7 h. ago Boost for Scotch whisky as Donald Trump says 'very good chance' UK can avoid US tariffs

The American President said the UK and US could "end up with a real trade deal" when speaking at the White House with Keir Starmer on Thursday.

Politics

7 h. ago Trump praises Starmer’s ‘hard’ lobbying as he again suggests UK will be exempt from US tariffs – live

Trump calls Starmer meeting ‘tremendously productive’ and says ‘we have a very good chance at arriving at a very good deal’Trump-Starmer visit: the key takeawaysEuropean Commission president Ursula von der Leyen will travel to London this Sunday to take part in an informal meeting on Ukraine and European security, the European Commission has just confirmed. Jakub Krupa has more on his Europe live blog.David Lammy, the foreign secretary, has confirmed that President Trump has the ability to veto the deal that the UK has negotiated transferring sovereignty of the Chagos Isands to Mauritius. Speaking on ITV’s Peston last night, Lammy said:If President Trump doesn’t like the deal, the deal will not go forward.The reason for that is because we have a shared military and intelligence interest with the United States, and of course they’ve got to be happy with the deal, or there is no deal. Continue reading...

Politics

62 h. ago Trump live updates: Elon Musk gives federal workers second chance to respond to email after pushback

Big tech billionaire grants extension to initial deadline as administration’s Office of Personnel tells agencies that answering mailout is ‘voluntary’, sowing confusion

Politics

64 h. ago Apple to invest $500bn to build servers and hire 20,000 people to boost AI

Apple's investment in the US comes as the company has been under pressure from President Donald Trump to move its manufacturing back home and avoid tariffs on its products made in China

Economics

66 h. ago ‘He did his best’: Macron’s meeting with Trump prompts cautious optimism in France on Ukraine

Commentators say French president’s visit to the White House was amicable – but that differences remainRussia-Ukraine war – latest news updatesFrench political commentators reacted with cautious optimism after Emmanuel Macron’s meeting with Donald Trump on Monday, which was considered by some as a “last chance” to ensure a balanced and lasting peace in Ukraine.Gérard Araud, a former French ambassador to the US, said the French president had undertaken what he called “mission impossible” but pointed out that Macron had experience of dealing with the volatile US leader. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago US and Ukraine 'very close' to signing minerals deal: Kyiv minister says 'nearly all' details of pact with Trump are finalised as Boris Johnson hails chance to secure future

Kyiv's deputy PM said 'nearly all' the details of a pact were now settled after weeks of bitter wrangling between Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump .

Politics

3 d. ago Scotch whisky eyes Indian market expansion to counter Donald Trump tariff threat

UK Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said he wanted "more bottles of Scotch whisky on countertops in Delhi" as he flew to India for trade talks.

Politics