IMF slaps UK with biggest growth downgrade of any G7 country April 14, 2026 The UK economy has suffered the biggest growth forecast downgrade of any country in the G7 in the International Monetary Fund’s spring economic outlook report, dealing a blow to Chancellor Rachel Reeves as she struggles to overcome setbacks sparked by the Iran war. Growth this year was revised down by 0.5 percentage points as trade [...]
‘Vandalism’: Reeves and Starmer slammed over defence spending April 14, 2026 Rachel Reeves and Sir Keir Starmer have been slammed for a failure to provide defence with a substantial cash injection as a former Nato secretary general said an “ever-expanding welfare budget” would not keep the UK secure. Downing Street has come under fire for its delay in setting out a clear timeline for an uplift [...]
‘Cure worse than the disease’: Starmer’s mentor lambasts plan to scrap juries April 14, 2026 The proposal to scrap jury trials is “a cure worse than the disease”, according to the founding head of the Chambers where Sir Keir Starmer once practised. David Lammy’s controversial Courts and Tribunals Bill aims to reduce Crown Court backlogs by approximately halving the number of jury trials. The Bill, if passed, will create a [...]
Rejoining the single market by stealth is a danger to democracy April 14, 2026 Keir Starmer once accused conservatives of “silencing parliament” by using Henry VIII powers. Now he’s doing the exact same thing, says Alys Denby Denby pottery and Gentleman’s Relish: two icons have gone to the wall in recent weeks. One I’m taking personally. The loss of these brands leaves our commercial landscape a little blander and [...]
Tax fears mount: Most Brits unhappy with Labour over energy price rise April 14, 2026 The majority of Britons are unhappy with the Labour government’s response to the energy price jump sparked by the Iran war, new polling has found, as voters believe that Chancellor Rachel Reeves will turn to tax rises to keep public finances on a stable footing. Fresh City AM/Freshwater Strategy polling has found that 52 per [...]
Keir Starmer: Bypass law for EU single market in UK’s ‘best interest’ April 13, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has said Labour’s effort to allow the UK government to adopt new EU single market rules without parliamentary approval was in the “UK’s best interest”. Fresh legislation to be presented after May is set to allow the government to adopt EU single market rules without amendments from MPs. Parliamentarians would be able [...]
Starmer told Trump to be ‘practical’ amid Strait of Hormuz tax rumours April 10, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has said he spent most of a conversation with Donald Trump on Thursday night talking about a “practical plan” to secure the Strait of Hormuz, shortly after he said he was “fed up” of the US president’s impact on energy bills. Starmer said he spoke to Trump about the blocked strait, which [...]
Healey: Defence investment is Starmer’s ‘highest priority’ April 10, 2026 Defence secretary John Healey has said defence investment is the Prime Minister’s “highest priority” as military officials wait for a long-awaited strategy paper on procurement and spending. At the London Defence Conference, Healey said Sir Keir Starmer has taken a “personal interest” in drafting the Defence Investment Plan, which was due to be published last [...]
Rolls-Royce shares boom amid hopes of trade resumption April 8, 2026 Shares in the retail stock darling Rolls-Royce skyrocketed as investors went back to bullish ways on news of a ceasefire in the Middle East. The stock price for the engineering giant soared by as much as 10 per cent as trading opened. It meant the stock hit 1,259.80p. The jump in the share price will [...]
Abramovich foundation trustee has links to Starmer advisor Powell April 7, 2026 A new charitable foundation at the heart of Roman Abramovich’s dispute with the UK government over the £2.35bn in funds from the sale of Chelsea has a named trustee with links to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Martin Griffiths, a UK diplomat and former coordinator for the United Nations, co-founded a ‘peacemaking’ organisation with Starmer’s [...]