14 h. ago Britain and Europe are moving beyond Brexit. Now for the real trade

This week’s ‘reset’ deal is a welcome return to pragmatism. But both sides must go further in facing up to the new world order

Politics

30 h. ago Trump ‘recommending’ 50% tariff on EU, and threatens Apple with 25% tariff – business live

US president Donald Trump reignites trade war with threat to impose high tariffs on European goods, and Apple iPhones made overseasTypical energy bill in Great Britain to fall 7% to £1,720 a year from JulyAs well as cutting UK energy costs (see earlier), Donald Trump can also take credit for growing the German economy!New GDP data this morning shows that Germany’s GDP rose by 0.4% in January-March, twice as fast as the first estimate of 0.2% growth in the quarter.“The reason for the slightly higher growth compared to the initial estimate was the surprisingly positive economic development in March.”“In particular, production in the manufacturing sector and exports performed better than initially expected.The German economy had its best quarterly performance since the third quarter of 2022, and the reason for it seems to be Donald Trump. As a result of the announced tariffs and in anticipation of ‘Liberation Day,’ German industrial production and exports surged in March.Net exports an...

Politics

4 d. ago How Sir Keir raised the white flag to the EU again and again as deals on food, fish and free movement threaten to undo Brexit

Sir Keir Starmer said the reduction in trade barriers would boost the UK economy by £9billion a year by 2040.

Economics

4 d. ago Keir Starmer’s Brexit reset restores Britain’s place in Europe with pragmatism, not ideology

Editorial: The prime minister has achieved what once seemed impossible: strengthening Britain’s global role without reopening the Brexit divide

Politics

5 d. ago AP PHOTOS: The UK and the EU announce new deals and renew ties, 5 years after Brexit

Britain has struck new agreements with the European Union on boosting defense cooperation, easing food trade and border checks.

Economics

5 d. ago Brits will be allowed to skip European airport queues by using e

The deal is expected to make life easier for Britons facing queues on holiday

Politics

5 d. ago PM accused of 'surrender' to EU as French fleets 'get access to UK waters until 2038'

A late breakthrough in negotiations has paved the way for an agreement to be unveiled at a meeting with Ursula von der Leyen in London.

Politics

5 d. ago Will Brits be able to dodge passport queues this summer by using European e

Government sources suggested the deal will make life easier for Britons facing queues on holiday

Politics

5 d. ago The Brexit 'surrender summit': PM accused of 'capitulation' to EU as French fishing fleets 'get access to UK waters until 2038'

A late breakthrough in negotiations has paved the way for an agreement to be unveiled at a meeting with Ursula von der Leyen in London.

Politics

5 d. ago The Brexit 'surrender summit'? Late breakthrough means PM WILL sign 'comprehensive' EU deal TODAY

A late breakthrough in negotiations has paved the way for an agreement to be unveiled at a meeting with Ursula von der Leyen in London.

Politics

7 d. ago Britain has dropped down Europe’s LGBTQ+ rights rankings. Good – now we might have to face reality | Jason Okundaye

In 2015, the UK placed first on the rainbow map. But even then, as an 18-year-old gay man, I knew that wasn’t the whole storyIt should surprise no one that the UK has dropped to its lowest ever position on the annual “rainbow map” of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association (ILGA), which ranks the best and worst European countries on the basis of laws and policies that affect LGBTQ+ people. The map assesses each country through seven categories, including equality and non-discrimination, legal gender recognition and asylum.The supreme court’s ruling last month that a person’s sex in the Equality Act 2010 refers only to “biological sex” – a redefining of trans people’s rights to their detriment, and a political and cultural victory for the gender critical movement – will have played a key role in the downgrading. Senior politicians immediately capitulated to the ruling, interpreting the implications of the verdict beyond the scope of the court, with t...

Politics

8 d. ago Freedoms in Britain declining at a faster rate than almost anywhere in Europe as UK jumps up the rankings in 'nanny state' league... with Germany  last in 29

Britain has moved four spots to become the seventh worst place in the continent to eat, drink, smoke and vape, according to the analysis.

