This time there can be no way back for Peter Mandelson February 3, 2026 On 9 June 2009 Mandelson told the House of Lords that, as Business Secretary and First Secretary of State, he was focused on helping Britain to emerge from recession “stronger, more competitive and able to grow in the future,” adding that government policies will “enrich our society.” Days later he appeared to be more focused [...]
Why has no one in the Cabinet run a business? February 3, 2026 It is in all our interests that politics remains an attractive proposition for people who have worked in business writes Kiki McDonough.
Badenoch: Starmer put UK in ‘weaker position’ through deals with China February 3, 2026 Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch has said Keir Starmer’s trip to China put the UK in a “weaker position”, underlining the different approaches taken by the two main parties in dealing with the world’s second largest economy. Badenoch, who previously said she would not travel to China under the current circumstances, said Starmer had “been played” [...]
Tories gain on Reform in polls yet Badenoch struggles for approval February 3, 2026 The Conservatives have slightly narrowed Reform UK’s polling lead though Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch suffered a setback with a sharp decrease in approval ratings over the last month. The Tories now lead Labour by five percentage points and trail Nigel Farage’s party by eight points in City AM/Freshwater Strategy’s monthly poll. Reform UK enjoy 30 [...]
GDP set to soften in 2026 as tax hikes bite February 2, 2026 The UK is set for another year of soggy growth, according to new forecasts from EY, with the government’s tax hikes and ongoing worries about a global trade war hamstringing momentum. The Big Four firm predicted that GDP would rise 0.9 per cent in 2026, slower than the 1.4 per cent recorded last year, as [...]
Tories issue challenge against Trump’s ‘mistake’ on trade February 2, 2026 The Conservatives have issued a direct challenge to President Trump on the benefits of free trade as shadow Chancellor Mel Stride said tariffs risked undermining transatlantic relations. In a speech at a conference hosted by British-American Business, Stride argued that free trade was “worth defending” as he took aim at President Trump’s protectionist policies. He [...]
UK payments stuck with ‘bolted on’ European regulation, says PSR boss February 2, 2026 The boss of the UK’s payments regulator has said the body’s consolidation with the City watchdog will allow it to ditch overhanging red tape from Europe. David Geale, who heads up the Payments System Regulator (PSR) and leads on payments at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), said: “There are bits of payments regulation that have [...]
Keir Starmer is scared to death of Andy Burnham February 2, 2026 Blocking Andy Burnham from standing in the Gorton and Denton by-election shows Starmer is a weak leader whose time in Downing Street will soon be over, says Sacha Lord We are witnessing the beginning of the end of Starmer’s short stint as PM. How is it possible, that someone with such a stomping majority, has [...]
Mandelson to Epstein: JP Morgan should ‘threaten’ UK over banker tax February 2, 2026 Lord Peter Mandelson told Jeffrey Epstein that the boss of banking giant JP Morgan should “mildly threaten” the UK Treasury over a tax on banker bonuses whilst the peer was serving as business secretary. New bombshell revelations in the latest drop of the Epstein files by the US Department of Justice showed Mandelson, who worked [...]
Hundreds of Treasury jobs at risk in civil servant cost-cutting shakeup February 2, 2026 Rachel Reeves wants to slash about 300 of her department’s roughly 2,100 staff by 2030, as HM Treasury plans to offer officials up to £100,000 to take voluntary leave.The proposed cuts to the Treasury are part of a wider drive to reduce Whitehall’s administrative costs by 16 per cent, according to the Financial Times. The [...]