Nato: Starmer’s defence spending pledge lagging behind March 26, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer’s pledge to upgrade the armed forces is facing renewed scrutiny after official Nato figures suggested that spending in defence was lagging ahead of a crucial expenditure target in 2027. Starmer said last year that the government would increase spending on defence to 2.6 per cent of GDP from 2027. But Nato, the [...]
US ambassador: UK’s closer ties with EU are a problem March 26, 2026 Britain pursuing closer ties with the European Union will “not be viewed favourably” in the White House if it in any way affects the trading relationship between the UK and US, Washington’s ambassador to the UK has warned. Warren Stephens said that the government’s recent decision to adopt over 70 European rules onto the UK [...]
UK economy set for second lowest growth in G7 – OECD March 26, 2026 The UK economy is set to suffer the second lowest growth and second highest level of inflation in the G7, the OECD has predicted, in a damning set of forecast revisions for the Labour government and the Bank of England. Growth in the UK will slow to around 0.7 per cent, according to the OECD, [...]
Plaid Cymru would bankrupt an independent Wales on day one March 26, 2026 The local elections will likely see Labour lose the grip it has held on Wales since the inception of the Senedd. If Plaid Cymru does indeed form the next government, the UK might usefully acclimatise them to what life would be like under independence, says Paul Ormerod The swathe of local elections which are due [...]
Starmer says he doesn’t hold power to approve North Sea projects March 25, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has said he doesn’t hold legal powers to approve fresh exploration of North Sea oil and gas fields, with the decision falling in the hands of net zero secretary Ed Miliband. Starmer said current legislation determined that a quasi-judicial decision relating to cases for more gas extraction at Shell’s Jackdaw site and [...]
Peter Kyle hints at push for EU customs union return March 25, 2026 Business and trade secretary Peter Kyle suggested joining the EU’s customs union could improve the UK’s economic prospects, with new data suggesting that trade flows in London boomed last year. After being asked twice whether war in the Middle East provided a stronger case for the UK to join the customs union, Kyle refused to [...]
Iran mocks Trump’s peace talks as oil price takes sharp drop March 25, 2026 The Iranian regime has mocked claims from Donald Trump that talks to end the war were progressing as markets struggle to digest a mixed bag of messages. Tehran downplayed expectations of any immediate ceasefire, following emerging reports that the US had offered a 15-point ceasefire plan. The President said the US was in “productive” talks [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks soar as Trump claims ‘victory’ in Iran; Economists clash on inflation March 25, 2026 Welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. Fresh figures this morning revealed inflation rose three per cent in the year to February 2026, unchanged from the 12 months to January 2026. Grant Fitzner said: “The largest upwards driver was the price of clothing, which rose this month but fell a year ago. “This was offset [...]
The UK went into this crisis weak and may emerge from it broken March 25, 2026 Keir Starmer may take every opportunity to stress that the UK isn’t involved in the war and wanted nothing to do with it, but our economy is nevertheless entirely at the mercy of events taking place 4,000 miles away. The prospect of a negotiated settlement (at least anytime soon) feels remote and that uncertainty is [...]
Unemployment is rising and top bosses want to do something about it March 25, 2026 Business giants have come together to find ways of hiring more people currently out of work as private sector bosses move to play a more active role in improving the state of the UK labour market. Company chiefs from the likes of BT, Shell, Marks & Spencer and Pret have joined a new, non-governmental ‘Employer [...]