https://www.scmp.com/rss/279826/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Reuters Reuters British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to chair an emergency meeting ⁠on the economic fallout from the ⁠war in Iran on Monday, with Finance Minister Rachel ⁠Reeves and Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey, the government said. Investors are bracing for another stormy week in financial markets after Iran said it would strike the energy and water systems of Gulf neighbours if US President Donald Trump follows through with a threat to hit Iran’s electricity grid. Britain is watching with... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347516/uks-starmer-calls-emergency-meeting-economy-iran-war-risks-mount?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347516/uks-starmer-calls-emergency-meeting-economy-iran-war-risks-mount?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 23:43:11 +0000 Reuters Reuters The British government is looking to provide “targeted” support for ⁠poorer households to offset the impact of ⁠surging energy costs due to the conflict ⁠in the Middle East, finance minister Rachel Reeves has said. In an interview published on Saturday, Reeves told the Times newspaper the government was looking at options to help those vulnerable to sharp rises in energy prices, especially those who relied on heating oil, but ruled out universal help for all households, saying it would be... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346616/uk-eyes-targeted-support-households-amid-rising-energy-costs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346616/uk-eyes-targeted-support-households-amid-rising-energy-costs?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2026 12:35:27 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan US President Donald Trump on Wednesday sharply criticised British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the UK’s agreement to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, warning the deal could create strategic vulnerabilities amid concerns about China’s growing ties with Mauritius. The deal, finalised in 2025 between Britain and Mauritius, would see Britain transfer sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius while securing a 99-year lease to maintain full operational control of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343944/trump-flip-flops-again-saying-uks-chagos-deal-would-be-big-mistake?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343944/trump-flip-flops-again-saying-uks-chagos-deal-would-be-big-mistake?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Feb 2026 20:19:43 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Britain’s ties with China appeared to have reached a high when President Xi Jinping visited London in 2015. But in recent years, the relationship has severely fractured. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, ahead of his visit to Beijing this week, said it had gone from “the golden age to the ice age”. Now a thaw is under way. There is room for cautious optimism. Starmer, the first British leader to visit China since 2018, promised after his election victory in 2024 to reset the relationship. His trip,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3341872/starmers-visit-china-highlights-benefits-dialogue-over-confrontation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3341872/starmers-visit-china-highlights-benefits-dialogue-over-confrontation?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jan 2026 23:15:10 +0000 Liu Zhen Liu Zhen Chinese President Xi Jinping received a unique gift from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Beijing on Thursday: the official match ball from Manchester United’s 3-2 win over Arsenal, according to media reports. Starmer is on an official visit to China, the first by a British leader since 2018 and while he is an ardent Arsenal fan, Xi is reportedly a supporter of Manchester United. The gift linked two of the English Premier League’s most celebrated teams and was part of broader efforts to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341733/chinas-xi-britains-starmer-hopes-gift-manchester-united-match-ball-scores-points?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341733/chinas-xi-britains-starmer-hopes-gift-manchester-united-match-ball-scores-points?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 14:34:37 +0000 Jianxi Liu Jianxi Liu “I’m often invited to simply choose between countries. I don’t do that,” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday ahead of his China trip. The visit – after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Beijing trip drew US tariff threats – is an attempt to drag British foreign policy into alignment with 21st century realities: a world of strategic rivalry but deep economic interdependence. Starmer’s remarks are not diplomatic wordplay, but a declaration the United Kingdom will no longer be a... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3341443/china-visit-starmer-makes-clear-hes-putting-britain-first?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3341443/china-visit-starmer-makes-clear-hes-putting-britain-first?