We’re so often told that a week is a long time in politics, but this week feels particularly protracted. We began with Keir Starmer delivering a statement to the Commons, accusing officials of deliberately withholding information from him relating to the vetting of Peter Mandelson, and we finished it with Pentagon emails suggesting that Washington might re-evaluate its position on Britain’s claim over the Falkland Islands.

With Trump illustrating once more his inherent unreliability, and the EU enjoying an Orbán-free world by signing off on the €90bn loan to Ukraine, many people now believe it is time to talk about EU membership. You might be one of them, with over 1,500 supporters having sent Best for Britain’s report, ‘Is it time to talk about EU membership?’ to their MP.

Another was the former permanent secretary for the Department for Exiting the European Union, Sir Philip Rycroft, whose op-ed in the Times welcoming Best for Britain’s research sparked fury from both Liz Truss and Nigel Farage. They say if Liz Truss is against something, it’s probably an idea worth considering…

Vet Office

When former permanent secretary to the Foreign Office Sir Olly Robbins took his place at the foreign affairs select committee, Westminster held its breath. Would the civil servant provide the fatal blow to Keir Starmer’s teetering premiership?

In the end, Robbins’ testimony confirmed that the Foreign Office felt as though it was under intense pressure from No10 to approve the appointment of the ‘Prince of Darkness’. The former permanent secretary defended his former department, arguing that Downing Street had a “dismissive” attitude to the vetting process and that an “atmosphere of pressure” was subsequently created.

The next question facing the committee and the country at large is: who was the perpetrator operating out of the Prime Minister’s office? A clue may have been provided when Emily Thornberry, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, summoned Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff, and close Mandelson ally, Morgan McSweeney to testify before the committee next week. McSweeney, notorious for his lack of public statements or appearances, will become the centre of a political storm for which he accepted responsibility upon resigning earlier this year.

The scandal has refused to be ejected from the Prime Minister’s orbit and has hastened conversations about his own resignation. Labour MP for Hartlepool Jonathan Brash told GB News that the PM ought to resign with the country becoming “consumed by the psychodrama”. Elsewhere, cabinet minister Ed Miliband agreed that Mandelson should never have been appointed.

With atmospheric pressure building over Westminster, will next week bring Storm Morgan to further rain on the Prime Minister’s parade?

Turn back the clocks

Sir Philip Rycroft, the former permanent secretary to the Department for Exiting the European Union, cited Best for Britain’s latest research in a thought-provoking op-ed for the Times this week. Rycroft argued that:

“It’s not hard to see why we might be falling out of love with Brexit. None of the heady promises of the various Leave campaigns have quite landed. Most economic analysis suggests that we have taken a significant hit to GDP as a result of leaving the single market.”

It is unusual for former senior civil servants to be so outspoken about such politically charged matters, and the fact that Rycroft worked so closely on the mechanics of Brexit only adds weight to his argument. The former civil servant, highlighting Best for Britain’s polling, said given that a majority of left-leaning voters are in favour of EU membership, the political advantage for Labour of talking about membership is clear.

If you agree with Sir Philip that the time to talk about EU membership is now, will you use our tool to send the report to your MP letting them know that their constituent believes it is time to begin a national conversation about EU membership?

Alternatively, will you send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper by going to this page and following the instructions?

A new dawn

The Orbán-induced delay to the EU’s €90bn loan to Ukraine finally came to an end this week after the agreement was signed on Thursday. Belligerents Hungary and Slovakia dropped their objections on Wednesday after Ukraine reopened oil pipes to both countries. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the approval, saying that “today is an important day for our defence and for our relations with the European Union”.

The end of the deadlock is perhaps the first substantive evidence of the post-Orbán dividend for Ukraine and illustrates why the Kremlin was so keen to avoid the former Hungarian Prime Minister’s removal from office.

Guns or Russia

One week on from losing their closest ally in the EU, the Kremlin might have hoped that the election of Bulgaria’s new Moscow-friendly Prime Minister would offer a potential new disruptor-in-chief.

Unfortunately for Putin, and fortunately for the rest of Europe, the freshly elected Rumen Radev will be under much stricter constraints than Viktor Orbán. As the poorest member state in the European Union, the Balkan nation has become heavily reliant on grants from the EU, the US, Japan, and others.

​​Then there is Bulgaria’s defence industry. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, a third of the weapons transferred to Kyiv by the EU has come from Bulgaria, as Sofia rejuvenates a defence industry that has historically been the main driving force behind its economy. Given Bulgaria’s reliance on EU funding and the prospect of further geopolitical and economic opportunities through the EU’s SAFE funding mechanism, diplomats in Brussels appear less concerned about the potentially disruptive influence of the new Russian-friendly regime.

Read our full blog here.

The Emperor, the King, and the penguins

We turn now to the latest manic flip-floppery that goes on in Donald Trump’s brain from one minute to the next. For all the twists and turns of last week, one thing remains clear: Iran and the US appear no closer to reaching a deal to end this futile and damaging war. If that wasn’t bad enough, rumours abound that he’s turning his attention to Cuba.

The volatile nature of the White House, and in particular our ‘special’ relationship, has been on full show. On Thursday, the BBC reported that during a phone call with its reporter Sarah Smith, the US President said the King was “fantastic” and that his visit could repair the UK-US relationship, but warned the Prime Minister would need to change tack on his immigration policy.

Fast forward to Friday, an eternity in Trump land, and a leaked email from the Pentagon seemingly suggested a review of Washington’s position on Britain’s claim to the islands, in an apparent attempt to punish fellow NATO members for their perceived inaction during the Iran war. At least there won’t be any shortage of talking points for King Charles to choose from this week, when his four-day tour begins on Monday.

Elsewhere in Parliament this week, in a quieter committee room, William Bain, head of trade policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, and John Foster from the CBI were questioned by Lords on the potential benefits of an SPS deal with the EU.

Foster suggested that a deep SPS deal could be one of “the most impactful interventions that the government can deliver… because of the sheer volume of frictions introduced since Brexit”. Bain highlighted that the deal could add up to £18bn to the UK economy annually.

Over at Chatham House, speaking at an event that dispensed with the eponymous rules, Chair of the Business and Trade Committee Liam Byrne MP suggested the Labour Party will hold a debate on whether a commitment to a new referendum will feature in the next election’s manifesto.

Byrne argued, taking inspiration from our latest publication, that British politics has now settled into two blocs: the progressive pro-European left and the Eurosceptic right. He argued that Labour has recognised that “the key to consolidating the progressive bloc in British politics is leaning into a closer relationship with the EU“.

From Scotland with love

This week on Substack, Kenny Campbell provides an in-depth look at the state of Scottish politics ahead of the upcoming Holyrood elections on May 7th. The latest MRP poll on the elections, released by YouGov predicts that the SNP will win a wafer-thin two seat majority and secure their fifth consecutive term in office.

“Do you lean into a messy, interdependent world and try to shape it? Or do you pretend you can stand apart from it, and hope it doesn’t notice as things break?

The Holyrood elections won’t settle that question. They’re not designed to. But they show voters are thinking about it, and that they care deeply about politicians’ views on international matters, even if those matters are beyond the scope of their devolved parliament.”

