European stock markets fall sharply on Trump’s EU tariff salvo May 23, 2025 Stock markets across Europe dropped dramatically on Friday afternoon after Donald Trump announced plans to levy a 50 per cent tariff on all US imports from the European Union next month. The FTSE 100 dropped as much as 1.35 per cent after the US President mooted the move in a post on Truth social in [...]
Is this a sweet trade deal with the EU – or does it sound a bit fishy? May 19, 2025 Keir Starmer will be boasting about his latest catch in international diplomacy: a trade deal with the European Union, which the government hopes will boost the chances of landing higher growth. In an agreement that hands EU boats continued rights in British seas until 2038, slashing red tape on food checks and increasing cooperation on [...]
Keir Starmer reaches tentative EU trade deal ahead of summit May 19, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer has agreed a tentative trade deal with the EU, the biggest shake-up of Britain’s relationship with the bloc since Brexit. The UK-EU deal is expected to involve a new trading arrangement and a border deal and could extend to a new security and defence pact, which could open up access to the [...]
Starmer seeks UK-EU ‘reset’ – is another Brexit row looming? May 16, 2025 Ongoing talks between the UK and the EU will come to a head at a summit in London on Monday, as the government seeks a post-Brexit “reset” of relations. The talks have come about as part of a routine five year review of the UK-EU trade and cooperation agreement, though they have taken on new [...]
China could gatecrash Starmer’s diplomatic party May 15, 2025 Keir Starmer has repeatedly said that the UK doesn’t need to choose between strengthening economic and trade ties with the US and deepening them with the EU. A few weeks ago, concern was growing in Whitehall that if the UK didn’t strike a deal with America then the chance of a tariff rapprochement could be [...]
UK trading partners: China returns to top 10 as EU trade slumps May 12, 2025 China has returned to become a top 10 UK trading partner for the first time since 2022 after a slump in trade activity with the European Union. China is now the eighth largest trading partner for the UK, after countries like Ireland and Italy have declined significantly in popularity, data from Santander’s latest Trade Barometer [...]
Analysis: What is in the US-UK trade deal and what does it mean? May 8, 2025 The US administration has offered the UK its first trade deal since President Trump turned global trade on its head last month. The UK government will see the deal as a win, at least symbolically, while Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey hailed news of a trade deal as “excellent”. Chancellor Rachel Reeves said reducing [...]
Firms will have to ‘train British workers’ under immigration plans May 8, 2025 UK firms will reportedly have to train British workers if they wish to hire staff from abroad as part of government efforts to lessen the economy’s reliance on mass immigration. Firms have lowered expectations for investment in training, according to a number of recent surveys, given the UK’s bleak economic outlook for the year ahead. [...]
EU youth mobility scheme exposes Labour’s immigration angst April 28, 2025 The government will not back it, the government will back it. It will grow the economy, it will make Brits poorer. It will reverse Brexit, it doesn’t bring us close enough to the European Union. It is not a youth mobility scheme, it’s a ‘youth experience’ scheme. Labour’s hokey-cokey dance around the possible introduction of [...]
Sadiq Khan calls for youth mobility scheme to support London businesses April 17, 2025 Sir Sadiq Khan has called on the government to sign up to a youth mobility scheme with the European Union (EU) to boost London’s growth and support the capital’s businesses. The London mayor warned Britain needed protection from the “economic storm” of US President Donald Trump’s sweeping new global trade tariffs, which have sparked fears [...]