Starmer: ‘Viable plan’ needed for Trump’s Strait of Hormuz request March 16, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has said he is still in discussions to draw up a “viable, collective plan” with European allies in response to President Trump’s call for help in the Strait of Hormuz. In a press conference on Monday, the Prime Minister insisted that the country would “not be drawn into the wider war” in [...]
Starmer urged to tighten law on Slapps following Mandelson scandal March 16, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has been urged to tighten the law to prevent the powerful and wealthy from stopping stories about them, following the Lord Mandelson scandal. A dozen Labour MPs have written to the Prime Minister to ensure that strategic lawsuits against public participation, known as Slapps, is included in the King’s Speech in May. [...]
‘Pressure point’: Oil prices spike as Trump turns up heat on Nato March 16, 2026 The price of oil spiked once more as trading for the new week began after Donald Trump ramped up pressure on his Nato peers to help get supply flowing. Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil prices, jumped 2.9 per cent as trading open after the weekend to near $106.12 a barrel, but later gave [...]
Small businesses ‘lose 379m hours a year’ on red tape March 16, 2026 Small businesses lose around 379m hours a year and spend around £36bn a year on dealing with red tape, new research has indicated, piling pressure on the Labour government to fast-track its deregulatory drive. Business secretary Peter Kyle has emphasised that the government remains committed to reducing the regulatory burden on businesses by up to [...]
Labour told to scrap ‘arbitrary’ inheritance tax system March 15, 2026 The UK government is being urged to scrap the inheritance tax system following warnings that that it enforces the UK as a “high-tax outlier” and risks stifling investment and driving entrepreneurs abroad. A new report from the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) highlights that nearly half of the 38 OECD countries – where members are [...]
Children today will ‘work until 75’ amid pensions timebomb, think tank warns March 15, 2026 Children currently in primary school are set to work until the age of 75 as the “collapsing” birthrate blows a black hole in public finances, a think tank has warned. The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has released a report claiming the UK is heading towards a “demographic cliff edge”. The report suggests the state [...]
Ed Miliband rejects ‘totally false’ calls to drill North Sea March 15, 2026 Ed Miliband has dismissed calls for the UK to exploit the North Sea’s oil supply, despite widespread calls to drill the area as fears of an energy shock rise amidst the war in the Middle East. The energy secretary said: “Some people want to go around and pretend that if we only we draw more [...]
Trump calls on Starmer to help secure Strait of Hormuz March 14, 2026 President Trump has called on Sir Keir Starmer to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, the critical stretch of water near Iran for a fifth of the world’s global oil supply. In a post on Truth Social, Trump demanded that China, France, Japan, South Korea and the UK send war ships to the region to [...]
Reeves vows ‘greater support’ for poorer Brits as Iran oil island hit March 14, 2026 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has suggested poorer households will receive “greater support” in an energy subsidy package as oil supply worries intensified after a key Iranian island was attacked. Reeves has said she “found the money” to announce a support package for people not supported by the energy price cap, including rural communities which use heating [...]
Oil crisis to ‘push UK into recession’ after growth flatlines March 13, 2026 Fears that the ongoing crisis in the Middle East will plunge the UK into a recession have been amplified after fresh figures revealed the economy flatlined in January. The price of oil closed above $100 for the first time since 2022 last night as interventions from the global energy body failed to calm markets amid [...]