Subscribe now

Cheerful News of the Week

Wildlife lovers everywhere will be inspired by 10-year-old Evie, who made headlines this week for rescuing an injured axolotl from a river in Wales while on holiday with her family. The endangered amphibian, now named Dippy, was discovered in the River Ogmore in Bridgend, south Wales.

And the BBC reported that the find was the “first documented discovery of an axolotl in the wild in the UK with only 50 to 1,000, external left globally, according to experts”.

Watch the heartwarming clip here.

@thetimesAt the local elections in May, Reform had secured 23 out of 57 council seats from a standing start and managed to form a minority administration under the councillor Rob Howard. When Howard stood down for health reasons, George Finch became the youngest council leader in British history. Days spent chairing meetings, appearing in front of scrutiny committees and splitting a £500m budget between the likes of potholes, social care and special educational needs provision may not be most 19-year-olds’ idea of fun. But Finch gives the overwhelming impression of a man who is enjoying himself greatly. The 19-year-old Reform council leader George Finch stars on the Young Power List 2026 alongside a new generation of young British talent. In an exclusive interview, he talks about fighting the system. “We want Nigel to be prime minister! In a way it is two fingers up to the establishment — we’ve done it. That’s what I’m excited about, getting him in office” #reform#localelections #council #politics

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Spot the difference…

The hotly debated stateside visit of King Charles will finally kick off on Monday. Expect to see sycophantic idolisation from Trump and a rather rosy-faced monarch. Over in SW1, Morgan McSweeney faces the crosshairs of Emily Thornberry’s ongoing investigation into the Mandelson shambles. Do grab your popcorn.

As May begins, we are well and truly into election season. With the SNP and Plaid favourites in Scotland and Wales respectively, and the Greens and Reform UK likely to make significant gains across England, we’ll be watching closely and bringing you the latest.

Have a good one,

Joshua Edwicker

Senior Content Officer

Best for Britain

It’s been a jam-packed week for us here at Best for Britain.

I know, I always say that, but this week our whole team has been flat-out, working towards the launch of our new report on public attitudes to the UK’s future relationship with the EU. The research, titled 'Is it time to talk about EU membership?', which immediately gained national news coverage, breaking in the Financial Times, the Guardian and the i Paper.

Elsewhere, Péter Magyar’s victory in Hungary emboldens us in our call to prioritise Europe: the Kremlin's loss is the European Union's gain. But the UK, as the IMF reported earlier in the week, remains isolated and particularly vulnerable to global economic shocks. It has never been clearer that now is the time to talk about EU membership.

Read on for more about our new report’s findings and what you can do to push forward the national conversation on whether the UK needs to start seriously thinking about EU membership…

Fancy seeing EU here!

On Friday morning, Best for Britain held the launch for our latest report ‘Is it time to talk about EU membership?’. A star-studded panel, chaired by Guardian columnist Zoe Williams, featured our CEO Naomi Smith and Director of Policy Tom Brufatto, alongside former Labour leader Neil Kinnock, Director of UK in a Changing Europe Professor Anand Menon, and polling whiz Professor Sir John Curtice. They shared - and dissected - our findings with a packed out room in Westminster. One particular highlight came from the former Labour leader’s proclamation that “our special relationship has to be with our friends in Europe”. Neil, we couldn’t agree with you more.

Naomi Smith, Chief Executive of Best for Britain, said:

“We’ve crunched the numbers to assess the relative economic merit and political pain of each of the alternatives, and it’s plain to see little appetite exists for the halfway houses of a customs union or single market entry, relative to the resounding and deeply felt support for EU membership.

“Lengthy negotiations accompany all of these options, but its only membership that provides both the economic boon and the political safety net to fend off the concerns around sovereignty swiftly exploited by the faux-patriots on the right.”

The report details the findings of our polling and analysis and argues that if the current UK-EU reset fails to deliver the economic benefits that this country desperately needs, then the only politically viable alternative is to seek membership of the EU. After the UK government’s compromise position, the UK becoming a full member of the EU is the most popular policy option. Around half of all voters (53%) would support UK membership of the EU, with a third (32%) opposed.

And taking YouGov polling data, our report finds full EU membership is the only option that unites the support of progressive voters - those supporting Labour, the Lib Dems, and the Greens. Membership of the EU is also the option that would provide the most economic growth of any of the possible UK-EU relationship models. Crucially, unlike a UK-EU customs union, or joining the EU Single Market, membership of the EU would also restore the UK’s status as a decision maker, rather than a rule-taker, in Europe and put UK representation on the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Neil Kinnock, former leader of the Labour Party and Vice-President of the European Commission, said:

“With an erratic US President playing war-games with all our lives, as he launches inflation-spiking conflict across the globe, it is now more obvious than ever that our ‘special relationship’ has to be with our neighbours in our continent where the UK can have the power to share decisions and exert proper influence.

“Recognition of that rational economic, political and security reality is gaining increasing public support, as this report shows. It is the patriotic course, will bring electoral appeal, and most importantly, it will serve the future and its rising generations.”

Call to action

A couple of weeks ago, our Director of Campaigns Cal Roscow told you we’d be coming to you and asking again for your support. That starts now. We want to make sure that as many MP’s and as many people across the country hear loud and clear that it’s time to start talking about EU membership.

But we cannot do that without you.

We are asking you to do two very important things, with each only taking a couple of minutes to complete.

First, will you use our tool to send the report to your MP letting them know that their constituent believes it is time to begin a national conversation about EU membership?

Send the report to your MP

Second, will you send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper by going to this page and following the instructions? We want to see as many letters in as many newspapers across the UK as possible.

Will you lead the charge in driving this conversation at such a critical time for our country and our future?

Send a letter to your local paper

Thank you. Together, we will put EU membership back on the table. The time to be afraid of mentioning, let alone fixing, Brexit is over.

Super Magyar-ity

Péter Magyar’s victory in the Hungarian elections has strengthened the EU, Ukraine, and of course Hungary, while embarrassing both the Kremlin and the White House. You can’t get much better than that…

For years, Orbán has delayed and blocked vital EU aid to Ukraine, most recently vetoing last month’s €90bn loan. Kyiv will now hope to receive that money swiftly. The thawing of tensions between Brussels and Budapest will hopefully also unlock €17bn in EU funds withheld due to concerns over the former regime’s alleged corruption.

With the frozen funds equal to around ten percent of Hungarian GDP, the new Prime Minister will be hoping the EU moves with speed similar to his decision to call for the removal of the Hungarian President and the shutting down of the Orbán mouthpiece state news.

Putin emerged as the biggest loser of the evening. Moscow will be ruing the removal of its closest ally from the nerve centre of NATO and Europe. The loss will be an embarrassment to Washington too. A torrid week for US Vice-President JD Vance began with a negotiating failure in Islamabad and ended with confirmation that his visit to Hungary had been similarly unsuccessful.

That both Moscow and Washington were such avid supporters of the same candidate speaks volumes for how the global order has been redefined. Make no mistake: this was not just a defeat for an autocratic ruler, but a knockback for a whole ideology.

