Reuters UK Domestic

By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) – Britain unveiled a new definition of extremism on Thursday in response to an eruption of hate crimes against Jews and Muslims since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, although critics said the change risked infringing on freedom of speech. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak warned that …

UK unveils new extremism definition amid rise in hate crimes against Jews, Muslims Read More »

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s housing market picked up in February but property surveyors said uncertainty over the Bank of England’s interest rates path could temper demand, a closely watched industry survey showed on Thursday. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) gauge of new buyer enquiries rose to a net balance of +6 last month, …

UK housing market strengthens in February, RICS survey shows Read More »

By Alistair Smout LONDON (Reuters) -British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Wednesday he accepted the remorse of his Conservative Party’s top donor after he was embroiled in a row over racism, while a minister suggested that the party might accept more money from him in the future. Frank Hester, who has given 10 million …

UK PM Sunak: top donor’s remorse should be accepted after race row Read More »

By David Milliken LONDON (Reuters) -Britain’s Conservative Party will need multiple five-year parliamentary terms to fulfil its ambition of scrapping the national insurance payroll tax, finance minister Jeremy Hunt said on Wednesday. “I can’t give you a timescale because this is going to be the work of many parliaments,” Hunt told a parliament committee when …

Scrapping payroll tax will take ‘many parliaments’, UK finance minister says Read More »

By James Davey LONDON (Reuters) – Clothing retailer Primark is set to expand its click & collect trial into more stores and possibly to markets beyond Britain, its boss said on Wednesday. Primark, unlike most of its rivals, does not offer home delivery but is trialling a click & collect service in 57 stores for …

Primark looking to expand click & collect trial Read More »

(Reuters) – UBS Global Research lowered its full-year growth forecast for the British economy on Wednesday to 0.2%, down from 0.6% expected previously. Britain’s economy returned to growth in January after entering a shallow recession in the second half of 2023, with gross domestic product (GDP) growing by 0.2% month-on-month. GDP had shrunk by 0.3% …

UBS slashes UK growth forecast to 0.2% for 2024 Read More »

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain will on Wednesday sign a memorandum of understanding on trade with Texas, the biggest U.S. state so far to agree to such a pact aimed at boosting investment. Britain is seeking state-level deals with U.S. states while talks over a Free Trade Agreement at a federal level have been frozen since …

Britain to sign biggest U.S. state-level trade pact yet with Texas Read More »

LONDON (Reuters) – Hundreds of innocent Post Office branch managers wrongly convicted of theft, fraud and false accounting as a result of flaws in an IT system will be exonerated by landmark legislation introduced on Wednesday, the British government said. The self-employed sub-postmasters at the state-owned Post Office – many of them at the heart …

Britain to quash wrongful Post Office convictions Read More »

LONDON (Reuters) -The biggest donor to Britain’s governing Conservative Party told colleagues that looking at the country’s longest-serving Black lawmaker made him “want to hate all Black women”, and that she “should be shot”, the Guardian newspaper reported. Frank Hester has given 10 million pounds ($12.8 million) to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s party in the …

UK Conservative donor spoke of hating ‘all Black women’, Guardian reports Read More »