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jan 2026 12:30:09 +0000 Reuters Reuters Poverty in Britain has deepened, according to a report released on Tuesday, with approximately 6.8 million ‌people now living in “very deep poverty”, the highest level in three ‍decades. “Very deep poverty” refers to households with an after-housing-costs income below 40 per cent of the UK median, amounting to around £16,400 (US$22,446.68) a year for a couple with two young children. The report by Joseph ⁠Rowntree Foundation (JRF), which conducts research aimed at solving poverty in Britain,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341339/very-deep-poverty-britain-hits-worst-level-30-years-report-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341339/very-deep-poverty-britain-hits-worst-level-30-years-report-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jan 2026 04:06:58 +0000 Mark Logan Mark Logan Winston Churchill wrote his four-volume masterpiece, A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, at the very moment a new era of world history was taking shape: victory over the Nazis, the birth of the United Nations, the Bretton Woods institutions. All signalled continuity of Anglo-Saxon leadership in world affairs, the baton passing fairly peacefully from Britain to America. But 80 years on from the end of the second world war, the world is reconfiguring itself once more. And what it means for... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3341102/anglosphere-fractures-starmers-china-visit-could-be-historic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3341102/anglosphere-fractures-starmers-china-visit-could-be-historic?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jan 2026 12:30:10 +0000 Reuters Reuters Britain’s former ‍Conservative Party leadership candidate Robert Jenrick became the biggest-name defector to Nigel Farage’s right-wing Reform UK on Thursday, saying the nation was broken and its two mainstream political parties rotten. Sacked by the Conservatives when his potential switch was leaked, Jenrick appeared alongside Farage at a press conference, the latest of 21 current ⁠or former Conservative lawmakers to join Reform. Farage’s anti-immigration party was ahead of both Prime Minister... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3340067/uk-conservative-lawmaker-robert-jenrick-defects-farages-reform-uk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3340067/uk-conservative-lawmaker-robert-jenrick-defects-farages-reform-uk?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 17:34:49 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse New regulations come into force on Monday in Britain banning daytime TV and online adverts for so-called junk foods, in what the government calls a “world-leading action” to tackle childhood obesity. The ban – targeting commercials for products high in fat, salt or sugar – is expected to remove up to 7.2 billion calories from children’s diets each year, according to the health ministry. The restrictions, which cover television advertisements before 9pm and all digital platforms, will cut... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3338803/uk-begins-world-leading-junk-food-ad-ban-curb-childhood-obesity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3338803/uk-begins-world-leading-junk-food-ad-ban-curb-childhood-obesity?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Jan 2026 11:36:27 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned his governing Labour Party that removing him in 2026 would plunge Britain into “utter chaos” and open the door to a far-right government. The turmoil wrought by the constant chopping and changing of staff under the previous Conservative administration is “amongst the reasons that the Tories were booted out so effectively at the last election”, Starmer told the BBC in an interview broadcast on Sunday. Any repeat of that instability “would gift Nigel Farage”,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3338692/uks-starmer-says-ousting-him-would-lead-chaos-far-right-government?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3338692/uks-starmer-says-ousting-him-would-lead-chaos-far-right-government?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Jan 2026 14:21:53 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The UK is facing an “unprecedented wave of super flu”, a health chief warned on Friday as the health minister urged doctors to call off a threatened five-day strike ahead of Christmas. Wes Streeting said the state-funded National Health Service (NHS) was in an “incredibly precarious situation” as flu cases mounted, and was facing a “challenge unlike any it has seen since the pandemic”. NHS figures published on Thursday showed flu cases at a record level for the time of year. The number of cases... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3336259/uk-super-flu-outbreak-sparks-worst-case-fears-amid-looming-christmas-doctors-strike?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3336259/uk-super-flu-outbreak-sparks-worst-case-fears-amid-looming-christmas-doctors-strike?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2025 11:20:39 +0000 Reuters Reuters The head of Britain’s financial watchdog resigned on Monday after his agency last week inadvertently released the key details of finance minister Rachel Reeves’ annual tax-and-spending budget statement ahead of time. Richard Hughes said he wanted to help the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to recover quickly from the lapse which an investigation linked to IT weaknesses and leadership failures. “I have, therefore, decided it is in the best interest of the OBR for me to resign as its chair... