Starmer moots closer ties with EU amid Trump row April 1, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has mooted building closer ties on various sectors of the economy with the European Union after President Trump suggested he was considering pulling the US out of Nato. In a press conference on Wednesday, Starmer billed strengthening ties with the EU at an upcoming summit as part of a wider push to [...]
Europe urges fewer flights, remote working as Iran war drains oil supplies April 1, 2026 The spiralling energy crisis is forcing Europe into emergency mode, with politicians urging citizens to work from home, cut back on driving and avoid flying as the conflict in Iran cuts off a critical share of the world’s oil supply. The European Commission’s energy chief, Dan Jørgensen, said Europe is facing a prolonged crisis that [...]
Reeves must listen to supermarkets rather than lecture them April 1, 2026 Supermarkets begin preparing for Christmas at least six months before the anticipated peak of customer demand hits around December 23. Catering for this entirely predictable surge is in itself an astonishing commercial and logistical feat, but a little over six years ago the UK’s supermarkets were in the midst of an unprecedented challenge. As pandemic [...]
Trump tells Starmer to ‘go get your own oil’ March 31, 2026 President Donald Trump has told Sir Keir Starmer that the UK will have to “fight for yourself” as the US would not provide any support in fuel supplies. In another threat targeted at Starmer posted on his own social media platform, the US president mocked the UK’s struggles in obtaining jet fuel because of a [...]
How high will Starmer let fuel prices climb? March 31, 2026 Petrol station forecourts were gripped by panic buying, industry groups warned of the crippling economic impact, supermarkets began rationing bread and milk, hospitals were cancelling appointments, schools closed, the army was on standby and Labour ministers appeared on the brink of losing control of the country. That was just over 25 years ago, when truckers [...]
Starmer urges Brits to ‘act as normal’ as fuel shortage fears grow March 30, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has urged Britons to “act as normal” despite energy chiefs’ warning that there could be fuel shortages within days. The Prime Minister’s spokesman said that the UK had a “resilient and diverse” supply of energy sources as he played down the prospect of a fuel crisis. “We will always plan for all [...]
China overtakes UK in AI talent race March 30, 2026 China is overtaking the UK in the global race for AI talent, as a growing share of the world’s leading researchers are trained and retained domestically rather than moving to Britain or Europe. Data cited by The Economist shows that at the 2025 conference on Neural Information Processing Systems, half of all presenting researchers began [...]
Exclusive: Mordaunt suggests only death of Brits would get UK to ‘wake up’ on defence March 30, 2026 Former defence secretary Penny Mordaunt has suggested that only the death of serving British soldiers would get the Prime Minister to “wake up” and fund extra defence spending. In an interview with City AM, the senior Tory figure said the current government’s spending plans for defence were “out of kilter” with reality given immediate threats [...]
Why high oil prices could plunge world into recession by the summer March 30, 2026 The world economy is heading for a “rare” recession in the middle of this year as a prolonged war seems likely amid the prospect of US troops heading to the Middle East. Economists have warned that activity will fall in the middle of the year if oil prices surge to $150 per barrel and remain [...]
Reeves and Miliband to call on G7 to follow UK’s energy lead March 29, 2026 Rachel Reeves is set to call on fellow G7 nations to follow the UK’s lead in the transition to renewable and nuclear power as the unfolding energy crisis ripples through global economies. The Chancellor is expected to urge G7 partners to commit to long-term energy security as she meets fellow finance ministers, energy ministers and [...]