Burnham must walk a tightrope on his ascent to Downing Street June 19, 2026 After Andy Burnham cleared the path for a run at the Labour leadership with an emphatic win in the Makerfield by-election. Maurício Alencar sketches out what an Andy Burnham government could look like – and the balancing act he faces on the way there Despite romping home to victory in the Makerfield by-election on Friday, [...]
Andy Haldane: Britain after Brexit June 18, 2026 The UK economy is suffering from deep-seated psychological scarring caused by a sequence of crises, which necessitates a strategic re-imagining of the state’s role in generating growth, says Andy Haldane We are fast approaching the ten-year anniversary of Brexit – an event that is sure to leave a large and lasting scar on our economy, [...]
The EU has regulated itself out of the AI race but the UK is still in the game June 16, 2026 After months of debate and final negotiations that stretched long into the night, EU officials were jubilant when, as 2023 came to a close, the European Parliament reached an agreement on what would become the EU’s AI Act; a sprawling legal framework designed to regulate artificial intelligence across all member states. The EU’s top officials [...]
Starmer agrees investment deal with Japan as EU deal questioned June 13, 2026 The UK government has agreed an £18bn investment deal with Japan in a bid to boost post-Brexit international ties but questions are now looming over Sir Keir Starmer’s “reset” deal with the EU. Starmer said “landmark agreements” with Japan on technology and life sciences would lift the UK economy and improve trade with the fourth [...]
Gulf trade deal: Britain should learn from the success of Dubai June 12, 2026 The free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council is a model of post-Brexit success, says James Price In 211BC, when Hannibal was camped outside the walls of Rome, Livy tells us that the ground his army occupied came up for auction in the city. Such was Rome’s confidence in its own future that it [...]
Reform UK vows to raise VAT threshold to £150,000 June 10, 2026 Reform UK has announced it would raise the VAT threshold for small businesses from £90,000 to £150,000 despite long-running debates over the cost and benefits of reforming the tax. Reform announced on Wednesday it would create a “fair deal for the White Van man” by increasing the VAT registration threshold to £150,000. The party said [...]
Is it even possible to regulate ‘misinformation’? June 10, 2026 It's easy to call for crackdowns on 'misinformation', but how do you regulate such an amorphous term, asks Paul Ormerod.
Starmer: X is responsible for fake Farage and Bailey fight images June 9, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has said tech firms must take responsibility for fake images depicting a brawl between Nigel Farage and Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey. Multiple AI-generated images of Farage and Bailey fighting have been spread on X, with the links appearing to lead to a scam. The Prime Minister’s spokesman said “there is [...]
Jeremy Hunt is right to ask Can We Be Rich Again? June 9, 2026 With the CBI’s latest economic forecasts warning of a dramatic spike in unemployment and a prolonged period of anaemic GDP growth, it’s a good time to reflect on the question posed by former chancellor Jeremy Hunt in his latest book, Can We Be Rich Again? The book is the latest in a series of works [...]
What’s behind Mars UK’s £190M investment in its historic confectionery hub? June 8, 2026 Over the past decade, UK manufacturing has faced persistent headwinds, from Brexit to Covid and ongoing supply chain disruption. Yet manufacturing still accounts for almost 9 per cent of UK GDP. Set against this backdrop, a major new investment from a global company at its historic Slough factory signals a vote of confidence in UK [...]