House of Lords objections
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‘Untold Damage to the UK’s Reputation’: Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights Slams the Rwanda Bill
Britain’s standing on human rights is in “jeopardy” and Good Friday Agreement undermined by the Safety of Rwanda Bill
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Costs of Curtailed HS2 Rail Link Still ‘Running Out of Control’
Commons Committee criticises the costs of the remaining high-speed rail link and the Government for fixing the figures
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Roman Abramovich and Foreign Office in Disagreement on how to Spend Frozen Cash from Chelsea FC Sale
Neither can agree where the money should be used to help Ukraine, according to new parliamentary report
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Tens of Billions in Government and Council Pandemic Spending Unaccounted For as Local Authority Auditing Scandal Worsens
A new report by the Public Accounts Committee lambasts the Treasury for being ‘too passive’ in chasing up the cash, resulting in inaccurate figures
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‘Contradictory’ and ‘Self-Defeating’: MPs Slam Government for Building New Houses in High-Flood Risk Areas
As Chancellor, Rishi Sunak reduced the budget for flood protection
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‘One of the World’s Most Cyber-Attacked Nations’: Parliamentary Report Confirms Russian Interference Attempts in UK Elections – and Slams Braverman’s Inaction to Prioritise ‘Stopping the Boats’
The former Home Secretary showed no interest in urgent threats to the UK as the National Security Strategy Committee reveals that Vladimir Putin made attempts to interfere with the last General Election
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Government has ‘No Vision’ for Preparing UK for Extreme Weather, New Report Finds
The lack of a risk strategy to tackle weather crises means ministers are not properly informed about how to tackle problems, according to the National Audit Office
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Half of all Local Authorities in England at Risk of Going Bust Next Year
MPs have warned Michael Gove that large numbers of councils could soon be in severe financial distress
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MPs Slam Parliament’s Slow Rebuilding Programme Progress – As Executives Receive Hundreds of Thousands in Bonuses
The Public Accounts Committee delivers a stinging rebuke to the Delivery Authority, tasked with the rebuilding scheme
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Nearly 6 Million Homes at Risk of Flooding as Rishi Sunak Cut Flood Protection Schemes
As the UK experiences more extreme weather, spending watchdog criticises Government cuts, reports David Hencke
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‘Once in a Generation’ Plan to Fix Social Care Crisis Is In Crisis After Sunak Slashes Its Budget
Part of the financial crisis facing social care has been the huge rise in inflation and interest rates following former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s controversial budget
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‘No Patient Should Ever Be Treated Like this Ever Again’
As the new Mental Health Act is quietly dropped, David Hencke reports on how the crisis in mental health services across the country is failing the most vulnerable people in society
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Energy Bills Set to Rise Next Year After Colossal Collapse of So Many Companies, MPs Report
Taxpayers have been left with a £2.7 billion bill, according to the Public Accounts Committee
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The ‘Postcode Lottery’ of Emergency Ambulance Wait Times
Services in the south-west and east of England are disproportionately affected by problems, a new report by MPs has found
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Conservative ‘Politicisation’ of the Civil Service Has Damaged Public Trust, Warn Peers
A Parliamentary investigation found senior civil servants were being ousted by the Government for ‘ideological’ reasons
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Sunak’s Government Condemned for Failing to Either Build New Homes or Protect the Environment
The Government’s commitment to build more homes, while protecting wildlife from deadly pollutants is “failing to deliver for either side”
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The Affluent and the Effluent: Conservative Environment Secretary Slammed for ‘Lack of Leadership’ and ‘Complacency’
From growing sewage pollution to rising water bills and lack of investment, Lord Hollick criticises Therese Coffey’s failure to address a Lords report
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Lords Report Slams Office for Students as a Potential ‘Smoke Screen’ for Post-Brexit Culture Wars
UK higher education qualifications have been suspended from the European quality standards body because of the way the Office for Students was regulating universities.
