European stock markets fall sharply on Trump’s EU tariff salvo May 23, 2025 Stock markets across Europe dropped dramatically on Friday afternoon after Donald Trump announced plans to levy a 50 per cent tariff on all US imports from the European Union next month. The FTSE 100 dropped as much as 1.35 per cent after the US President mooted the move in a post on Truth social in [...]
UK halts trade talks with Israel May 20, 2025 The UK has paused trade deal negotiations with Israel in response to its military offensive in Gaza, the foreign secretary has said. Speaking in the Commons, David Lammy confirmed that negotiations with the Israeli government over a bilateral trade pact have been put on ice until the country ensures “unhindered provision of aid”. “We have [...]
Trio of trade deals puts UK in better position “than any other country,” Rachel Reeves says May 20, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said the UK is now in a better place on trade “than any other country in the world” after securing new trade agreements with India, the US and the EU this month. Reeves said the agreements have “come along like buses,” and that the government’s next targets for trade deals are [...]
Starmer sends his critics into a spin – but will Brexit deal deliver? May 20, 2025 The Prime Minister says it’s now “time to move on from the stale old debates” of Brexit. It’s amazing he didn’t crack a grin as he said these words, knowing as he did that his critics would immediately work themselves up into a frenzy. The critics – including, but not limited to Nigel Farage and [...]
Starmer hails EU deal as critics revive Brexit battles May 20, 2025 Keir Starmer dramatically blew open the Brexit debate yesterday, hailing a ‘comprehensive’ new pact with the EU nearly 6 years after Boris Johnson’s government signed a Brexit deal. Speaking at a UK-EU summit in central London, the Prime Minister heralded “a new era in our relationship” with the EU, while European Commission President Ursula von [...]
Is this a sweet trade deal with the EU – or does it sound a bit fishy? May 19, 2025 Keir Starmer will be boasting about his latest catch in international diplomacy: a trade deal with the European Union, which the government hopes will boost the chances of landing higher growth. In an agreement that hands EU boats continued rights in British seas until 2038, slashing red tape on food checks and increasing cooperation on [...]
Pragmatism or surrender? Starmer’s EU deal explained. May 19, 2025 Prime Minister Keir Starmer has declared that “Britain is back on the world stage” as an agreement on the post-Brexit “reset” of relations with the EU was unveiled at a summit in London. There are provisions for key areas like food standards, energy, youth mobility, security, and steel with ministers claiming that the new deals [...]
Terms emerge on UK-EU ‘reset’ talks May 19, 2025 Decisions on security, the youth mobility scheme, fishing and agriculture are anticipated to emerge from today’s UK-EU “reset” summit. These talks are part of a routine five year review of the UK-EU trade and cooperation agreement, which was signed in 2020. While agreements on key aspects of the deal have been completed, Trade Secretary Jonathan [...]
UK-EU trade talks in ‘final hours’ ahead of landmark summit May 18, 2025 Talks on a UK-EU deal are in their “final hours” ahead of a major summit with the bloc, the minister in charge of negotiations has said. Sir Keir Starmer is expected to announce a deal with the EU when he meets European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa in [...]
China could gatecrash Starmer’s diplomatic party May 15, 2025 Keir Starmer has repeatedly said that the UK doesn’t need to choose between strengthening economic and trade ties with the US and deepening them with the EU. A few weeks ago, concern was growing in Whitehall that if the UK didn’t strike a deal with America then the chance of a tariff rapprochement could be [...]