Author: Blake Anderson

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.The number of people arriving in the UK via small boats soared to almost 20,000 in the first half of 2025, underscoring the severe challenge facing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who has pledged to reduce irregular migration to Britain.A total of 19,982 people have crossed over to Britain on small boats since January, setting a record for the first six months of the year, according to official data. There were 13,489 arrivals on small boats in the first six months of 2024,…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Three former members of staff who worked at the hospital where convicted child killer Lucy Letby committed her crimes have been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.Letby was sentenced in August 2023 to life imprisonment for murdering seven babies and attempting to end the lives of six more between 2015 and 2016 at the Countess of Chester Hospital (CoCH). The former neonatal nurse was convicted of a further attempted murder in a subsequent retrial. Cheshire Constabulary said all three suspects worked in…

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. Are Keir Starmer’s concessions to Labour MPs enough to avoid defeat in the House of Commons tonight? And, more importantly, are they any good? Some thoughts on both topics in today’s note.Inside Politics is edited by Georgina Quach. Follow Stephen on Bluesky and X, and Georgina on Bluesky. Read the previous edition of the newsletter here. Please send gossip, thoughts and…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Some 39 Labour MPs have signalled they will vote against Sir Keir Starmer’s welfare reforms on Tuesday evening in a tense showdown between the prime minister and his backbenchers despite a £2.5bn U-turn that watered down the package last week. Starmer’s concessions last Thursday led to the withdrawal of a “reasoned amendment” designed to kill the bill — which had the backing of 126 Labour MPs.But on Monday evening, Labour MPs tabled a second reasoned amendment with the same intention that quickly garnered…

Stay informed with free updatesSimply sign up to the UK energy myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox.Britain’s energy regulator has provisionally approved £24bn of investment in the country’s gas and electricity networks, in a move that risks pushing up already elevated household energy bills. The regulator plans to sign off on £8.9bn of investment in Britain’s high voltage electricity transmission network and more than £15bn investment in gas networks between 2026 and 2031, as part of plans to bolster the UK’s energy security.It marks the first stage of a potential £80bn investment in electricity networks over the five-year…

This article is part of FT Globetrotter’s guide to WimbledonMuch of Wimbledon’s “British” atmosphere is due to the careful cultivation of the grounds. That includes the pristine 8mm-high rye grass courts and immaculate bedding displays that ornament the walkways, driveways, balconies, bridges, restaurants, private suites and the courts in the club palette of purple, white and green. It’s a Herculean endeavour involving 18 full-time ground staff and another 13 for the season — and 28,000 plants.Head gardener Martyn Falconer, a Wimbledon veteran of 26 years, is responsible for keeping the gardens fresh and in flower for the two weeks of…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.The writer is lecturer in government studies at the Strand Group, King’s College London, and author of ‘The Art of Delivery’ Almost a year after Labour gained power, Sir Keir Starmer has reflected on a sense of dissatisfaction. “We haven’t always told our story as well as we should,” he said. Yet on entering Downing Street, this prime minister quickly began laying the groundwork for delivering “national renewal” — setting up a Mission Delivery Unit and drawing on the expertise of New…

A proudly independent European nation confronted with a stark political choice: keep EU single market access but only by making financial payments, taking migrants and giving up judicial power.This time the question is not one for Brexit Britain — but Switzerland.After more than a decade of grinding talks with Brussels, the Alpine country has reached a deal to keep and improve its access to the EU’s single market.But the agreement — which will be put to a referendum — includes all the same thorny issues that have bedevilled the UK-EU relationship, including budget contributions, migration policy and the role of…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Sir Keir Starmer may have done enough to suppress a backbench rebellion over UK welfare reforms, after he made eleventh-hour concessions to soften their impact. But even if Tuesday’s vote on the legislation goes in the government’s favour, it risks being at best a Pyrrhic victory. With existing claimants now spared the cuts to health-related benefits, savings to the exchequer will be £2.5bn smaller than intended, leaving a hole in the public finances that the chancellor will need to fill. Disability charities still see…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.China has been left off the top tier of the British government’s new register to track “covert foreign influence” as UK ministers seek to rebuild relations with Beijing in their pursuit of growth. Britain’s new foreign influence registration scheme (Firs), which comes into effect on Tuesday, is designed to give the UK public greater assurance around the activities of foreign powers seen as posing a national security risk.The Russian and Iranian states have been placed in the top tier because of “the serious threats…