About: UK
Ex-Cambridge Analytica boss admits to ‘unethical services’, accepts seven-year ban
The European Commission is not able to say when a COVID-19 vaccine will be available, EU health chief Stella Kyriakides admitted on Thursday (24 September), even though a senior EU official voiced hope earlier this month that the first vaccine could have market authorisation as early as November.
Commission fears UK data protection regime ‘may change in the future’
The European Commission has concerns that certain aspects of the UK's data protection regime may change in the future and negatively impact the safety of EU personal data when transferred to the country, Commission sources have informed EURACTIV.
Migration flow rises across Channel to Britain as political tension rises
British border agents brought ashore migrants in the port of Dover on Monday (10 August) after picking them up from an inflatable boat as they crossed the Channel, the latest in a surge of crossings that is causing political tensions with France.
UK says it’s confident of Brexit trade deal as EU changing tone
Britain's top minister overseeing Brexit talks said on Friday (7 August) he was confident a free trade deal would be clinched with the EU as there had been a distinct change of tone from the bloc in recent weeks.
Huawei banned from UK 5G network, pleads with Johnson to reconsider
The UK has excluded Huawei from its future 5G network infrastructure, the government announced on Tuesday (14 July). The Chinese telecommunications firm immediately urged Boris Johnson's administration to reconsider the decision, seen as a substantial setback for its business in Europe.
Huawei waits it out on possible UK ban
Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei has said it is remaining patient in light of media reports that the UK government is charting a gradual phase-out of its equipment in 5G network infrastructure, which could lead to a blanket ban.
Commission uncertain on future UK data adequacy agreement
The European Commission has said that it 'cannot predict' whether the UK will be fit for a data transfer adequacy agreement with the EU as part of ongoing negotiations on a future trade deal between the two parties.
LEAK: Commission pushes UK for ‘high degree of convergence’ in GDPR review
The European Commission will tomorrow (24 June) highlight the importance of the UK abiding by EU data protection rules as part of a future relationship between the two parties, in the first review of the landmark general data protection regulation, obtained by EURACTIV.
Huawei faces potential UK backlash in new probe
Bolstered US sanctions against Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei have prompted UK authorities to launch a fresh probe into the company, a government spokesperson said on Sunday (24 May).
UK faces 35% economic slump from COVID-19 lockdown
The UK is expected to suffer a 35% drop in economic output as a result of the coronavirus lockdown measures, according to forecasts by the Office for Budgetary Responsibility (OBR) published on Tuesday (14 April).
PM Johnson’s health worsens, taken to intensive care
Boris Johnson was admitted to intensive care on Monday evening (6 April) after his coronavirus symptoms worsened.
UK opens first COVID hospital but criticism of testing plans mount
The UK opened its first emergency field hospital to combat the coronavirus pandemic on Friday (3 April) but the government continues to face growing criticism about its plans to increase testing for the virus.
UK unveils ‘wartime’ €400 billion COVID bailout programme
The UK unveiled an unprecedented £350 billion (€400 billion) financial rescue package to “support jobs, incomes and businesses” on Tuesday (17 March), in a bid to offset the economic damage unleashed by the coronavirus crisis.
US industry hits out at UK digital services tax
Representatives from the US tech industry on Wednesday (11 March) hit out at the UK's plans to introduce a digital services tax from the beginning of April, following a period of uncertainty as to whether the UK would continue with the measures amid attempts to contract a US trade deal.
UK to consider opposition to digital tax in pursuit of U.S. trade deal
Britain said on Monday (2 March) it would consider opposition to its plan to impose a new digital tax on big tech companies like Google, Facebook and Amazon as part of its ambition to agree a free trade deal with the United States.
‘Prepare for all eventualities’ on UK-EU data transfers, EDPS says
There could be a series of 'obstacles' in terms of securing an EU-UK adequacy agreement on post-Brexit data transfers and the bloc should therefore 'take steps to prepare for all eventualities,' the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) has said this week.
Google users in UK to lose EU data protection – sources
Google is planning to move its British users’ accounts out of the control of European Union privacy regulators, placing them under U.S. jurisdiction instead, sources said.
UK broadcasting watchdog proposed as online harms regulator
The UK government has announced plans to grant the country's broadcasting authority, Ofcom, broad new powers in regulating the spread of harmful content across social media platforms.
Alarm over BBC future as UK proposes fee changes
The British government on Wednesday (5 February) announced plans to stop prosecuting people who do not pay the BBC's compulsory subscription fee, sparking concerns about the broadcaster's future funding.
Paris aims to become Europe’s top financial hub in post-Brexit world
London is currently Europe's leading financial centre but the French authorities dream of seeing Paris in the lead. However, it remains to be seen if the City will lose access to European markets after the UK-EU negotiations this year. EURACTIV's partner EUROEFE reports.
UK to diverge from EU data protection rules, Johnson confirms
The United Kingdom will seek to diverge from EU data protection rules and establish their own 'sovereign' controls in the field, the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday (3 February). His comments came despite the EU affirming that the UK should "fully respect EU data protection rules.
MPs call for an Anglo-German post-Brexit ‘friendship treaty’
A British MP and his German counterpart have called for a post-Brexit “treaty of friendship” between the two countries, as concerns grow in Berlin that relations could turn increasingly hostile over the coming months.
UK grants Huawei a limited 5G role
Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday granted China’s Huawei a limited role in Britain’s future 5G mobile network, a choice that risks damaging relations with the United States which fears China could use the company to steal Western secrets.