Boris Johnson is reportedly wavering on controversial plans to raise national insurance as questions loom over the future of his premiership in light of an official inquiry into partygate allegations.
Meanwhile, in other stories making the headlines this morning, more than 200 Post Offices in the UK have closed in the last two years – the equivalent of two a week, according to new research.
Elsewhere, the location of the notorious eyesight-testing trip by Dominic Cummings – Barnard Castle – has had its best year for visitors in 2021, according to English Heritage.
Also, 'tens of thousands of people' have turned out to supports truckers in Canada who have formed a 'Freedom Convoy' to protest against new laws mandating vaccine passports for lorry drivers.
These are just some of the national and international news stories making headlines this morning after breaking overnight.
Others include:
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Funding models used for Brexit and Covid projects caused significant losses of public money - says NAO
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Royal Mint makes 8kg gold coin to mark Chinese Year of the Tiger
Read on to find out more.
PM 'wobbling' on tax hike plans as No 10 awaits Sue Gray report
Boris Johnson is reportedly wavering on controversial plans to raise national insurance as questions loom over the future of his premiership in light of an official inquiry into partygate allegations.
The PM is under pressure from some Tory MPs to scrap the tax hike to win back support as he awaits the findings of the highly-anticipated report from senior official Sue Gray.
The Times cited a Government source as saying Mr Johnson was considering delaying the rise for a year as “red meat” for his critics on the right of the party.
They reportedly said: “He’s wobbling, I think he would do anything to survive.”
On the subject of the national insurance rise, another source is said to have told The Times: “It looks like [Johnson] is back-sliding because of the pressure he’s under on partygate.
"It has never been popular among the right of the party and it’s that group Boris is most worried about. The Treasury view is that Johnson should hold his nerve."
Two Post Offices a week have closed in the UK in the past two years, say Citizens Advice
More than 200 Post Offices in the UK have closed in the last two years – the equivalent of two a week, according to new research.
Citizens Advice said its study also found that 1,291 Post Offices are currently deemed “temporarily closed”, but more than half of these have been shut for more than two years.
The consumer watchdog also said people have reported they now spend more time and money accessing Post Office services, feel a loss of independence, and increased isolation since their local office was shut.
One woman, who was reliant on the Post Office for paying bills and topping up her energy meter, reported moving house after the local office closed and she was unable to afford the bus journey to the new one. Shortly after moving house, the Post Office in her new village shut.
Best year for Barnard Castle following Dominic Cummings’ controversial trip
The town in County Durham made headlines when it was revealed that the Prime Minister’s chief adviser at the time had taken a day trip there while the country was in lockdown.
English Heritage has said it was among many “hidden local gems” which saw an increase in visitor numbers during 2021 as more people turned to places on their doorstep due to Covid-19 travel restrictions.
But the location of the notorious eyesight-testing trip by Dominic Cummings – Barnard Castle – has had its best year for visitors in 2021, according to English Heritage.
Barnard Castle’s 12th century fortress, which belonged to Richard III and has a sensory garden, experienced an almost 20% increase in visitors in comparison to 2019.
Truckers in Canada form 'Freedom Convoy' to protest Covid vaccine rules
The truckers are heading from the capital to the south-east of the nation, in protest of vaccine mandates - or vaccine passports - for truckers, with up to 20 per cent of their colleagues in the country unvaccinated.
This could potentially stop truckers from crossing the US-Canada border without proof of being jabbed.
Truckers left from British Columbia on Sunday and will be met in the nation's capital tomorrow (Saturday) by other protesters driving from the east and the south of the country.
US truckers are also said to have joined their Canadian counterparts in the "Freedom Convoy' across the giant North American country.
Funding models used for Brexit and Covid projects caused significant losses of public money - says NAO
Flawed Government funding models used for major infrastructure projects such as the Brexit EU divorce settlement and Covid 19 Test and Trace have "directly caused significant losses of public money", says a new report.
And the National Audit Office (NAO) says these errors have also caused "delays to critical public programmes".
The new NAO report, published yesterday (January 27) has examined how effective the treasury (HMT) and office for budget responsibility (OBR) business plans into public funded projects and whether they represent value for money.
The NAO is critical of the 'finance model' claiming they are flawed by costly weaknesses.
Royal Mint produces 8kg gold coin to celebrate Year of the Tiger
A gigantic gold coin celebrating the Year of the Tiger has been unveiled by the Royal Mint.
The 185mm (7.3in) coin, featuring a design to celebrate Chinese New Year, is the largest ever produced as part of the Shengxiao Collection.
The Mint said the coin which weighs 8kg (17.6lb), blends elements of traditional British design and craftsmanship with ancient Chinese culture.
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