Starmer to face vote over Peter Mandelson sleaze inquiry April 25, 2026 Keir Starmer will face a vote on whether he should be referred to a parliamentary sleaze inquiry over claims that he misled the House of Commons about the appointment of Mandelson as ambassador to the US. The prime minister said earlier this week that Downing Street had put no pressure “whatsoever” on the Foreign Office, [...]
Lib Dems vow to push back controversial Pension Schemes Bill April 24, 2026 The government has been warned that the Pension Schemes Bill will continue to be pushed back unless ministers remove controversial mandation powers, as a groundswell of opposition puts pressure on the government to water down the bill. The warning comes as the House of Commons gears up for the bill to bounce back from the [...]
Bank of England: Firms are bracing for price rises and job cuts April 24, 2026 Firms believe that employment will decline and inflation will hit four per cent in the next year, research by the Bank of England has shown, as tensions mount over spiralling wage and price growth over the next year. The Bank’s latest decision maker panel, a survey of business owners on price expectations, has fuelled concerns [...]
‘China data theft’: 500,000 Britons’ details put for sale online April 23, 2026 The government has revealed that confidential medical data belonging to half a million Brits was put up for a sale on a website in China. Data stored in UK Biobank, the world’s most comprehensive set of information on health that is used by scientists for research, was put on Alibaba. The data did not contain [...]
Civil servant defends Starmer over ‘due process’ on Mandelson April 23, 2026 A top Whitehall operator has appeared to defend Sir Keir Starmer’s insistence that due process was followed by the government in the appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson as US ambassador. Cat Little, the Cabinet Office’s chief operating officer, said that bureaucratic procedures around security and vetting were adhered to by the Prime Minister’s team at [...]
Inheritance tax receipts soar to all-time high April 23, 2026 Inheritance tax receipts soared to a record high over the last financial year as Labour’s targeting of property owners helped fund sweeping spending increases. Official data on Thursday morning showed that annual inheritance tax receipts rose to £8.5bn in the year between 2025 and 2026. This compared to total receipts of £8.3bn in the previous [...]
Watch: Sluggish economy puts Brits at their gloomiest for nearly 50 years April 23, 2026 Morning Wire‘s Editor, Christian May, reflects on recent polling that reveals Brits’ economic pessimism has reached depths not seen since 1978. From high taxes to sticky inflation and low growth, there is a strong sense that the country simply isn’t heading in the right direction.
UK services sector hit with record cost inflation spike after fuel prices surge April 23, 2026 Businesses recorded cost inflation at the highest level since the aftermath of Liz Truss’ chaotic mini-Budget in April as the consequences of the Iran war continued to ripple through the economy. A rapid increase in raw material prices led to a jump in costs for the manufacturing sector but the UK’s all-important services sector – [...]
The tax effect: Reeves borrowed less than OBR forecast April 23, 2026 Chancellor Rachel Reeves oversaw lower government borrowing than the Office for Budget Responsibility forecast in the financial year 2024 to 2025, it has been revealed, pointing to the effect sweeping tax hikes have had in narrowing the deficit. The Office for National Statistics has shown that government borrowing over the last financial year was £132bn [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks slump as oil rises; Reeves tax hikes trigger borrowing boost April 23, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. An extended ceasefire may have been announced in the Middle East, but its left markets with major appetite for further peace before investor sentiment recovers. Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices – was trading back over the $100 mark on Thursday morning. [...]