300,000 new homes target
Housing Secretary Michael Gove has said the government is still committed to a manifesto pledge of building 300,000 homes every year by the mid-2020s. Former PM Liz Truss had cast doubt on the aim, saying she wanted to scrap ‘Stalinist’ housing targets. But Mr Gove - who returned to cabinet after Ms Truss's resignation said he wanted to build more homes, both for ownership and to rent, and that new developments should have the consent of local communities. He also warned meeting the target would be ‘difficult’ due to the economic circumstances. ‘We need to be straight with people: the cost of materials has increased because of the problems with global supply chains and also a very tight labour market means that the capacity to build those homes at the rate we want is constrained,’ he said.
Criminals in police forces
Paedophiles, rapists, a murderer, and a neo-Nazi all managed to join the police due to a widespread failure to screen out dangerous and corrupt officers. Hundreds, if not thousands, of serving officers have criminal records, are linked to gangsters, or pose a risk to the public, watchdogs warned on November 1st. Analysis of personnel files found it was far too easy for misogynistic, corrupt, or predatory officers to join up and stay in uniform. They include Benjamin Hannam, a neo-Nazi who was recruited by Scotland Yard despite featuring in a recruitment video for a banned far-Right group two days before he applied. He became the first constable to be convicted of terror offences after an anonymous hacker told the Met that he was a member of National Action (white supremacists) and recruited others to a group that backed the murder of MP Jo Cox.
Highest interest rates since 2008
The latest interest rate rise by the Bank of England means its benchmark interest rates have hit 3% for the first time since 2008. The interest rate affects mortgages, repayments on credit card debt and the interest paid on savings accounts. They have been rising since December in an effort to curb the rate at which the cost of everyday goods and services are rising. This latest rise follows economic turmoil under Liz Truss, though things have calmed slightly since Rishi Sunak took over and promised to issue a plan to repair the nation's finances later this month, but tax rises and spending cuts are expected. The Bank of England’s outlook for the UK economy is a downturn lasting for two years and the unemployment rate will nearly double.
Prime Minister symbolises Britain's religious freedom
Rishi Sunak’s rise to Prime Minister was on the front pages of most of India’s newspapers. The Evangelical Alliance said his appointment would reflect Britain's religious diversity. ‘As a nation, we celebrate freedom of religion and belief and it's important that we're able to recognise different people's religious beliefs and how they practise it. We should be encouraged that people are free to practise different beliefs, but in the same way, that we should stand for the freedom to practise our own religion.’ There are calls for a period of a ‘quiet, stable government’ under Rishi Sunak. Christian Conservative MP John Glen who has known Mr Sunak since 2014, said he believes Sunak has the integrity, drive and intelligence to restore the UK's reputation after the political and financial turmoil of recent weeks.
