Labour’s own policies undermine their ‘welfare to work’ agenda April 1, 2025 The government has made many mistakes since coming to office, but the Chancellor deserves some credit for not breaking her fiscal rules at the first opportunity. The demands from various groups (and various wings of her own party) for more borrowing or exempting certain measures from the fiscal rules were ruthlessly ignored at the Spring [...]
Council pay: Westminster tops ‘town hall rich list’ with 73 staff on over £100k March 31, 2025 Westminster City Council has topped a national ‘town hall rich list’ with 73 staff rewarded with over £100,000 last year. The central London borough council also had the most employees nationwide – at eight – receiving more than £200,000 in total remuneration, in 2023-24, according to the Taxpayers’ Alliance (TPA). While 13 more Westminster staff [...]
US tariffs: UK expects to be hit by Trump taxes this week, No10 admits March 31, 2025 The UK expects to be hit by Donald Trump’s tariffs this week, No10 has said, amid frantic discussions to secure an exemption for UK businesses. The government has been trying to negotiate to spare British exports from the taxes on imports into the US which are set to come into force later this week on [...]
Poor co-ordination was ‘open invitation’ for small boats, Starmer says March 31, 2025 Poor co-ordination between policing and intelligence agencies was an “open invitation” to people smugglers transporting arrivals in small boats, Sir Keir Starmer has claimed. The Prime Minister has said his government “inherited this total fragmentation between our policing, our Border Force and our intelligence agencies” and warned there were “gaps in our defence, an open [...]
Starmer and Trump to continue trade talks ‘at pace’ March 31, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump discussed “productive negotiations” to advance a UK-US trade deal and agreed they will “continue at pace” in a phone call on Sunday night, Downing Street has said. The UK is trying to negotiate an exemption from tariffs on imports into the US. Negotiations are said to be intense, with moves [...]
US tariffs: UK ‘reserves right to respond’ after carmakers meeting March 28, 2025 The UK reserves the right to respond to American tariffs, Sir Keir Starmer has said, after US President Donald Trump’s decision to slap a 25 per cent import tax on cars. The Prime Minister said his government was involved in ongoing discussions with the White House aimed at “mitigating the impact” of any levies but [...]
Jenner & Block and WilmerHale fight back against Trump’s law firm attack March 28, 2025 Days after US President Trump slapped sanctions on Jenner & Block and WilmerHale, law firms hit back with lawsuits to block executive orders
No10 communications chief to quit after nine months March 28, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer’s director of communications, Matthew Doyle, is set to quit No10 Downing Street after nine months in the job. Doyle, who served as the Prime Minister’s communications chief in opposition, is understood to be stepping down immediately after feeling he had stabilised the government’s communications strategy after a rocky first few months in [...]
Spring Statement 2025: Rachel Reeves’ popularity nears Kwasi Kwarteng levels March 28, 2025 Rachel Reeves’ popularity rating as Chancellor has neared Kwasi Kwarteng levels after the mini-Budget, following the Spring Statement on Wednesday. She set out £14bn in welfare and spending cuts in the House of Commons, including a £4.8bn squeeze on benefits, to restore the £9.9bn headroom she had at the Autumn Budget, which would otherwise have [...]
