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Rishi Sunak is set to block councils from introducing new 20mph speed limits, according to reports.

The move is among a package of measures the prime minister is due to announce at the Conservative Party’s annual conference that gets under way in Manchester this weekend.

The so-called “plan for motorists” comes in the wake of the Tory’s unexpected win in the Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election, which saw a backlash against Labour policy towards motorists.

Politics latest: Labour launch by-election campaign

The expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) by London mayor Sadiq Khan was blamed for the failure of the opposition to take Boris Johnson’s former seat.

It led to a commitment by Mr Sunak to tackle “anti-motorist policies”.

Alongside plans to curb the power of councils to introduce new 20mph zones on main roads, Mr Sunak is also expected to announce limits on councils’ abilities to levy fines from traffic cameras and restrictions on enforcing box junction infringements.

A cap on the number of hours a day that cars are banned from bus lanes could also be introduced.

It comes after Mr Sunak announced a watering down of net zero policies, including delaying the ban on new petrol and diesel cars by five years.

Speaking to BBC Radio Manchester on Thursday, Mr Sunak argued prioritising driving was the best policy, as “the vast majority” of journeys made are in cars.

It is gearing up to be a key battleground in the run up to the next election, with Wales’ Labour-led government coming under fire over the rollout of a 20mph speed limit to nearly all residential roads.

The Department for Transport described reports outlining Mr Sunak’s plans as “speculation”, while Downing Street declined to comment.

Read more:
Will delay to electric car and gas boiler switch affect me?

Far more Tory voters back net zero target than don’t, survey finds

Any policy announcements could help to divert attention over the future of HS2 as Mr Sunak remained tight-lipped over the scheme’s fate.

In a string of broadcast interviews on Thursday, the prime minister hit out at “speculation” but declined to be drawn over whether he will scrap the rail project’s Birmingham to Manchester leg over soaring costs.

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HS2: ‘Right’ to ‘kick the tyres’

If it were to be axed, it would be the latest scaling back of the project, with the eastern route to Leeds scrapped entirely and work between Birmingham and Crewe delayed due to the impact of inflation.

Some estimates have put the total cost at more than £100bn, while the project has been rated “unachievable” by the infrastructure watchdog.

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Senator Tim Scott is confident market structure bill passed by August

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Senator Tim Scott is confident market structure bill passed by August

Senator Tim Scott is confident market structure bill passed by August

Senator Tim Scott, the chairman of the US Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, recently said that he expects a crypto market bill to be passed into law by August 2025.

The chairman also noted the Senate Banking Committee’s advancement of the GENIUS Act, a comprehensive stablecoin regulatory bill, in March 2025, as evidence that the committee prioritizes crypto policy. In a statement to Fox News, Scott said:

“We must innovate before we regulate — allowing innovation in the digital asset space to happen here at home is critical to American economic dominance across the globe.”

Scott’s timeline for a crypto market structure bill lines up with expectations from Kristin Smith, CEO of the crypto industry advocacy group Blockchain Association, of market structure and stablecoin legislation being passed into law by August.

The Trump administration has emphasized that comprehensive crypto regulations are central to its plans for protecting the value of the US dollar and establishing the country as a global leader in digital assets by attracting investment into US-based crypto firms.

US Government, United States, Stablecoin

Senator Tim Scott highlights the Senate Banking Committee’s goals and accomplishments in 2025. Source: Fox News

Related: Atkins becomes next SEC chair: What’s next for the crypto industry

Support for comprehensive crypto regulations is bipartisan

US lawmakers and officials expect clear crypto policies to be established and signed into law sometime in 2025 with bipartisan support from Congress.

Speaking at the Digital Assets Summit in New York City, on March 18, Democrat Representative Ro Khanna said he expects both the market structure and stablecoin bills to pass this year.

The Democrat lawmaker added that there are about 70-80 other representatives in the party who understand the importance of passing clear digital asset regulations in the United States.

US Government, United States, Stablecoin

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, pictured left, President Donald Trump in the center, and crypto czar David Sacks, pictured right, at the White House Crypto Summit. Source: The White House

Khanna emphasized that fellow Democrats support dollar-pegged stablecoins due to the role of dollar tokens in expanding demand for the US dollar worldwide through the internet.

Bo Hines, the executive director of the President’s Council of Advisers on Digital Assets, also spoke at the conference and predicted that stablecoin legislation would be passed into law within 60 days.

Hines highlighted that establishing US dominance in the digital asset space is a goal with widespread bipartisan support in Washington DC.

