Every month, we’ll publish the power rankings of all the leading lights in the party based on our readers’ responses. Click here to fill in the survey, and the results will be published at the end of the week. Here’s how last month played out…
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The FT has published comments made by Peter Mandelson’s replacement as ambassador to the US, career diplomat Christian Turner, which may put a more dour mood on US-UK relations during the King’s visit. Turner said to some visiting British students in mid-February:
An FCDO spokesman said: “These were private, informal comments made to a group of UK sixth-form students visiting the US in early February. They are certainly not any reflection of the UK government’s position.” They are fuming…
Even with a 30-minute sit-down with the PM, Cathy Newman’s debut show on Sky News still recorded lower BARB ratings than GB News Tonight with Martin Daubney. Sky trailed throughout the entire hour, including every minute Starmer was onscreen…
Newman’s show, which aired for the first time at 7pm last night, peaked at 97,600 viewers. In the same slot, GB News Tonight pulled in 160,700…
The average over the hour had GB News at 138,200 and Sky News on 86,175. Starmer is kryptonite to the viewers…
Rachel Reeves has hinted at her plans for a one-year rent freeze in the Commons:
“This Government have already taken action to reduce the cost of living and to bear down on inflation with the changes around energy prices, around fuel duty, prescription charges and rail fares, and I will do everything in my power and use every lever we have to bear down on the cost of living, including for people in the private rented sector.”
No10 said in a briefing to journalists today: “We have no plans to implement this.” And Bridget Phillipson said a rent freeze “is not the approach we are taking”…
That means soft-left Labour MPs will find Reeves has given them very little to chew on. If you don’t deny the claims then the market will go bananas…
The UAE’s state-run news agency WAM says the country will leave OPEC and OPEC+ on 1 May. The twelve (now eleven) country-cartel produced around 40% of global oil supply…
“This decision reflects the UAE’s long-term strategic and economic vision and evolving energy profile, including accelerated investment in domestic energy production, and reinforces its commitment to a responsible, reliable, and forward-looking role in global energy markets.”
The UAE usually accounts for 4% of global oil production. The country says it will ramp up production and the move to leave OPEC is in response to changing demand. Going it alone…
Andy Haldane, Burnham’s recent adviser on the economy who has not taken up a No10 job, told Andrew Marr on LBC:
“The market now suspects that this is a traditional tax-and-spend socialist government with better TikTok videos…
imposing windfall taxes on oil & gas or on banks or upping capital gains tax would […] repeat the mistake that Rachel made […] The Achilles heel, the fiscal Achilles heel of this government thus far has been its unwillingness and/or inability to cut public spending.”