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3334817/head-uk-financial-watchdog-quits-after-early-leak-rachel-reeves-budget?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3334817/head-uk-financial-watchdog-quits-after-early-leak-rachel-reeves-budget?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Dec 2025 18:40:15 +0000 Reuters Reuters The United States and Britain announced a deal on Monday to secure zero tariffs on British pharmaceutical products and medical technology in return for Britain spending more on medicines and overhauling how it values drugs. Under the agreement, Britain will raise the net price it pays for new US medicines by 25 per cent. In return, UK-made medicines, drug ingredients and medical technology will be exempt from Section 232 sectoral tariffs and any future Section 301 country tariffs. “The United... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334813/us-uk-deal-slashes-tariffs-medicines-boosting-nhs-spending?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334813/us-uk-deal-slashes-tariffs-medicines-boosting-nhs-spending?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Dec 2025 15:15:50 +0000 Reuters Reuters British finance minister Rachel Reeves on Sunday denied she misled the public over official forecasts ahead last week’s budget, saying she had been honest about the need to build up a bigger financial buffer. In a speech on November 4, Reeves appeared to lay the groundwork to break the Labour Party’s promise to voters before the 2024 election and raise income tax rates, citing a “weaker than previously thought” productivity performance. In a letter published on Friday, the head of Britain’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3334693/uks-rachel-reeves-says-she-did-not-mislead-public-budget?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3334693/uks-rachel-reeves-says-she-did-not-mislead-public-budget?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Nov 2025 17:39:10 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Britain’s unpopular centre-left Labour government sought to seize the political narrative on Wednesday with a tax-raising budget that it hopes will boost economic growth by fostering a stable debt outlook, reduce child poverty and ease cost-of-living pressures. But the entire contents of the budget were leaked half an hour before Treasury chief Rachel Reeves delivered the budget statement in the House of Commons, in a sign of the chaos that has engulfed the government during weeks of mixed... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3334265/uks-reeves-unveils-tax-plan-amid-embarrassing-budget-leak?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3334265/uks-reeves-unveils-tax-plan-amid-embarrassing-budget-leak?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Nov 2025 13:30:18 +0000 Ng Kang-chung Ng Kang-chung A UK-based platform supporting British National (Overseas) visa holders is launching a campaign to lobby against London’s proposed immigration reforms, calling them unfair and a source of “acute anxiety” for the Hong Kong community in the country. The Sutton Hongkongers group said people who had moved to Britain from the city felt that the UK government was “moving the goalposts”, making its past pledges a “broken promise”. The platform, founded by Richard Choi Ka-yuen, a Liberal Democrat... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3333806/platform-hong-kong-bno-visa-holders-launches-campaign-against-new-uk-rules?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3333806/platform-hong-kong-bno-visa-holders-launches-campaign-against-new-uk-rules?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Nov 2025 13:52:54 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Britain’s former prime minister Boris Johnson slammed an inquiry report critical of his government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic as “hopelessly incoherent” in a social media post on Saturday. “More than three years after the end of the pandemic, they are still wrangling about what went wrong,” Johnson, 61, also wrote in an article for the Daily Mail tabloid, days after the inquiry slammed his government for its “chaotic” response to the global pandemic costing thousands of lives. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3333803/uk-ex-pm-boris-johnson-hits-back-incoherent-covid-inquiry-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3333803/uk-ex-pm-boris-johnson-hits-back-incoherent-covid-inquiry-report?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Nov 2025 12:35:09 +0000 Xiaofei Xu Xiaofei Xu China launched a charm offensive at a new Northern Ireland trade forum on Tuesday, as Beijing’s chief diplomat to the United Kingdom promised fresh investment and opportunities to tap the vast consumer market of the world’s second-largest economy. The efforts come as China’s widening trade surpluses face rising criticism and scrutiny from European countries – including the UK – amid mounting trade tensions between China and the West. “China is Northern Ireland’s second-largest source of imports... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3332497/china-woos-northern-ireland-promises-boost-investment-trade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3332497/china-woos-northern-ireland-promises-boost-investment-trade?