FTSE 100 giants Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems surge following Ukraine defence summit March 3, 2025 UK and European defence shares rose to near-record highs on Monday morning lead by names such as Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems, after the defence summit in London, at which European leaders emphasised support for Ukraine and pledged to raise defence spending. The STOXX 600 rose 0.4 per cent boost, following ten consecutive weeks of gains [...]
‘The West must not divide’, Italy’s Meloni tells Starmer March 2, 2025 Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni warned Sir Keir Starmer the West must “avoid the risk” of dividing during a visit to Downing Street on Sunday. Starmer welcomed Meloni for a bilateral meeting ahead of a summit of political leaders in London focused on Ukraine and wider European security. Speaking in Downing Street, Meloni said that [...]
Starmer speaks of ‘driving purpose’ to unite Nato allies after White House clash March 2, 2025 Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said his “driving purpose” over the last few days has been reuniting Ukraine and the US after their presidents clashed in the White House. As Starmer gathers European leaders in London to forge a common position on ending the war in Ukraine, the Prime Minister said he is “working hard” [...]
International development minister resigns over cuts to foreign aid February 28, 2025 International development minister Anneliese Dodds has resigned over the Prime Minister’s cuts to the foreign aid budget. Dodds, a former shadow chancellor, has quit her posts in the foreign office and as women and equalities minister, in the wake of Keir Starmer’s move to reduce overseas aid to fund increased defence spending, which she revealed [...]
Trump-Starmer: UK may dodge tariffs as work to begin on new US trade deal February 27, 2025 The UK could be set to dodge US tariffs with work to begin on a new US-UK trade deal, it was revealed during Sir Keir Starmer’s visit to US President Donald Trump. The Prime Minister flew to the States yesterday for a highly anticipated first meeting with President Trump since he reentered the White House [...]
Trump-Starmer meeting: Five things to look out for February 27, 2025 Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is set to meet Donald Trump this evening for the first time since the US President re-entered the White House in January. Thanks to the US-UK so-called ‘special relationship’, meetings between the two nations’ leaders always have resonance. But amid the current international context, including Trump’s own comments about Russia’s [...]
PMQs: Starmer won’t confirm if Chagos deal money included in defence rise February 26, 2025 Keir Starmer has declined to confirm whether money spent on the Chagos Islands deal will be included in the rise in defence spending. The UK is in talks with Mauritius about handing over sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory but leasing back the strategic Diego Garcia military base, which the US uses. The Prime [...]
Defence spending to rise to 2.5 per cent by 2027 via aid cuts, Starmer confirms February 25, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer has announced the “biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War” as he confirmed the UK would spend 2.5 per cent of GDP [gross domestic product] by 2027. The Prime Minister unveiled the policy in a statement to the House of Commons after reports he was set [...]
Sanctions: Kremlin-linked oligarchs hit by UK regime on ‘grim milestone’ of war February 24, 2025 The UK is extending its sanctions regime against Russia as it marks the “grim milestone” of the third anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine. Ministers have unveiled the largest sanctions package against Russia since 2022, with 107 new sanctions targeting Russian military supply chains, third-country supporters and revenue and profits fuelling the war chest and [...]
Ukraine: Russia ‘does not hold all the cards’, Starmer tells Kyiv conference February 24, 2025 Keir Starmer has insisted “Russia does not hold all the cards in this war” to a conference in Kyiv to mark the third anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. The Prime Minister has promised further “sweeping sanctions” to push the Russian president towards concessions in peace talks and called for a US backstop [...]