‘Knife through my soul’: McSweeney, Starmer and Whitehall war over Mandelson saga April 28, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, who pushed for Lord Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador, has said that further revelations over the disgraced peer’s links to Jeffrey Epstein were a “knife through my soul”. In a blockbuster appearance before the Foreign Affairs Committee, McSweeney apologised for urging the Prime Minister to appoint [...]
Labour peer tells Reeves not to use headroom as ‘piggy bank’ for spending April 28, 2026 A Labour peer has urged Chancellor Rachel Reeves to avoid using her larger fiscal headroom as a “piggy bank” to fund extra government spending increases. A report by senior House of Lords members said the Chancellor should add further protections to public finances, leaping to the defence of the Office for Budget Responsibility for improving [...]
‘Drag on prosperity’: Next boss demands planning system overhaul in rallying cry for growth April 27, 2026 The UK’s planning rulebook should be torn up in favour of a market-based system, the boss of one of the country’s biggest listed companies has said, as he urged government ministers to take a “radical” approach to kickstarting economic growth. Speaking at the Centre for Policy Studies conference in the heart of the City, Lord [...]
Jenrick to re-write ‘Britannia Card’ plan for wealthy investors April 27, 2026 Reform UK are set to revise the terms of its ‘Britannia Card’ proposal, which was drafted as the party’s bid to lure wealthy foreign investors to the UK, Robert Jenrick has revealed. Jenrick, who is Reform’s Treasury spokesman, hinted that party officials were working on a proposal that was “even better” than a policy announced [...]
Wealth tax would ‘create unfairness’, IFS says April 27, 2026 Annual wealth taxes would create “complexity, distortions and unfairness”, a new Institute for Fiscal Studies report has said, as policymakers have been advised to consider the trade-offs involved in addressing forms of inequality. The IFS’ Deaton Review, which involved research conducted over six years, found that an annual levy on wealth would have “serious drawbacks” [...]
Rachel Reeves plots ‘growth push’ as Labour set for bruising elections April 27, 2026 Rachel Reeves is plotting another “growth push” as the Labour party prepares itself for a potentially bruising defeat in the local elections. The Chancellor is set to unveil a new push for fiscal discipline, a closer relationship with the EU and planning reforms in a bid to ease the nerves of the party. The forthcoming [...]
Tories pledge to scrap mandatory time off for union reps April 27, 2026 The Conservative Party has pledged to scrap the legal requirement for employers to offer paid time off for union representatives. Tory shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith will announce the policy on Monday, which he says will free up taxpayer cash to be spent on cutting NHS waiting lists and filling potholes. Union reps are currently [...]
‘National scandal’: Record-high shoplifting driven by repeat offenders April 26, 2026 Shoplifting has been branded a “national scandal” as incidents reach a record high, fuelled by a growing number of repeat offenders. More than 500,000 shoplifting offenses were recorded last year, according to official figures released in response to a parliamentary question by former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith. Fears around the worsening state of [...]
King’s Speech to unleash wave of City reforms April 26, 2026 A host of City of London reforms will be set in stone at next month’s King’s Speech, as the Prime Minister hopes to use the moment to turn a corner from doubts over his leadership. Impending reforms, including scrapping the payments watchdog and overhauling the financial ombudsman, are set to be legislated in the financial [...]
‘Waste of time’: Trump cancels envoys’ trips to Pakistan for Iran talks April 26, 2026 Donald Trump has cancelled a trip by US envoys to Pakistan to hold more peace talks with Iran, shortly after Tehran’s delegation left Islamabad. The US President said special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner would be wasting “too much time” on the trip, accusing Iran’s delegation of “tremendous infighting and confusion”. The collapse [...]