Burnt Reynolds: The Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds in full action mode at British Steel in Scunthorpe on Tuesday © PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo
Following only the sixth time Parliament has sat on a Saturday since the Second World War, the blast furnaces at British Steel’s site in Scunthorpe have been secured, fuelled and – to the relief of the 2,700 workers at risk – given hope for the future. After emergency legislation was taken rapidly through Parliament at the weekend, and Chinese executives were reportedly blocked from entering the Scunthorpe plant by workers right before the debate was due to start, the Chinese Government criticised UK ministers for “politicising” the issue, arguing they should refrain from actions that may “impact the confidence of Chinese enterprises in going to the UK”. The Prime Minister celebrated the Government-takeover, arguing “British steel will be the backbone as we get Britain building once more”, and the Business Secretary confirmed it is “likely” the company will be nationalised, as a partner in the private sector seems unlikely to be found, given the huge losses it is making (reportedly £700,000 per day since 2023...). After a tense few days, during which the raw materials required to keep the blast furnaces running this week were sat just a few miles away at Immingham Dock waiting to be paid for, Jonathan Reynolds confirmed on Tuesday the materials had been purchased and transported to the site, whilst new management had been installed.
The Supreme Court ruled the legal definition of a woman refers to their biological sex this week, in the conclusion of a long-running legal battle that began with the SNP Government’s Gender Representation on Public Boards (Scotland) Act 2018. The implied definition of women within the Act, which included transgender people in the definition of men and women, was challenged by the campaign group For Women Scotland, but upheld in the Scottish courts in 2022. The unanimous decision of the Supreme Court this week was a surprise to many campaign groups, who had predicted judges would kick the issue back to politicians to define. As part of its ruling, the Supreme Court stated that transgender people are still protected from discrimination under the law, but argued that it would not be possible for a person responsible for single-sex facilities to distinguish between those who have a Gender Recognition Certificate and those who do not, given the confidentiality and disclosure issues around the Scottish Government’s GRCs. The Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission has argued the ruling will have “significant implications for the interpretation of Britain’s equality laws” and stated it will update its guidance on single sex spaces as a matter of urgency and support public bodies and others put them into practice.
2.6% – UK inflation for the year to March, down from 2.8% in February, although the Bank of England expects this to jump to as high as 3.6% next month, in part due to the impact of US tariffs
8,064 – number of people who have crossed the Channel in small boats so far this year, the highest record yet
£54,718 – amount Keir Starmer paid in income tax last year, while Rachel Reeves paid £24,215 and Angela Rayner paid £21,514
4.4% – current unemployment rate in the UK
15 – number of people charged with betting offences in relation to the date of last year’s General Election, including former MP Craig Williams
£120m – extra aid for Sudan announced by the Foreign Secretary at a summit in London to mark the 2nd anniversary of the beginning of the civil war
£2,540 – price of gold per ounce, which hit the new high on Wednesday as investors flocked to the safer asset amid tariff-induced turmoil across global stock markets
The Government made a second £752m payment to Ukraine through the Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration Loans for Ukraine scheme. The funding will support Ukraine to 'procure vital military equipment, including urgently needed air defence'. The loan will be paid for through the profits of sanctioned Russian sovereign assets in the EU, and forms part of the wider £2.26bn loan agreed between the Chancellor and Ukraine Finance Minister Marchenko in March.
Sir Thomas Drew has been appointed the UK’s Ambassador to France. The diplomat of 30 years’ experience has a notable background in intelligence, national security and counter-terrorism, and has previously worked in both Moscow and Islamabad during his career to date. He is due to take over from Dame Menna Rawlings in August this year.
Bangladesh has issued an arrest warrant for Labour’s Tulip Siddiq MP as part of its Anti-Corruption Commission probe into whether Siddiq benefitted financially from the rule of her aunt Sheikh Hasina, who was deposed as prime minister of Bangladesh last year. Under the UK’s extradition rules for Bangladesh, prima facie evidence to support the request must be provided in order for it to be considered. The former Economic Secretary to the Treasury, who resigned in January this year, said this week she is the “victim of a politically motivated smear campaign”.
