Sterling has surged to $1.38 against the US dollar, its strongest level since October 2021, as a combination of US economic disruption, shifting interest rate expectations and geopolitical uncertainty weakens the greenback. Currency analysts said the move has been driven more by dollar softness than by a sudden strengthening of the pound, creating what some describe as a rare buying opportunity for consumers and businesses needing US currency. The rally follows heavy snowfall and ice...
Small British defence companies are set to gain easier access to Ministry of Defence contracts after the government launched a dedicated unit to simplify procurement and boost spending with smaller suppliers. The Ministry of Defence has unveiled the Defence Office for Small Business Growth, a new service designed to cut through what ministers describe as labyrinthine procurement processes that have historically shut small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) out of the defence market. Announcing the initiative,...
President Donald Trump paused during a restaurant stop in Iowa after a patron asked if he could pray for him ahead of the president’s remarks near Des Moines. Video shared on X by White House aide Margo Martin shows the moment unfolding inside the Machine Shed restaurant, where a man from the crowd addressed Trump directly. ‘Can I pray for you real quick?’ the man asked. ‘Absolutely! Come on. Let’s go,’ Trump replied, bowing his...
Sen. Ted Cruz called for the U.S. to arm Iranian protesters Tuesday as unrest continues inside the nation and Iran-backed militias issued threats against Washington. ‘We should be arming the protesters in Iran. NOW,’ Cruz wrote in a post on X. ‘For the Iranian people to overthrow the Ayatollah — a tyrant who routinely chants ‘death to America’ — would make America much, much safer,’ the Texas Republican added. Cruz was responding to another post...
A pair of Senate Republicans are demanding that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem lose her job in the wake of a pair of fatal shootings in the midst of the agency’s immigration operations in Minnesota. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., are no strangers to being critical of the Trump administration, and have again broken from their party in calling for Noem to either step aside or be fired by...
Peers have warned that the government’s proposed inheritance tax reforms covering pensions could place an unrealistic and potentially unmanageable burden on personal representatives, creating widespread delays, cashflow pressures and legal risk for those administering estates. In a report published today, the House of Lords Economic Affairs Finance Bill Sub-Committee examined the tax administration and practical implications of measures in the government’s Draft Finance Bill 2025–26. The inquiry focused on changes to the inheritance tax (IHT)...
The Transport Committee has called on the Government to seize “once-in-a-generation” opportunities to secure the future skills pipeline for the UK’s transport manufacturing sector, amid mounting shortages and the rapid shift to cleaner technologies. In a new report published today, MPs warn that manufacturers across aerospace, automotive, rail and maritime industries are struggling to access the skilled workforce they need at a time when the transition to net zero and advanced engineering is fundamentally reshaping...
Senate Republicans are marching forward with a massive funding package to avert a partial government shutdown, despite Senate Democrats doubling down on their resistance to the Homeland Security funding bill. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., on Tuesday teed up a key test vote for the six-bill package for Thursday. The move allows Senate Republicans time to hash out a deal with Senate Democrats, who are demanding several restrictions on the Department of Homeland Security...
A Minnesota fraud scandal is a ‘canary in the coal mine’ for how easily swindles can seep into government systems — including election administration — Republican election attorney Justin Riemer told Fox News Digital. ‘What you’ve seen happen in Minnesota and now similar fraudulent schemes in other states, this should be very much a canary in the coal mine for other governmental processes,’ Riemer told Fox News Digital in a Zoom interview in January. ‘Which...
President Donald Trump credits Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the one for training him to become a diplomat, comments that come as Rubio has increasingly secured more responsibility and influence over the president during the second Trump administration. Trump described Rubio’s guidance as he described his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping and shared an anecdote about how Xi requested that Trump stop referring to COVID-19 virus as the ‘China virus.’ According to Trump,...