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Nov 2025 13:00:15 +0000 Reuters Reuters British health minister Wes Streeting denied on Wednesday he was plotting to bring down Keir Starmer, after allies of the prime minister briefed newspapers that they feared an attempted coup could come later this month after the budget. Starmer steered his Labour Party to one of the biggest election victories in British history in 2024, but just 16 months later it is languishing in the polls and poised to break one of its main election pledges to increase income taxes for the first time since... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3332478/uk-health-secretary-denies-plot-topple-pm-starmer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3332478/uk-health-secretary-denies-plot-topple-pm-starmer?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Nov 2025 08:55:58 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse British Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed an agreement to sell Eurofighter jets to Nato member Turkey in a 10-year deal worth nearly US$11 billion after talks on Monday with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “This is a really significant deal, because it’s £8 billion (US$10.7 billion) worth of orders … These are jobs that will last for 10 years, making the (Eurofighter) Typhoons, so really big for our country,” Starmer said. Britain’s defence ministry described the order, which involves 20... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3330529/uks-starmer-signs-us11-billion-deal-sell-20-typhoon-jets-turkey?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3330529/uks-starmer-signs-us11-billion-deal-sell-20-typhoon-jets-turkey?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Oct 2025 16:44:46 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji British Prime Minister Keir Starmer began a two-day visit to India on Wednesday, his first official trip to the country as leader, with a sweeping bilateral trade agreement and broader economic cooperation at the top of the agenda. Analysts say the visit offers both strategic and economic significance, coming amid rising global trade tensions and pressure on Starmer to deliver growth without inflaming Britain’s immigration debate. While the UK hopes to boost exports and investment ties with... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328212/uk-india-trade-deal-faces-anti-immigrant-challenge-pm-starmer-visits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328212/uk-india-trade-deal-faces-anti-immigrant-challenge-pm-starmer-visits?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Oct 2025 07:30:07 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Price inflation in British shops rose to its highest level in 19 months, as consumers pay at the checkout for a slew of new taxes that have ramped up retailers’ costs. The rate of inflation grew to 1.4 per cent in September from a year earlier, an acceleration from August, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said on Tuesday. DIY and gardening products saw price rises while back-to-school items including laptops were reduced. Retailers are battling with ballooning costs as a result of tax and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327304/uk-shoppers-feel-pinch-prices-hit-19-month-high-fuelling-inflation-fears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327304/uk-shoppers-feel-pinch-prices-hit-19-month-high-fuelling-inflation-fears?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Sep 2025 01:26:30 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg UK companies are becoming less forthcoming about what they’re willing to pay to fill open roles, indicating that employers are no longer under pressure to boost wages in a weakening labour market. Only 56 per cent of online job postings included wage information in August, data from the employment site Indeed showed. That is a decline of almost 10 percentage points since the start of this year and the lowest share since early 2022, when more employers started advertising salaries in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327176/uk-employers-stop-advertising-starting-salaries-job-market-cools?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327176/uk-employers-stop-advertising-starting-salaries-job-market-cools?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Sep 2025 01:01:31 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A pep talk from Australian leader Anthony Albanese kick-started UK Labour’s annual conference on Sunday, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer struggling to convince nervous members that he can lead the “fight of our lives” against the surging hard-right. Although the ex-lawyer led Labour back to power in Britain in July last year after 14 years in opposition, scandals and policy missteps have already raised doubts about his future. The four-day gathering in Liverpool, northwest England, comes amid... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327167/starmer-warns-uk-labour-fight-our-lives-party-meets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327167/starmer-warns-uk-labour-fight-our-lives-party-meets?