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Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Ministers have announced plans to sign more partnerships with the private sector for the delivery of UK public services including health and education, despite criticism of the Blair government’s controversial “PFI” schemes. In a new 10-year infrastructure strategy published on Thursday, the UK government said it wanted to “evolve our infrastructure finance models” including exploring the use of public private partnerships (PPPs) for projects such as redeveloping Euston station and building the Lower Thames Crossing. The government also said it would explore the use…

Stay informed with free updatesSimply sign up to the UK companies myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox.On Wednesday, we began a post with a proposal for a cash shell that grows indefinitely by issuing new shares every day at ever-higher prices. We thought at the time this was broad satire, but it’s seems what we chanced upon was financial innovation. The company to make our fantasy into reality is Aquis Growth Market — and US over-the-counter traded — The Smarter Web Company. It’s a website designer that lists its business address as a Mail Boxes Etc in Guildford,…

Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for freeYour guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the worldBritain, France and Germany are to hold talks with Iran’s foreign minister on Friday, in a last-ditch effort to avert an escalation of conflict in the Middle East and a possible US intervention.The talks in Geneva, due to be attended by the foreign ministers of the three European countries, come in the shadow of warnings from US President Donald Trump that he could join Israel’s offensive against Iran.“It’s better dealt with by way of negotiations than by way of conflict . . .…

This article is an on-site version of our The State of Britain newsletter. Premium subscribers can sign up here to get the newsletter delivered every week. Standard subscribers can upgrade to Premium here, or explore all FT newslettersGood afternoon. I’m Georgina Quach — you may know me from editing Inside Politics — and today I wanted to discuss the erosion of student “value for money” at UK universities, a symptom of a deep financial crisis in the sector. The academic grindOne little-noticed story from the world of higher education caught my eye last week: 68 per cent of students are…

Stay informed with free updatesSimply sign up to the UK tax myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox.Small businesses in the UK failed to pay 40 per cent of the corporation tax they owed in 2023-24, leading to claims that His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs has “lost control” of the sector. Although the overall “tax gap” between the amounts due and collected reduced in the year, the sum owed by smaller companies rose from £12.3bn to £14.7bn, figures published by HMRC on Thursday showed. Small businesses — defined as companies with turnover below £10mn and fewer than 20 employees — accounted…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Mainstream political discourse has found two words seeping in: “white British”. The term is increasingly used to create a narrative of victimhood, a crowding out of the UK’s native population. The stories are always the same: the white British are becoming a minority in their own country; they face discrimination in recruitment; British culture and history are devalued. There are real issues to address. The scandal of child grooming gangs; mass immigration creating racial ghettos so siloed that they present an obstacle to…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.London was the only UK region where labour productivity fell below pre-pandemic levels in 2023, official data shows, a trend that has been narrowing the capital’s efficiency lead since before the financial crisis.Output per hour worked in London fell at an average annual rate of 0.3 per cent between 2019 and 2023, according to figures published by the Office for National Statistics on Thursday. The UK as a whole posted 0.7 per cent average growth over the same period, with all other…

Stay informed with free updatesSimply sign up to the UK interest rates myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox.The Bank of England has held interest rates at 4.25 per cent, in a widely expected decision after new data this week showed UK inflation remained stubbornly above its target.The Monetary Policy Committee’s decision followed a quarter-point cut by the BoE in May amid concerns over the impact of US President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff policy. “Interest rates remain on a gradual downward path, although we’ve left them on hold today,” said Andrew Bailey, the BoE’s governor. “The world is highly…

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. Westminster and the world are holding their breath to see what Donald Trump will do. Again. You can see why Downing Street prefers to talk about the next UK general election. Some thoughts on that below. Inside Politics is edited by Harvey Nriapia today. Follow Stephen on Bluesky and X. Read the previous edition of the newsletter here. Please send gossip,…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Lockheed Martin has approached the UK government to offer assistance in the construction of a new missile defence system for Britain, amid rising geopolitical tensions and moves by the US to invest in a “Golden Dome” project.Frank St John, Lockheed’s chief operating officer, said the US defence group believed it could offer critical capabilities to the UK as the government decides on what approach to take. Labour’s recent strategic defence review highlighted the importance of air defence systems but did not include…