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‘Noisy Reporting’ by Media of COVID Financial Scandals led to UK’s Slump in Corruption Index, Cabinet Office Claims
A new parliamentary report reveals that, apart from the £16.4 billion estimated tax and benefit fraud found by the National Audit Office last year, ministers have no idea about the level of fraud in the rest of government
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Only 2% of Fraudulently Claimed COVID Cash from Rishi Sunak’s £22 Billion Pandemic Scheme Recovered by Government
A new parliamentary report details a complete lack of planning in handing out the money to small businesses, pubs, restaurants and some retail premises and clubs
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How the Government Failed to Act on the Collapsing School Building Scandal
Ministers’ claims that the school building scandal only emerged ‘over the summer’ is contradicted by evidence of warnings going back years
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One Million Teenagers Fail to Claim Child Trust Fund Money – After HMRC Steps Away from Notifying them of the Cash
A report by the Commons’ Public Accounts Committee says more should be done to help young adults trace their funds
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Bungled Home Office Plans Added Billions to Cost of Emergency Communication Network
The long-delayed project has already cost taxpayers £2 billion and delivered nothing, according to a new parliamentary investigation
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Pandemic Health Agency with No Proper Governance Spent Billions Without Parliamentary Approval
A report by the Commons’ Public Accounts Committee found that the UK Health Security Agency had no auditable accounts
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Wasted Opportunity: Household Recycling Stalls as EU Target to Increase It was Quietly Abandoned after Brexit Vote
A new waste strategy was drawn up by the Government in 2018 but, five years on, there are no delivery dates for it, according to a new report by the independent spending watchdog
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Hundreds of Thousands of Pupils at Schools in Danger of Imminent Collapse Without Warning
A new report by the National Audit Office sounds the alarm on the state of school buildings requiring major refurbishment
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Gove Fails to Tackle £100 Billion of Unaudited Local Council Accounts
A parliamentary report confirms Byline Times’ story about the collapse in the auditing of how taxpayers’ money is being spent on public services
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Government’s Target to Abolish Fossil Fuel Use in All Power Generation by 2035 Not Credible, Report Finds
The Government is expecting taxpayers to pay through their fuel bills for the transition to zero use of fossil fuels but has given no indication of the extra cost
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Rishi Sunak Will Fail Key Pledges on Migrants, National Audit Office Reveals
The official watchdog says both the Prime Minister’s promises – to reduce asylum seekers backlog and stop housing them in hotels – will not be met
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Council Coffers Crisis Revealed: Auditing of Public Money by Local Authorities Collapses – So How is Taxpayers’ Cash Being Spent?
Serious problems have arisen after the Government abolished the Audit Commission and handed the job to private accountancy firms instead
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Government Fraud Quadruples on Rishi Sunak’s Watch, New Report Reveals
HMRC contributed enormously to the rise in fraud after the then Chancellor approved tens of billions to be spent on pandemic support schemes
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‘Not the Radical Reset Children’s Care Needs’
A new parliamentary reports criticises the Government’s plans for young people’s care – with the Home Secretary announcing that the same strategy will be used to tackle child sexual abuse
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MPs Warn Parliament Risks Being Destroyed in ‘Catastrophic Event’ as Delays in Repairs Rumble On
Parliament is spending £100 million a year – a staggering £2 million of taxpayers’ money every week – patching up repairs, while next steps on its renovation are still to be decided
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‘Totally Unacceptable’ Cabinet Office Failures in Security Vetting
MPs lambast the Cabinet Office for failing to get a grip over security vetting for top civil servants and putting national security at risk, reports David Hencke
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British Firms Spend Less on Skills Retraining After Brexit, New Report Finds
The number of adults participating in government-funded further education and skills training has dropped dramatically, according to a report by a parliamentary committee
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Former Prime Ministers Receive £6 Million from Taxpayer in 13 Years for Expenses
Following the disclosure that Boris Johnson and Liz Truss will be able to claim £115k a year, David Hencke discovers Tony Blair made highest claim on the public purse, and Theresa the lowest
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Ministers Should Face Legal Sanctions for Breaking Rules, say MPs
David Hencke reports on the Commons Committee which proposes wholesale reform of the ‘toothless’ regulators supposed to safeguard propriety in public office
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Watchdog Thwarted from Deciding Whether £120 Million ‘Festival of Brexit’ Provided Value for Money
The Conservative chair of Parliament’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee has said questions must be asked as to ‘what the festival was for and whether it was worth it’
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Rishi Sunak’s £20 Billion COVID Fraud Black Hole
With the Government facing a massive shortfall in its finances, MPs report on how billions were lost by the Treasury during the time the current Prime Minister was Chancellor
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Randox Lawyers’ Attempts to Stall Parliamentary Report on Covid Testing Contracts
MPs have made public the correspondence between Schillings and the Public Accounts Committee over the publication of their report on the £600 million in Covid contracts
