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☆ Fact Check-Photo of Britain’s Starmer wearing a skirt is digitally altered
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A digitally altered photo of British Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer leaving his home in casual clothes is misleading people online. The original image of Starmer wearing jeans has been edited to look like a red-and-white skirt. “And you want this Clown in Number 10 GOD HELP US,” said one person who reshared the edited picture (here ). It shows the Labour Party leader in the same T-shirt and trainers and holding the same jacket in his left hand, but wearing light-blue jeans. Keir Starmer was photographed leaving his home wearing jeans, not a red-and-white skirt.

☆ UK Labour bars ex-leader Corbyn from standing as its candidate at next election
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Former British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn speaks at the House of Commons in London, Britain, November 16, 2022. A Labour spokesperson said the party's governing body - the National Executive Committee - approved a motion proposed by Starmer not to endorse his predecessor as a candidate at the next election. His party membership was later reinstated but Starmer refused to allow him to join the parliamentary Labour Party and he currently sits as an independent lawmaker. Momentum, a group set up to support Corbyn, described the decision to bar him as a candidate as "a dark day for democracy". On Monday, Corbyn said Starmer had broken his commitment to respect the rights of Labour members and denigrated the party's democratic foundations.

☆ Xi promotes China as peacemaker on first trip to Russia since Ukraine invasion
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Jennifer Jett | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

In this grab taken from video, China's President Xi Jinping, left, speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting in Moscow, Russia, Monday, March 20, 2023. Russia, China and the U.S. are not members of the court. "I am pleased to once again set foot on the soil of our friendly neighbor Russia," Xi said in a statement after arriving in Moscow on Monday for the three-day state visit. Xi said his Russia trip was intended to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries in a world faced with "damaging acts of hegemony, domination and bullying." The Chinese Foreign Ministry has not confirmed reports that Xi may hold a virtual meeting with Zelenskyy after his trip to Moscow.

"Since mid-October, 10-year gilt rates have fallen, debt servicing costs are down, mortgage rates are lower and inflation has peaked. The International Monetary Fund says our approach means the UK economy is on the right track." [1/6] Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt holds the budget box on Downing Street in London, Britain March 15, 2023. The OBR forecast economic output would grow by 1.8% in 2024 and by 2.5% in 2025, Hunt said, compared with its previous forecasts for growth of 1.3% and 2.6% respectively. Many economists have said Hunt probably wants to hold back some fiscal firepower for closer to the next national election.

☆ Sunak's swimming pool makes a splash in UK budget
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In the middle of Britain's worst cost-of-living crisis in generations, special equipment had to be installed to provide enough power for Sunak's swimming pool at a cost of tens of thousands of pounds, the Guardian newspaper reported. Early in his budget speech, Hunt touched on the topic of swimming pools and the costs they and other community facilities faced during a time of high energy bills. "When times are tough, such facilities matter even more," he said, but his words were nearly drowned out by raucous laughter from Labour Party lawmakers set off by the mere mention of swimming pools. Television cameras failed to capture Sunak's reaction, though a reporter for the Daily Mirror said the prime minister maintained a "masterful poker face." "We look forward to the prime minister promoting the swimming pools policy," Starmer said.

☆ BBC engulfed in an impartiality storm of its own making
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

“There is a long-established precedent in the BBC that if you’re an entertainment presenter or you’re a football presenter, then you are not bound by those same rules” on impartiality, former director-general Greg Dyke told BBC Radio 4 over the weekend. BBC Director General Tim Davie has made protecting impartiality one of his major priorities. Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty ImagesMore problematic still is that the same thorny questions about impartiality extend to the BBC’s leadership. “It’s a mess, isn’t it?” former BBC executive Peter Salmon told the cooperation’s flagship political presenter Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday. “He’s got views, he’s got passions … it may be that Gary has outgrown the job, and his role in the BBC.”

☆ BBC crisis escalates as players and stars rally behind suspended soccer host Gary Lineker
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The BBC said it was "sorry for these changes which we recognize will be disappointing for BBC sport fans. Lineker, 62, was a household name in Britain even before he became chief "Match of the Day" presenter in 1999. Last year, the BBC found Lineker had breached impartiality rules with a tweet about the Conservatives' alleged Russian donations. Former BBC Director General Greg Dyke said the network had "undermined its own credibility" by appearing to bow to government pressure. Keir Starmer, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, said the BBC was "caving in" to political pressure from Conservative lawmakers.

