What was the Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies? March 17, 2025 The Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies is the latest (and perhaps the most obscure) victim piled upon the government’s bonfire of quangos. First there was the Payment Systems Regulator, which was rolled into the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Then, Sir Keir Starmer announced his most radical health reform yet by shuttering NHS [...]
OECD slashes UK economic forecasts amid global slowdown March 17, 2025 The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has cut the UK’s economic growth forecasts due to stubborn inflation and an escalating trade war. The OECD’s new interim report scaled back UK growth to 1.4 per cent in 2025 and 1.2 per cent in 2026 – down from previous projections of 1.7 and 1.3 per [...]
Reeves to meet regulators as Starmer pledges to cut red tape March 17, 2025 Rachel Reeves will meet with regulators on Monday, as the government sets out to cut the cost of regulation on businesses by a quarter. The Chancellor has summoned eight regulators to Number 11 Downing Street, including the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Health and Safety Executive. Sir Keir Starmer told City AM in an [...]
I’ll cut regulation and unleash the animal spirits of the private sector March 17, 2025 In an exclusive article for City AM, the Prime Minister says “it is an outrage that government does not know how much it costs business to comply with the regulations imposed on them” and declares that his “will be the first government to baseline these costs” – before slashing them. Last week, I set out [...]
Ukraine peacekeeping plans entering ‘operational phase’, Starmer says March 15, 2025 Planning for a peacekeeping force for Ukraine will move to an “operational phase”, the Prime Minister has said after a meeting of the “coalition of the willing” on Saturday. Sir Keir Starmer said military chiefs would meet in London on Thursday to “put strong and robust plans in place to swing in behind a peace [...]
Ministers must get a grip of broken benefits system, Reeves insists March 15, 2025 Rachel Reeves has doubled down on the need to reform the welfare system, insisting the government must “get a grip” on it amid concerns from Labour MPs about the impact of expected cuts to the budget. The benefits system is “broken” and is “not working for anyone”, the Chancellor said. Backbench Labour MPs have made [...]
Starmer hosts Ukraine peacekeeping talks as Putin warned not to play games March 15, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer will host further talks on a peacekeeping force for Ukraine on Saturday after warning Vladimir Putin not to play games with a proposed ceasefire. The Prime Minister is expected to hold a video call with as many as 25 potential members of the “coalition of the willing”, nations that could take part [...]
Analysis: What do Starmer’s reforms actually mean – and can they work? March 15, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer has announced his reform plans to make the British state more “innovative and effective”. The Prime Minister unveiled a series of new measures on Thursday, including the headline abolition of NHS England – the arms-length body which runs the NHS in England. But Sir Keir also spoke about his broader ambitions to [...]
No 10 says Donald Trump’s tariffs not responsible for UK economy shrinking March 14, 2025 Donald Trump’s tariffs are not responsible for the UK economy shrinking in January, Downing Street has said, in a position that appears to contradict the Chancellor’s reaction to the latest poor economic figures. According to the latest set of gross domestic product (GDP) figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the economy shrank [...]
Tech secretary Peter Kyle asks ChatGPT about UK businesses, AI and podcasts March 14, 2025 The UK’s technology secretary Peter Kyle has asked ChatGPT questions about UK businesses, artificial intelligence (AI) and even what podcasts he should appear on. A Freedom of Information (FoI) request submitted by the New Scientist magazine revealed Kyle, who leads the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has been making regular use of the [...]