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Sep 2025 17:55:11 +0000 Cheryl Arcibal Cheryl Arcibal Now that the US Federal Reserve has embarked on a policy easing cycle, with some other central banks around the world following suit, property investors must treat these changes as temporary and remember that there is no substitute for proper research into specific markets and assets, according to consultants. The Fed cut its target rate by 25 basis points to a range of 4 to 4.25 per cent during the sixth meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee last week. The Fed’s easing was widely... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3327073/fed-rate-easing-cycle-under-way-which-real-estate-markets-offer-value-money?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3327073/fed-rate-easing-cycle-under-way-which-real-estate-markets-offer-value-money?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Sep 2025 01:30:14 +0000 Agence France-Presse,Reuters Agence France-Presse,Reuters UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday announced plans to introduce free digital ID for both nationals and those living in the country in a bid to curb illegal migration. The government said the drive will also make it simpler to apply for services like driving licences, childcare and welfare, while streamlining access to tax records. The new digital ID will be held on people’s phones and there will be no requirement for individuals to carry their ID or be asked to produce it, said the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3326996/uk-launch-mandatory-digital-id-curb-illegal-migration?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3326996/uk-launch-mandatory-digital-id-curb-illegal-migration?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Sep 2025 09:10:39 +0000 Reuters Reuters British Prime Minister Keir Starmer brought in a new deputy and foreign and interior ministers on Friday in a sweeping reshuffle intended to restore his authority after the resignation of his deputy, Angela Rayner. Starmer moved foreign minister David Lammy to become deputy prime minister and replaced him with interior minister Yvette Cooper. She was in turn replaced by justice secretary Shabana Mahmood. All are loyal, trusted hands. After reshaping his Downing Street team last week to bolster... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3324535/uks-deputy-pm-rayner-quits-over-property-tax-error?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3324535/uks-deputy-pm-rayner-quits-over-property-tax-error?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Sep 2025 11:34:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Angela Rayner, the deputy British prime minister, faced calls to resign on Wednesday after she admitted to not paying enough tax on a home purchase. Following weeks of press speculation regarding the tax paid on her purchase of a flat in Hove, on England’s south coast, Rayner said she has referred herself to the independent adviser on ministerial standards and that she has considered resigning. Prime Minister Keir Starmer offered his support to Rayner as opposition lawmakers demanded that she... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3324219/starmers-deputy-pm-angela-rayner-considers-resigning-over-tax-error-us1-million-flat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3324219/starmers-deputy-pm-angela-rayner-considers-resigning-over-tax-error-us1-million-flat?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Sep 2025 11:47:14 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg UK home prices are almost £11,000 (US$14,900) cheaper than three months ago, with sellers competing for attention during the market’s summer lull. Average asking prices fell 1.3 per cent to £368,740 this month, property website Rightmove said on Monday. While the decline was in line with long-term trends for the month of August, it follows larger-than-usual drops in June and July. More than one in three properties have been reduced in price since first coming to market, Rightmove added. It said... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3322164/uk-house-hunters-home-property-prices-drop-u14900-3-months?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3322164/uk-house-hunters-home-property-prices-drop-u14900-3-months?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Aug 2025 01:07:26 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A nearly 200-year-old UK pub, the Radnor Arms in rural Wales stood abandoned a few years ago. Water ran down the walls, ivy crept around broken windows and rats’ skeletons littered the floor. Fast forward to 2025 and laughter rings out of the newly reopened watering hole after locals clubbed together to save it. The pub, which first opened in the 1830s, is one of tens of thousands across the UK forced to call last orders over recent years. Once the heart of the village, the Radnor Arms – which... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3319932/community-spirit-revives-historic-welsh-pub?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3319932/community-spirit-revives-historic-welsh-pub?