Oil price plummets as Iran declares Hormuz open ‘For stock and bond market bulls around the world, this is the perfect end to the week,’ said Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB. Evening Standard · Apr 17
Labour warned against ‘self-defeating’ welfare cuts to boost defence budget The suggestion has been branded ‘extremely concerning’ The Independent UK · Apr 17
Reeves backs further North Sea drilling to boost Britain’s oil and gas supply Chancellor says government working with energy companies to open up tie-back sites in the North Sea The Independent UK · Apr 16
The UK is losing a race against time to reach war footing THE INDEPENDENT VIEW: Editorial: Our unreadiness for battle cannot be blamed on the present government, but even so, the prime minister and chancellor must be prepared to spend more to bring the country up to speed The Independent UK · Apr 16
Reeves vows to break link between cost of gas and electricity prices in boost for UK households “When gas prices are high, we end up paying more for our electricity, even though the cost of producing it doesn’t change,” the Chancellor said The Independent UK · Apr 16
Chancellor would ‘prefer not’ to hike tax again, amid calls for defence cash The focus should be on how money is spent rather than on the ‘quantum’ of funding, Rachel Reeves said. Evening Standard · Apr 16
Rachel Reeves warns other budgets may be cut to lift defence spending Chancellor says she is ‘working through a range of options’ to boost the armed forces but does not want to put up taxes The Guardian - UK · Apr 16
Streeting risks reigniting Labour civil war in row over benefits cuts to boost defence Health secretary’s remarks on welfare budget come as ex-military chiefs warn of the peril facing the UK if No 10 fails to invest in defence The Independent UK · Apr 16
Public should be ‘reassured’ by Iran war food shortage preparation – Peter Kyle The Government’s reasonable worst-case scenario suggests there could be less variety on supermarket shelves should fighting continue unabated. Evening Standard · Apr 16
Thursday briefing: What it will take for Britain to break up with natural gas In today’s newsletter: The economic fortunes of the UK are intertwined with the price of the costly fuel – so why are we so slow to ditch it? The Guardian - UK · Apr 16
IMF chief Georgieva warns ‘everyone will feel the impact’ of energy price shock, as UK growth beats forecasts – as it happened There will be flight cancellations ‘soon’ if oil supplies are not restored in coming weeks, says head of IEA The Guardian - UK · Apr 16
Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky calls Putin a ‘global threat’ after Moscow’s deadliest aerial attack this year Russian forces pound Ukraine with 700 drones and missiles in ‘horrendous attack’ The Independent UK · Apr 16
Chancellor cuts bills for thousands more firms as she continues Washington talks Rachel Reeves has stepped up criticism of US-Israeli military action in Iran. Evening Standard · Apr 15
The Independent UK · Apr 15 Rachel Reeves slashes bills for thousands of businesses as Iran war sparks rising costs Rachel Reeves has recently stepped up criticism of US-Israeli military action in Iran
The Guardian - UK · Apr 15 Reeves gives more energy bill support to businesses as Iran war pushes up costs Scheme cutting bills by up to 25% expanded to cover 10,000 firms, but they will not be paid until next year
Evening Standard · Apr 15 Chancellor to cut electricity bills for thousands more UK firms Rachel Reeves announced the action to support firms after warning over the lingering impact of the Iran war.
The Guardian - UK · Apr 15 Boosting military spending by slashing welfare is not the answer, senior Labour figures warn Reeves MPs and peers say pitting defence and welfare against each other risks losing public support for increased spending on the military
The Guardian - UK · Apr 15 Trump warns US-UK trade deal ‘can always be changed’ with relations in ‘sad state’ President says he gave Britain ‘better deal than I had to’ but ally was ‘not there when we needed them’ on Iran
The Guardian - UK · Apr 15 Reeves tells Americans Trump’s Iran war is a ‘mistake’ UK chancellor steps up criticism, telling Washington event she is unconvinced conflict has made world a safer place
Evening Standard · Apr 15 Reeves steps up criticism of Trump’s war against Iran during trip to Washington Chancellor Rachel Reeves said she was not convinced the world is safer as a result of the US-Israeli strikes against Iran.
The Independent UK · Apr 15 Reeves: Trump’s Iran war is a mistake and has not made the world safer The chancellor’s comments come a day after she described the war as a ‘folly’
Evening Standard · Apr 15 Reeves warns impact of Iran war on economy will persist once hostilities end The Chancellor and international counterparts said the conflict had caused ‘unacceptable loss of life’ and ‘significant’ economic turmoil.
The Guardian - UK · Apr 15 Starmer rejects accusation Labour is ‘complacent’ on defence funding PM responds to warnings by former Nato chief George Robertson by saying defence spending is increasing rapidly
The Independent UK · Apr 15 UK to send £752m and 120,000 drones to Ukraine to bolster defences against Russia Drones now account for the majority of battlefield casualties