The Treasury has given UK Export Finance a £20bn boost to expand financial support for British businesses, with small businesses also able to access loans of up to £2 million through the British Business Bank’s Growth Guarantee Scheme. This boost 'reaffirms the Government's commitment to free and open trade, and means an £80bn boost for businesses.' The UKEF will also offer businesses partial loan guarantees through more flexible uses of its Export Development Guarantee; and the British Business Bank will expand its Growth Guarantee Scheme by £500m under its new powers.
Lib Dem MP for Bath Wera Hobhouse was denied entry to Hong Kong and flown back to the UK last week after arriving with her husband to visit her newborn grandson. The MP, who has been a critic of China and one of 40 reported members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, has been accused by the Hong Kong Government of not complying with an Immigration Officer, which she denies. Foreign Minister Douglas Alexander MP has called it “deeply concerning” and raised the issue with Chinese authorities on a visit to the country this week.
Reform UK lead in voting intention for the upcoming local elections in the North and Midlands, according to the latest polling by Survation. Of the ‘likely voters’ surveyed in their most recent regional polling, Reform UK topped local election intention with the backing of 29% of voters, followed by the Conservatives, taking 24%, and then Labour on 20%. It’s even better news for Reform UK when looking at voting intention for a general election, as 30% of those surveyed in the North and Midlands said they would vote for Farage’s Party, creeping ahead of Labour, on 27%.
Public support for tackling climate change seems to be diminishing, according to YouGov’s latest polling to mark Earth Hour, coming up next Tuesday. The poll found that while 67% people accept that the effects of climate change are worsening due to human activity, 29% believe that the Government should decrease its climate spending commitments, compared to only 17% who believe this should be increased. Moreover, the poll found that even amongst people that voted for the Green Party in last year’s general election, only 51% of them see the environment as a top issue (for context, this is in comparison to the 89% of Reform UK voters identifying immigration as a top issue).
The NHS’ 10-year Health Plan must be ‘ruthlessly focussed on the ‘how’ of reform’ concluded the IPPR’s report on transforming the NHS published this week. The report made several recommendations for the health service, including: introducing a bold plan for change to ensure that there is a ‘coordinated approach to reform’ including more clarity on goals and identifying the best way to coordinate levers to achieve them; establishing levers for reform in order to shore up performance without driving long-term transformation through regulation that improves targets, competition and choice; and introducing new levers to empower staff and patients to drive reform, through further devolution, strengthening the voice of patients and redistributing management and leadership following the dissolution of NHS England.
Leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell appeared to make an abrupt portfolio shift when she launched $HCC (House of Commons Coin, obviously) on X earlier this week. Sadly for crypto enthusiasts, the announcement turned out to be the result of Powell’s account being hacked, with the culprits promoting “a community-driven digital currency bringing people’s power to the blockchain”. The posts were quickly deleted – but the internet is forever. No one knows that better than former Naked Attraction contestant, Connor Rouse, who, after bearing it all on the show, is contesting a by-election for a seat on North Norfolk District Council.
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Nope, its Defence Committee Chair Tan Dhesi! While popstars and television hosts were on the first all-female space flight (which lasted a grand total of 11 minutes), Dhesi opted for a zero-gravity simulator at the Farnborough International Space Show. Tragically, Oprah and the Kardashians were unable to attend.
And finally… if you’ve missed the AI action figure craze that everyone and their dog has taken a stab at over the past week, congratulations for automatically having a higher Easter recess productivity-level than half of Westminster. Here are a few of our faves that politicians (or perhaps their bored staff?) have come up with…featuring: Peter Kyle MP, Jo Stevens MP, Ed Davey MP and Josh Babarinde MP (both courtesy of Young Liberals), James Evans MS, Dawn Butler MP, Joshua Reynolds MP, Andrew Leigh MP, Nigel Farage MP and Samuel Kurtz MS.
