MPs warn ‘secretive’ approach may have harmed EU ‘reset’ efforts May 18, 2025 The government’s “secretive” approach to negotiations with the EU may have harmed efforts to “reset” relations with the bloc, a cross-party group of MPs has warned. In a letter to Keir Starmer, the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee said public support for closer relations with Europe meant the government had space to be “bold in its [...]
UK condemns Russian drone strike that left nine dead in Ukraine May 17, 2025 The UK has condemned a Russian drone attack that killed nine people in Ukraine early on Saturday. The attack, which struck a passenger bus in Ukraine’s north-eastern Sumy region, came just hours after the first face-to-face talks between Ukrainian and Russian negotiations in Istanbul, Turkey. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he was “appalled” by the [...]
MPs demand changes to inheritance tax raid on farms May 16, 2025 Plans to levy inheritance tax on farmland threaten the future of British agriculture and should be paused while its ill effects are properly examined, an influential committee of MPs has said. In a damning report on the state of British farming, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee argued there was a “considerable risk” [...]
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 [...]
Starmer’s immigration plans dealt surprise blow by Albania May 15, 2025 Keir Starmer’s plans to “take back control” of immigration rules in the UK were dealt a fresh blow after Albania’s prime minister ruled out hosting failed asylum seekers, a proposal widely seen as acting as a deterrent to illegal migration. In a visit to the capital city Tirana, Starmer was told by Albania’s Edi Rama [...]
Investor visa floated to reverse exodus of millionaires May 15, 2025 Keir Starmer’s government is reportedly looking to introduce a special visa for foreign investors in an attempt to reverse the tide of millionaires leaving the UK. Officials are at the early stages of drawing up a visa which would provide an olive branch to wealthy businessmen keen to fund in areas such as artificial intelligence [...]
Boost for Rachel Reeves as UK economy booms in first quarter May 15, 2025 The UK economy surged by 0.7 per cent in the first three months of the year, official data has shown, suggesting firms boosted production ahead of Rachel Reeves’s tax rises in April and the threat of President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Fresh data provided by the Office for National Statistics showed that the UK economy grew [...]
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 [...]
Labour’s National Wealth Fund hounded with calls for clarity May 15, 2025 Labour’s National Wealth Fund (NWF) faced renewed pressure on Wednesday as the Treasury Committee kicked off its inquiry into the new body. The NWF’s ability to boost economic growth across the country was the subject of questions posed by MPs to investment industry leaders. Its status as a “wealth fund” came under fire against comparisons [...]
Public trust in pensions declines for the first time in five years May 14, 2025 The government is facing a fresh headache in its pension reform plans as new research shows trust in the industry declined for the first time in five years. Average trust in the industry has dipped to 5.23 out of 10, from a peak of 5.26, according to the fifth Trust and Confidence Index released by [...]