Last modified on Wed 12 May 2021 16.25 EDT
An independent public inquiry is often demanded by opposition parties and pressure groups and often resisted by governments in the face of a major accident or disaster.
Boris Johnson’s pledge to set up an independent public inquiry with statutory powers into the handling of the coronavirus pandemic follows demands from bereaved families, health workers, police, transparency campaigners, and several parliamentary bodies including the public administration and constitutional affairs committee.
What is a public inquiry?
Statutory public inquiries are held under the Inquiries Act 2005, and have the advantage of having legal powers to compel witnesses to give evidence, provide legal safeguards, and can set limits upon the government’s control of an inquiry.
Ofcom to get powers to stop woke social media firms being judge and jury
A new bill will see Ofcom reining in social media giants, with powers to levy multi-billion pound fines for breaches of duty of care laws
8 May 2021 • 8:00pm
Ofcom is to get powers to prevent woke social media firms being judge and jury by arbitrarily removing political commentary.
The new online harms watchdog will be able to intervene to get tech giants to reinstate content of “democratic importance” and to protect freedom of expression .
The move will be part of the Government’s new duty of care bill to be announced this week by Boris Johnson in the Queen’s Speech.
Oliver Dowden and his cronies are placing pliant ghouls in every position of influence
“The Conservatives seek to limit broadcasters’ abilities to inform and entertain and to hold the proven liar Boris Johnson to account.” Illustration: David Foldvari/The Observer
“The Conservatives seek to limit broadcasters’ abilities to inform and entertain and to hold the proven liar Boris Johnson to account.” Illustration: David Foldvari/The Observer
Sun 9 May 2021 05.00 EDT
Many on the left have blamed Keir Starmer, and the white working class’s perceived abandonment by Labour’s patronising metropolitan elite, for the political survival of the corrupt liar Boris Johnson. And it helps that Johnson showered our body-strewn streets with costly vaccines, like a negligent drunken father suddenly treating his starving children to a spaff-up Saturday dinner at McDonald’s. But Starmer alone cannot be held responsible for failing to inculcate a sense of Johnson’s mendacity into,
Pound gives up gains as Bank raises growth forecast
Save
Follow
John Laing, one of Britainâs best-known infrastructure firms, surged to the top of the
FTSE 250 after it confirmed it was in talks with US buyout firm KKR over a possible takeover.
The group jumped almost 20pc, or 62.2p to 379.8p â back to its highest level since January 2020 â after it revealed that the New York-based private equity firm had until June 3 to make an offer. It said there is no certainty a firm offer will be made by KKR, which had $349bn (£251bn) in assets under management as of April.