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Jul 2025 04:10:17 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Former leftist Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn announced on Thursday he was forming a new political party alongside another ex-member of Britain’s ruling party, as UK politics continues to splinter. Corbyn, who lost two elections as Labour leader in 2017 and 2019, and fellow independent MP Zarah Sultana said the new left-wing outfit would be called “Your Party”. “It’s time for a new kind of political party. One that is rooted in our communities, trade unions and social movements,” they said in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3319497/ex-labour-leader-jeremy-corbyn-launches-your-party-shake-uk-politics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3319497/ex-labour-leader-jeremy-corbyn-launches-your-party-shake-uk-politics?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Jul 2025 14:08:02 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji India and Britain are poised to sign a long-awaited free-trade agreement during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to London this week, a deal analysts see as a signal that New Delhi is willing to shed its traditionally protectionist stance and engage more deeply with Western partners amid rising global trade tensions. The pact, which follows three years of negotiations, is expected to be finalised during Modi’s bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, which begins on... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3319115/how-india-uk-trade-deal-could-shape-future-pacts-eu-and-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3319115/how-india-uk-trade-deal-could-shape-future-pacts-eu-and-us?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Jul 2025 08:00:09 +0000 Cheryl Arcibal Cheryl Arcibal Wimbledon, the London suburb best known for being home to the tennis tournament of the same name, is resisting the decline of home prices in the UK capital, according to agents. With celebrities such as tennis legend Boris Becker and X Factor judge and executive producer Simon Cowell among the list of past and present residents, Wimbledon has outperformed the rest of prime southwest London in terms of pricing, according to Savills. In the second quarter, home prices in Wimbledon’s prime district... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3318797/wimbledon-courts-wealthy-homebuyers-amid-decline-london-home-prices?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3318797/wimbledon-courts-wealthy-homebuyers-amid-decline-london-home-prices?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Jul 2025 01:30:12 +0000 Reuters Reuters The British government said on Thursday it planned to give 16- and 17-year-olds the right to vote in all UK elections in a major overhaul of the country’s democratic system. The government said the proposed changes were part of an effort to boost public trust in democracy and would align voting rights across Britain, where younger voters already participate in devolved elections in Scotland and Wales. “They’re old enough to go out to work, they’re old enough to pay taxes … and I think if you pay... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3318605/uk-lower-voting-age-16-all-elections-landmark-reform?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3318605/uk-lower-voting-age-16-all-elections-landmark-reform?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Jul 2025 09:48:30 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Thousands of Afghans, including many who worked with British forces, have been secretly resettled in the UK after a leak of data on their identities raised fears that they could be targeted by the Taliban, the British government revealed on Tuesday. The government now plans to close the secret route. Defence Secretary John Healey said a data set containing the personal information of nearly 19,000 Afghans who had applied to come to Britain after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan was released... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3318337/uk-reveals-secret-us11-billion-resettlement-thousands-afghans-after-data-leak?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3318337/uk-reveals-secret-us11-billion-resettlement-thousands-afghans-after-data-leak?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Jul 2025 12:59:13 +0000 David Lammy David Lammy Last year, just three weeks into my new job, I visited Laos for the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. I did so with a clear mission: to reconnect the United Kingdom with the Indo-Pacific. I said then that I would be back. And I’ve kept that promise. I’ve just completed my fifth visit to the region, covering 10 countries – from India to Indonesia, Samoa to Singapore. We are already seeing real achievements from this investment. Our free-trade agreement with India – now signed. Our membership of... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3317917/britain-clear-mission-reconnect-asia-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3317917/britain-clear-mission-reconnect-asia-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Jul 2025 09:30:08 +0000 Mia Nulimaimaiti Mia Nulimaimaiti After finishing her master’s degree in education last December, Harley Hu began looking for a full-time job in the United Kingdom. The search proved to be far more gruelling than she had expected. “I sent out maybe 200 or 300 CVs,” the 25-year-old told the Post. “It took half a year to find something stable.” After six months of juggling part-time work as a Chinese language tutor, Hu has now secured a full-time role in teaching. But the job only provides a temporary respite, as her employer does... