31 h. ago Trumpism is sinking democratic values. It’s Starmer’s job to steer the UK back to safety | Polly Toynbee

US tariffs hit this week just as other costs start to bite in Britain. To meet these challenges, Labour will finally have to changeThe prime minister may pretend to “like and respect” Donald Trump, but elsewhere in parliament anti-Americanism is running hot. In a Lords debate on obesity last week, Labour’s Lord Brooke suggested imposing 25% tariffs on “American products which are causing us difficulties – Coca-Cola, Pepsi, KFC, McDonald’s”. The government replied that the US is an “indispensable ally”. That craven attitude may be politic today – right until it fails tomorrow.The outlook for Britain and other countries is bleak. Wednesday is “liberation day”, when Trump’s tariffs will hit a range of goods likely to send global economies tumbling. There is near-zero expectation that Britain’s genuflections will save us from the same punishment as the rest. As for Trump demanding no VAT on US imports to the UK, that’s extorting with menaces a benefit denied to our own producers. Even i...

Politics

5 d. ago Under Trump, 80 years of collective security have been dismantled in as many days

Editorial: The Atlantic Alliance used to believe it had liberal democratic values in common and a shared interest in collective security and free trade. That, thanks to the US president, is no longer true. Europe must adjust to this altered reality, or die

Politics

7 d. ago London's pothole hotspots revealed: which areas are worst hit?

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has warned England’s councils to ‘get on with the job’ of fixing pothole-plagued roads

Events

8 d. ago Rachel Reeves is all about growth. So why won’t she admit that Brexit is its worst enemy? | Polly Toynbee

Our exit from the EU won’t be a focus of the spring statement, but it should be. Most now accept the need for closer ties As the chancellor ekes out every last billion this week, it’s worth stepping back and remembering one key reason why Britain fares worse than its neighbours: Brexit. On Monday, MPs debated whether to rejoin the EU following the success of a public petition that gained 134,000 signatures. Don’t hold your breath. The government replied by quoting its not-until-hell-freezes-over manifesto pledge: “there will be no return to EU membership”. But the global Trumpquake has shaken all certainties, upended all that seemed solid. The European defence emergency has made talk of Brexit and its future less taboo on both sides of the Channel. Close observers note the ice breaking. “Things are moving in the right direction,” says Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform (CER).Nonetheless, Labour is so paralysed by Brexit that despite its hunt for growth, it has said noth...

Politics

9 d. ago Keir Starmer tells councils to 'get on with the job' and fill potholes

'British people are bored of seeing their politicians aimlessly pointing at potholes with no real plan to fix them'

Politics

2 w. ago Starmer to unveil ‘£45bn jackpot’ in savings by digitalising Whitehall and replacing jobs with AI

Keir Starmer will put thousands of civil servants on job alert tomorrow as he hails a “£45bn jackpot” from digitalising government services.

Economics

2 w. ago Kemi Badenoch blasts ‘job killing’ Labour government in heated clash with Keir Starmer

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused Sir Keir Starmer of making life harder for everyone during a heated PMQs clash.

Events