Read the full blog

Strait down

The impact of the US-Iran conflict came into clearer focus this week as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) downgraded the UK’s growth forecast by 0.5%, falling from 1.3% to 0.8% expected growth for 2026. The news will be disappointing for the Chancellor’s search for economic growth.

The UK is the worst affected of all major economies, highlighting how sensitive to energy price changes Britain remains as a net energy importer (perhaps the Chancellor should read our latest report that suggests one big way of achieving growth through membership of the EU).

Thankfully for Rachel Reeves and us all, on Friday afternoon, President Trump took to his Truth Social platform to announce that the Strait of Hormuz is “COMPLETELY OPEN AND READY FOR BUSINESS” for the remainder of the ceasefire. The price of oil subsequently crashed to $83 a barrel at the time of writing, and stock markets across Europe and the US surged as traders tentatively look ahead to a return to relative normality.

Fingers crossed this latest update lasts longer than some of the others…

He’s not the messiah, he’s a very naughty boy!

Is the Pope Catholic? That was the question being asked by JD Vance earlier this week. Well, not quite, but the Veep did question the head of the Catholic Church’s grasp of theology, in a bizarre statement.

Vance’s comments came shortly after President Trump uploaded (then swiftly deleted) an image of himself seemingly taking the place of Jesus Christ and posted a blistering attack on the American pontiff as “weak on crime” and “terrible on foreign policy”. The outburst from the White House appears to have backfired as the Christian wing of the Republican Party has recoiled in shock.

Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, previously a staunch MAGA ally, sided with Pope Leo XIV and called Trump’s comments “unacceptable”. Trump, seemingly surprised that in a battle between himself and the literal Pope for an Italian Prime Minister’s affections, the Pope would win, turned on Meloni and labelled her “unacceptable” in return. Brace for new tariffs on rigatoni.

Rob-binned

The most senior Foreign Office civil servant, Sir Olly Robbins, has been fired by Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper after it was revealed that disgraced thorn in a succession of Labour PM’s sides since the 1990s, Peter Mandelson, had failed his security vetting process but was still appointed UK ambassador to the US.

A Guardian exposé alleges the Foreign Office overruled the vetting decision and allowed him to take up the ambassadorship regardless. The government says the Prime Minister was unaware that Mandelson had failed his vetting and only found out this week. The revelation reopens a damaging can of worms for Starmer and has led to the leaders of all major parties calling for the PM to resign. For his part, the Labour leader has spoken of his fury at not being told by the Foreign Office, labelling the decision not to tell him “staggering” and “unforgivable”.

An investigation has been ordered by No. 10 so it seems inevitable that we’ll be back with yet more news and revelations involving Mandelson very soon and, seemingly, over and over forever.

The Financial Times’ write up of our new report focused on analysis by polling guru John Curtice who argued that “it’s not obviously to Labour’s advantage to be trying to play footsie with Brexit politics and take halfway-house positions on the issue”.

Curtice pointed to evidence in the report that membership of the EU would galvanise support for Labour on the left as consistent with other polling trends that have seen the government shedding voters to the Greens and Liberal Democrats at “twice the rate” than to Reform UK.

FT Brexit expert Peter Foster noted that since last May’s UK-EU summit, the Labour government has “signalled its intention to move closer to Brussels in a series of high-profile speeches”. Foster argues our report is likely to lead to fresh calls from Labour MPs to take a more ambitious line when it comes to Europe.

Will you send our report to your MP telling them that it is time to talk about EU membership?

Number crunching

Over the last two weeks, the Best for Britain Wire has shared two brilliant pieces by Cambridge University student Jamie Wade.

The first, a fascinating look ahead to last Sunday’s Hungarian elections, and the second a deep dive into the data behind Magyar’s victory. A big thanks to Jamie - and a reminder that we’re always on the lookout for new and interesting contributions.

Cheerful News of the Week

Analysis by the thinktank Ember has found that battery costs have fallen to such a great extent that solar power is now a much more feasible option. Critics of wind and solar have long cited their intermittency as a reason to doubt whether renewables could fully take over from fossil fuels.

However, Ember argues that the new battery technology already means that India, one of the largest energy consumers in the world, could meet up to 90% of its energy needs through solar. Did someone say sunlit uplands?

A who’s who of disappointed right-wing populists. Drink it in. Seeing some of the most divisive people fail will never fail to bring a smile to your face.

It is a happy birthday (kind of) to the European Union today, with the institution reaching its 75th anniversary. Three-quarters of a century ago, the precursor to the EU - the European Coal and Steel Community - was set up by the Treaty of Paris. With steel still a hot topic in Brussels, not much has changed…

This Sunday the Bulgarian people will head to the polls in an election already mired in controversy, with accusations of electoral fraud and rampant disinformation. Rumen Radev, a pro-Kremlin former President, is currently leading in the polls. Perhaps one in, one out for Russia?

Here in Blighty, Tuesday marks the 100th anniversary of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s birth, and on Thursday the quarterly trade stats are released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace is observed. Could someone let the White House know?

Have a wonderful weekend.

Joshua Edwicker

Senior Content Officer
Best for Britain

It has been a hectic week. The goodwill surrounding the Artemis II moon expedition launch was quickly diminished, with focus returning to the US-Israel war in Iran, after Donald Trump threatened if a deal was not reached, “an entire civilisation would die”.

Such a casual allusion to genocide by a sitting US Commander-in-Chief is deeply disturbing and yet another sign that our future on these islands rests with our allies across the Channel - and not in Washington.

Despite a ceasefire being agreed, Israel has continued to rain terror on the people of Lebanon. Amid important discussions about fuel prices and the cost of living here in the UK, it is vital we keep the innocent civilians worst affected by this - unnecessary - conflict foremost in our minds.

Elsewhere, we look ahead to the crunch Hungarian election on Sunday, report on the latest bout of Russian espionage, and catch up on the Artemis II ‘splashdown’.

Read on and enjoy!

Ayatolled ya so

What began in Iran over a month ago with seemingly no plan and no objective has, to the surprise of absolutely no one, ended (for now) as a devastating strategic defeat for the US. The last-minute intervention by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif led to Iran and the US agreeing to a two-week conditional ceasefire, under which the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened.

Iran’s proposed ten-point plan for peace includes the complete cessation of conflict in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen, the lifting of sanctions on the country, and the release of frozen Iranian assets.

Trump has been lambasted by former MAGA allies from the very outset of the war, including conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, former Fox host Tucker Carlson, and former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The anger amongst many isolationist Republicans represents the largest split in the coalition that has twice elected Trump President. If this ceasefire does mark the end of the conflict, then the US leaves it in a much weaker position than at the beginning of the war.

America’s allies have turned away and condemned the initiation and continuation of the war. On Friday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer placed Trump alongside Putin when criticising the President for the way his reckless actions have driven up prices for Brits.

“I’m fed up with the fact that families across the country see their bills go up and down on energy, businesses’ bills go up and down on energy, because of the actions of Putin or Trump across the world, and saying to families across the country, saying to businesses across the country, ‘we’ve just got to … put up with being on the international market.”