Magazine: How crypto laws are changing across the world in 2025

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US Social Security moves public comms to X amid DOGE-led job cuts — Report

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US Social Security moves public comms to X amid DOGE-led job cuts — Report

US Social Security moves public comms to X amid DOGE-led job cuts — Report

The US Social Security Administration (SSA) will move all public communications to the X social media platform amid sweeping workforce cuts recommended by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by X owner Elon Musk.

According to anonymous sources who spoke with WIRED, the government agency will no longer issue its customary letters and press releases to communicate changes to the public, instead relying on X as its primary form of public-facing communication.

The shift comes as the SSA downsizes its workforce from 57,000 employees to roughly 50,000 to reduce costs and improve operational efficiency. The agency issued this statement in February 2025:

“SSA has operated with a regional structure consisting of 10 offices, which is no longer sustainable. The agency will reduce the regional structure in all agency components down to four regions. The organizational structure at Headquarters also is outdated and inefficient.”

Elon Musk, the head of DOGE, has accused the Social Security system of distributing billions of dollars in wrongful payments, a claim echoed by the White House. Musk’s comments sparked intense debate about the future of the retirement program and sustainable government spending.

US Government, United States, Elon Musk

Source: Elon Musk

Related: Musk says he found ‘magic money computers’ printing money ‘out of thin air’

DOGE targets US government agencies in efficiency push

The Department of Government Efficiency is an unofficial government agency tasked with identifying and curbing allegedly wasteful public spending through budget and personnel cuts.

In March, DOGE began probing the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and gained access to its internal systems, including data repositories.

SEC officials signaled their cooperation with DOGE and said the regulatory agency would work closely with it to provide any relevant information requested.

US Government, United States, Elon Musk

Musk and Trump discuss curbing public spending and eliminating government waste. Source: The White house

DOGE also proposed slashing the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) workforce by 20%. The workforce reduction could impact up to 6,800 IRS employees and be implemented by May 15 — exactly one month after 2024 federal taxes are due.

Musk’s and the DOGE’s proposals for sweeping spending cuts are not limited to slashing budgets and reducing the size of the federal workforce.

DOGE is reportedly exploring blockchain to curb public spending by placing the entire government budget onchain to promote accountability and transparency.

Magazine: Elon Musk’s plan to run government on blockchain faces uphill battle

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Trump exempts select tech products from tariffs, crypto to benefit?

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Trump exempts select tech products from tariffs, crypto to benefit?

Trump exempts select tech products from tariffs, crypto to benefit?

United States President Donald Trump has exempted an array of tech products including, smartphones, chips, computers, and select electronics from tariffs, giving the tech industry a much-needed respite from trade pressures.

According to the US Customs and Border Protection, storage cards, modems, diodes, semiconductors, and other electronics were also excluded from the ongoing trade tariffs.

“Large-cap technology companies will ultimately come out ahead when this is all said and done,” The Kobeissi letter wrote in an April 12 X post.

Cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin Price, Economics, Economy, United States, Donald Trump

US Customs and Border Protection announces tariff exemptions on select tech products. Source: US Customs and Border Protection

The tariff relief will take the pressure off of tech stocks, which were one of the biggest casualties of the trade war. Crypto markets are correlated with tech stocks and could also rally as risk appetite increases on positive trade war headlines.

Following news of the tariff exemptions, the price of Bitcoin (BTC) broke past $85,000 on April 12, a signal that crypto markets are already responding to the latest macroeconomic development.

Related: Billionaire investor would ‘not be surprised’ if Trump postpones tariffs

Markets hinge on Trump’s every word during macroeconomic uncertainty

President Trump walked back the sweeping tariff policies on April 9 by initiating a 90-day pause on the reciprocal tariffs and lowering tariff rates to 10% for countries that did not respond with counter-tariffs on US goods.

Bitcoin surged by 9% and the S&P 500 surged by over 10% on the same day that Trump issued the tariff pause.

Macroeconomic trader Raoul Pal said the tariff policies were a negotiation tool to establish a US-China trade deal and characterized the US administration’s trade rhetoric as “posturing.”

Bitcoin advocate Max Keiser argued that exempting select tech products from import tariffs would not reduce bond yields or further the Trump administration’s goal of lowering interest rates.

Cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin Price, Economics, Economy, United States, Donald Trump

Yield on the 10-year US government bond spikes following sweeping trade policies from the Trump administration. Source: TradingView

The yield on the 10-year US Treasury Bond shot up to a local high of approximately 4.5% on April 11 as bond investors reacted to the macroeconomic uncertainty of a protracted trade war.

“The concession just given to China for tech exports won’t reverse the trend of rates going higher. Confidence in US bonds and the US Dollar has been eroding for years and won’t stop now,” Keiser wrote on April 12.

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

Magazine: Trump’s crypto ventures raise conflict of interest, insider trading questions

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