7 h. ago We all know Brexit’s to blame for the crisis facing UK steel

With British industry faltering, the excuse that the public wants this is risible. Parliament must force Starmer to actWhile Keir Starmer fiddles in India, Rome burns. The British steel industry now faces a calamity so severe, insiders say it could be “terminal”. The vast majority – 80% – of its output is exported to the EU, which this week revealed plans to cut tariff-free steel import quotas by almost half. The remainder will be subject to a 50% tariff. The UK steel industry will be butchered. Thank you, EU. Thank you, Brexit.Whenever I meet politicians who championed Brexit nowadays, I ask them a simple question: do you still think you were right? A few fools mutter, “Yes, on balance” and “In the long term, perhaps.” The honest ones shrug and look uncomfortable. We can all accept that some day a new generation of British politicians will resume open trade across the Channel. It is normal for an island, and makes sense. So I ask the honest ones: why not go public? Make a headline,...

Events

7 h. ago We all know Brexit’s to blame for the crisis facing UK steel – it’s time for politicians to be honest and reverse it | Simon Jenkins

With British industry faltering, the excuse that the public wants this is risible. Parliament must force Starmer to actWhile Keir Starmer fiddles in India, Rome burns. The British steel industry now faces a calamity so severe, insiders say it could be “terminal”. The vast majority – 80% – of its output is exported to the EU, which this week revealed plans to cut tariff-free steel import quotas by almost half. The remainder will be subject to a 50% tariff. The UK steel industry will be butchered. Thank you, EU. Thank you, Brexit.Whenever I meet politicians who championed Brexit nowadays, I ask them a simple question: do you still think you were right? A few fools mutter, “Yes, on balance” and “In the long term, perhaps.” The honest ones shrug and look uncomfortable. We can all accept that some day a new generation of British politicians will resume open trade across the Channel. It is normal for an island, and makes sense. So I ask the honest ones: why not go public? Make a headline,...

Politics

6 d. ago Why does Reform seem unassailable? Because this is party conference season, when politicos always lose the plot | Simon Jenkins

They wrote off Margaret Thatcher in 1981 when the SDP – like Reform today – was ascendant. They were wrong about her; they could also be about StarmerParty conference time is when British politics goes berserk. Leaders soar and crash in a morass of cliches. Polls go mad and cataclysm always delivers the best copy.Thus, back in 1981, Margaret Thatcher was at her Blackpool conference, two years into office. Brixton was rioting, inflation was 11% and the Tories were polling at 23%. The Labour opposition was faring as badly, also at 23%. Meanwhile, a third force, the Social Democratic party (SDP), in alliance with the Liberals, was running at more than 50% and dominating the news. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Trump’s visit revealed a stark truth: Britain feels more than ever like a country stuck in the past | Simon Jenkins

The grandeur and pageantry surrounding the state visit cannot disguise the fact that we have absolutely no vision for our futureBritain has made its point. We can do the past. The rest of the world may be more powerful and richer than we are, but only Britain can embody statehood in a banquet. Only Britain can force the titans of the digital age into white tie and tails, and reduce an American president to quivering admiration.The question is where now? Trump’s itinerary mostly avoided central London. He did not go near Downing Street, let alone address parliament. Imagine a state visit to the US that did not include the White House or the Capitol. This week was all soft power and flattery. It probably did more for British tourism than for steel tariffs or pharmaceuticals.Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago 'Shameful': Homelessness in Scotland reaches its highest level for 14 years

The crisis is being blamed on the SNP’s failure to build more houses - but the Scottish Government says Brexit and the cost-of-living crisis is to blame.

Politics

4 w. ago Starmer fancies himself a leader among leaders – but his tough talk on defence is just expensive bluster | Simon Jenkins

With the world in crisis, the PM is spending billions to back his posturing. But he has no clout over Gaza or Ukraine, and it’s time he acted accordinglyEach night we wonder where we are. We sit in comfort watching death and destruction fall on thousands in Gaza and Ukraine. Each night we see buildings exploding, people screaming and children starving. Statesmen stand around and deplore. There is anxious talk of what next – another 9/11 perhaps, or a Cuba 1962? Or is it, as some say, a 1939 or 1914 moment? As for the one man with notional power over the world, Donald Trump, his pledge of an end to wars has proved futile – and a bonanza for defence industries everywhere.Whenever someone cries that something must be done, I always ask by whom? Day after day, Britain’s Keir Starmer – when he isn’t battling domestic crises and scandals – rises in the Commons to announce that he is working towards a ceasefire. But he is not. He is talking about working. If Trump cannot stop the killing –...

Politics