Trump’s actions also cast doubt over the US-Gulf relationship. With China keen to expand its influence in the region, America may no longer be seen as the foremost ally there. For Iran, the war has devastated its infrastructure, killed its former leader, and claimed the lives of thousands of civilians. Yet, in surviving the onslaught from America and Israel and asserting dominance over the Strait of Hormuz, the Iranian regime will claim this as a victory for the new Ayatollah…

Brought to Heal-ey

Defence Secretary John Healey held an explosive press conference on Thursday, accusing Russia of operating a covert submarine operation targeting Britain’s cables and pipelines. Healey revealed that Britain and Norway had been tracking what are known as GUGI submarines. These vessels are tasked with “deep sea research”, but their work is so secretive that they report only to Putin and Defence Minister Andrey Belousov.

GUGI specialises in underwater sabotage, and Healey stressed that their presence was a reminder of the constant threat the Kremlin continues to pose to the UK. The Defence Secretary lambasted the 14 years of Tory mismanagement of the armed forces and the navy, admitting that the UK was some way from where it needed to be in this new and more dangerous world.

Orbán out?

On Sunday, millions of Hungarians head to the polls in one of the most consequential elections in the country’s democratic history. Viktor Orbán received a planned visit from Vice President JD Vance earlier this week, as both the US and Russia pile their support behind the far-right leader of Hungary. Orbán has overseen a period of democratic backsliding in Hungary and is held up as a model by populists across the world.

The government controls roughly 80% of the country’s media and has spent much time and money distributing food packages to prospective voters. However, independent pollsters have given opposition leader Péter Magyar’s Tisza party a 9% lead over Orbán’s Fidesz party. A defeat for Orbán would not just offer Hungary a chance at greater liberty, free up financing for Ukraine and reintegrate the country into the European project: it would send a signal to the global far-right that democracy can still operate under pressure. If Orbán wins, Hungary may have taken another step towards authoritarianism. We’ll be watching this one even more closely than usual.

Elsewhere on our Substack we have an explainer post digging deeper into what to expect this weekend - and come back next week to unpack the results.

Gone West

The drama over the decision by Wireless Festival to choose Kanye West to headline their festival was - thankfully - over as quickly as it began. In a rare act of decisiveness, the PM chose to bar the rapper from entering the UK due to the vile array of antisemitic statements and actions he has previously made.

After it was announced West would not be allowed into the country, festival organisers confirmed the whole event would be cancelled and tickets refunded. Over the weekend, Keir Starmer said that it was “deeply concerning” that West had been booked by Wireless given his “celebration of Nazism”.

RFK Jr risks us all

On Substack this week a fantastic piece from Kenny Campbell marking World Health Day and the need for us all to do more than simply ‘stand with science’.

In the face of vaccine sceptics and misinformation advocates elected to the highest of offices, as Kenny puts it:

Over twice as many haulage companies have folded since Brexit as in the five years prior. Since Brexit in 2021, haulage companies have faced greater costs and bureaucracy in moving goods across the UK-EU border. With trade intensity with the EU down by roughly 15%, there is also simply less demand for their services.

The collapse of the haulage industry raises concerns about inflationary pressures stemming from the Iran war being further compounded. Senior figures in the industry are also worried by the upcoming introduction of the EU’s Entry/Exit System, with 80% of operators expecting their business to decrease further, according to the Road Haulage Association.

Cheerful News of the Week

Artemis II has safely splashed down back on Earth overnight. The four-person crew has successfully ventured further into the starry night than any who came before them.

At a time of such geopolitical tension, isolationism, and division, we hope that the collaborative nature of this mission and the experience of seeing the world in its borderless totality from the rear-view mirror can inspire something positive in humankind.

If you missed it, one moving moment came as the crew announced their decision to name a crater on the moon ‘Carroll’ after Commander Reid Wiseman’s late wife, and mother of their two daughters.

“It’s a bright spot on the moon, and we would like to call it Carroll,” mission specialist Jeremy Hansen said. Watch it and weep.

Just incredibly painful viewing…

Next week, MPs put down their Easter eggs and pick up their white and green papers as they rush (or hobble) back from recess and restart another week of Parliamentary action. Next Saturday also marks the 75th Anniversary of the Treaty of Paris, which established the European Coal and Steel Community, the precursor to the EU.

The Bulgarian election follows hot on the heels of the Hungarian election next Sunday, and in the Commons we can enjoy Department for Culture, Media and Sport questions, discussions in the Lords on the impact of AI on jobs, and a Foreign Affairs Committee session on “Disinformation Diplomacy”.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Joshua Edwicker

Senior Content Officer

Best for Britain

With Artemis II flying towards the moon in spectacular fashion, and Keir Starmer soft-launching the second UK-EU Summit in a similarly electrifying manner… it has been a busy week for fans of both Europe and outer space.

But missiles continuing to rain down on Tehran, stark warnings from the Food and Drink Federation and the rapid rise of fuel prices risk bringing us all - and the stock market - crashing back down to Earth.

However, ahead of the Easter weekend, and as we mark the spring festivals of Eid, Nowruz, Passover, we thought we’d share a Guardian food piece which both left us hungry, and reflective.

“As the worst of it plays out around the world, it is worth holding on to the things that bring us together, like table, food, celebration, communion – the best of us, really.”

Read on for your Good Friday Weekend Wire!

It’s not rocket science

The big - and we mean big - news of the week was the shift in the government’s stance on the EU. We have long campaigned, with the support of all of you reading this, for closer ties between the UK and the EU. We have long argued that in these volatile times we need to choose our allies in Europe to boost our security and defence. And we have been steadfast in our conviction that deeper alignment with the EU is the quickest and most effective way to boost this country’s economy across all of our regions and nations.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer: “Now we have made progress on this front on agriculture, electricity emissions, trading and more but, as the Chancellor has rightly pointed out, Brexit did deep damage to our economy and the opportunities to strengthen our security and cut the cost of living are simply too big to ignore.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed that the date of a new summit with the European Union is due to be announced shortly. It will be the second such summit, following last year’s inaugural meeting between the UK and the EU on May 19, 2025. On Thursday, the Minister for EU Relations, Nick Thomas-Symonds, confirmed that a commitment to conclude last year’s reset would be included in the King’s Speech on 13 May - meaning we are potentially closing in on agreements on youth mobility, SPS and ETS deals.

To hear the Prime Minister echoing these sentiments was a pleasing step in the right direction. Now, with a new summit due to be announced shortly, the work to turn rhetoric into tangible benefits for the British people begins. As Best for Britain’s CEO Naomi Smith said:

“The Prime Minister is entirely right to seek far closer co-operation with our European allies and friends, on whom our joint economic resilience depends, and confirmation of a second UK-EU summit is welcome. But ministers should - and must - go even further and faster on rebuilding those crucial ties, as independent economic research shows that the economic growth the British people need is only sparked by deeper alignment across all industrial and service sectors.”

Deep alignment on goods and services could potentially offer billions of pounds in extra export trade for our businesses. The independent Frontier Economics study we commissioned last year shows that such alignment could deliver around 2% GDP growth — remarkable in times of such anaemic economic progress.

