‘They want business on board’: How Reform UK is wooing City chiefs at its conference Politics Nigel Farage’s Reform UK is on a mission to win over businesses before the next election. Maurício Alencar and Ali Lyon report on how the party’s upcoming conference in Birmingham could determine its political future. By the time Britain’s executives descend on the Reform UK party conference this week, many will already be well-acquainted with [...]
Row erupts over Tory plan to stop Soho pub goers standing up Hospitality London Mayor Sadiq Khan has slammed a plan backed by a Tory council to stop pub goers in Soho from drinking while standing up. Westminster Council, the now-Conservative-run local authority that covers London’s most popular drinking spots, has set out its ambition to radically limit “vertical drinking” or ordering drinks at the bar under a [...]
Badenoch: City’s risk culture should be ‘championed’ to boost UK growth Politics Tory leader Kemi Badenoch will pledge that the role of the City of London would be one of her central levers for driving economic growth, whilst suggesting that financial regulators have buckled to pressure from media and political leaders in recent years. In an address to City financiers, Badenoch will argue that the Square Mile [...]
Former Tory MP set to call Sunak in libel spat with Hancock May 20, 2026 The Court of Appeal is set to hear the latest chapter in a libel claim brought by expelled Tory MP Andrew Bridgen against former ex-health minister Matt Hancock MP. The legal battle between the ex-politicians erupted in January 2023, when Hancock posted on social media about Bridgen after the Tories suspended him over a “disgraceful” [...]
Interest rate on student loans to be capped April 7, 2026 Interest on student loans will be capped, in an attempt from the government to draw a line under a political row which has engulfed Westminster. Labour has announced that maximum interest rates on Plan 2 and Plan 3 student loans will not rise beyond six per cent from the next academic year starting in September. [...]
Badenoch: Starmer’s refusal to back US strikes a ‘pure political calculation’ March 2, 2026 Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has accused Sir Keir Starmer of initially refusing to allow the US to use its military bases for strikes on Iran for “political” reasons rather than legal ones. In a speech at Policy Exchange, the centre-right think tank, Badenoch said the UK’s response to the conflict in the Middle East had [...]
Robert Jenrick clinches Treasury brief as Reform reveals ‘shadow cabinet’ February 17, 2026 Robert Jenrick will spearhead Reform UK’s bid to woo the City and project fiscal responsibility after the recent-defector beat peers to the party’s ‘shadow’ Treasury brief. The Newark MP – who defected to the Nigel Farage’s turquoise tribe in January – was unveiled as the Reform party’s ‘shadow chancellor’ as Farage appointed a host of [...]
Starmer only cares about victims ‘to save his skin’, Badenoch blasts February 11, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer faced a brutal grilling at Prime Minister’s Questions on Monday where Kemi Badenoch accused the Prime Minister of only caring about victims of sexual abuse “to save his skin”. In a fiery exchange that was highly party-political but light on policy, the Labour leader said he had “accepted responsibility and apologised for [...]
Voters think defections help Reform UK – and harm the Tories February 4, 2026 Voters believe that political defections made by the likes of Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman will help Reform UK in elections – and damage the Conservatives. The latest City AM/Freshwater Strategy poll of UK voters has found that 44 per cent think the recent defections will increase Reform’s chances at the next general election, compared [...]
Starmer attempts to defuse China spy fiasco as tempers flare October 15, 2025 Keir Starmer is looking to defuse a fiasco surrounding the collapse of an alleged Chinese spy case in parliament in the face of ongoing questions over whether national security advisers discussed the details of the case in private meetings. Starmer told MPs at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday that the government would release witness statements [...]