[ad_1] The UK's first response to US tariffs should not be to jump into a trade war, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said, as the government braces itself for the announcement of widespread taxes on imports.US President Donald Trump will set out his plans for fresh levies on goods coming into his country in remarks to be delivered from the White House at 21:00 BST. The government had been hoping
[ad_1] The elections watchdog is examining Labour's spending on Angela Rayner's general election battle bus following Conservative complaints.The Tories claim 24 Labour MPs may have broken the law by not declaring a visit from the battle bus in their election expenses. They are calling on the Electoral Commission to launch a full inquiry into what they say is an abuse of the system to gain an unfair advantage. A Labour
[ad_1] There is a "high degree of uncertainty" over how much of the hundreds of millions of pounds lent to sports bodies during the Covid pandemic will be repaid, says an influential group of MPs.In a report, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) criticises "severe weaknesses" in the way the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) handled the loans, and that it has been "overly optimistic" about repayments.Between 2020 and
[ad_1] A barrister tasked with helping to develop local inquiries into child grooming gangs has revealed he asked a government official "do you still want me?", amid uncertainty over his role. In January, the government announced that Tom Crowther KC would work in partnership with the Home Office on the issue.But during a Commons committee hearing on Tuesday, he suggested there had been little progress nearly three months on.The Home
[ad_1] Sam FrancisPolitical reporterReutersJustice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has said she will review the role of the Sentencing Council following a "two-tier" justice row over its latest guidelines.Labour and the Conservatives have criticised the council's plan to advise judges in England and Wales to seek extra information before deciding how to punish offenders from certain minority groups.The guidelines have now been abandoned after ministers tabled an emergency law to override them
[ad_1] Beth Godwin & Becky MortonPolitical reporterGetty ImagesA fund to provide therapy for adopted children will continue, the government has confirmed, after families criticised uncertainty over its future. Families had been calling for clarity for months about the adoption and special guardian support fund, which expired on Monday.Children and Families Minister Janet Daby recognised the delay had caused "a very difficult time" for many people but said £50m had been
[ad_1] The UK government is working with Mauritius to finalise a deal on the future of the Chagos Islands, Downing Street has said. Under the proposed agreement, Mauritius would gain sovereignty of the islands from the UK, but allow the US and UK to continue operating a military base on one of the islands for an initial period of 99 years, at a cost to the British taxpayer.UK government sources
[ad_1] A former Conservative cabinet minister who admitted placing three bets on the date of the 2024 general election is set to be awarded a seat in the House of Lords.Sir Alister Jack, who served as Scottish Secretary under Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, is expected to be given a peerage in Sunak's resignation honours list.He has previously said he did not breach any rules and has not
[ad_1] Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has said the UK is best-placed to eventually overturn trade tariffs set to be imposed by President Donald Trump.The UK is expecting to be hit by new US tariffs on Wednesday, when Trump is planning to unveil a raft of new taxes on goods imported into the US.Reynolds said he expected all countries to be affected by the tariffs, despite his efforts to negotiate an
[ad_1] Getty ImagesDemocracy Minister Rushanara Ali is planning a "series of new measures" to protect against foreign political interference.Tech billionaire Elon Musk, now adviser to US President Donald Trump, caused some concern in the UK when it was reported he could donate as much as £78m ($100m) to Reform UK through a UK branch of his social media company X.A public petition to remove loopholes that allow wealthy foreign individuals