It is rocket science

The successful launch of Artemis II, late on Wednesday evening, brings humanity a step closer to landing humans on Mars. It is hoped that the ten-day mission will act as a dry run before we land on the moon for the first time since 1972. The four astronauts will be going further from Earth than any humans have before. After completing their lunar fly-by, the crew of Artemis II will also break another record for humanity, crashing back down to Earth at a mind-boggling 25,000 mph. Let’s hope there are no speed cameras...

The goal of the mission is to pave the way for the next moon landing, which itself will allow NASA to perfect the technology needed to provide air and water to astronauts during extended periods on Mars. It is also a fascinating new era in space exploration; where historically the US battled the USSR for domination, the Chinese Communist Party is now becoming the biggest challenge. The Chinese space programme has expanded at a rapid rate, and China hopes to land people on the moon by 2030.

The new era of space travel was further illustrated by the announcement that Elon Musk’s SpaceX programme would become a publicly listed company, potentially making him the first ever trillionaire. Whilst the scientific advances of our times are profound, we must ask ourselves whether - with a climate crisis, inequality and poverty abounding - there is more focus we should be putting on our own planet.

Pushed at the pump

The cost of the US-Iran war is becoming clearer as fuel prices across the country begin to rise. Whilst Ofgem’s price cap will protect consumers until the end of June, when it is next up for renewal, the average cost of a litre of unleaded petrol is rising even faster than it did following the start of the Russo-Ukrainian war.

It is bad news for the government, which has made cutting prices one of its key goals. The Food and Drink Federation warned earlier in the week that food prices are likely to rise by at least 9% by the end of the year. The upcoming SPS deal with the EU, intended to bring down prices at the supermarket and make British farmers and fishers more competitive abroad, cannot come soon enough.

Pay rise for millions

Around 2.7 million people across the UK received a pay rise this week as the minimum wage rose to £12.71 per hour. The rise has not been without controversy. It has been welcomed by many workers, and Minister for Business and Trade, Peter Kyle, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to tackling in-work poverty during this week’s media rounds.

However, Lord Harrington, Chair of Make UK and a former Conservative MP, criticised the increase and claimed that it would dampen youth employment. Elsewhere a UK Hospitality survey found that 64% of businesses said they would cut jobs following the increase. The Low Pay Commission, the government agency which suggested a rise in the minimum wage has defended their decision arguing that previous rises have “not had a significant impact on jobs”.

Five ways Trump has helped Starmer

Elsewhere on Substack this week, former Political editor at the Observer Toby Helm wrote an excellent piece exploring how Donald Trump’s (further) descent towards madness over Iran might actually help Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Toby Helm: “Populism is damaged, and with it the idea of flirting with Reform UK in government. Before Trump’s war the fear among moderates and “progressives” was that populism was sweeping the world, and that even the UK - the home of parliamentary democracy - might be heading for a government led by Reform UK.”

“Now, the argument goes, a good many voters may think again against taking that risk on a ‘British Trump’ in Downing Street. Starmer is by no means out of the woods. But his line that “this is not our war and we are not going to join it” resonates.”

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On Thursday afternoon, in yet more welcome white smoke, it emerged PM Keir Starmer and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had spoken on the phone on April 1.

After agreeing on plans for allies to “come together” in response to the ongoing conflict in Iran, the two leaders “discussed their shared ambition to further strengthen the partnership between the UK and the European Union, and the need to continue strong support to Ukraine”.

And they “agreed to keep in close contact as this important work progresses in the lead-up to the next UK-EU Summit”, according to a Downing Street readout. Sounds like welcome progress to us!

Cheerful corner

We all have those annoying pesky subscriptions we have forgotten about and no longer want nor need. After all, other than the Best for Britain Wire subscription what else does one need?

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) announced new laws this week making it easier to cancel subscriptions and get refunds. The government estimates there are over 10 million unwanted subscriptions currently active in the UK. DBT estimates the average person will save around £170 a year meaning that the public could save almost £400 million each year. Not too shabby.

Now, you may have seen there has been a host of allegations regarding insider trading surrounding the US administration in relation to the war in Iran. News broke this week that a broker for the US Secretary of Defence War, Pete Hegseth, tried to make a significant investment in defence companies in the weeks preceding the US strikes on Iran and the outbreak of the war.

The fund that Hegseth invested in had risen 28% over the past year, but hilariously has fallen by nearly 13% since the start of the Iran war. Karma?

Next week marks the second week of recess, so there will be no parliamentary action, but you can be sure that the ongoing crisis in Iran, energy prices and international relations more broadly will show no sign of letting up.

Will calls for the PM to cancel King Charles’ visit to the US continue to grow? Will Viktor Orbán win next Sunday’s Hungarian election? It is also International Day of Sport for Development and Peace and World Health Day next week - but before that, enjoy all of your chocolate this weekend and time spent with your loved ones.

Have a wonderful Easter all.

Joshua Edwicker and Jessica Frank-Keyes

Senior Content Officer and Head of Press

Best for Britain

With the clocks going forward tomorrow, it’s an (almost) official goodbye to winter for another year. Although the temperatures haven’t felt much like it this week, with hail, intermittent sunshine and grey clouds suggesting we’re in for another predictably British spring.

Read on for your Weekend Wire, from Best for Britain.

The month in war

It’s approaching a month since the US-Israel attacks on Iran plunged the Middle East into conflict, and there were points in the past week where it appeared the US President was contemplating finding the off-ramp.

As of Thursday, Trump had further extended what amounted to a promised pause on his threat to bomb Iranian energy sites to April 6th, after claiming Iran had requested the move and that talks were going well - despite Tehran issuing denials. The regime has also responded with a five-point plan, as a rebuttal to a US 15-point peace proposal, calling for reparations and a guarantee against future attacks.

Trump also lashed out at the UK, speaking at the White House on Thursday, dismissing British warships as “toys compared to what we have” as he expressed anger at NATO allies over their lack of involvement in strikes on Iran. He claimed he told the UK: “Don’t bother, we don’t need it.”

However, on Friday, Polish PM Donald Tusk, warned “a new escalation” was possible, stating to reporters: “I ‌have reasons to believe, also ‌based on information we’ve received from our allies, ⁠that stabilisation ​is unlikely in ​the coming days.”

While the crucial shipping lane, the Strait of Hormuz, is closed, per Iranian state media, with vessels being turned back as strikes in the region continue - and major protests in the Philippines as prices rise, with Brent crude (oil) above $110 a barrel on Friday.

According to UNICEF, some 370,000 children have so far been displaced due to the conflict, while a mother whose two children were killed in a deadly strike on an Iranian school on the first day of the war says the “truth must be brought to light”.

McSwindled?

Phone thefts have been on the rise in recent years, from Camden to Camberwell, and it seems no one’s device is off limits…

Morgan McSweeney, former chief of staff to the Prime Minister, Mandelson protégé, and brains behind the first 18 months of this Labour government, came under fire this week after it was revealed his phone had been nicked. McSweeney resigned as Starmer’s chief of staff in February following the fallout from the release of the Epstein Files and concerns over the procedural failings in appointing Mandelson as US Ambassador.