☆ Reaction to Lineker being pulled from presenting by the BBC
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

But the decision to take Gary Lineker off air is indefensible. LABOUR PARTY LEADER KEIR STARMER"The BBC is not acting impartially by caving in to Tory MPs who are complaining about Gary Lineker." FORMER LABOUR LEADER JEREMY CORBYN"Well done Gary Lineker for standing up for refugees. FORMER CULTURE SECRETARY NADINE DORRIES"News that Gary Lineker has been stood down for investigation is welcome and shows BBC are serious about impartiality." "The perception out there is going to be that Gary Lineker, a much-loved television presenter, was taken off air after government pressure on a particular issue."

"I'd love to work more hours," Sharples told Reuters at the home in northern England she shares with her children and web-developer husband. The Centre for Progressive Policy (CPP) think tank has estimated that around 1.5 million British mums would work more hours if childcare permitted. Business groups and researchers argue that acting on childcare in his March 15 budget would do more to unlock greater economic growth. The government says it has spent more than 20 billion pounds in the last five years helping with the cost of childcare. "Childcare unlocks not just the potential of children, but also the potential of parents," Labour leader Keir Starmer said last month.

☆ Brexit deal hailed as 'turning point' for Northern Ireland, but could still face opposition in Belfast
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

WINDSOR, U.K., Feb. 27, 2023: Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (L) and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen announced a landmark post-Brexit trading arrangement seeking to rectify problems with the Northern Ireland Protocol. Dan Kitwood/AFP via Getty ImagesLONDON — The new Brexit deal signed by the U.K. and the European Union on Monday was heralded as a "turning point" for Northern Ireland, but must still pass muster in Belfast. The sticking point could come from across the Irish Sea in Stormont, near Belfast, where the devolved Northern Ireland Assembly has been suspended for a year after the pro-Brexit Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) resigned in protest over the Northern Ireland Protocol. "There can be no disguising the fact that, in some sectors of our economy, EU law remains applicable in Northern Ireland." BELFAST, U.K., Feb. 17, 2023: DUP Leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson speaks to reporters outside the Culloden Hotel in Belfast after Northern Irish leaders held talks with U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

☆ UK begins long and uncertain road back from Brexit
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Neil Unmack | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, Feb 27 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Britain is beginning the long and uncertain road back from Brexit. Changes to the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol were inevitable. There’s still scope to improve Johnson’s trade deal, struck in 2019. The route back is uncertain, but the symbolic importance of the Northern Ireland deal is not. The agreement marks a “new chapter” in relations between the UK and European Union, Sunak said in a press conference.

☆ Setting out growth plan, UK opposition Labour warn Britain is in downward spiral
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Britain's Labour Party leader Keir Starmer prepares for his speech to delegates at Britain's Labour Party's annual conference in Liverpool, Britain, September 26, 2022. Labour has promised to ensure Britain has the fastest growing economy among the G7 on a sustained basis if it wins power. Britain's economy narrowly avoided a recession according to data published earlier this month, but faces a difficult 2023 as the effects of double-digit inflation hit households. Labour cited the latest available World Bank data showing Gross Domestic Product per capita in Britain at $44,979 in 2021 and $34,915 in Poland. The party said that, based on average 0.5% annual growth between 2010 and 2021 in Britain, that figure would fall behind Poland's per capita GDP by 2030 if Poland kept up its 3.6% average annual growth.

☆ UK economy in 'a lot better shape' than bleak figures suggest, fund manager says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

People walk outside the Bank of England in the City of London financial district, in London, Britain, January 26, 2023. Henry Nicholls | ReutersLONDON — The U.K. has thus far avoided a widely anticipated recession, and the signs from the business world are that the economy may be holding up better than feared, according to veteran Schroders fund manager Andy Brough. Figures published earlier this month showed that the U.K. GDP contracted by 0.5% in December, as the economy flatlined over the final quarter of 2022 to narrowly avoid a technical recession. "Underneath companies' profitability x-minus today, we're seeing pretty good dividend increases, pretty good earnings statements, so, underlying, I think the economy is in a lot better shape. 'Signs of life' in business investment Uncertainty over future relations between Westminster and Brussels have hammered business investment since the U.K. voted to leave the European Union in 2016, in turn hampering productivity expansion and adding to the direct costs of Brexit on the U.K. potential growth.

