A game of chlorinated chicken: What is the price of a US-UK trade deal? Politics An economic deal between the UK and the US could be just weeks away. The Trump administration has made sweeping promises of a “90 deals in 90 days” package of bespoke arrangements. While deals with India, Japan and South Korea are expected to be done first, the UK is understood to be not far behind [...]
Government scrambles to swerve Trump pharma tariffs Politics A race against time is underway to shield the UK pharmaceutical sector from potentially swinging Trump tariffs on imported drugs. As it stands, there is an exemption for pharmaceuticals on the baseline 10 per cent tariffs for goods coming into the US. However, President Trump has warned that there will be tariffs on imported pharma [...]
Philip Green loses legal challenge over parliamentary privilege for court injunctions Legal A legal challenge lodged by Sir Philip Green to curb parliamentary privilege to name individuals shielded by court injunctions has been rejected by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) Eight ECHR justices ruled on Tuesday that Article 8 – “Right to respect for private and family life” – had not been breached. The Strasbourg [...]
JP Morgan chief issues recession and stagflation warning over Trump tariffs April 7, 2025 JP Morgan chairman and chief executive Jamie Dimon has warned that severe curbs on trade imposed by President Donald Trump could lead the US economy towards recession and stagflation. Dimon made the comments ahead of the multinational investment bank’s financial results, reporting revenue of $180.6bn and net income of $58.5bn in 2024. He credited the [...]
Billionaire investor Bill Ackman warns of ‘economic nuclear winter’ from Trump tariffs April 7, 2025 Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman has issued a stark warning to the US President, urging him to pause the sweeping package of tariffs revealed last week on his so-called ‘Liberation Day’. In a post on X, Ackman declared: “The President has an opportunity on Monday to call a time out and have the time to [...]
Number 10 slaps down David Lammy ‘protectionism’ comments as tariff shockwaves continue April 4, 2025 Downing Street has distanced itself from comments made by the foreign secretary, who told reporters on Friday that he regrets “the return of protectionism in the United States.” David Lammy said that Britain is “a nation that believes in open trade” and that these curbs on trade are “something we’ve not seen for nearly a [...]
BP chair Helge Lund to step down as Aviva chief heads search for successor April 4, 2025 BP has announced that its chair Helge Lund will step down, with Aviva chief executive Amanda Blanc – a non-executive director for the blue-chip oil giant – set to lead the search for a successor. Lund is expected to stay on until 2026, which BP says will “ensure an orderly transition.” Blanc has said that [...]
FTSE 100 pharma giants GSK and Astrazeneca appear to swerve Trump tariffs April 3, 2025 FTSE 100 pharma giants GSK and Astrazeneca may have escaped the worst of US President Donald Trump’s tariffs, according to a City broker. Pharmaceutical goods appear to be exempt from higher-rate tariffs introduced by President Trump in his Rose Garden ‘Liberation Day’ address on Wednesday, but there is still uncertainty about the impact on the [...]
Travis Perkins: Profit plunges as construction industry recovery remains sluggish April 1, 2025 Travis Perkins has reported a 99 per cent plunge in operating profit in 2024, after a torrid year for the Nottinghamshire-headquartered firm. The FTSE 250 building group reported an operating profit of £2m, down from £161m in 2023, after a 4.7 per cent revenue decline. Shares in the group fell 10.4 per cent in early [...]
FTSE 100 and global markets slump and gold surges amid tariff panic March 31, 2025 The FTSE 100 dipped 0.7 per cent as markets opened on Monday, with the FTSE 250 down a further 1.28 per cent. The moves followed a sharp drop in Asian markets overnight. The Nikkei 225 plummeted more than four per cent overnight, amid a global market panic as investor and consumer confidence drops ahead of [...]
