Last July, Keir Starmer may have secured a victory in the UK general election on a scale comparable to what Tony Blair achieved with New Labour in 1997, but that is where the similarities end. Blair inherited a growing economy and a benign global backdrop, which ensured an extended honeymoon period for his party. Starmer…
So, Nigel Farage is now effectively the leader of the opposition and is set on a clear course to become the UK’s next prime minister. This is the triumphant Reform UK narrative in the wake of Thursday’s English local and one victorious by-election, in Runcorn and Helsby. Maybe, maybe not. Much swirling water must yet…
A combination of strong political demand for substantially increased defence spending and sluggish growth meant that UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ room for manoeuvre in her Spring Statement, announced yesterday, was extremely limited. This is not a budget, but a legally required review of growth forecasts, which, as it was pointing downwards, inevitably meant a need…