Afternoon Summary
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The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office was hacked in October. Details of the hack emerged on Friday in a report by the Sun that claimed a Chinese hacker group was behind the cyber-attack. The Sun named Storm 1849 as the Chinese cyber gang responsible for the breach, which it said was understood to possibly include tens of thousands of visa details. However, when asked if China was behind the attack, trade minister Chris Bryant told broadcasters it was “not clear” who perpetrated the attack and cautioned against speculation. The minister also said that risk to “any individual” from this cyber-attack was low.
A review found that the BBC’s editing guidelines do not need to be altered in the wake of controversy surrounding the edit of a Donald Trump speech. The US president is seeking up to $10bn (£7.5bn) in damages in response to the BBC’s editing of a speech he made before the 2021 attack on the Capitol.
Russian president Vladimir Putin told his annual end-of-year press conference that US president Donald Trump was right to sue the BBC over edited clips of his speech.
Rachel Reeves said the UK’s support for Ukraine remains “iron-clad” as she welcomed a European deal to provide billions more in financial support for Kyiv. The chancellor said she was “pleased” a deal had been reached, adding: “The UK’s support for Ukraine remains iron-clad. “We will work with partners to urgently consider options to ensure that Ukraine gets the funding it needs.” Meanwhile, the UK has given its final warning to Roman Abramovich to release £2.5bn from the oligarch’s sale of Chelsea FC to give to Ukraine, telling the billionaire to release the funds within 90 days or face court action.
Reform UK held on to a seat on Cornwall council in a byelection after a turbulent time for the party in the county. Reform’s Heinz Wolfgang Glanville was elected as the new member for St Columb Minor and Colan with 408 votes despite a flurry of resignations and suspensions as well as public infighting that many said undermined Reform’s authority in the county.
Reform-run Kent council was accused of trying to block scrutiny after it refused, for more than five months, to produce evidence that it had saved more than £40m by cancelling two environmental projects that did not exist yet.
The UK government borrowed more than expected in November according to official figures. For more in Business news:
WH Smith are attempting to take back as much as £7m in bonuses from former executives after it said the UK’s financial watchdog had launched a formal investigation into a devastating accounting error linked to its US business.
The Electoral Commission voiced concern about the prospect of further delays to local elections, saying capacity constraints are not a legitimate reason to postpone long-planned polls. 63 council areas due to hold elections in May could postpone them until 2027 after some told ministers they lack the capacity to reorganise in time, the government said.
The UK government imposed sanctions on individuals and organisations it said were “linked to violence perpetrated against civilians in Syria”, including some who financially supported former president Bashar al-Assad’s government.
The Electoral Commission has voiced concern about the prospect of further delays to local elections, saying capacity constraints are not a legitimate reason to postpone long-planned polls.
Some 63 council areas due to hold elections in May could postpone them until 2027 after some told ministers they lack the capacity to reorganise in time, the government said.
It comes as Labour’s plans to scrap two-tier authorities and merge them into single unitary councils by 2028 are implemented.
But Vijay Rangarajan, the Electoral Commission’s chief executive, said the move caused “unprecedented” uncertainty and could damage public confidence. He said:
We are disappointed by both the timing and substance of the statement. Scheduled elections should as a rule go ahead as planned, and only be postponed in exceptional circumstances.”
