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UK economy

UK economy
The latest news, analysis and opinion on UK economy. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Britain’s then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on May 22, 2024 announces a general election for July 4, 2024. An ex-lawmaker and 14 others face charges for insider betting on Sunak’s election timing. Photo: AP
Britain

Ex-Conservative MP among 15 charged over bets on Sunak’s UK election date

Craig Williams was one of several people investigated for cashing in on insider knowledge on date then-PM Rishi Sunak would call election.

US-China trade war

‘It’s not just affecting China’: British anger grows over US tariff blitz

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Britain

UK ‘naive’ to trust Chinese firm with British Steel: minister

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Britain

UK parliament recalled to discuss takeover of Chinese-owned British Steel

The rare emergency session is a bid to save the country’s last steel-producing factory amid Trump’s metal tariffs.

British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant is seen in north Lincolnshire, northeast England, on Thursday. Photo: AFP
Britain

UK PM Starmer ready to ‘shelter’ businesses from Trump tariff storm

The prime minister says the priority is to get a deal with the US, but state intervention for the worst-hit industries is also on the table.

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Britain

UK cuts welfare and civil service spending, boosts defence

Finance minister Rachel Reeves sought investor trust by pledging to balance day-to-day spending with tax revenue by the end of the decade.

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Britain

UK PM shakes up health service as he takes on ‘flabby’ state

Keir Starmer said he would abolish the NHS England body and avoid ‘duplication’.

NHS ambulances at a hospital in London. Photo: EPA-EFE
Hong Kong society

UK exempts Hong Kong BN(O) passport holders from needing ETA ahead of travel

Migration and citizenship minister Seema Malhotra says in letter the Home Office will amend the immigration rules ‘at the earliest opportunity’.

China-UK relations

Will warmer ties and DeepSeek success boost China-UK economic links?

First UK-China Strategic Dialogue meeting in nearly seven years could help to create climate for further investment.

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Britain

Undocumented migrants to be ‘forever second class’ as UK refuses citizenship

The move makes it nearly impossible for undocumented migrants arriving by boat to gain citizenship, has been criticised by some Labour MPs.

An interforce officer and a border force officer help a woman on the beach at Dungeness on the southeast coast of England, on August 16, 2023. Photo: AFP
Britain

Farage aims to ‘overtake’ Labour as Reform UK membership tops 200,000

Nigel Farage called the growth ‘extraordinary’ after Reform UK unveiled its membership counter late last year.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage holds a sign announcing that the party has more than 200,000 members, during the Reform UK Wiltshire conference at the Civic Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England. Photo: PA Wire / dpa
Britain

Starmer unveils plan to make UK an ‘AI superpower’, but critics warn of job losses

Starmer believes AI will “turbocharge” the UK’s economic growth, but critics argue that Labour’s economic mismanagement could hinder the plan’s success.

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Chinese overseas

Being Chinese | No stereotypes please, overseas Chinese students are a wonderful mix

By no stretch of any imagination can one reduce Chinese students in the UK to a uniform, faceless tribe, as my cohort once was.

Britain

Membership of UK’s anti-immigration Reform party overtakes Conservatives

Party leader Nigel Farage hailed ‘historic moment’ as membership tally ticked past 131,680 figure declared earlier in year by Conservatives.

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Nigel Farage, British MP for Clacton and leader of the Reform UK party, attends the Old Surrey, Burstow and West Kent Hunt in Chiddingstone, Britain on Thursday. Photo: Reuters
Britain

Farage challenges UK two-party system, threatens European-style fragmentation

Populist Reform UK party leader and Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage won a seat in parliament on his eighth attempt in July.

Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage during a protest in Westminster on Thursday. Photo: dpa
Britain

Starmer pledges measurable milestones to rebuild UK in ‘plan for change’

Starmer hopes it will turn the page on criticism of his government on everything from use of campaign donations to a tax-raising budget.

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Britain

UK’s Starmer vows to slash immigration, reform points-based system

Official data shows net migration into Britain at a record 900,000 in the year to June 2023, much higher than original estimates.

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Britain

UK’s new Conservative Party leader to name shadow cabinet in days

Kemi Badenoch has signalled her willingness to work with leadership rivals and pledged to hold the ruling Labour Party to account.

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Kemi Badenoch gives a speech after becoming the new leader of the Conservative party on Saturday, November 2, in London. Photo: TNS
Britain

Badenoch elected new leader of UK Conservative Party

Badenoch came out on top in the two-horse race with former immigration minister Robert Jenrick with 57 per cent of the vote.

Malaysia

Kuala London: aspiration, class and the Malaysian dream of a British education

In a country still shaped by its colonial past, the pursuit of a UK education by Malaysia’s elites reveals a stark opportunity gap at home.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | Britain’s China policy needs an additional ‘C’

If the West attempts to make China a pariah, the world’s second largest economy will be left with no option but to lean towards Russia.

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy speak to the media outside the West Wing of the White House on September 13, following a meeting with US President Joe Biden. Can Britain truly have an autonomous foreign policy when it comes to the biggest competition of the day: the United States vs China? Photo: AFP
Diplomacy

Opinion | Chinese investment could soon pour back into Britain. It’s about time

Increasing Chinese investment could lay the groundwork for the wealth creation needed to reduce the UK’s regional and economic disparities.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping wears 3D glasses to view robotic equipment during a visit to Imperial College London, on October 21, 2015. Photo: AP
Britain

UK’s Keir Starmer visits Brussels for first talks on EU reset

He is looking to tweak the relationship but has ruled out any return to the EU’s single market, its customs union or freedom of movement.

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Britain

UK lawmaker quits Labour Party citing PM Starmer’s ‘hypocrisy’ over freebies

Rosie Duffield denounced the leader for cutting a US$400 payment to pensioners while accepting over US$134,000 in gifts and hospitality.

Britain

Is remote work hindering UK productivity? New Labour stance sparks debate

UK finance minister Rachel Reeves says in-person collaboration boosts efficiency, while other ministers prioritise results over physical presence.

UK Finance Minister Rachel Reeves believes working from home hinders productivity, contradicting Labour’s flexible working policy. Photo: AFP
Italy

UK’s Starmer seeks to learn from Meloni’s tough migration policies

UK prime minister looks for ‘new solutions’ on tackling the flow of migrants in small boats to Britain’s southern shores.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome, Italy on Monday. Photo: LaPresse via Zuma Press / dpa
Britain

‘Reform or die’: UK PM Starmer promises 10-year plan to fix health service

His promise comes after a report showed there would be no more money without reform to a system found to be in critical condition.

Britain

UK’s Keir Starmer warns against ‘snake oil’ offered by far-right

Britain’s prime minister says he’s making unpopular decisions early following his election victory in July.

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