Politics

9 d. ago The Guardian view on Europe’s growing wealth divide: back to the world of Balzac | Editorial

A new study highlights the dangers of a modern rentier capitalism that perpetuates inequality through the generationsIn a recent study picked up in the French press, the academic Mélanie Plouviez cites one of her country’s best-loved novelists to make a damning point. The power of inherited and unearned wealth in the France of 2025, she argues, replicates the social injustices found in Honoré de Balzac’s 19th-century chronicles of ambition and despair. As in the 1820s, she writes, “Who now could buy a place in Paris relying only on their wage and without family help? With the resurgence of inherited wealth, a gulf between what work allows and inheritance allows has also returned.”The problem is a sadly familiar one across Europe, and the same observation could be made of Britain, Germany or Italy. The economist Thomas Piketty has laid bare the extent to which booming stock markets and property prices have turbocharged asset wealth in western liberal democracies, at the expense of th...

Politics

9 d. ago Haggling on Starmer's Brexit 'reset' goes to wire: EU demands fresh concessions on youth 'free movement', fishing and taking Brussels rules to end 'sausage wars'

Keir Starmer is hoping to unveil an 'ambitious' new relationship with Ursula von der Leyen in London , boosting trade and security.

Politics

2 w. ago We run the best bed and breakfast in Europe... but a bitter loophole cost us being crowned the world's no1

Toulson Court bosses James and Angela Rusden still run the best guest house in Britain and Europe, according to a TripAdvisor poll.

Politics

2 w. ago Voices: If the UK is to grow, Labour must look towards the real trade prize

An agreement with the US, which leaves its 10 per cent tariffs in place, would be eclipsed by a deal that lowered the trade barriers between the UK and the EU, writes James Moore

Events

2 w. ago Keir Starmer can’t build a stronger European partnership by stealth. He has to declare it aloud | Rafael Behr

Britain has ‘reset’ relations with the EU, but with Farage ascendant again, our politics must be cured of the Brexit virusNot much about Britain’s post-Brexit relationship with the European Union is settled, but Keir Starmer can justifiably claim it has been “reset”. That word was artfully chosen before last year’s election to dress low aspiration as high diplomacy. There are 10 days of negotiation before the summit in London, where a new UK-EU partnership is due to be unveiled. It will be more outline than substance. But there is progress in the very fact that Britain’s ruling party sees Brussels as a partner, not a parasite.Old-guard Eurosceptics will, of course, denounce any deal as a betrayal of Brexit. If there are plans for a time-limited, youth exchange visa, it will be decried as a return to free movement by the back door. If there is agreement to align regulations so that goods can more efficiently cross borders and the European court of justice is involved in adjudicating ...

Events

2 w. ago VE day UPDATES: Britain marks 80th anniversary of WW2's end in Europe

At 3pm eighty years ago on May 8, 1945, then Prime Minister Winston Churchill took to the airwaves to announce that Nazi Germany had unconditionally surrendered - and that the cruelty of World War II was finally at an end

Politics

2 w. ago VE Day latest: Britain marks 80 years since allied victory in Europe with celebrations across the country

VE day marks 80 years since Germany officially surrendered to the Allied powers, marking the end of the Second World War in Europe

Politics

2 w. ago UK and eurozone construction declines slow; European markets fall ahead of Fed rate decision – business live

People’s Bank of China cuts interest rates due to global uncertainty and ‘trade tensions’Matthew Pointon, senior commercial real estate economist at Capital Economics, said:The commercial balance was at its lowest since the height of the Covid lockdowns in May 2020. Early signs of a recovery in construction activity in late 2024 have therefore been snuffed out. Elevated interest rates will be partly responsible, but uncertainty caused by the US tariff announcements may also be weighing on activity.Admittedly, UK property is relatively well insulated from the impact, and some sectors may even benefit. Construction costs may also ease if materials that had been destined for the US are rerouted to the UK. But the rise in overall economic uncertainty may cause some developers to delay plans until the outlook becomes clearer. Indeed, the new orders balance saw a small fall to 44.0, from 44.2 in March. Continue reading...

Society