The Conservatives, led by leader Kemi Badenoch and shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith, have jumped on the phone theft issue due to concerns that sensitive texts between McSweeney and the disgraced former ambassador may have been lost.

The shadow business secretary argued that “The whole thing is as smelly as a fish market on a hot summer’s afternoon”. However, the Prime Minister was quick to reject any claims of underhand behaviour, calling accusations that the phone theft was part of an elaborate cover-up “far-fetched”.

Defensive lines

At an extremely timely UK Trade and Business Commission (UKTBC) session this week, our commissioners quizzed top expert witnesses on crucial issues of defence, security and geopolitics - and what it could all mean for Britain, and the EU. Following an enlightening 90 minutes, which we highly recommend watching back on YouTube, comments from former Foreign Office special advisor Ben Judah were featured in one of Westminster’s best-read newsletters, Politico’s Playbook PM.

As Judah rightly puts it: “The superpower around which we have built our entire security has become erratic, unpredictable, unreliable and deeply emotional… the US in the 21st century is not the US in the late 20th century.” We’ll say…

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Meloni drama

Italian PM Giorgia Meloni has lost a crucial referendum on judicial reform shattering the aura of invincibility she has accrued since her 2022 election. Her loss of the referendum offers hope to progressive parties in Italy ahead of next year’s general elections, expected by September 2027.

After becoming Italy’s first female Prime Minister, Meloni has seen her approval ratings steadily rise as she watered down some of her more extreme policies in office. However, she has still led a policy platform driven by right-wing populism and last year failed in an attempt to copy the Conservatives’ Rwanda policy by diverting migrants to Albania. Commentators suggest the Italian PM’s closeness to the Trump administration has backfired, as Italians feel the effects of the economic turbulence stemming from the White House.

Un vote stratégique

The French municipal elections proved disappointing for the radical right National Rally party who had been hoping to win large cities such as Marseilles, Nîmes, and Toulon. On each count, they failed, largely due to tactical voting during the second round. The French runoff system offers voters a second chance to vote for their representatives; the field is usually narrowed to a two-horse race and voters get a clear choice between two candidates.

Best for Britain published a blog this week exploring the fact that by the 2029 General Election, assuming the fragmented nature of British politics persists, voters will be faced with high-risk decisions on who is best placed to block Reform UK. The danger of the left-wing coalition splitting and allowing Nigel Farage to win through the middle is real. Voters deserve a system which allows them to make informed decisions on who is best placed to stop the governments they don’t want, as much as to elect the governments they do. Elsewhere on Substack, we also shared some insightful reflections on what the results mean for France - and Europe - by former EU Parliament official and Best for Britain board member, Susanne Oberhauser. Merci!

Elsewhere, tough coalition negotiations lie ahead for outgoing Danish PM Mette Frederiksen after the Social Democrats’ vote share fell in the recent snap election. Despite still being the largest party, it appears her policy platform of tough immigration policies did not win over those on the right, and lost some of the left. Food for thought for Mahmood and Starmer…

In good news, Slovenia rejected the allure of their populist challenger and re-elected their liberal leader. Čestitke, Slovenija!

Attack of the drones

With the eyes and cameras of the world on Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, it is important we do not forget the plight of Ukrainians as Russia steps up its drone offensive in the region. Over Monday evening and into Tuesday, Russia launched its largest drone attack of the four-year conflict.

In response, the Ukrainians began their own large-scale drone offensive on Wednesday, with over 400 drones cutting the power for almost half a million people in Russia. As the war rumbles on, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has offered his country’s drone expertise to Saudi Arabia as the latter looks to fight off attacks from Iran. As always, Slava Ukraini.

With the EU inking a free trade deal this week with the land down under, it was another painful reminder of the buccaneering ‘global Britain’ we were sorely mis-sold. The UK’s own deal with Australia was branded “not actually a very good deal for the UK”, back in 2022, by former cabinet minister George Eustice…

Now, Politico is describing British farmers as “looking with envy at the terms of the EU’s deal”, which emerged on Tuesday. Liz Webster, of Save British Farming, said: “The contrast between the U.K. and EU Australia deals is striking and tells you a lot about negotiating power post-Brexit.” Perhaps it could be even worse, however. The Independent reported this week that ministers stocked up on French wine and European tinned tomatoes over fears a no-deal Brexit could lead to food shortages. Sacré bleu!

Cheerful News of the Week

The internet is often a bleak and joyless place, but the ability to stare in high-res detail at some of the planet’s most beautiful creatures is definitely in the pro column. From fuzzy baby bears, stunning sea creatures and delicate humming birds, a feast for the eyes and the soul awaits, courtesy of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award 2026, via the BBC.

And if you missed this clear-eyed and powerfully hopeful interview with author Rebecca Solnit, on her new book, the Beginning Comes After the End, then we couldn’t recommend it more.

“I wanted, in this horrible moment, to remind people that what the far right is doing globally, I think, is largely backlash. A new world is being born, and they’re basically trying to abort it.”

Oh, and there’s a new female Archbishop of Canterbury - better late than never!

Ever felt like taking a nap at work? Ever dreamt of getting back into bed? You aren’t alone.

But then again you are not the President of the United States. Or should we say Commander-in-Sleep? It is always reassuring to see those making world changing decisions on the top of their game…

Next week is Easter - we hope you all enjoy the extended bank holiday weekend, whether you celebrate as a religious holiday, or a more chocolate-focused experience.

Parliament begins a two-week recess, but with the Hungarian election drawing into focus, next week will likely be fraught with continued debate about foreign influence in elections, at home and abroad.

Last but not least, it’s April Fools’ Day next Wednesday. Stay safe out there - and have a good one.

Jessica Frank-Keyes and Joshua Edwicker

Head of Press and Senior Content Officer

Best for Britain

Happy Saturday! We hope you’ve enjoyed the sunnier weather this week, with the spring clock change now just days away, and Easter weekend (and Easter eggs) within touching distance…

From a meningitis outbreak, to the Chancellor’s Mais Lecture, not to mention the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the upcoming suite of European elections, and a double Cringe Column bill, there’s been plenty to keep us busy digesting all the headlines so you don’t have to.

Read on for your Weekend Wire from Best for Britain…

Running out of gas

The conflict in Iran has shown no signs of slowing down this week, in spite of the usual confused rhetoric from the US administration. The past week has seen energy infrastructure in both Iran and Qatar destroyed by bombardment. In the case of Qatar, Iranian attacks are predicted to have reduced the country’s liquefied natural gas supply by 17% for up to the next five years.

The level of damage to the region’s energy infrastructure means that even if the war were to stop tomorrow, we are likely to feel inflationary pressure for quite some time. Indeed, in its latest decision on interest rates, the Bank of England decided to hold the rate at 3.75% - a blow to the government - whilst hiking its inflation projection to 3.5% for later this year.

Responding to the Bank of England’s decision, Best for Britain’s CEO Naomi Smith said:

“With inflation set to skyrocket once again, the impact of Donald Trump’s ill-conceived war against Iran, backed by his good friend Nigel Farage, could not be clearer: it is already landing squarely in the overdrafts, mortgage repayments and living standards of British voters.”

