Author: Blake Anderson

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.This article is part of FT Globetrotter’s guide to LondonMy mother was an incredible home cook, known for single-handedly executing 25-course Chinese banquets for family festivities, instilling in me a love of food. She gave me the gift of a discerning palate from an early age, which has been key for what became my adulthood obsession: wine. When I first moved to London from Sydney nearly 30 years ago, I threw myself into experiencing the capital’s thrilling restaurant scene. Wine was yet…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Several councils run by Reform UK have resisted efforts by the party’s Elon Musk-style “Doge” unit to access personal and commercially sensitive data, slowing the progress of the highly controversial cost-cutting drive.Senior lawyers and data handlers at some Reform-run councils in England have so far blocked access to sensitive information by unelected volunteers running the party’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, according to people briefed on the situation.Kent county council, one of 10 local authorities where Reform took control in local elections…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Sir Keir Starmer and Friedrich Merz will this week unveil a deal to make it easier for German children to travel on school trips to Britain alongside a “milestone” treaty to rebuild post-Brexit ties between the UK and Germany.Merz’s visit to the UK on Thursday — his first as chancellor — follows President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to London last week, as Starmer seeks to strengthen ties with Berlin, Paris and Brussels.The UK-Germany treaty will cover travel, defence co-operation, trade and irregular…

Stay informed with free updatesSimply sign up to the Climate change myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox.The UK’s sea level is rising faster than the global average and at an accelerating rate, scientists have warned in a study that also shows how climate change is making Britain hotter and wetter as extremes of weather “become the norm”.Sea levels have risen by 13.4cm in the UK since 1993, compared with a global average of 10.6cm, according to the annual state of the UK climate report published on Monday. Svetlana Jevrejeva, a scientist at the National Oceanography Centre and co-author…

Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for freeYour guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the worldDonald Trump’s second state visit to Britain will take place from September 17-19, Buckingham Palace has announced, in a programme that is likely to largely shield the US president from public and political protest.Trump will be hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle, just outside London and away from potentially hostile crowds that would more easily gather had he stayed in the centre of the capital at Buckingham Palace, which is being refurbished.The US president will not…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.The writer is a former cabinet secretaryLike many of his predecessors, Sir Keir Starmer is discovering that many obstacles to delivering the meaningful change that the electorate has asked for are hidden deep in the structures of our unplanned and often ill-conceived constitutional set-up.Economic progress, public service reform and governance improvements are all becoming fearsomely difficult — far more than they should be. It leaves prime ministers in power but not yet in control — a fair summary of Starmer’s first year.…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Chancellor Rachel Reeves will on Tuesday set out a vision for Britain’s financial services industry based on sound public finances and a regulatory system geared towards growth rather than eliminating risk.Reeves will tell City of London grandees in her Mansion House speech that she will not put at risk Britain’s economic “stability”, in spite of pressure from some Labour MPs for higher public spending and looser fiscal rules.An ally of the chancellor said she would announce plans to tear up “reams of…

This article is an on-site version of Free Lunch newsletter. Premium subscribers can sign up here to get the newsletter delivered every Thursday and Sunday. Standard subscribers can upgrade to Premium here, or explore all FT newslettersWelcome back. This week, as promised, I return to Britain and its mounting fiscal problems.Capital Economics estimates that UK chancellor Rachel Reeves may need to raise up to £24bn in the forthcoming autumn Budget to restore the buffer against her main fiscal rule to balance current spending by 2029/30.That figure includes around £6bn in shelved savings, following recent U-turns on plans to reduce welfare…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.China GDP figures for the first half of the year are published on Tuesday, providing the latest indication of whether US President Donald Trump’s trade war is weighing on the economy.Despite trade tensions and deflationary pressures, the country is widely expected to report a strong figure. A Bloomberg poll of economists still forecasts the country to grow 5.3 per cent in the first six months of 2025, in line with the government’s growth target “of around 5 per cent” for the year. But…

At Morelli’s ice cream parlour in Portrush, the face of golf champion Rory McIlroy beams down. Made entirely from multicoloured sugar sprinkles it is a good-luck charm for the local legend as one of the sport’s most prestigious tournaments comes to Northern Ireland.“Rory mania” is in full swing on hopes the newly crowned Masters champion will delight home fans at the Open in Royal Portrush next week. Asked who would win, caddie Jim Wilson had no doubt: “Rory, of course.”Whether McIlroy wins or loses, the tournament’s return to Northern Ireland promises a boost for the region’s economy, which was hit…