United Kingdom Day on 4 October 2024 will focus more on:
● London Underground drivers threaten a strike, saying £70,000 a year is still not enough
● The data shows that the number of GP doctors per capita in the United Kingdom is much lower than in other rich countries
● The United Kingdom and the EU have committed to holding regular leaders' summits from 2025
● Low interest rates spurred buyer demand, and United Kingdom house sales accelerated
● Boris's new book broke the news: the queen had bone cancer before her death
London Underground drivers threaten a strike, saying £70,000 a year is still not enough
Earlier this week, members of the RMT union, which covers almost all London Underground drivers, voted in favour of a strike, so that means the London Underground could face another strike later this month.
In the past few weeks, the United Kingdom government has proposed double-digit pay increases for most public sector employees, which will raise the annual salary of London Underground drivers to nearly 70,000 pounds (about 650,000 yuan a year), but drivers say this is still not enough.
The data shows that the number of GP doctors per capita in the United Kingdom is much lower than in other rich countries
Statistics from the Royal GP College of United Kingdom found that in the United Kingdom, there is an average of only 0.8 GP doctors per 1,000 people, which ranks 12th among the 19 countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 15.8% lower than the average. In comparison, Canada, Australia and Belgium have about 50% higher GP per capita than United Kingdom, while Portugal has the highest GP per capita, averaging about 3 GP doctors per 1,000 people.
The Royal GP College of United Kingdom states that the increase in the number of patients each full-time GP doctor is expected to be responsible for means a "dangerously high workload". Moreover, people in poor areas are worse off and are more affected. In the poorest areas of the United Kingdom, there were an average of 2,451 patients per GP, an increase of 261 from 2018; The number of patients corresponding to GPs in affluent areas is 139.
Statistics also show that while the total number of GP doctors in the United Kingdom has increased over the past 10 years, their working hours have decreased because many doctors choose to work part-time.
The United Kingdom and the EU have committed to holding regular leaders' summits from 2025
According to the latest news from the Financial Times, United Kingdom Prime Minister Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed to hold regular leaders-level summits from 2025 after a meeting in Brussels.
"The UK and the EU have agreed to work together on several key areas, particularly to promote economic growth and prosperity," Starmer said. The two sides will work together to address common challenges such as climate change, energy security, and illegal immigration, and strengthen common security and stability. ”
But at the same time, Starmer reiterated that "the free movement of people is a red line and will not be restored, and United Kingdom will not return to the European Customs Union, nor to the single market".
Low interest rates spurred buyer demand and United Kingdom house sales accelerated
Zoopla statistics show that the number of United Kingdom house sales in September is growing at the fastest pace in three years as falling mortgage rates drive up demand from home buyers.
In the four weeks to 21 September, the number of home sales achieved in the United Kingdom grew by 25% y/y, the largest increase since the spring of 2021, when the market rebounded after the first lockdown. Over the same period, the number of inquiries from potential homebuyers to real estate agents increased by 26% year-on-year, the fastest pace in more than three years.
According to Rightmove's statistics, the fastest real estate market in the United Kingdom is Carluke in Scotland, where properties only take an average of 15 days to find a buyer; Across Scotland, the average time it takes for a property to find a buyer is 33 days.
The East Midlands is the slowest property market, with homes taking an average of 67 days to close.
Currently, most of the slowest property markets in the United Kingdom are located near the coast.
Boris's new book broke the news: the queen had bone cancer before her death
Former United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris · Johnson's memoir "Unleashed" will be available on October 10, but some of the content of the book has already been released in advance in the Daily Mail. Boris broke the news in the book that more than a year before Queen Elizabeth II's death, he knew that she "had some kind of bone cancer".
In September 2022, Boris traveled to Scotland to meet the monarch two days before the queen's death and formally resigned as prime minister. At that time, Boris said, he was greeted by the Queen's private secretary and hinted to him that the Queen's condition had seriously deteriorated that summer.
"She looked pale, her back was hunched, and she had black bruises on her hands and wrists, probably from intravenous drips or needle injections."
Media sources pointed out that the late queen never revealed private medical details to the public, and the cause of death listed on her death certificate was "old age".