The government has introduced a support package for those most affected by the rising cost of energy, particularly heating oil, which is uncapped by energy watchdog Ofgem. The over £50m scheme will predominantly aid people in Northern Ireland and rural communities who are more dependent on kerosene to heat their homes.

The conflict in Iran has exposed further still the UK’s vulnerability to geopolitical shocks and the need for a co-operative, greener, and more progressive politics. In a powerful address to Parliament, Luke Murphy MP highlighted that “the cost of cutting UK emissions to net zero is less than the cost of a single fossil fuel price shock”.

The reckless American offensive has reinforced their position as an unreliable ally and strengthened calls to prioritise our relationship with the EU. Domestically, the rash urging from both Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage to involve the UK in the conflict in the early days of the war highlight the dangers of the right’s tendency to follow the whims of the White House.

Meningitis B vaccines

The family of a victim of the Meningitis B outbreak has called for the vaccine to be more readily available to protect young people. Juliette Kenny, 18, and a 21-year-old University of Kent student - whose name has not been released - died last week after contracting the disease. The UK Health and Security Agency has called on everyone who attended Club Chemistry in Canterbury between March 5-15th to get vaccinated. A GP interviewed by the BBC reported that “initial symptoms could be a fever, headaches, neck stiffness whilst some become more drowsy”, and that “they can be fairly general symptoms but it’s the speed at which they come on and the degree to which somebody is ill”. Stay safe, all.

It came as the COVID-19 Inquiry released their latest report on the ‘Impact of Covid-19 pandemic on healthcare systems’ in the UK on Thursday.

Lecture notes

Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered the Mais Lecture this week - becoming the first person to do so for the second time. The annual speech, which focuses on the lecturer’s vision for the future of the economy, saw Reeves turn up the temperature on her warm words on the EU to practically sizzling.

As she told the audience at Bayes Business School, “our fate as a country is inescapably bound with that of Europe… but Brexit did deep damage… this government believes that a deeper relationship is in the interests of the whole of Europe… and no partnership is more important than that between the UK and our European neighbours”. Pass us a fan.

And as Professor Sir John Curtice noted in his piece on the shifts in Labour’s Brexit approach, it’s a move ministers appear to have been “signalling for some time”. Dive into the must-read on the BBC website.

O-K for some

Have you heard of the K-shaped economy? The latest beau of economist wonks is most commonly used to explain the rising inequality between the rich and poor within Western societies. But its analytical uses do not end there. This week we published a blog exploring how the K-shaped economic model might help us understand how Brexit has deepened regional inequality in the UK.

Since Brexit, the composition of the UK’s exports has drastically changed, as trading physical goods across borders became stymied by red tape and bureaucracy. In 2010, the UK exported £90bn more in goods than in services; fast-forward to 2024 and we now export £114bn more in services than we do in goods. In fact, we actually export £5bn fewer goods than we did fourteen years ago.

The UK’s manufacturing sector - concentrated in the Midlands, the North West and Yorkshire - whilst most of the service sector is found in the South East and London. Between 2019 and 2023, the number of jobs in the City of London grew by 25%. A sharp contrast to the near 5% drop in employment in the manufacturing sector nationally over the same period.

The government must act to reduce trade barriers disproportionately affecting British goods exporters. Deep alignment with the EU on goods is a crucial first step to revitalising these regions, bringing back investment into British manufacturing, and creating jobs in the parts of the country that need them most.

Bumper ballots

Hold onto your hats and your maps of Europe, and ready yourself for a whistlestop tour of a bumper week of European elections…

We start with Slovenia, with a population of just over 2m people. In its upcoming election on Sunday, the ruling liberal party is facing a tight race against the pro-Trump populist Janez Janša. The election of Janša would give Viktor Orbán another ally in Brussels to join his blockade against pro-Ukrainian relief funds. Emmanuel Macron claimed on Thursday he was aware of “clear and documented interference, disinformation and meddling from third countries”. Ljubljana, Brussels, Kyiv and Moscow will hold their breath.

In France on Sunday, the second round of municipal elections takes place. Essentially in races where no candidate received over 50% of the vote, the top two candidates face a run-off. After a tumultuous two years in French politics which has seen enough Prime Ministers to make even the Tories blush, the left and centre are deeply divided, opening the door for the National Rally to win across the country. The elections, particularly in Nice and Marseilles, are seen as an important test of Jordan Bardella’s popularity ahead of the 2027 Presidential Elections.

Last, we head north to Denmark where PM Mette Frederiksen will be hoping that her snap election gamble will pay off at the polls on Tuesday. She called the election after months of tension over Donald Trump’s threats to annex Greenland. Denmark, which is seen by the Labour government as a blueprint for a more hard-line immigration policy by a progressive party, has seen its population united in their anger towards the US President. However, rather than benefiting from a “Trump bounce” in the style of Mark Carney, Frederiksen’s Social Democrat party appears to be heading for its worst result since 1903. It seems as though the policy of appeasing the right via tough immigration policy has failed- with support bleeding to both its right and left flanks. Sound familiar?

Endometriosis Awareness Month 2026

Our Head of Press, and fellow Weekend Wire author, Jessica Frank-Keyes has written a powerful piece on her endometriosis diagnosis for our Substack: an important and much-needed read. Do take the time to read and learn more about a condition that for too long has remained under the radar.

“Endometriosis takes a lot away. Depending on your symptoms, it can affect your confidence, relationships, and career; steal your time, joy and spontaneity; rob you of your freedom and your sense of self. What has struck me most about speaking openly, is that whoever I talk to about it, knows someone with it too: a friend, partner, relative, or colleague. There are so many of us. All of the women and girls - and the exceedingly few men - who suffer, often in silence, are anything but weak.”

The i paper’s Kitty Donaldson took a deep dive into the UK-EU negotiations this week, and her piece is well worth a read. Among other details, she reports that “the UK is looking at imposing an annual cap of 45,000 on young Europeans who can come to Britain, similar to the limit for Australians on working holiday visas… while honouring [the government’s] manifesto pledge to reduce net migration”.

Donaldson writes: “With reduced net migration, government insiders believe there is now “headroom” for increased movement from the EU.” And she notes: “The scheme is intended to be reciprocal, allowing young Britons access to the EU and vice-versa, so any final migration tally will depend on how many young Europeans take up the offer.” Welcome news following the UK Trade and Business Commission (UKTBC) report on creating such a scheme, which helpfully recommended just that! We’ll continue watching this space closely.

Cheerful News of the Week

In both sad, but ultimately uplifting news this week, the Independent reported that the late comedian and Never Mind the Buzzcocks regular Sean Hughes’ £4m estate of three London properties will go to housing charity Shelter, following a decade-long legal saga over a handwritten will.

Hughes’ was a passionate supporter of Shelter’s vital work to end homelessness and tackle the housing crisis - and, in a heart-warming detail - his legal team confirmed both his family and the charity agreed that Shelter was the correct beneficiary.

Shelter’s Andy Harris spoke of how “enormously grateful” the charity is for Hughes’ “generous gift”, adding: “This donation will enable us to continue to deliver expert support and advice to people impacted by the housing emergency and to campaign for everyone’s right to a safe and secure home.” Hear, hear.

