If you think this government is pro-business, let me sell you Tower Bridge April 9, 2025 As the government continues to develop its response to Trump’s tariffs and the changing global economic order, the Prime Minister’s muddled thinking is troubling me. We now know that he wants to simultaneously “unleash” British business whilst “sheltering it from the storm,” like a parent who implores his child to “run, but not yet, and [...]
Adolescence and the problem with government by Gogglebox April 9, 2025 Calls for Netflix’s Adolescence to be shown in schools reveal the dire state of our national conversation, says Emma Revell For years I have joked that reality TV may be the only way to get some people to understand the severity of the housing crisis. Find an over-confident Boomer who is still harping on about [...]
British Steel: ‘All options on table’ over nationalising Scunthorpe, Starmer says April 8, 2025 The UK is keeping “all options on the table” over the potential nationalisation of the Chinese-owned British Steel plant in Scunthorpe, Sir Keir Starmer has said. The Prime Minister insisted he understood the importance of the plant, which is Britain’s last remaining steelmaker, in a Q&A with the House of Commons Liaison Committee, after its [...]
Trump tariffs: No10 resists calls for ‘buy British’ campaign April 8, 2025 No10 has resisted calls for a “buy British” campaign in light of US tariffs, after the Chancellor slapped down the idea and suggested it could be a barrier to trade. Rachel Reeves warned against the UK becoming “inward looking” as she faced calls in the Commons to encourage the public to buy more British goods [...]
UK markets ‘functioning’ and banking system ‘resilient’, Reeves tells MPs April 8, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has spoken in the House of Commons on the “current economic situation” in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s sweeping new global trade tariffs. Addressing MPs ahead of Treasury questions, Reeves said the “implications have been reflected in the reaction that we have seen in global markets in recent days, which [...]
Trump’s trade war is a test for Starmer – I fear he’ll fail it April 8, 2025 Keir Starmer declared yesterday that we’re now living “in a completely new world.” He’s not wrong; Donald Trump has cut to shreds the established economic order and flung the pieces into the air. At this stage, where those pieces will land is anyone’s guess. So, Starmer is right to sense a moment. But what will [...]
Tariffs: Starmer commits to fiscal rules and not raising income tax and VAT April 7, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer has stressed his commitment to the government’s fiscal rules and reiterated he would not increase national insurance, VAT or income tax, despite Donald Trump’s tariffs upending government economic policy. The Prime Minister called for “cool heads” as global markets plunged in response to the US President’s sweeping global import taxes, and said [...]
Jaguar Land Rover eliminates £5bn debt pile but warns of ‘significant threat’ April 7, 2025 The boss of Jaguar Land Rover has revealed the luxury car maker has eliminated its net debt pile which totalled £5bn at its peak. Speaking alongside Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves during their visit to the Midlands, chief executive Adrian Mardell confirmed the milestone which has seen the manufacturer reduce its debt over a [...]
Rachel Reeves approval rating one point above Trump with UK voters, poll finds April 7, 2025 Rachel Reeves’ approval ratings have slumped since March leaving her just one point more popular than US President Donald Trump with UK voters, a poll has found. The Chancellor’s net approval ratings have declined by 12 points since delivering her Spring Statement last month, leaving Reeves at net -43, just one point above Trump on [...]
Voters’ economic gloom worsens as tariff fears bite April 7, 2025 UK voters are increasingly downbeat about the economy as President Trump’s tariff announcements have further dampened Brits’ confidence, according to the latest City AM/Freshwater Strategy poll. The global economy is still reeling from the President’s Rose Garden speech, where Trump announced sweeping tariffs on countries around the world, with markets nosediving across Asia and Europe [...]