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  • NEWS STORY : UK And Gulf Agree Multi-Billion-Pound Trade Deal

    NEWS STORY : UK And Gulf Agree Multi-Billion-Pound Trade Deal

    STORY

    The UK has agreed a trade deal with the Gulf Cooperation Council which ministers say will be worth £3.7 billion a year to the economy in the long term. The agreement covers Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, making the UK the first G7 country to agree a trade deal with the bloc.

    The Government said the deal would remove tariffs on food exports, medical equipment and advanced manufacturing, while also including commitments on the free flow of data. Reuters reported that the agreement would remove 93% of GCC tariffs on British goods, with cars, aerospace, electronics and food and drink among the sectors expected to benefit.

    Trade Secretary Peter Kyle said the agreement would give exporters greater certainty at a time of regional instability. Campaign groups have criticised the absence of enforceable human rights provisions and raised concerns about investor protection arrangements, but ministers said the deal would not weaken UK environmental or data protection standards.

  • NEWS STORY : Files Raise Questions Over Andrew Trade Envoy Appointment

    NEWS STORY : Files Raise Questions Over Andrew Trade Envoy Appointment

    STORY

    Newly released Government documents have raised questions about the appointment of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as a UK trade envoy. The Guardian reported that ministers said there was no evidence of a formal due diligence or security vetting process when he was appointed to the role in 2001.

    The papers also show that Queen Elizabeth II was keen for Andrew to have a prominent role promoting national interests. Sky News reported that a briefing note said no one else had been approached for the role and that his value was considered to be the high profile and commitment he could provide as a member of the Royal Family.

    Andrew served as the UK’s special representative for international trade and investment between 2001 and 2011. The release of the documents follows parliamentary pressure for greater transparency over the appointment and wider scrutiny of his conduct while carrying out the public role.

  • NEWS STORY : Burnham Backs Electoral Reform Ahead Of By-Election

    NEWS STORY : Burnham Backs Electoral Reform Ahead Of By-Election

    STORY

    Andy Burnham has said he would support major electoral reform if he became Prime Minister, including changes intended to make politics less focused on party conflict and more focused on problem-solving. The Greater Manchester Mayor made the comments in an interview with BBC Radio Manchester as he campaigns as Labour’s candidate in the Makerfield by-election.

    Burnham has previously supported proportional representation for UK general elections and said the political system needed to become more place-led and long-term in its approach. He argued that politics in Britain was at risk of becoming broken unless power was shared more effectively and public trust was rebuilt.

    The Makerfield contest is due on 18 June and is expected to be one of the most significant by-elections of the Parliament. Burnham is seeking a return to Westminster before any possible Labour leadership challenge, while Reform UK is expected to make the seat a major test of Labour support in the north-west.

  • NEWS STORY : Streeting Calls For Capital Gains Tax Reform

    NEWS STORY : Streeting Calls For Capital Gains Tax Reform

    STORY

    Wes Streeting has called for capital gains tax to be brought into line with income tax as he continues to set out his case for Labour’s future direction. Reuters reported that the former Health Secretary said income made from owning assets should not be taxed less heavily than income earned from work.

    The proposal would mean higher capital gains tax rates than those currently charged, with Reuters reporting that Streeting’s plan could raise rates from 18% to 24% at present to as much as 40% or 45%, depending on a taxpayer’s income band. A study cited in the report estimated that such a change could raise around £12 billion a year.

    Streeting has said he would like to challenge Keir Starmer if there is a Labour leadership contest. His latest intervention comes as Andy Burnham also prepares for the Makerfield by-election, which is due to take place on 18 June and is expected to be closely watched by Labour MPs.

  • NEWS STORY : Net Migration Falls Sharply After Visa Rule Changes

    NEWS STORY : Net Migration Falls Sharply After Visa Rule Changes

    STORY

    Long-term net migration to the UK nearly halved in 2025, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics. Reuters reported that net migration fell to 171,000 in the 12 months to December, down from 331,000 a year earlier and well below the record peak of 944,000 in 2023.

    The fall follows a series of restrictions introduced by successive Governments, including tighter rules on student dependants, higher salary thresholds for skilled worker visas and limits on overseas recruitment into the care sector. The Labour Government has also set out further reforms, including changes to settlement rules and measures aimed at increasing removals.

    Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood (in photo) welcomed the fall but said there was more work to do to restore order and control to the immigration system. Business groups and immigration specialists have warned that sharp reductions in migration could add to labour shortages in sectors including care and hospitality.

  • NEWS STORY : Reeves Announces Summer Cost Of Living Package [May 2026]

    NEWS STORY : Reeves Announces Summer Cost Of Living Package [May 2026]

    STORY

    Rachel Reeves has announced a summer cost of living package including free bus travel for children and targeted food tariff cuts. The Treasury said children aged five to 15 will be able to travel free on participating local bus services in England throughout August, as part of the Government’s Great British Summer Savings Scheme.

    The Government also said it would launch a business engagement exercise on further targeted cuts to agri-food tariffs, including a planned suspension of tariffs on more than 100 types of products such as biscuits, chocolate, dried fruit and nuts. Ministers said the measures were intended to reduce pressure on household budgets during a period of higher prices linked to the conflict in Iran.

    Reeves said her priority was protecting households from rising costs and said the package would help families enjoy the summer. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said free bus travel would help children and families during the school holidays, while transport and passenger groups welcomed the measure as a way of supporting affordable public transport.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Newcastle recruiter, Lucien Ekamba-Elombe, made bankrupt after failing to pay council tax is sentenced for Covid fraud [May 2026]

    PRESS RELEASE : Newcastle recruiter, Lucien Ekamba-Elombe, made bankrupt after failing to pay council tax is sentenced for Covid fraud [May 2026]

    The press release issued by the Insolvency Service on 20 May 2026.

    Fraudster abused Covid support schemes and insolvency rules.

    • Lucien Ekamba-Elombe set up a phoenix company while bankrupt after failing to pay his council tax and hid his involvement behind an unwitting front man
    • He fraudulently claimed a £30,000 Covid Bounce Back Loan he had no right to and transferred thousands to his own account
    • Ekamba-Elombe also bought two properties using more than £190,000 of company money while banned as a director by a court

    A Newcastle recruitment consultant has been sentenced for a string of offences including Covid fraud, flouting director disqualifications and running a phoenix company while bankrupt.

    Lucien Ekamba-Elombe set up a recruitment firm under a similar name to his previous failed company while legally banned from doing so after failing to pay council tax.

    He secretly ran it through an unwitting front man to hide his involvement.

    The 50-year-old then fraudulently claimed a £30,000 Covid Bounce Back Loan he had no right to apply for, transferring more than £12,000 to his own account.

    He also carried on running the company even after being banned as a director by a court, helping himself to more than £190,000 of company money to buy two properties.

    Ekamba-Elombe, of Union Hall Road, was sentenced to 22 months in prison, suspended for two years, when he appeared at Newcastle Crown Court on Wednesday 20 May.

    He was also disqualified as a company director for seven years and ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid work.

    Ekamba-Elombe had previously pleaded guilty to the offences in October last year. A warrant was issued for his arrest after he failed to appear at court in February and he was apprehended in April.

    David Snasdell, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said:

    Lucien Ekamba-Elombe’s criminal actions were calculated, persistent and wide-ranging. This was a prolonged and deliberate course of offending that touched almost every aspect of insolvency law.

    Ekamba-Elombe abused Covid support funds, ran a phoenix company while bankrupt and carried on as if a director ban simply did not apply to him. He even used company money to buy properties for himself.

    Rooting out Covid fraudsters, cracking down on abusive phoenix companies and holding disqualified directors to account are all central to the Insolvency Service’s work – protecting honest businesses, creditors and the public from criminals such as Ekamba-Elombe who think the rules do not apply to them.

    Ekamba-Elombe was the director of United Recruitment and Employment Limited, which went into liquidation in January 2019. He was made bankrupt in July that year following non-payment of council tax.

    It is a criminal offence to act as a company director while bankrupt. However, Ekamba-Elombe ignored his bankruptcy and set up Unify Group Limited in September 2019.

    Unify Group Limited continued trading under a similar name to its insolvent predecessor, breaching the Insolvency Act 1986, which bans directors from reusing a company name to evade creditors after insolvency.

    Ekamba-Elombe concealed his involvement in the new company by appointing a nominee director who had no knowledge of the appointment.

    In December 2020, Ekamba-Elombe fraudulently obtained a £30,000 Bounce Back Loan for Unify Group Limited.

