A win on the world stage masks mounting trouble at home March 4, 2025 Keir Starmer has won plaudits for his decision to increase defence spending (albeit by less than the amount he’s given Ed Miliband to run a pretend energy company) and voters appear to be firmly behind the PM’s decision to fund this modest splurge by raiding the international development budget. The latest Morning Wire Freshwater Strategy [...]
Reform UK overtakes Labour in Morning Wire poll for first time March 3, 2025 Reform UK has overtaken Labour on voting intention for the first time in Morning Wire‘s monthly tracking of UK voters. Reform came top of the monthly voting intention tracker with 27 per cent, versus Labour’s 24 per cent and the Conservatives’ 23 per cent, according to the poll by Morning Wire Freshwater Strategy poll. The [...]
Ban on new leasehold flats ‘doesn’t go far enough’ March 3, 2025 The government’s newly released whitepaper promises to ban the sale of new leasehold flats, but campaigners say the policy will not provide enough relief for current leaseholders. Labour said the plans mark the start of commonhold, rather than leasehold, being the “default tenure” in the UK. “These reforms mark the beginning of the end for [...]
Exclusive: Labour overtake Tories as most trusted on defence, poll finds March 3, 2025 Labour has overtaken the Conservatives as the party most trusted to manage the UK’s defence and national security – and Brits overwhelmingly back the plan to fund an increase in defence spending by raiding the international development budget. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party was chosen by 27 per cent of respondents compared to [...]
FTSE 100 giants Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems surge following Ukraine defence summit March 3, 2025 UK and European defence shares rose to near-record highs on Monday morning lead by names such as Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems, after the defence summit in London, at which European leaders emphasised support for Ukraine and pledged to raise defence spending. The STOXX 600 rose 0.4 per cent boost, following ten consecutive weeks of gains [...]
Starmer to present Ukraine plan to parliament after frantic diplomatic weekend March 3, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer is set to make a statement in the Commons this afternoon to present a plan forged with President Macron over the weekend for a European “coalition of the willing” to guard a peace process in Ukraine. The prime minister will take questions from MPs from 15:30, with an opposition response from Conservative [...]
Workers rights: Don’t let ‘rogue’ firms undercut good employers, MPs urge March 3, 2025 Changes to the government’s workers’ rights package should be made to ensure “rogue firms” don’t undercut Britain’s best employers, MPs have urged. The Employment Rights Bill, which is currently making its way through Parliament, should have loopholes closed to avoid some companies exploiting work insecurity, the House of Commons Business and Trade Committee (BTC) has [...]
International development minister resigns over cuts to foreign aid February 28, 2025 International development minister Anneliese Dodds has resigned over the Prime Minister’s cuts to the foreign aid budget. Dodds, a former shadow chancellor, has quit her posts in the foreign office and as women and equalities minister, in the wake of Keir Starmer’s move to reduce overseas aid to fund increased defence spending, which she revealed [...]
Trump-Starmer: UK may dodge tariffs as work to begin on new US trade deal February 27, 2025 The UK could be set to dodge US tariffs with work to begin on a new US-UK trade deal, it was revealed during Sir Keir Starmer’s visit to US President Donald Trump. The Prime Minister flew to the States yesterday for a highly anticipated first meeting with President Trump since he reentered the White House [...]
Trump-Starmer meeting: Five things to look out for February 27, 2025 Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is set to meet Donald Trump this evening for the first time since the US President re-entered the White House in January. Thanks to the US-UK so-called ‘special relationship’, meetings between the two nations’ leaders always have resonance. But amid the current international context, including Trump’s own comments about Russia’s [...]