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Tory MPs have stepped up calls for the government to cut taxes after pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca overlooked Britain for a new £320m drug factory.

Sir Pascal Soriot, the firm’s chief executive, said it wanted to build a new plant close to its existing sites in northwest England but “because the tax rate was discouraging” chose Dublin instead.

The UK’s corporate tax rate is due to rise from 19% to 25% in April, while a tax relief scheme for businesses is expected to end and energy support will begin to fall away.

Conservative MP John Redwood tweeted: “AstraZeneca’s decision to invest in Ireland not the UK because our tax rates are too high shows how damaging government tax policy is.

“High taxes destroy jobs and result in less tax revenue.”

Mr Redwood said the new science minister, Michelle Donelan, “needs to tell the Treasury she cannot do her job with high tax rates and additional taxes sending people and money abroad”.

Ms Donelan was appointed during Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s shake-up of Whitehall this week, which included the creation of a new government department focused on science, innovation and technology.

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The government has pledged to turn the UK into a “science superpower”, building on the UK’s COVID-19 vaccine successes.

But Matt Hancock, who was health secretary during the pandemic, said the move by AstraZeneca to build its factory in low-tax Ireland deals a blow to that ambition.

He tweeted: “This decision was completely avoidable. Across life sciences, data, AI, clinical trials & other industries of the future, we are squandering a lead, failing to capitalise on the global success of our vaccine programme.

“This is a massive wake-up call.”

Chancellor ‘disappointed we lost out this time’

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt today admitted he was “disappointed we lost out this time” in relation to AstraZeneca’s decision to snub the UK.

Speaking to broadcasters from a science facility in central London he said: “We agree with the fundamental case they’re making which is that we need our business taxation to be more competitive and we want to bring business taxes down.

“But the only tax cuts we won’t consider are ones that are funded by borrowing because they’re not a real tax cut. They’re just passing on the bill to future generations.”

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The chancellor warned the UK ‘is not out of the woods’ despite the economy avoiding a recession.

Mr Hunt has continued to resist pressure to cut taxes ahead of his budget next month, after a bleak assessment from the IMF that the UK economy will fare worse than any other advanced nation this year – including sanction-hit Russia.

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Negative ‘noise’ drowning out positive

Dr Richard Torbett, chief executive of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), also called for government action to provide a “level playing field”.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “There are more stories about losing investment, like the one we’ve seen with AstraZeneca, than the positive noise stories coming in, and we really have to turn that around.”

Concerns within the pharmaceutical industry have also been focused on the NHS-branded medicines sales levy.

The scheme caps the health service’s branded medicines bill, meaning that drug manufacturers face a charge if it rises more than two per cent annually.

But industry leaders including AstraZeneca are lobbying for change as payments have soared because of rising demand since the pandemic.

Mr Torbett said: “The agreement we have with the NHS – that has got to the point where companies are now paying more than a quarter of their revenues – not profit but revenues – back to the government.

“That is vastly in excess of anything the industry pays anywhere else in the world and we have to get to the point where the UK is able to compete for investment on a level playing field, and we are not there yet.”

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Ex-French president Nicolas Sarkozy enters prison for five-year sentence

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Ex-French president Nicolas Sarkozy enters prison for five-year sentence

Nicolas Sarkozy declared his innocence and held hands with his wife before entering prison to begin his five-year sentence.

The 70-year-old was pictured with his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy on Tuesday morning ahead of travelling to Paris’ La Sante prison.

He was found guilty last month of criminal conspiracy over the alleged illegal financing of his 2007 presidential election campaign with funds from Libya.

Nicolas Sarkozy leaves his house with his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. Pic: Reuters
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Nicolas Sarkozy leaves his house with his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. Pic: Reuters

Hundreds of supporters chanted “Nicolas, Nicolas” and sang the French national anthem as he left his home this morning and stepped into the car that would take him to jail.

It caps a stunning downfall of the man who led France between 2007 and 2012.

Sarkozy’s sons and daughter, Jean, Pierre, Louis and Giulia, and his grandchildren showed up at the gathering.

As he prepared to begin his prison term, he posted a message on social media repeating his claims that he is an “innocent man” and said he feels a “deep sorrow for France”.

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He will be the first former French leader to be jailed since Nazi collaborator Marshal Philippe Petain after the Second World War.

In his statement, Sarkozy said: “As I prepare to cross the walls of La Sante prison, my thoughts go out to the French people of all walks of life and opinions,” he said.

“I want to tell them with my unwavering strength that it is not a former President of the Republic who is being locked up this morning, it is an innocent person.”

He added: “I feel deep sorrow for France, which finds itself humiliated by the expression of a vengeance that has taken hatred to an unprecedented level. I have no doubt. The truth will triumph. But the price to pay will have been crushing.”

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy kisses his wife Carla Brun-Sarkozy. Pic: Reuters
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Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy kisses his wife Carla Brun-Sarkozy. Pic: Reuters

Parisian resident Michelle Perie, 67, said she came out to support “because there is anger, injustice”.

“He’s not like any other defendants, he’s someone who holds state secrets, he’s someone who has always done his job with his head held high. We don’t understand,” she said.

