Will Starmer’s chainsaw be Black & Decker or Fisher Price? March 13, 2025 On Monday I used this column to ask who, if anyone, will have the courage to take a chainsaw to the British state. It’s an inelegant metaphor, but an effective one as Argentina’s Javier Milei and Elon Musk in the US revel in the process of hacking away at state infrastructure. Milei won his election [...]
Keir Starmer to pledge red tape rollback in bid to ‘reshape the state’ March 12, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer is expected to pledge to slash red tape for businesses in a bid to “reshape the state” of the UK amid what he will call a new “era of instability”. The Prime Minister is set to make an announcement on Thursday about his plans to reform the British state, cut regulation, and [...]
Tariffs: Starmer ‘disappointed’ by Trump move and ‘all options on table’ March 12, 2025 The Prime Minister has said he is “disappointed” by US President Donald Trump’s move to bring in 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, including from the UK. Sir Keir Starmer has indicated the UK would keep open the option of retaliatory measures, emphasising that “we will keep all options on the table”. [...]
PMQs: Starmer accused of ‘trash’ talking and ‘job-killing’ by Badenoch March 12, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer was accused of talking “trash” and leading a “job-killing” government by Kemi Badenoch at a fiery Prime Minister’s Questions session. The Conservative Party leader hit out at the Prime Minister amid clashes over the state of the UK’s economy, councils and Labour’s Budget in the House of Commons on Wednesday. Badenoch responded [...]
Quango crackdown as Starmer reportedly set to slash civil service jobs March 12, 2025 The Prime Minister is reportedly planning to slash thousands of civil service jobs amid a crackdown on quangos, as he aims to radically overhaul the British state. Sir Keir Starmer will deliver a speech on Thursday, in which he will set out plans to cut thousands more Whitehall jobs than expected, according to the Guardian. [...]
Grangemouth: Green projects at oil refinery site could cost £13bn March 12, 2025 Plans for new green projects at the Grangemouth oil refinery site in Scotland could reportedly cost up to £13bn. A feasibility study of possible options for the site – dubbed Project Willow – has listed nine opportunities including recycling plastics and producing biomethane, to create a “flourishing low carbon hub” over the next two decades, [...]
Ukraine accepts US ceasefire deal and ‘ball is in Russia’s court’, says Trump March 12, 2025 President Trump has said that “the ball is in Russia’s court” to agree to a US peace deal after Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenksy, accepted a peace deal in Jeddah. The deal, brokered in Saudi Arabia, involves an immediate cessation of hostilities – and would facilitate the return of US support to Ukraine. The US and Ukraine [...]
Starmer needs to “smash the gangs” behind shoplifting and phone theft March 12, 2025 The clip shared on social media yesterday by the BBC’s Nicky Campbell was unremarkable only because variations of it can be seen every day. Two men frantically empty shop shelves of cosmetics, pouring them into large bags while onlookers film the outrageous scene. They make no effort to hide their faces and when their bags are [...]
MIPIM: Sadiq Khan hails ‘perfect time’ to invest in London March 11, 2025 Sadiq Khan has said London’s “weather has changed” as he flew the flag for the capital at a major property conference in France. The mayor of London attended Europe’s biggest real estate trade show – Le Marché international des professionnels de l’immobilier, or MIPIM – in Cannes for the first time, just two weeks after [...]
FCA clarity on defence investment and green rules welcomed by MPs March 11, 2025 MPs have welcomed a move by the financial watchdog, clarifying that defence investments aren’t constrained by green or sustainability rules. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) released a statement on Tuesday morning clarifying their position on sustainability and defence investments. A spokesperson said: “Our sustainability rules do not prevent investment in or finance for defence companies. [...]