    By the end of the year, he had transferred more than £12,000 to his personal account across 16 transactions, with a further £8,000 paid to a company or individual in France with no known links to Unify Group Limited.

    Ekamba-Elombe was disqualified as a company director for five years in January 2022 following investigations into this misconduct at United Recruitment and Employment Limited.

    The disqualification prevented him from managing a company until 2027.

    However, he again ignored the restrictions placed on him, continuing to act as director of Unify Group Limited, even using company funds to finance the purchase of two properties.

    Insolvency Service investigations revealed that Ekamba-Elombe transferred more than £190,000 from the company to his personal account between June and October 2022.

    Funds were then transferred to the solicitors who conducted the conveyancing.

    The Insolvency Service is seeking to recover the fraudulently obtained funds under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

    Further information

    • Lucien Ekamba-Elombe is of Union Hall Road, Newcastle upon Tyne. His date of birth is 12 May 1976
  • Keir Starmer – 2026 Comments on Infected Blood

    Keir Starmer – 2026 Comments on Infected Blood

    The comments made by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, on 20 May 2026.

    We stand with the infected blood community to bear witness to the lives lost and those changed forever. As a nation, we must ensure the lessons of this scandal are never forgotten.

    I pay tribute to their extraordinary courage and dignity in their long fight for truth and justice, and extend my sincere thanks to the Infected Blood Memorial Committee for the care, compassion and dedication behind this service.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Memorial service to remember Infected Blood victims [May 2026]

    PRESS RELEASE : Memorial service to remember Infected Blood victims [May 2026]

    The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 20 May 2026.

    National memorial service held at St Paul’s Cathedral to remember Infected Blood victims.

    • A service of recognition, remembrance and reflection for the infected blood community will take place at St Paul’s today, on the eve of the second anniversary of the Infected Blood Inquiry reporting. 
    • The service has been designed by the Infected Blood Memorial Committee in consultation with the wider community.
    • The service will provide an opportunity to remember the harms, losses, and trauma faced by the community and the loved ones who have been lost.

    The thousands of individuals and families impacted by the Infected Blood scandal will be honoured today (Tuesday, 19 May 2026) at a national service of recognition, remembrance and reflection in St Paul’s Cathedral.

    The service has been planned by the Infected Blood Memorial Committee, which is made up of members of the infected blood community, and will be attended by state representatives and community supporters. 

    The Memorial Committee has invited those it wishes to witness the impact of the scandal so that it may never be repeated.

    The Prime Minister, The Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer, said:

    We stand with the infected blood community to bear witness to the lives lost and those changed forever. As a nation, we must ensure the lessons of this scandal are never forgotten.

    I pay tribute to their extraordinary courage and dignity in their long fight for truth and justice, and extend my sincere thanks to the Infected Blood Memorial Committee for the care, compassion and dedication behind this service.

    Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, The Rt Hon Nick Thomas-Symonds, said: 

    For decades, the infected blood community fought with extraordinary courage to uncover the truth and this service is about recognising the loss, trauma and harm faced by the community.

    I would like to thank the Infected Blood Memorial Committee for the time and dedication that has gone into organising the service. Their work on memorialisation, following the recommendations made by Sir Brian Langstaff, is vital to ensuring that this scandal is always remembered and its lessons never forgotten.

    The Chair of the Infected Blood Memorial Committee, Clive Smith, said: 

    Today’s service at St Paul’s is a long-overdue day for the contaminated blood community.  

    For the first time, representatives of the state will stand together with the community in a moment of national recognition, remembrance and reflection. Today, we remember and bear witness to the thousands impacted by this scandal.  

    We honour those who are no longer with us, those who cannot be with us, and those who continue to ensure the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS is never repeated.

    The service will be livestreamed for members of the community who are unable to attend in person. The service has been designed to be inclusive and interactive for the community. 

    The service will include:  

    • Symbolic empty chairs interspersed amongst the congregation to represent those no longer with us and those who are unable to be in attendance. 
    • A reading of names, where the entire congregation will be asked to read out the first name of a person put forward to be remembered and honoured together. 
    • A moment of silence as thousands of white, red and yellow petals fall from the Whispering Gallery.
    • A short address from Sir Brian Langstaff, Chair of the Inquiry. 
    • Hymns chosen by the community, and over 50 volunteers will light candles in remembrance.