Sarkozy’s lawyers said he will be held in solitary confinement, where he will be kept away from all other prisoners for security reasons.

The former president told French newspaper Le Figaro he would take three books with him, including Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo, in which the hero escapes from an island prison before seeking revenge.

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Gunman who shot Slovak PM sentenced to 21 years in jail

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Gunman who shot Slovak PM sentenced to 21 years in jail

A man who shot and badly wounded Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has been given a 21-year jail sentence after being found guilty of terrorism charges.

Juraj Cintula, 72, opened fire on Mr Fico in May 2024, hitting him five times from little more than a one-metre distance as the prime minister greeted supporters in the central Slovak town of Handlová.

Cintula, who was acting alone, said he had not intended to kill Mr Fico and claimed his motive was that he disagreed with government policies.

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Robert Fico

The Slovakian leader, 64, was seriously injured in the attack. He was struck in the abdomen and also sustained wounds to his hip, hand and foot. He was rushed to hospital and immediately underwent five-hour long surgery.

Mr Fico has since recovered and made his first public appearance a few months after the attack.

The shooting and subsequent trial have shaken this small, European Union and NATO-member country, where populist Mr Fico has long been a divisive figure. He’s often been criticised for straying from Slovakia’s pro-Western path and aligning it closer to Russia.

Protesters at a march called "Slovakia is Europe" in Bratislava, May 9, 2025. Pic: Martin Baumann/TASR via AP
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Protesters at a march called “Slovakia is Europe” in Bratislava, May 9, 2025. Pic: Martin Baumann/TASR via AP

Cintula was arrested immediately after the attack. When questioned by investigators, he rejected the accusation of being a “terrorist”.

In testimony read out at his trial, Cintula stated: “I decided to harm the health of the prime minister but I had no intention to kill anyone.”

He added that he was relieved when he learned the prime minister survived.

Protesters against new consolidation of Slovak government in Bratislava, Sept. 11, 2025. Pic: Martin Baumann/TASR via AP
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Protesters against new consolidation of Slovak government in Bratislava, Sept. 11, 2025. Pic: Martin Baumann/TASR via AP

“The defendant did not attack a citizen, but specifically the prime minister,” Igor Králik, the head of the three-judge panel, said in delivering the verdict.

“He was against the government, he was inciting people to overthrow the government.”

Cintula can still appeal the verdict, but it was not immediately clear if he would do so.

In the aftermath of the attack, Mr Fico said he “had no reason to believe” the attack was the work of just one person and repeatedly blamed the liberal opposition and media for the assassination attempt. There is no evidence for that.

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The Slovak leader had previously said he “had no reason to believe” it was an attack by a lone deranged person.

He repeatedly blamed the liberal opposition and media for the assassination attempt, although no evidence was provided for these claims.

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Populist Mr Fico returned to power for the fourth time after his leftist Smer, or Direction, party won the 2023 parliamentary election after campaigning on a pro-Russia and anti-American message.

Thousands have repeatedly rallied in Bratislava and across Slovakia to protest Fico’s pro-Russian stance and other policies.

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Japan’s parliament votes in country’s first ever female PM

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Japan's parliament votes in country's first ever female PM

Japan’s parliament has voted in the country’s first ever female prime minister.

Sanae Takaichi won 237 votes in the 465-seat lower chamber of parliament, and is also set to secure a majority in the less powerful upper house before being sworn in later today.

Tuesday’s votes came after her Liberal Democratic Party agreed to a coalition with the right-wing Japan Innovation Party yesterday.

The last-minute deal came after the Liberal Democrats lost its longterm partner, the Buddhist-backed Komeito, which has a more centrist stance.

Incumbent prime minister Shigeru Ishiba, of Ms Takaichi’s party, announced his resignation last month.

The new prime minister stands and bows after the vote. Pic: AP
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The new prime minister stands and bows after the vote. Pic: AP

While Ms Takaichi’s election marks the shattering of a glass ceiling for Japan, it also marks a sharp tack to the right.

She is a staunchly conservative figure who cites Margaret Thatcher as an inspiration, and comes to power at a time when the country is increasingly worried about the cost of living and immigration.

Japan is currently grappling with rising prices that have sparked public anger, fuelling support for oppositions groups including the far-right Sanseito party.

Japanese lawmakers electing the new PM at the Lower House of Parliament in Tokyo. Pic: Reuters
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Japanese lawmakers electing the new PM at the Lower House of Parliament in Tokyo. Pic: Reuters

Ms Takaichi’s untested alliance is still short of a majority in both houses of parliament and she will need to win over other opposition groups to pass any legislation – which could make her government unstable.

She said at Monday’s signing ceremony: “Political stability is essential right now. Without stability, we cannot push measures for a strong economy or diplomacy.”

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While she is Japan’s first female PM, Ms Takaichi has previously shown she is in no rush to promote gender equality or diversity.

She is among the Japanese politicians who have stonewalled measures for women’s advancements and she supports the imperial family’s male-only succession, while opposing same-sex marriage and allowing separate surnames for married couples.

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