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3316972/chinese-graduates-struggle-compete-harsh-uk-job-market-its-harder-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3316972/chinese-graduates-struggle-compete-harsh-uk-job-market-its-harder-us?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Jul 2025 12:00:10 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday said that finance minister Rachel Reeves would remain in her role for “a very long time to come” after she appeared visibly upset in parliament as rumours swirled around her future. Tears rolled down Reeves’ face after Starmer declined to guarantee that she would remain in place until the next general election, likely in 2029. It came after his Labour government U-turned over key welfare spending cuts, wiping out a multibillion-pound boost to public... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3316732/uks-starmer-backs-finance-minister-reeves-after-tears-parliament?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3316732/uks-starmer-backs-finance-minister-reeves-after-tears-parliament?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Jul 2025 02:50:46 +0000 Reuters Reuters UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has made concessions to dissenting lawmakers from his Labour Party on planned welfare cuts, two lawmakers said on Thursday, as the British leader tries to avoid a damaging parliamentary rebellion at a vote next week. More than 100 Labour lawmakers opposed Starmer’s welfare reforms, arguing the plans failed to provide support for disabled people and those with long-term health conditions. Those lawmakers have spearheaded an effort to kill the government’s welfare... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3316005/uk-pm-starmer-offers-concessions-welfare-cuts-quell-labour-revolt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3316005/uk-pm-starmer-offers-concessions-welfare-cuts-quell-labour-revolt?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Jun 2025 21:36:31 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press China’s attempts to spy, destabilise and disrupt Britain’s economy and democracy have grown, but Beijing is still a vital economic partner for the UK, the government said on Tuesday. UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said “China’s power is an inescapable fact” and freezing relations with the world’s second biggest economy is “not an option”. He spoke to lawmakers as he outlined findings from the government’s “China audit”. “China is our third biggest trading partner, our universities’ second... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3315705/uk-calls-chinas-power-inescapable-fact-says-freezing-relations-not-option?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3315705/uk-calls-chinas-power-inescapable-fact-says-freezing-relations-not-option?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Jun 2025 18:02:05 +0000 Mia Nulimaimaiti Mia Nulimaimaiti Mark Lin had always dreamed of a career in the arts. As he finished his fine arts degree at a top London university in 2020, he began applying for dozens of roles at galleries, agencies and dealers across the capital. But the British economy was still reeling after months of pandemic lockdowns, and Lin hit a brick wall. After weeks of effort, he had an inbox full of rejection emails but not a single callback – and he was rapidly running out of money. That is when Lin decided to take a leap of... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3315245/chinese-graduates-uk-turn-gig-work-amid-job-crunch-it-helps-me-survive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3315245/chinese-graduates-uk-turn-gig-work-amid-job-crunch-it-helps-me-survive?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Jun 2025 06:00:14 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings The United States failed this week to reach a tariff deal with Japan, a key Pacific Rim ally, and has threatened to notify multiple countries of new duty rates on imports after talks with only one, the United Kingdom, have shown any results. Those developments, which made the US look weak in the short term, should prompt China to take a harder line with Washington on reaching a deal, analysts said. China, the world’s second-largest economy, was hit especially hard by US President Donald Trump on... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3315199/trump-struggles-secure-trade-deals-has-beijings-hand-been-strengthened?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3315199/trump-struggles-secure-trade-deals-has-beijings-hand-been-strengthened?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Jun 2025 01:00:16 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Britain’s transport secretary on Wednesday announced further delays to the country’s new high-speed HS2 train line, describing the project as an “appalling mess” amid soaring costs. The high-speed rail track between London and Birmingham will no longer be delivered by the planned 2033 target, despite the project already being scaled back due to repeated delays and spiralling costs. “Billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money has been wasted by constant scope changes, ineffective contracts and bad... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3314993/uks-hs2-high-speed-rail-link-faces-new-delays-deemed-appalling-mess?