    In addition to the St Paul’s Cathedral Consort (choir), Michael Ball is expected to perform Empty Chairs at Empty Tables, and the London Contemporary Voices Choir, who sang at the close of the Inquiry, will sing Emeli Sandé’s Read All About It.

    The service is about remembering the harms, losses, and trauma faced by the community, and making time for the community to come together to remember the loved ones who have been lost. 

    As well as delivering the commemorative events recommended by the Inquiry, the Infected Blood Memorial Committee continues to work to establish a national memorial. The Committee is also committed to supporting Infected Blood Memorials being built at Treloars School and in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. 

    The Committee expects to publish their first report in early 2027. This will set out the Committee’s recommendations to the Minister for the Cabinet Office on the location and principles behind the national memorial. These recommendations will be informed by their engagement with the community. 

    Tuesday, 19 May, marks the eve of the second anniversary of the Infected Blood Inquiry’s full report. The Inquiry examined how men, women and children treated by the National Health Service across the UK were given infected blood and blood products from the 1970s onwards.

    ENDS

    Notes:

    • The Infected Blood Inquiry, chaired by Sir Brian Langstaff, was set up in 2017 to examine the circumstances where men, women and children treated by the national health services in the UK were given infected blood and blood products, in particular since the 1970s. This has become known as the infected blood, or contaminated blood, scandal. This inquiry closed on 31st March 2026. 
    • The Infected Blood Memorial Committee has been established following the recommendations of Sir Brian Langstaff in the Infected Blood Inquiry Report in May 2024.
    • Recommendation 2 is “Recognising and remembering what happened to people”. Recommendation 2 reads:
    • 2a.  A permanent memorial be established in the UK and consideration be given to memorials in each of Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland. The nature of the memorial(s), their design and location should be determined by a memorial committee consisting of people infected and affected and representatives of the governments. It should be funded by the UK government.
    • 2b.  A memorial be established at public expense, dedicated specifically to the children infected at Treloar’s School. The memorial should be such as is agreed with those who were pupils at Treloar’s.
    • 2c.  There should be at least three events, approximately six months apart, drawing together those infected and affected, the nature and timing of which should be determined by a working party as described above, facilitated by some central funding.
    • This recommendation has been accepted in full by the UK Government, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive. This recommendation is being taken forward on a UK-wide basis.
    • The funding for this is separate from the money allocated to pay compensation.
  • PRESS RELEASE : Reeves to use Parliament to drive through power plants and infrastructure [May 2026]

    PRESS RELEASE : Reeves to use Parliament to drive through power plants and infrastructure [May 2026]

    The press release issued by HM Treasury on 20 May 2026.

    Chancellor announces further reforms on judicial review of major infrastructure projects.

    The Chancellor is expected to announce sweeping reforms that will give Parliament the authority to approve critical energy schemes and better protect infrastructure projects from judicial review.

    The proposed changes – on which a policy note is published today – are intended to reinforce the UK’s energy security, drive down consumer bills and support the government’s central mission of economic growth.

    The headline proposal would allow Parliament to designate and approve the most important clean energy projects as being of ‘Critical National Importance’ (CNI), reducing the exposure from judicial review on all but human rights grounds. This would help deliver the government’s commitment to accelerate new infrastructure development and drive growth, including much-needed projects like new power stations and offshore wind farms.

    For all other nationally significant infrastructure – including transport and water projects – the government will introduce a fixed legal challenge window, at the end of which the planning consent could be updated to address any legitimate issues.

    This would reduce the potential grounds for judicial review – and where any continue to be pressed, courts would be able to make use of existing reforms to deny permission where it was clear the claim was without merit. The law would also be changed to require the courts to refuse permission for a judicial review to proceed on any issues not brought up during the consenting period or in the challenge window – meaning that developers can then proceed with full confidence that no successive spurious challenges can be raised at a later stage.

    Taken together the reforms are set to build on protections already passed into law through the Planning and Infrastructure Act, as the government seeks to end the practice of serial meritless legal challenges clogging up the courts. Of 167 Development Consent Order decisions made since 2008, just six were quashed following a challenge – with many more failed processes costing developers, taxpayers and the economy billions in delays and wasted time.

    The new CNI route would apply exclusively to clean energy projects, reflecting the national urgency of the UK’s need to get off the fossil fuel rollercoaster. All other major infrastructure projects would benefit from the fixed-window route.