☆ Scottish politics are in turmoil, but it's small fry for the pound
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Naomi Rovnick | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Any prospect of Scotland breaking away from the United Kingdom used to have momentous implications for U.K. markets. The lack of any discernable reaction in the pound, gilts or London blue-chips to the resignation on Wednesday of pro-independence Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon's resignation showed. "Ten years ago it was a real risk, it was quite close," said Jon Day, global bond portfolio manager at UK-based asset manager Newton Investment Management. Reuters GraphicsThe Scottish independence discourse "doesn't have much of an impact on the pound these days", said George Brown, economist at fund manager Schroders. The U.K. market chaos following former Prime Minister Liz Truss's badly received mini-budget collided with heightened anxiety among investors in general as the U.S. Fed raised interest rates.

“There have been about 1,300 Russian tank losses … so the actual numbers of new tanks [for Ukraine] in a military sense are not that significant. There’s a lot of Ukraine and 20, 30, 40 tanks does not go that far,” said Ronald Ti, an expert in military logistics at King’s College, London. Nevertheless, the move to create a new “tank coalition,” as some officials called it, has been widely welcomed in Ukraine. Zelenskyy has said Ukraine requires around 300 tanks in order to successfully defend its territory from an expected Russian spring offensive, and to begin winning back territory ceded to Moscow since the invasion began last February. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, seen in Berlin on Wednesday, has faced prolonged criticism for a reluctance to send military equipment to Ukraine.

☆ Davos 2023: Big oil comes in from the cold on energy transition
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Maha El Dahan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

CHINA OUT./File Photo/File PhotoSummarySummary Companies Energy transition front and centre at Davos meetingEurope energy crisis forces moment of reckoningClimate activists sceptical of oil industry inclusionDAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 20 (Reuters) - A different type of energy transition has taken place at this year's World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting. Unlike 2021's COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, where oil and gas executives were personae non gratae, fossil fuel chiefs and renewable energy bosses sat cheek by jowl in Davos. Thunberg's was not the only voice at Davos with strong objections to the industry's new mantra that the energy crisis justifies new oil investments. Like Birol, British opposition leader Keir Starmer said the oil and gas sector has a role to play in the energy transition. Jaber, who is the founding CEO of Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy firm Masdar and has overseen the UAE's mandate to adopt renewables is not without green credentials.

☆ Davos 2023: What you need to know about the WEF on Thursday
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Kathryn Lurie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

During the round-table, she and three of her fellow activists said they had presented a "cease and desist" letter to CEOs calling for a stop to new oil, gas and coal extraction. "What we've said about oil and gas is that there does need to be a transition," he said. Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson lent his support, urging allies to double down on sending military equipment to support Ukraine. Meta has been working on generative AI research, for instance tech that can convert a text prompt into a video clip. For daily Davos updates in your inbox sign up for the Reuters Daily Briefing hereEditing by Alexander SmithOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Labour leader Keir Starmer says he’s proposing an 'inverse OPEC'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailLabour leader Keir Starmer says he’s proposing an 'inverse OPEC'Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition of the United Kingdom, speaks on a CNBC-moderated panel at Davos 2023.

