Author: James Carter

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to confirm that government support for soaring energy bills will be means-tested rather than universal, as she addresses the Commons following an emergency Cobra meeting focused on the economic fallout from the Middle East conflict. In her statement to MPs, Reeves is expected to outline measures to combat price gouging by companies exploiting the crisis, with the Competition and Markets Authority set to be handed greater powers to identify and act against profiteering. She will also set out plans to bolster Britain’s long-term energy security through nuclear power and government-backed indemnities for critical energy infrastructure…

Donald Trump has suggested the United States could assume joint control of Iran alongside an unnamed Iranian leader, as conflicting claims over whether peace negotiations are even taking place continued to sow confusion in global markets and allied governments. Speaking on Monday, the US President declared that “very serious regime change” was under way in Iran and floated the idea of a power-sharing arrangement, saying the Strait of Hormuz could be “controlled by me and the ayatollah.” He drew a parallel with Venezuela, where the US had pursued leadership change following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro, suggesting a similar…

Financial markets swung sharply on Monday after Donald Trump announced a five-day pause in US strikes against Iran, only for Tehran to flatly deny that any negotiations had taken place — leaving traders struggling to assess whether a genuine diplomatic opening had emerged or whether the ceasefire announcement would quickly unravel. Trump posted on Truth Social that he had held “very good conversations” with Iran and was halting planned strikes on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure while talks continued. The announcement triggered an immediate and dramatic response in commodity markets, with crude oil futures plunging more than 14 per…

Donald Trump has poured fresh scorn on Sir Keir Starmer by sharing a comedy sketch on Truth Social that portrays the Prime Minister as too frightened to speak to the US President — deepening the already strained relationship between the two leaders over Britain’s role in the Iran conflict. The clip, taken from the British version of Saturday Night Live which aired on Sky for the first time on Saturday night, depicts a fictional Starmer paralysed with anxiety in Downing Street as he attempts to phone Trump. “What if Donald shouts at me?” the comedian playing the Prime Minister asks…

Sir Keir Starmer is reportedly preparing a significant cabinet shake-up in an attempt to steady his troubled leadership, with plans understood to include the return of Angela Rayner and former transport secretary Louise Haigh alongside the removal of Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Health Secretary Wes Streeting. The proposed changes, reported by the Independent citing insider sources, represent a deliberate shift to the left — a direction that carries direct implications for economic policy. “A shift to the left means a change in economic policy, which means a new chancellor,” one source explained. Rayner’s potential return to government remains contingent on…

Downing Street has moved swiftly to shut down speculation of a policy reversal on immigration after Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner delivered a strikingly public challenge to one of the Government’s most contentious reforms. The row centres on Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s proposal to double the waiting period for migrants already living in the UK to qualify for indefinite leave to remain — extending the current five-year route to settlement to ten years. Rayner, speaking at an event hosted by campaign group Mainstream, described the retrospective application of that change to people already residing in Britain as a “breach of…

The Bank of England is expected to hold interest rates at noon on Wednesday as the escalating Middle East conflict drives oil and gas prices sharply higher, raising fears that any prospect of relief for mortgage holders has been pushed firmly into the distance. Just a fortnight ago, a rate cut had appeared a realistic possibility. That outlook has now reversed dramatically. Traders are placing a 60 per cent probability on a rate rise by June, as Iranian strikes on Gulf energy infrastructure send shockwaves through global markets and threaten to push UK inflation well above the Bank’s two per…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has publicly offered to assist the United States in countering Iranian drone threats in the Middle East, drawing on Kyiv’s extensive battlefield experience fighting Tehran-supplied Shahed drones during Russia’s ongoing invasion — only to be rebuffed by President Donald Trump. Speaking in a series of international media interviews on Monday, Zelenskyy said Ukraine had already dispatched teams of drone experts to the Middle East and stood ready to do more. He told the New York Post that Ukraine “reacted immediately” when the United States launched operations against Iran, adding that wherever it was possible to help…

The President of Cyprus has signalled he intends to raise the future of British military bases on the island directly with the UK government, following an Iranian drone strike on RAF Akrotiri that has intensified domestic pressure over Cyprus’s role in the Middle East conflict. Speaking at the European Council summit in Brussels this week, President Nikos Christodoulides described the British bases as “a colonial consequence” and confirmed that the situation in the Middle East had prompted him to seek what he called “an open and frank discussion with the British government.” He cited the presence of more than 10,000…

The director of the National Counterterrorism Center has resigned from his post, publicly stating he cannot support the Trump administration’s military campaign against Iran. Joe Kent announced his departure on social media, writing that Iran “posed no imminent threat to our nation” and that the war had been started “due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.” He added that he could not “in good conscience” continue in his role given that position. Kent, a former political candidate with reported connections to right-wing extremist groups, had been confirmed to the post in July last year by a 52-44…