    The government is also expected to allow promoters of smaller energy projects to apply directly to the Planning Inspectorate, rather than having to go through local councils. This will support faster decision-making on important generation and transmission projects that all contribute to our country’s energy resilience.

    A Treasury spokesperson said:

    For too long, vital infrastructure delivery has been delayed by judicial reviews of projects the country needs. The Chancellor won’t stand for it any longer and is bringing forward bold changes to support delivery.

    She is clear that Parliament must take back control – to get Britain building the power plants, wind farms and grid connections that will bring bills down, strengthen our energy security, and deliver growth in every part of our country.

    Lord Banner KC, author of the Independent review into legal challenges against Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects said:

    I was pleased to see the Prime Minister act on the recommendations of my review into legal challenges of nationally significant infrastructure projects last year, and these reforms are already bearing fruit. It was however clear from the many people I spoke to in the course of that work and since that there is a strong case for going further if we are to meet the scale of our infrastructure challenge.

    These proposals, which draw on the democratic mandate of the legislature, are a further bold step, and I look forward to supporting their development ahead of the government bringing forward legislation.

    Robbie Owen, Partner, Pinsent Masons said:

    This initiative by the government is welcomed and chimes with the case made out during the passage of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill last year that Parliament should have a role in relation to the consenting of critical national infrastructure projects. I look forward to seeing the detail but giving Parliament the authority to approve critical energy schemes and better protecting infrastructure projects from judicial review is essential if we are to deliver these much-needed projects within the timescale required.

    John Myers, Director, YIMBY Alliance said:

    Britain can’t afford to keep losing years to legal challenges that delay clean energy and public transport for working people. These reforms should improve democratic participation and keep the courts open to genuine concerns while stopping spurious suits from driving up costs for the families who need this infrastructure built.

    Catherine Howard, Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer said:

    We’re already seeing results from the Government’s judicial reviews reforms. The dismissal of the Stonestreet Green Solar judicial review in just 4 months based on a court ruling of ‘totally without merit’, and yesterday’s dismissal of the Luton airport judicial review after it missed the new shorter timescales for appeals, have given a real boost to developer confidence. I applaud the Government’s action and ambition on judicial review.

    The ability for developers to choose to make applications direct to the Planning Inspectorate is greatly to be welcomed. We know that some councils are consistently making decisions which fail to apply Government policy, however clearly framed. The delay and cost this causes benefits no one. There is already a precedent for direct applications and swift and efficient decision-making by PINS where councils are in special measures. Expanding this right makes sense given the challenges and opportunities in the current political climate.

    David Lawrence, Co-founder, Centre for British Progress said:

    Judicial reviews to Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects have driven up the cost of building Britain’s energy infrastructure and delayed vital clean energy projects. The Chancellor’s reforms tackle these rising costs, protecting consumers from higher bills and accelerating the transition to British-made clean energy.

    Dhara Vyas, Chief Executive, Energy UK, said:

    Planning reform for clean energy is critical and still needs to strike a balance between a process that allows proper scrutiny of applications without unduly restricting the country’s ability to build the infrastructure necessary to strengthen our energy security, boost our economy, and help stop energy bills being at the mercy of global events. 

    We warmly welcome today’s announcement that builds on earlier pledges of reform in relation to the National Planning Policy Framework, the Planning and Infrastructure Act, and the Fingleton Review. Judicial Review will still have a vital role to play but in its intended purpose of ensuring the right legal process has been followed – rather than to re-examine the whole application again. These reforms will ensure fairness remains within the planning process while enabling the much-needed roll-out of clean energy infrastructure to be accelerated.

    More information

    Today’s announcement builds on a series of decisive steps the Government has already taken to reduce the scope for meritless legal challenges to delay critical infrastructure projects:

    The Planning and Infrastructure Act reduced the number of attempts a claimant can make to bring a legal challenge from three to one for meritless claims.

    Amendments to the Civil Procedure Rules, which came into effect in October 2025, tightened procedural requirements for nationally significant infrastructure project (NSIP) cases.

    Further procedural reforms announced in October 2025 set clear target timescales for NSIP cases in the High Court and Court of Appeal, with cases heard by judges with appropriate planning expertise.

    In response to the Fingleton Review, the Government has also committed to two further areas of reform: developing a government-backed indemnification scheme to give developers greater financial certainty when facing legal challenge; and extending NSIP judicial review reforms to other major planning regimes, including those under the Town and Country Planning Act.