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3314993/uks-hs2-high-speed-rail-link-faces-new-delays-deemed-appalling-mess?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Jun 2025 02:05:19 +0000 Chris Hayward Chris Hayward Since my last visit to mainland China just 12 months ago, the global trade landscape has undergone drastic change. Navigating tariffs is a frequent topic of discussion, while the importance of trade relationships could not be more prominent. As policy chairman of the City of London Corporation, I strive to ensure that rising global uncertainty does not give way to inertia. As two of the world’s leading financial centres, London and Hong Kong have an opportunity to deepen the wider financial... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3314267/london-and-hong-kong-hold-keys-closer-uk-china-collaboration?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3314267/london-and-hong-kong-hold-keys-closer-uk-china-collaboration?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Jun 2025 21:30:07 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng TikTok, the short video app owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, is expanding in the United Kingdom, adding a new office and more than 500 jobs, while its fate in the US remains uncertain as a June 19 sell-or-ban deadline approaches. The new 135,000 sq ft office in Barbican, London, is set to open early next year, according to a statement published on TikTok’s website on Monday. The additional jobs will grow its UK workforce to 3,000 this year, the company said. In addition to its existing 88,500... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3313847/tiktok-secures-new-uk-office-add-500-jobs-us-fate-remains-uncertain?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3313847/tiktok-secures-new-uk-office-add-500-jobs-us-fate-remains-uncertain?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Jun 2025 08:59:56 +0000 Reuters Reuters Britain will spend a record £3 billion (US$4 billion) to boost training opportunities, the government said on Tuesday, part of a broader strategy to train locals to fill gaps in the labour market and reduce reliance on foreign workers. The investment will “refocus the skills landscape towards young, domestic talent” by creating 120,000 new training opportunities in key sectors such as construction, engineering, health and social care, and digital, a statement from the government’s education... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3311890/uk-spend-billions-job-training-cut-reliance-migrant-workers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3311890/uk-spend-billions-job-training-cut-reliance-migrant-workers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 May 2025 23:31:59 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A private train operator servicing parts of southern England, including London, on Sunday became the first to be returned to public ownership under a government plan to renationalise Britain’s much-maligned railways. All UK rail operators are due to be renationalised within the next two years in a key policy launched by Prime Minister Keir Starmer following his Labour Party’s return to government last July after 14 years in opposition. “South Western Railway is now under public ownership. And... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3311725/uk-renationalises-first-train-operator-labour-vows-improvements?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3311725/uk-renationalises-first-train-operator-labour-vows-improvements?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 May 2025 10:48:49 +0000 William Yiu William Yiu More than 163,000 Hongkongers have arrived in the UK since the British government introduced a bespoke pathway for residents in 2021, authorities have said. The British government also said it would hold a consultation later this year to look at whether its recent proposals to tighten immigration rules would apply to Hongkongers. The Home Office, which deals with immigration, announced on Thursday that 163,400 people had arrived in the United Kingdom under the British National (Overseas) visa... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3311393/163400-hongkongers-arrive-uk-under-bno-visa-2021?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3311393/163400-hongkongers-arrive-uk-under-bno-visa-2021?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 May 2025 10:21:28 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg The UK was drawing up plans for a special visa for foreigners who invest significant sums in Britain, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government seeks to blunt the economic blow from recent tax hikes and wider curbs on work permits. Ministers were considering proposals for an investor visa open to people willing to fund sectors seen as strategically important by Starmer’s administration, such as artificial intelligence, clean energy and life sciences, according to people familiar with the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3310421/uk-aims-cut-immigration-yet-eyes-new-investor-visa-strategic-sectors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3310421/uk-aims-cut-immigration-yet-eyes-new-investor-visa-strategic-sectors?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 May 2025 04:56:59 +0000