US tariffs: Keir Starmer vows to ‘keep cool head’ in face of ‘economic impact’ April 3, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to “keep a cool head” in the face of the “economic impact” of Donald Trump’s 10 per cent tariffs on UK exports to the US, amid fears of a wider trade war. The Prime Minister spoke to business chiefs in Downing Street this morning in the wake of sweeping global [...]
Business needs a real voice in the Civil Service, not a mid-rank mandarin April 3, 2025 The civil service needs an actual industry bigwig, not a mid-rank mandarin, if it wants to properly engage with business, writes Matthew Elliott.
Chelsea and Manchester City fans face ban from Club World Cup April 2, 2025 Chelsea and Manchester City fans who have received football banning orders will be banned from travelling to the US this summer for the Club World Cup. Supporters who have previously committed “thuggish behaviour” – including violence, disorder, pitch invasions, use of pyrotechnics and online hate crime linked to football – will be required to surrender [...]
Russians eye up London mansions – but what might they come back to? April 2, 2025 The UK government is sitting on around £1.1bn of sanctioned London housing stock from Russians accused of corruption or Kremlin links. Many Russians have withdrawn from new purchases in the capital due to the difficulty of getting a mortgage. There are still Russians who own property, and live, in London, but – and this is [...]
Are we all just winging it, all the time? April 2, 2025 There aren’t many decade-old Guardian articles that still resonate with me, but I can recall (and often revisit) a 2014 column by Oliver Burkeman. He was writing in response to the latest example of institutional failure that week (something to do with the bungled sacking of the New York Times editor) and he was able [...]
Trump’s car tariffs to put 25,000 UK jobs at risk, IPPR say April 2, 2025 President Donald Trump’s 25 per cent tariffs on all car imports to the US could destroy thousands of UK jobs, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) have suggested. The think tank estimates that around 25,000 jobs will come under threat as a result of Trump’s tariffs due to come into effect on Wednesday. The [...]
Lee will be right at Home in the Liverpool Hurdle April 1, 2025 THERE weren’t many tougher beats at Cheltenham for me than HOME BY THE LEE, and I think he can have his day in the sun in the Liverpool Hurdle on Saturday (3.05pm). I’d been all over Joseph O’Brien’s charge for the Stayers’ Hurdle and he was cruelly brought down in the race at an early [...]
Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ could wipe out Rachel Reeves’ fiscal headroom April 1, 2025 A mere week after Rachel Reeves told the Commons she had restored her fiscal headroom, Trump’s planned ‘Liberation Day’ tariff deluge could send a wrecking ball through the Chancellor’s buffer. Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs has downgraded Britain’s economic growth outlook ahead of the President launching a fresh set of tariffs that could smash Reeves’ [...]
US tariffs: Businesses don’t want ‘knee jerk’ response, Starmer insists April 1, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer has insisted UK businesses want a “calm and collected response” to Donald Trump’s tariffs, “not a knee-jerk” reaction. The Prime Minister sought to offer calm, as he suggested the UK could retaliate with tariffs on US goods in return, but insisted that “nobody wants a trade war”. Speaking to Sky News, Starmer [...]
Shop prices fall again but ‘inflation is coming’ April 1, 2025 Shop prices fell again in March but a retail body has warned higher business taxes mean inflation is on the horizon. Retail prices have been in deflation since August 2024, primarily driven by deep discounting by non-food retailers. Shop price deflation was 0.4 per cent year on year in March, against a decline of 0.7 [...]