Palantir ‘should challenge Sadiq Khan in court’ over blocked Met Police contract May 25, 2026 American tech firm Palantir should challenge Sadiq Khan in court after the London mayor blocked a £50m contract with the Metropolitan Police, former government legal officer Sir Michael Ellis has said. Sir Michael Ellis KC, a former Tory attorney general under Liz Truss, said Khan’s decision is “an extraordinary intervention, which may be susceptible to [...]
Trump on Iran: ‘Either a great deal or no deal’ as oil price reacts May 25, 2026 The prospect of a lasting peace deal between the US and Iran pushed the global oil price lower on Monday even as secretary of state Marco Rubio’s warned that a deal was far from done, putting a dampener on traders’ hopes. Brent Crude fell by over five per cent on Monday, taking the world’s main [...]
Former SNP chief admits embezzling £400K of party funds to ‘bankroll lavish lifestyle’ May 25, 2026 The former chief executive of the Scottish National Party, Peter Murrell, who is also Nicola Sturgeon’s estranged husband, has been remanded in custody after pleading guilty to embezzling hundreds of thousands of pounds from the party. Murrell pleaded guilty on Monday morning when he appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh. Murrell admitted using “false [...]
Reform UK tax cut pledge raises doubts May 24, 2026 Reform UK’s tax cut pledge for workers doing overtime hours is facing criticism from economists across the political spectrum amid doubts it would boost productivity. The party said it would scrap income tax above a 40-hour week for workers on less than £75,000, costing around £5bn a year and paid for through cuts to welfare [...]
Sunak calls for minimum wage quango to be abolished May 24, 2026 Former Chancellor and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said that his decisions to hike the national minimum wage backfired as he called for a quango overseeing low pay to be abolished. Sunak appeared to admit that his decision to increase the national living wage has contributed to job struggles faced by young people. In an [...]
Iran deal is ‘largely negotiated’ as Trump teases Strait of Hormuz re-opening May 24, 2026 President Trump has said that a peace deal with Iran is “near” as the Strait of Hormuz could re-open within days. On Saturday, Trump said the key trading route would be re-opened in the terms of a deal to be “announced shortly”. He wrote on a social media post: “Final aspects and details of the [...]
Starmer urges TNT Sports to air Champions League final for free May 23, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has urged the broadcaster of the Champions League final to air the game for free next Saturday. The Prime Minister is attempting to prevent this year becoming the first in the Champion’s Leagues 34-year history in which the final is not free to watch for British fans. The match will be streamed [...]
EU rejected UK push for single market on goods May 23, 2026 The EU rejected a UK proposal to set up a single market for the trade of goods because the UK refused to allow freedom of movement. Michael Ellam, Britain’s chief negotiator, proposed that the UK align with UK regulations to allow free trade with the bloc, but the idea was rebuffed by Brussels. The rebuttal [...]
Rachel Reeves oversees borrowing spike as benefits spending offsets tax haul May 22, 2026 Rachel Reeves oversaw a surge in borrowing in the first month of the financial year as April’s figures hit the highest since 2020 on higher benefit spend. Government borrowing – which marks the difference between total public sector spending and income – topped £24.3bn in April 2026, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). [...]
Reeves unveils ‘Great British Summer Savings’ at cost to energy giants May 21, 2026 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has unveil edthe government’s “Great British Summer Savings” campaign, committing hundreds of millions of pounds to lower costs for families by taxing energy companies more. Under a new price adjustment set by the government, children aged five to 15 will be able to travel free on participating local bus services across England from [...]
