Analysis: A US-EU trade deal looks unlikely. What does that mean for the UK? July 7, 2025 The clock is ticking on the EU-US trade deal set to expire on 9 July. The European Union is pushing for immediate relief from tariffs, but the bloc expects even a best-case deal to include a degree of asymmetry. While the UK is not at the negotiating table, Britain may find itself absorbing collateral damage [...]
Labour versus the bond markets, businesses and ballots July 3, 2025 Birthdays aren’t best celebrated on a hangover but Labour’s senior leaders will be waking up with a painful headache this morning after haemorrhaging support from both bond markets and backbenchers. As dozens of Labour MPs discovered the level of influence they held over whips in parliament, unsympathetic bond traders flexed their own powers as medium-term [...]
Trump to make state visit UK in September despite King’s concerns June 25, 2025 US President Donald Trump is set to make a full state visit to the UK in September in a further sign of Prime Minister Starmer’s efforts to bring the two countries closer together. But King Charles preferred an initial informal visit that would represent a less eventful trip amid threats made to Canada’s sovereignty, according [...]
UK business set to gain big from India trade deal, says minister June 19, 2025 UK firms in financial services, pharmaceuticals and education are poised to benefit from a long-awaited free trade agreement (FTA) with India, according to India’s minister of commerce and industry, Piyush Goyal, who described the two nations as “very complimentary” and “comfortable working with eachother”. Speaking at the India Global Forum in London on Wednesday, Goyal [...]
UK trade with US falls apart after Trump tariff blitz June 12, 2025 Exports to the US – the country the UK trades with the most with – saw its largest monthly decrease in April since records began, official data has shown. The onset of President Trump’s trade war with some of his closest allies and foes put governments on standby as major forecasters warned the world economy [...]
End in sight for US-China trade war with ‘framework’ announced in London June 11, 2025 The US and China have agreed on a “framework” by which to implement a trade truce after two days of “marathon negotiations” in London. Details from the framework agreed on Tuesday have yet to be released, but US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik said it put “meat on the bones” of the Geneva deal, which lowered [...]
FTSE 100 flirts with record high but falters once more June 11, 2025 The FTSE 100 once more narrowly missed on a record closing high on Wednesday after faltering in the final moments of the trading session. The UK’s flagship index edged up 0.13 per cent to 8864.35p. This brought it just short of March’s record close of 8871.31p. Housebuilders topped the morning risers with Persimmon and Barratt [...]
The City of London must embrace its friendship with Saudi Arabia June 2, 2025 By working together, the UK cannot only help Saudi Arabia realise its ambitious vision but also secure new growth for both nations, writes Alastair King.
EU firms should move plants to UK to avoid tariff ‘flare ups’ May 27, 2025 European companies should urgently ramp up manufacturing capacity in Britain to avoid the worst effects of Donald Trump’s tariff regime, a top accountancy firm has said. According to Alex Altmann, head of the German desk at Lubbock Fine, the 10 per cent US import tariff agreed as part of newly inked UK-US trade pact has [...]
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 [...]