The EU has regulated itself out of the AI race but the UK is still in the game AI After months of debate and final negotiations that stretched long into the night, EU officials were jubilant when, as 2023 came to a close, the European Parliament reached an agreement on what would become the EU’s AI Act; a sprawling legal framework designed to regulate artificial intelligence across all member states. The EU’s top officials [...]
Starmer agrees investment deal with Japan as EU deal questioned Politics The UK government has agreed an £18bn investment deal with Japan in a bid to boost post-Brexit international ties but questions are now looming over Sir Keir Starmer’s “reset” deal with the EU. Starmer said “landmark agreements” with Japan on technology and life sciences would lift the UK economy and improve trade with the fourth [...]
Gulf trade deal: Britain should learn from the success of Dubai Opinion The free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council is a model of post-Brexit success, says James Price In 211BC, when Hannibal was camped outside the walls of Rome, Livy tells us that the ground his army occupied came up for auction in the city. Such was Rome’s confidence in its own future that it [...]
Is it even possible to regulate ‘misinformation’? June 10, 2026 It's easy to call for crackdowns on 'misinformation', but how do you regulate such an amorphous term, asks Paul Ormerod.
Services industry falters as activity plummets amid Iran conflict fallout June 8, 2026 The UK’s services sector’s economic activity and performance declined sharply last month as fallout from the Iran conflict continues to impact businesses, according to new figures. According to data on the latest business trends from accountancy and advisory firm BDO, a drop in sales and fragile client confidence led to a drop in the services [...]
City policy chairman: 10 years on from Brexit, the UK still needs the EU June 1, 2026 The impact of Brexit on the City has been more nuanced than many predicted, but the fundamental reality endures: we still need each other.
EU rejected UK push for single market on goods May 23, 2026 The EU rejected a UK proposal to set up a single market for the trade of goods because the UK refused to allow freedom of movement. Michael Ellam, Britain’s chief negotiator, proposed that the UK align with UK regulations to allow free trade with the bloc, but the idea was rebuffed by Brussels. The rebuttal [...]
Streeting’s EU Plan would cost our hard-won relationship with Trump May 19, 2026 West Streeting's pitch to rejoin the EU may play well with Labour Party members, but it will prove a liability for whoever has to govern.
Manchesterism? This is what an Andy Burnham government would look like May 18, 2026 As the Manchester mayor starts out on his high-risk path towards becoming Prime Minister, Maurício Alencar sketches out what an Andy Burnham government would look like – and how the markets would react. Andy Burnham will have to jump over many hurdles in his almighty quest to get to Downing Street. If he makes it, [...]
Realignment with the EU is a £15bn betrayal May 13, 2026 Dynamic alignment is an extreme anomaly in global trade and will inflict a net opportunity cost on the UK of £15bn, equivalent to a 0.5 per cent loss of GDP, says Shanker Singham Under the guise of reducing border friction, the government is quietly steering the United Kingdom towards a profound constitutional and economic blunder: [...]