UK-Gulf states trade deal on the horizon May 30, 2025 The UK is poised to sign a trade agreement with the Gulf states, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The deal with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is expected to be worth as much as £1.6bn, with hopes that the value will rise by an additional £8.6bn a year [...]
Trump tariff policy in tatters after being ‘declared invalid’ by US court May 29, 2025 Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariff plans have been thrown into doubt after a court said the US President’s executive orders under which they were introduced were “declared to be invalid as contrary to law.” The US Court of International Trade found that the president lacked the authority to use emergency economic powers legislation when he [...]
Up to 4,000 livelihoods at risk as ABF prepares to pull plug on bioethanol plant May 27, 2025 As many as 4,000 livelihoods are at risk after the owner of Britain’s largest bioethanol plant has warned it could shut within days, citing UK-US tariff policy. ABF, which owns the Vivergo Fuels plant in Yorkshire, has written to farmers warning it planned to suspend purchases of wheat used in the production process unless the [...]
Company bosses hit pause on growth plans after tariff shock May 27, 2025 Top UK business leaders have sounded the alarm on geopolitical tensions, warning that trade uncertainties are threatening their growth prospects. Nearly half of UK chief executives admitted to being “very or extremely concerned” about the impact of tariffs on their company’s operations and sales in the upcoming year. Concerns have led to company chiefs slamming [...]
UK halts trade talks with Israel May 20, 2025 The UK has paused trade deal negotiations with Israel in response to its military offensive in Gaza, the foreign secretary has said. Speaking in the Commons, David Lammy confirmed that negotiations with the Israeli government over a bilateral trade pact have been put on ice until the country ensures “unhindered provision of aid”. “We have [...]
British ports request £120m for ‘white elephant’ Brexit border posts May 20, 2025 British ports are demanding £120m in compensation after being forced to invest millions in post-Brexit border control posts rendered “obsolete” by Keir Starmer’s new EU deal. Monday’s UK-EU trade deal committed to removing border checks on plant, animal and food imports from the EU member states. The deal was welcomed by the port industry, but [...]
Trio of trade deals puts UK in better position “than any other country,” Rachel Reeves says May 20, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said the UK is now in a better place on trade “than any other country in the world” after securing new trade agreements with India, the US and the EU this month. Reeves said the agreements have “come along like buses,” and that the government’s next targets for trade deals are [...]
Boris Johnson: Starmer the ‘manacled gimp of Brussels’ after ‘one-sided’ EU trade deal May 19, 2025 Boris Johnson has slammed Sir Keir Starmer as an “orange ball-chewing manacled gimp of Brussels”, in a colourful post on X. The former Prime Minister repeatedly referred to his Labour successor as “two-tier Keir”, suggesting that the “hopelessly one sided” deal would render the UK “the non-voting punk of the EU Commission”. The intervention follows [...]
UK-EU ‘reset’ is the surrender Starmer always dreamed of May 19, 2025 In negotiating the 'reset' in UK-EU relations, Keir Starmer has always sat on the EU's side of the table, writes Steve Baker.
Keir Starmer reaches tentative EU trade deal ahead of summit May 19, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer has agreed a tentative trade deal with the EU, the biggest shake-up of Britain’s relationship with the bloc since Brexit. The UK-EU deal is expected to involve a new trading arrangement and a border deal and could extend to a new security and defence pact, which could open up access to the [...]