Sunak accused of spending £500,000 'to repair image'
The Independent|May 22, 2022
Labour calls focus groups a taxpayer-funded vanity exercise
ROB MERRICK
Sunak accused of spending £500,000 'to repair image'

Rishi Sunak is spending a further £500,000 of taxpayers' cash on focus groups and polling, new Treasury contracts reveal, sparking a claim that he is trying to "repair his image”. Researchers have been hired to carry out two focus groups and one national online poll each week until February 2023 - taking the total outlay over two years to more than £1.35m, Labour has said.

Angela Rayner, the party's deputy leader, said the chancellor had shifted from testing public opinion about the Covid pandemic to making such spending "a permanent fixture". The new contracts were awarded after Mr Sunak "told the British people he has no money to ease the cost of living crisis and that cutting their energy bills would be 'silly"" she alleged.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May 22, 2022 من The Independent.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May 22, 2022 من The Independent.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من THE INDEPENDENT مشاهدة الكل
GONE... IN A FLASH!
The Independent

GONE... IN A FLASH!

Oliver Keens misses mob rule when randoms would gather in public to sing, dance or stand still, a great British tradition of silliness that is up there with gurning and gravy wrestling

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4 mins  |
May 28, 2024
'I had a very high tolerance for all his salacious stories'
The Independent

'I had a very high tolerance for all his salacious stories'

Novelist Rose Boyt talks to Fiona Sturges about living in the shadow of her ‘genius’ father Lucian Freud – and how writing about their relationship has helped her to make peace with it

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7 mins  |
May 28, 2024
There's a good reason no one sends postcards any more
The Independent

There's a good reason no one sends postcards any more

When I was a child, we used to go to Llandudno on holiday, and almost every shop had a rotating postcard display outside.

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3 mins  |
May 28, 2024
The UK recognising the state of Palestine is long overdue
The Independent

The UK recognising the state of Palestine is long overdue

Palestinian self-determination is the key to a just peace in the Middle East.

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3 mins  |
May 28, 2024
Arum-scarum after a savage rivalry reaches new heights
The Independent

Arum-scarum after a savage rivalry reaches new heights

The Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall rematch was worth the wait, and late on Saturday night in front of boxing’s most fearsome wall of fans, they fought to a standstill in Leeds.

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3 mins  |
May 28, 2024
Round in circles: a race that even its drivers find boring
The Independent

Round in circles: a race that even its drivers find boring

The Monaco Grand Prix appeals to high-rollers but on a track where overtaking is impossible the entertainment factor is zero, finds Kieran Jackson who turns to solutions

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3 mins  |
May 28, 2024
'Promised land' replaced by ticking timebomb of issues
The Independent

'Promised land' replaced by ticking timebomb of issues

Rather than joining the Premier League, Leeds may have to raid it for fringe players in the next Championship campaign

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4 mins  |
May 28, 2024
Fight but no light for Nadal in likely French Open adieu
The Independent

Fight but no light for Nadal in likely French Open adieu

The prolonged closing chapter of greats, particularly in an arena as inconsistent and undependable as professional sport, is a true tribulation of the mind.

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5 mins  |
May 28, 2024
Broadband rollout plan for 2.7 million homes and firms
The Independent

Broadband rollout plan for 2.7 million homes and firms

Openreach has announced plans to build full fibre broadband in over 500 more locations across the UK, covering a further 2.7 million homes and businesses.

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1 min  |
May 28, 2024
Powder keg: Indian spices linked to cancer pesticide
The Independent

Powder keg: Indian spices linked to cancer pesticide

Two of the most popular Indian spice brands MDH and Everest are facing global scrutiny after Hong Kong, Singapore and Nepal suspended sales of their spice blends last month.

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6 mins  |
May 28, 2024