United Kingdom Day on 2 October 2024 will focus more on:
● Found mouse cockroach carcasses in the kitchen of a Chinese restaurant in London and fined £42,000
● British media learned that the United Kingdom Chancellor of the Exchequer plans to visit China early next year to strengthen bilateral economic and trade relations
● HSBC amends loan rules to help overseas buyers buy property in the United Kingdom
● Opinion polls show that Labor's popular support is not as good as in the previous Conservative government
● United Kingdom government to raise salaries for teachers in England by 5.5%
A rat and cockroach carcass was found in the kitchen of a Chinese restaurant in London and fined £42,000
According to The Guardian, Wong Kei, a Chinese restaurant that was once named "rudest restaurant in London" for its poor service attitude, has been fined £42,000 for hygiene issues.
It is reported that this Chinese restaurant is located on Wardour Street in London's Chinatown Quarter. During an inspection in 2022, Westminster Health Department inspectors found dead rats and cockroaches in the restaurant's kitchen. In addition, there are hygiene problems such as cross-contamination of raw and cooked food in the back kitchen of the restaurant.
At that time, the official department issued two hygiene improvement notices to Wangji Restaurant, requiring it to improve its operating standards. But during a review in May 2023, health officials found that the restaurant's hygiene issues remained unresolved. Subsequently, the restaurant was prosecuted by the United Kingdom government, and the person responsible for the restaurant pleaded guilty to 11 counts of food hygiene and safety-related offences, and was fined a total of £42,306.
In July 2024, in the latest inspection by the health department, the restaurant was rated 2 out of 5, which represents "need for improvement", and the September re-inspection found that the restaurant "resolved most of the non-compliance issues", but as it is still classified as a C-level risk, i.e. "not fully compliant with health and safety regulations", health staff will re-inspect it every 18 months.
British media learned: The United Kingdom Chancellor of the Exchequer plans to visit China early next year to strengthen economic and trade relations between the two sides
Sky News has learned that United Kingdom Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves is making plans to visit China early next year (as early as January), and United Kingdom Treasury officials are discussing the plan in detail with the Chinese side. Last month, Rachel Reeves spoke with Deputy Prime Minister He Lifeng about resuming the economic and financial dialogue between the two countries.
If confirmed, it will be the first visit to China by Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves since Labour's general election, and the first economic and trade summit between China and the UK since June 2019.
Some of the United Kingdom's largest corporations are also expected to be represented, including HSBC and Standard Chartered.
HSBC changes lending rules to help overseas buyers buy property in the United Kingdom
According to the latest industry news from British media, HSBC UK announced on October 1 that it would revise mortgage rules for overseas buyers to help them buy homes in the United Kingdom.
Under HSBC's old rules, both people applying for a joint mortgage in the United Kingdom (minimum 5% down payment) would need to hold United Kingdom permanent residence or EU settled status, but now only one of these applicants is required.
In addition, HSBC has increased the maximum percentage of loans to overseas buyers who do not have permanent residency in the United Kingdom from 75% to 85%. However, applicants must have lived in the United Kingdom for at least one year, or have an annual personal income of at least £75,000, or joint applicants have a joint annual income of at least £100,000.
Opinion polls show that Labour is not as popular as it was in the previous Conservative government
A survey conducted by the think tank More in Common shows that the Labour government has been in power for less than three months, and its approval ratings are already lower than those of the previous Conservative government.
The survey, of 2,080 adults in United Kingdom, showed that 31 per cent preferred the Sunak government and only 29 per cent preferred the current Starmer government. At the same time, Prime Minister Starmer's net approval rating has now dropped to -27%, down 38 percentage points from when he first started in office.
About one in five (22 per cent) of the electorate surveyed believe Labour will win the next general election, with a little more (23 per cent) believing the Conservatives will win; Asked if they regretted the decision to vote in the July general election, 33 per cent of Labour voters said they regretted supporting Labour and 5 per cent of Conservative voters said they regretted supporting the Conservative Party.
United Kingdom government to raise salaries for teachers in England by 5.5%
9月30日,UK最大教育工会(National Education Union,简称NEU)投票接受了政府在2024/25年度为英格兰地区教师加薪5.5%的提议。
NEU said that as part of the agreement, the United Kingdom government will allocate an additional £1.2 billion to schools in the 2024/25 financial year to cover the cost of salary increases for teachers.
British media sources pointed out that NEU members held an 8-day strike in 2023 for a salary increase, and if all public sector employees receive a 5.5% salary increase, the United Kingdom government may need 10 billion pounds to support.