Author: Blake Anderson

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.The Labour party will not have to apply for a renewal of its lease on power until eight months after the end of Donald Trump’s second term as US president. Or, to put it another way, enough time for South Korea to swing from democracy to martial law to rule by chastened president 1,719 times. Assessing the measures in Keir Starmer’s new “plan for change” according to their electoral effectiveness is, therefore, pretty silly. Clearly, governments can do things to help their…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.I spent 10 years in Bath, which is the longest I’ve lived in one place. I was born in Seoul but moved to Vancouver with my family when I was eight. I cut my teeth in fashion and beauty marketing in New York before moving to Bristol to do a masters in literature. Not long after, I took a trip to Bath, the next city over: it was a foggy day, and I remember chomping on a Bath bun – they’re very…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Marks and Spencer will knock down its flagship art deco store on London’s Oxford Street after it received approval from UK housing secretary and deputy prime minister Angela Rayner.The retailer said it had secured the hard-fought approval more than three years after it first submitted the application to redevelop the Marble Arch store.M&S chief executive Stuart Machin said on Thursday he was delighted with the outcome after “unnecessary years of delays, obfuscation and political posturing at its worst, under the previous government”.Rayner’s…

Stay informed with free updatesSimply sign up to the UK tax myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox.The number of individuals being taxed at 60 per cent on part of their earnings has risen by almost half in two years, new figures seen by the Financial Times show. The numbers, revealed by a freedom of information request to HM Revenue & Customs, showed that in 2023-24, 634,000 taxpayers were estimated to fall into the 60 per cent bracket — up 45 per cent from 436,000 in 2021-22. Since 2010, those earning more than £100,000 a year have had their…

Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for freeYour guide to what the 2024 US election means for Washington and the worldEU countries are discussing a €500bn joint fund for common defence projects and arms procurement, tapping bond markets to boost spending in anticipation of Donald Trump’s White House return.Trump’s threat to withdraw US security guarantees from underspending Nato allies has spurred European capitals to explore more radical defence funding options, including joint borrowing that has traditionally been ruled out by fiscal hawks in Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark.Senior European officials discussing the plan are now focused on setting up a…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Most UK businesses expect reduced profit margins, higher prices and lower employment as a result of the rise in employer national insurance contributions, according to a Bank of England survey. Fifty-nine per cent of companies said lower profits were likely because of the increase from April, announced in the Budget, according to the Decision Maker Panel in November, a monthly survey of chief financial officers. Moreover, 54 per cent of groups expected to raise their prices, while the same proportion predicted employment would fall.…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Sir Keir Starmer has redefined one of his green targets as the UK prime minister attempted to reset his government after five difficult months in office with a series of policy “milestones”.Labour said it still wanted “clean power by 2030” but its new “Plan for Change” refers to “securing home grown energy, protecting bill payers and putting us on track to at least 95 per cent clean power by 2030”.The party’s election manifesto promised “zero carbon electricity by 2030”.Starmer’s team insisted his…

This article is an on-site version of our Inside Politics newsletter. Subscribers can sign up here to get the newsletter delivered every weekday. If you’re not a subscriber, you can still receive the newsletter free for 30 daysGood morning. Keir Starmer will set out Labour’s “Plan for Change” in a big speech today. Some thoughts on where his government stands at the moment in today’s note.Inside Politics is edited today by Darren Dodd. Read the previous edition of the newsletter here. Please send gossip, thoughts and feedback to insidepolitics@ft.comMission controlHow do people feel about the new Labour government? Well, they’re…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.The UK competition regulator has approved the £16.5bn merger of Vodafone’s domestic business with CK Hutchison’s Three UK, which is expected to create Britain’s largest mobile operator.The Competition and Markets Authority on Thursday said the deal should be allowed to proceed if both companies sign binding commitments to invest billions to roll out a combined 5G network across the UK and agree to shorter-term customer protections.The CMA last month paved the way for the tie-up after announcing the deal could proceed as…

Stay informed with free updatesSimply sign up to the Oil & Gas industry myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox.Oil companies Shell and Equinor are to combine their UK offshore oil and gas assets to form a new company they say would be the biggest independent producer in the North Sea.The new company formed by their UK subsidiaries will be a 50-50 joint venture holding Equinor’s stakes in three North Sea fields and Shell’s stakes in nine.“With the once prolific [North Sea] basin now maturing . . . the combination of portfolios and expertise will allow continued economic recovery of this vital UK…