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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 3 OcTOber 2023

Britain's Treasury chief raises the minimum wage but angers some

colleagues by ruling out tax cuts

By Jill Lawless over the U.K.’s exit from the
Associated Press European Union, the pan-
MANCHESTER, England (AP) demic and a cost-of-living
— Britain’s Treasury chief crisis fueled by Russia’s in-
announced a hike in the vasion of Ukraine last year.
national minimum wage Prime Minister Rishi Sunak,
Monday, as the governing who took office just under
Conservative Party tries to a year ago, is facing grum-
persuade voters it is on the bling — and even open re-
side of workers who are bellion — from some Con-
struggling financially. servative members and
But Chancellor of the Ex- lawmakers.
chequer Jeremy Hunt ruled Sunak steadied the econ-
out tax cuts, saying they omy after his predecessor
would fuel inflation. Truss crashed the pound
“I do want us to have lower and trashed Britain’s repu-
taxes,” Hunt told Sky News tation for fiscal prudence
before giving a speech at with her tax-slashing eco-
the party's annual confer- nomic plans.
ence. But he said “it’s very But many Conservatives
difficult to see” it happen- doubt whether Sunak, the
ing this year. Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt arrives on stage to deliver his keynote speech to the party’s fifth leader since
That message was not Conservative Party annual conference in Manchester, England, Monday Oct. 2, 2023. 2016, can restore its popu-
what many Conservatives (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP) larity to the level that saw
at the party's conference the party win an 80-seat
in Manchester wanted to the Low Pay Commission, he said, in remarks that of generally inexpensive majority in the 650-seat
hear. Hundreds of them an advisory body, but Hunt drew concern from anti- policy announcements: a House of Commons in 2019.
packed a room to applaud more than 2 million workers poverty groups. ban on children using cell- The prime minister then, Bo-
as former Prime Minister Liz will see pay increases. The party is trying to sprinkle phones in school, a curb on ris Johnson, resigned in mid-
Truss — whose seven weeks Hunt also pledged to freeze voter-pleasing measures local authorities slapping “ 2022 amid scandals over
in office last year plunged civil service recruitment to such as the minimum wage excessive fines on motor- his ethics and judgment.
Britain's economy into cri- cut costs and to toughen increase at the confer- ists” and a push for “smart- In recent weeks, Sunak has
sis — demanded Hunt slash the rules on social benefits ence, which may be the er regulation.” sought to take the initiative
taxes in his fall budget next in an attempt to stem the last before a national elec- Opponents see a govern- with a clutch of measures
month. flow of working-age peo- tion due in 2024. But the ment that has run out of big depicted as easing the
Hunt told conference del- ple out of the workforce, a government’s spending ideas and a party heading economic burden on tax-
egates that the hourly rate trend that has accelerated power is constricted by the for defeat. The right-of-cen- payers. He has delayed a
for workers 23 and older since the coronavirus pan- U.K.’s sluggish economy ter Tories, in power since ban on selling new gas and
will rise in April from 10.42 demic. and stubbornly high infla- 2010, are lagging far be- diesel cars and watered
pounds ($12.70) to at least “It isn’t fair that someone tion that hit double digits hind the center-left opposi- down other green mea-
11 pounds ($13.40). The ex- who refuses to look seriously last year, and now stands tion Labour Party in opinion sures that he said imposed
act amount will be set af- for a job gets the same as just below 7%. polls. Voters are weary af- “unacceptable costs” on
ter a recommendation by someone trying their best,” The result was a grab-bag ter years of political turmoil ordinary people.q

Officials say 2 are still missing after a Spanish

nightclub fire killed 13. The club lacked a permit

Associated Press confusion in the figures for two others nearby, Span-
MADRID (AP) — Authori- the missing. ish state news agency EFE
ties in the southern Spanish Jiménez said the dead in- said. All the bodies were
city of Murcia said Monday cluded the nationals of found in the first nightclub.
that two people believed Spain, Colombia, Ecuador Twenty-four people were
to have been in a night- and Nicaragua. It was not injured but none was hospi-
club where 13 others died known how many people talized. Murcia town hall re-
in a fire are still missing and were in the club when the ported that authorities had
that the club was operat- fire broke out at 6 a.m. Sun- rejected permit renewals
ing without a permit. day. It was the deadliest for the two nightclubs and
The town hall's announce- nightclub blaze in Spain ordered them closed in
ment on X, formerly known since 43 people were killed 2022. The city said it would
as Twitter, came after Fran- in Zaragoza in 1990. investigate how the clubs In this photo provided by Bomberos/ayuntamiento de Murcia,
cisco Jiménez, the central On Monday, firefighters had continued operating. part of the burned-out interior a nightclub which caught fire is
government's official for and police continued to Representatives of the pictured in Murcia, south-eastern Spain, Sunday Oct. 1, 2023.
the region, earlier said all assess damage before be- clubs denied on Span- (Bomberos/ayuntamiento de Murcia, via AP)
the missing had been lo- ginning to search for clues ish national television that
cated and no more bodies as to how the fire started. they had been operating three days of mourning ute's silence was held out-
had been found. Jiménez The blaze started in one illegally. with flags flown at half-staff side Murcia´s town hall at
later said there had been nightclub and spread to The city council declared on public buildings. A min- noon Monday.q