English Common Law: Britain’s greatest soft power December 11, 2025 From London’s boardrooms to Abu Dhabi’s courtrooms, English law shapes the rules of global business as it quietly but decisively finds itself at the heart of international deals and disputes. The late Joseph S. Nye defined ‘soft power’ in the 1980s as “The ability to affect others to obtain the outcomes one wants through attraction [...]
Labour rail pledge in doubt after £3bn private contract to run London Overground December 11, 2025 London Mayor Said Khan has caused a row within the Labour party after First Group was awarded a £3bn deal to operate the London Overground, a move which seemingly flies in the face of Labour’s manifesto commitment to bring railways back into public ownership. On Tuesday the London-listed transport group revealed that it would begin [...]
Brits may have to hand over social media profiles to visit US December 10, 2025 US officials will vet the social media activity of Brits travelling into the US as President Trump increasingly turns his fire on a “decaying” and “weak” Europe. Those planning to visit on short term Esta visas would have to give personal details of family members, including dates and places of birth, and phone numbers used [...]
Rachel Reeves: Leak to the FT was inaccurate December 10, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves slammed briefings provided to media outlets in the lead-up to the Budget as she referred to a specific Financial Times news report which had “partial and inaccurate” information. In a Treasury Select Committee hearing on Wednesday morning, the Chancellor hit out at leaks in the months leading up to the Budget, adding [...]
David Cameron sounds alarm over British brain drain December 10, 2025 Former Prime Minister Lord David Cameron has expressed concern about the exodus of British entrepreneurs and talent, warning that the UK government needs to set aside ‘other goals’ and prioritise business growth. Speaking at Abu Dhabi Finance Week, Lord Cameron acknowledged British talent leaving for places such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), stating: “I [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Reeves scrutinised, Fed interest rates decision, stocks suffer December 10, 2025 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog covering the FTSE 100 and other big market moves. Rachel Reeves is set for a showdown with MPs on the Treasury Select Committee later today while the Federal Reserve is expected to slash interest rates by 25 basis points by the evening. Reeves will begin [...]
Asylum seekers’ cost to taxpayer is unknown, public auditor says December 10, 2025 The full cost of asylum to the British taxpayer is unknown as the government has not processed data on how much local authorities spend on migrants, the National Audit Office (NAO) has said. In a broad report mapping out asylum seekers’ journeys through the UK’s legal systems and support structures, public auditors found that there [...]
Labour believes success is something to be ashamed of December 10, 2025 Two successive Budgets have done unspeakable damage to small and medium sized firms across the country, but the government does not seem keen to reserve the punishment for set piece fiscal events, says John O’Connell After the relentless pre-Budget leaks was the catastrophic event itself. Then came the forensic analysis of who knew what when [...]
Will Andrew Bailey be Santa or Scrooge this Christmas? December 10, 2025 The Notebook, where the City’s movers and shakers have their say, Today it’s Susannah Streeter with the pen Christmas spirit seems to have spread a lot faster this year. I’ve never seen so many trees up in windows quite so early and there seem to be more lights twinkling in the streets. After months of [...]
The government is using Brexit as a scapegoat for its own failures December 10, 2025 Keir Starmer is clearly manoeuvring to get Britain to rejoin the EU – but Brexit is not to blame for Britain’s appalling growth record, says Paul Ormerod David Lammy, the deputy Prime Minister, chose last week to reopen the issue of the UK rejoining the EU. Asked if we will go back into the customs [...]