Dire economy needs lifesaving surgery, before it’s too late April 24, 2025 When Rachel Reeves became Chancellor last summer, the biggest issue facing her was the existence (disputed by the Tories) of a £22bn black hole in the public finances. The political pain of cutting the winter fuel allowance was deemed necessary to balance the books and give the new government a clean sheet of paper on [...]
Trump’s war on Harvard is the natural outcome of left-wing overreach April 24, 2025 Trump's war on Harvard puts academic freedom at risk, but it's the predictable right-wing overreaction to left-wing overreach, writes Lewis Liu.
The Fed shouldn’t hit back at Trump, just talk louder April 24, 2025 The problem with Trump’s “major loser” jibes at the Fed isn’t that they’re wrong (though they are), it’s that they’re being heard, says Tim Focas If you closed your eyes and listened to President Trump lambast Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, you might think you were watching this Sunday’s Wrestlemania, not a political announcement. “Major [...]
US trade talks: Rachel Reeves insists UK won’t be ‘relaxing’ food standards April 23, 2025 Rachel Reeves has insisted the UK won’t be “relaxing” its food standards in a bid to secure a trade deal with the US. The Chancellor, who is in Washington DC for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) spring meetings, spoke ahead of her expected talks with US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent. Asked whether the UK government [...]
Tax hikes would ‘take strain’ as headroom shrinks April 23, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves will likely announce a raft of tax increases to “take the strain” of higher public spending in areas including defence and health, leading economists have warned. The last Autumn Budget saw a historic rise of £40bn in taxes as the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the fiscal watchdog, said the tax burden [...]
Reeves pledges to defend UK interests ahead of IMF meetings in Washington April 22, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has pledged to “defend Britain’s interests” as she prepares to meet fellow finance ministers in Washington and push for a US trade deal. Reeves will spend three days in the US capital for the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s spring meetings of finance ministers and business leaders from across the G7 and G20. [...]
Will the price of gold keep going up? April 22, 2025 The US-China trade war rumbles on. Investors are digging their trenches. The dollar is losing its force while the price of gold is going ballistic. A week ago, UBS made what some saw as a bold prediction that gold would reach $3,500 per ounce by December 2025. That milestone has already been hit. Scarred stockholders [...]
The Open at Turnberry? Trump given fresh hope of hosting major April 22, 2025 The Open Championship organisers have raised hopes that Donald Trump’s Turnberry could come in from the cold and stage the golf major again. Turnberry has not staged the Open since five years before the current US president’s 2014 purchase of the Ayrshire resort, amid suspicions that it has been unofficially blackballed over the Trump connection. [...]
As FTSE 100 pharma firms wait for a tariffs decision, what would drugs levies mean for consumers? April 22, 2025 For FTSE 100 businesses navigating the shifting sands of Trump’s trade war, the uncertainty surrounding the tariffs has been almost as painful as the stock market shocks. The pharmaceutical industry has been left in a particularly agonising limbo: free, for now, from the 10 per cent baseline import tax, but the US President keeps making [...]
Rolls-Royce: FTSE 100 giant worth £60bn after shares rebound April 22, 2025 Rolls-Royce is worth £60bn again after shares in the FTSE 100 giant continued their recovery after President Donald Trump’s tariffs shocked global markets. Shares in the Derby-headquartered group have now risen to more than 700p, giving it a market capitalisation of more than £60.5bn. Rolls-Royce’s shares had been trading at more than 800p before Trump’s [...]