Labour dismisses ‘smears’ over Chinese spy case as top Tory calls defence ‘absurd’ October 13, 2025 A senior minister has dismissed accusations that the Labour government deliberately collapsed the Chinese spy case as being a “whole series of baseless smears.” Security minister Dan Jarvis told parliament that the previous Conservative government’s failure to clarify definitions in the Official Secrets Act of 1920 led to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) dropping a [...]
Jonathan Powell urged to answer questions on Chinese spy case in public October 13, 2025 National security adviser Jonathan Powell has been urged to answer questions on the collapse of a Chinese spy case in public, with the government doubling down on its defence that it did not subvert the trial to maintain diplomatic ties with Beijing. Powell is set to appear before a private committee in parliament to answer [...]
Don’t raise a glass to Starmer’s plan for pubs October 13, 2025 Keir Starmer claims he has a plan to save the struggling hospitality sector, but the detail is thin and all his other actions – like banning vapes and junkfood advertising – suggest his every impulse is to control people’s behaviour, says Eliot Wilson “Pubs and bars are the beating heart of our communities. Under our [...]
Reeves ‘pressures business chiefs to talk up the UK economy’ October 11, 2025 Rachel Reeves has ramped up pressure on business leaders to “talk up” the economy in the run up to the Autumn Budget. The Chancellor has framed her rallying cry to businesses that if they do not support a positive narrative around the economy, they risk Nigel Farage becoming Prime Minister. The Treasury has warned top [...]
Majority of Brits reject Labour’s ‘nanny state’ policies October 11, 2025 A majority of Brits reject ‘nanny state’ measures from Labour to control “unhealthy” lifestyle choices stating they have more trust in themselves than the government. Fresh polling from the Adam Smith Institute shows six in ten Brits do not support the government having much control over adults’ health and personal decisions. It comes after the [...]
Treasury accused of blocking China audit after espionage trial fiasco October 10, 2025 The Treasury lobbied Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, to block reports on the threat posed by Beijing in the midst of the probe against the two men accused of spying for China. According to The Telegraph, in June, Powell decided the UK government would not publish details about espionage from the Foreign Office’s [...]
Former top security adviser questions Starmer over China trial collapse October 9, 2025 Former national security adviser Lord Sedwill has raised questions over the explanation provided for the collapse of the Chinese spy case involving Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry. Lord Mark Sedwill, a career diplomat and civil servant who served the same role as current national security adviser Jonathan Powell between 2017 and 2020, claimed it was [...]
China spying scandal: What the hell is going on? October 9, 2025 The head of MI5 warns that Chinese spying in the UK is taking place on “an epic scale” – yet the government can’t bring itself to describe China as a threat. What the hell is going on? Sir Ken McCallum, the Director General of MI5, doesn’t make many speeches in public. As one of Britain’s [...]
Keir Starmer vows to cut red tape for pubs to ‘bring the buzz back’ to high streets October 9, 2025 Keir Starmer has vowed to cut red tape for pubs in a bid to revitalise the ailing hospitality industry following a spate of venue closures. The prime minister has unveiled a four-week “blitz” survey of landlords, customers and neighbours, in a review expected to result in a bonfire of old licensing rules, amid fears some [...]
Business confidence slumps to three-year low as tax fears ‘quash risk-taking’ October 9, 2025 Business confidence has plummeted to its lowest level in three years, an industry body’s leading quarterly survey has found, as rising tax fears ahead of the Budget are “quashing” investment and growth in the UK economy. The Labour government has boasted that the country was “open for business” after it struck investment deals with tech [...]