☆ Davos 2023: UK Labour signals pragmatism over divergence on EU
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Britain's Labour leader Keir Starmer and the party's financial chief Rachel Reeves walk to a meeting during the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2023, in the Alpine resort of Davos, Switzerland, January 19, 2023. REUTERS/Arnd WiegmannDAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Britain's opposition Labour party, ahead in polls with an election due in less than two years, said that in government it would favour pragmatism over divergence for its own sake in dealings with the European Union. Labour has ruled out seeking to re-enter the EU's single market. She added: "Having to certify things twice, once for the UK once for the EU, is another cost that frankly we could do without." Reporting by Mark John in Davos; Editing by Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Davos 2023-Starmer says no new UK oil and gas investment under a Labour government
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Britain's opposition leader Keir Starmer said on Thursday there would be no new oil and gas investment in Britain under a Labour government if his party is elected to govern. Starmer said during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos that his party wants to get to a new role for oil and gas in the energy transition. The opposition leader did not give further details, but when asked if this applied to the North Sea he said "yes". Britain under the Conservative government of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has just held a new licensing round for oil and gas exploration licenses in the North Sea and has refrained from joining international clubs of countries that ban new oil and gas field developments. Reporting by Brenda Goh; Editing by Alexander SmithOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UK Labour leader Starmer slams PM's Davos no-show, touts new 'inverse OPEC' alliance
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

DAVOS, Switzerland - Jan. 19, 2023: Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party, during a CNBC panel session on day three of the World Economic Forum (WEF). Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesU.K. opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer on Thursday hit out at Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for opting not to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. On a CNBC-moderated panel in Davos, Starmer said he had been meeting with business leaders and policymakers to promote the idea of a Clean Power Alliance should Labour win the next general election in 2024. "I think our prime minister should have showed up — I absolutely do. 'Inverse OPEC' Labour holds a massive polling lead over Sunak's ruling Conservative Party ahead of the next general election slated for 2024.

☆ Davos 2023-'Open for business' Labour slams PM Sunak no-show
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Brenda Goh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 19 (Reuters) - British Labour Party leader Keir Starmer set out his green growth plan in Davos on Thursday and criticised British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for not showing up at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum. "Somebody has got to be an ambassador for Britain and the prime minister and the chancellor are not here," she told a separate audience referring to finance minister Jeremy Hunt. "We are here to send a message that at the next election ... the British economy will be open for business again." Although Sunak did not attend the event, the British government did send Trade Minister Kemi Badenoch and Business Minister Grant Shapps to Davos. And former Prime Minister Boris Johnson also made an appearance, which he used to urge Britain's allies to double down on sending military equipment to Ukraine.

☆ U.K. and EU Look to Mend Rift and Resolve Northern Ireland Trade Dispute
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Max Colchester | Laurence Norman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, pointing, in Belfast recently. Labour has urged the U.K. government to strike a deal with the European Union. British and European officials are increasingly hopeful they can heal some of the divisions over the U.K.’s split from the trading bloc, including a long-running dispute over Northern Ireland, as the war in Ukraine pushes both sides closer and opinion polls suggest British support for Brexit is waning. U.K. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and his European Union counterpart, European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic , will meet Monday and are expected to signal the start of final negotiations on a compromise agreement over the trading status of Northern Ireland, an issue that has created tensions between both sides and threats of a trade war.

☆ Girl, 7, seriously hurt and others injured in shooting near London church
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Forensics officers work at the scene of a shooting, the attack reportedly happened during a funeral at St Aloysius Church, in London, Britain, January 14, 2023. REUTERS/Henry NichollsLONDON, Jan 14 (Reuters) - A seven-year-old girl was left with life-threatening injuries after she and five others, including another child, were hurt in a drive-by shooting on Saturday near a church in London where a funeral was taking place, British police said. Detectives said the girl had been taken to hospital and remained in a life-threatening condition after the shooting not far from Euston train station in north London. A 12-year-old girl was also among those injured and had been taken to hospital with a minor leg injury but later discharged. "The incident took place in the vicinity of a church where a funeral was taking place," a police statement said.

☆ Smarter taxes could ease UK productivity crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Francesco Guerrera | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Britain’s sluggish productivity – the amount of output per hour worked – deters investment and limits growth, in turn depressing wages. After keeping pace with other developed countries for decades, UK productivity has grown by 0.3% a year since 2008. That is a third of the 0.9% averaged by G7 members, and well below the 1.2% rate recorded by the United States, according to figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. In 2021, gross fixed capital formation, a measure of investment, accounted for 17% of UK GDP, compared to 24% in France and 21% in the United States, according to the World Bank. Despite a long-standing scheme for research and development, UK businesses still only fund 55% of total R&D spending, below the 63% of the United States, according to a Cambridge University study.

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