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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has suffered the largest rebellion of his leadership as almost 100 Conservative MPs voted against measures that would bring in the mandatory use of Covid passes.
The new measures passed the Commons after support from Labour, but Mr Johnson’s attempts to quell a rebellion on his own backbenches failed as a large number of his MPs defied the Whip to vote against him on the issue of the "vaccine passports".
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, treasurer of the 1922 Committee, which is the Conservatives' parliamentary group, said a leadership challenge next year has “got to be on the cards” if the PM did not change his approach.
Other measures under the Government’s Plan B also cleared the Commons, but the vote on Covid passes will be seen as a blow to Mr Johnson’s authority after a challenging week.
Earlier, Mr Johnson addressed the 1922 Committee to try to convince them to back his plans.
And he spoke individually to those who publicly said they would oppose the measure earlier in the day.
Some seemed convinced after the meeting, but in the end 126 MPs voted against the use of the passes at nightclubs and large venues.
About 96 Conservative MPs voted against the Covid pass regulations for England. Two Tory MPs also acted as tellers for the no votes.
But 369 MPs backed the move, giving it a majority of 243.
Before Tuesday, the biggest rebellion Mr Johnson had faced was in December 2020, against the strengthening of Covid-19 tier restrictions in England.
Then, 55 Conservative MPs voted against the government. This also includes the two MPs who acted as tellers for the no votes.
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.