Get ready for not one but two cringe moments this week. The first from Reform UK’s Lee Anderson who may have breached Parliamentary rules by filming a somewhat skin-crawling Cameo for a user on Valentines Day…

And in a Fawlty Towers moment - here is James Cleverly unveiling a montage of Kemi Badenoch’s best bits…

Next week features new inflation and housing stats, as well as Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s pre-Easter appearance at the influential Parliamentary Liaison Committee. We’ll also be keeping busy with a UK Trade and Business Commission (UKTBC) session on geopolitics.

Have a good one.

Jessica Frank-Keyes and Joshua Edwicker

Head of Press and Senior Content Officer

Best for Britain

However, as always, we’ll do our best to bring at least some cheerful news your way. We’ve got a bumper crop of positivity you may have missed, Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ latest warm words on the EU, and much more on what we at Best for Britain have been up to.

Read on for your Weekend Wire…

Planes, bombs and drones

On Friday afternoon, it emerged Donald Trump told Fox News that the war with Iran will be over: “When I feel it, okay? I feel it in my bones.” [Ed note: His bone spurs?] It’s unclear what happened to the US President’s Nobel Peace Prize aspirations but we can’t help suspecting they might just remain unfulfilled. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth also gave an end of week-in-war update on Friday, telling the world that Iran’s new supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei is in hiding, “wounded” and “likely disfigured”. While we’re certainly no fans of the Iranian regime, this feels like one of those situations where definitive proof of life is conspicuous in its absence.

The US has also said it will protect ships in the Strait of Hormuz, loosen sanctions on other countries buying Russian oil, in an effort to tamp down rising prices, and it’s been confirmed that all six crew members on a US jet that crashed in Iraq have died. The French government also announced that a French soldier was killed in an Iranian drone attack on a base in the Erbil region of Iraq.

While in Iran, accurate death toll reports are harder to verify, but the World Health Organisation (WHO) has reportedly “raised a fresh alarm over the catastrophic humanitarian toll of the ongoing military offensive by the United States and Israel against Iran, revealing that over 1,800 people have been killed and 12,500 others injured in less than two weeks”.

Mandelshunned

Keir Starmer is facing yet more questions over his judgement after accusations arose that he had not been involved enough in Peter Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to the US.

Downing Street has insisted the Prime Minister was under “no requirement” to formally interview the former New Labour-era svengali for the plum appointment, and all due diligence was in place, but has conceded there were “lessons to be learned” from the process. Opponents including the Tories have critiqued Starmer for an apparent lack of input and called on his independent ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus to investigate whether the ministerial code has been breached.

Starmer’s No10 spokesman added: “You heard from the Prime Minister yesterday when he reiterated his apology to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein for appointing Peter Mandelson.” Mandelson was arrested on February 23 on suspicion of misconduct in public office, having been accused of passing sensitive information to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein during his time as business secretary in Gordon Brown’s government. He was subsequently released from bail but remains under investigation, according to the PA Media news agency.

ITV News are also reporting that the first known photograph of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Mandelson wearing bathrobes, alongside convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, has emerged.

No to the Trump Drug Deal

“In the pursuit of zero tariffs on UK pharmaceutical exports, we risk placing growth above lives.” - Layla Moran MP

Health and social committee chair Layla Moran MP wrote a powerful Substack for us this week - which you can read here, and you won’t want to miss it. Moran highlighted serious concerns with the US-UK pharmaceutical deal, including - crucially - that the government is currently refusing to release its own impact assessment, despite warnings the deal could place lives at stake.

If you also think that appeasing Trump should not come at the expense of our NHS, you can use our handy Hey MP tool to tell the government to publish their risk assessment of the UK-US pharma deal.

The Kids Aren’t Alright

Many graduates have long complained that despite making repayments on their student loans, their debt continues to rise and rise rather than fall. And after weeks of discussions about the UK’s (broken) student loans system - you can read our Substack here - things now appear to be moving in Westminster.

MPs will now examine the fairness of the student loans repayment system, with a new inquiry looking at all student loan plans, not just at Plan 2 loans, which were at the heart of the recent controversy. As always, we will keep you updated on the results.

Gun laws warning

As the UK marked the 30th anniversary of the Dunblane massacre this week, the sister of one of the murdered victims has warned that UK gun laws are “at risk” 30 years on.

Ellie Crozier’s sister Emma was one of the 16 children murdered along with their teacher in the shooting at Dunblane Primary School on March 13, 1996, and the family have since campaigned for tighter gun controls in the UK and US. John Major’s government introduced a ban on most handguns in the UK in 1997, which was widened under Tony Blair to include all cartridge ammunition handguns. But Crozier stressed that much has changed in the 30 years since the shooting and while UK laws are strict they are “at risk” amid changes in society.

She told the PA Media news agency: ““The world is bigger in so many ways and inevitably cultures shift too. Something we’ve noticed is a shift in attitudes towards guns… our laws are strict, but they are not perfect, and they are also at risk. Whenever we allow easier access to guns, we create loopholes that allow these dangerous weapons to fall into the wrong hands.”

And she added: “There is a notion, even from various politicians, that our laws should be relaxed. This cannot happen, under any circumstances. The cost is too high.”

Elon-tricity

After more than 18,000 of you took action to write to Ofgem urging them against granting Elon Musk’s Tesla Energy company a license to supply electricity in the UK, we might have dared hope that would be an end to it.

So we were disappointed to learn that Musk’s company has in fact been granted a licence - and our chief executive Naomi Smith was quick to urge energy secretary Ed Miliband to step in and reverse the decision. As she put it:

“We all know the British public rightly view Elon Musk as a profoundly dangerous and malign influence, who belongs nowhere near our critical infrastructure. Whoever decided his company met the “fit and proper requirement”, should consider his vindictive - and unelected - cutbacks to US foreign aid could cause more than 14 million additional deaths by 2030.

“After more than 18,000 of our supporters wrote to Ofgem highlighting real public concern over Musk’s powergrab, Best for Britain are calling on the energy secretary to step in and urgently reverse Ofgem’s misguided decision. It’s not too late to do the right thing.”

Rachel Reeves is set to make another push for greater access to the EU single market next week, according to the Financial Times. In her Mais economic lecture, where she will set out her vision for the economy, she will argue that closer ties with the EU are central to a new growth strategy for the UK. The Chancellor has also said that she wants an ‘ambitious’ youth mobility scheme with the EU - don’t we all?

Reeves has since spoken to the Times about her plans for targeted help for poorer households with the cost of energy bills amid the Iran war pushing up oil and gas prices. She also told the broadsheet: “Brexit has not been good for our country, for growth, for prices in the shop. It’s almost ten years since we voted Leave. That ship has sailed but there’s an awful lot we can do to improve our trading relations. Where that requires alignment in our national interest, we should absolutely align.”

We’ll certainly keep a close eye on the speech and report back next week. Stay tuned!

Cheerful News of the Week

Do you know your blood type? There are eight main blood types, and some of them are rarer than others. If you’re wondering why Best for Britain is suddenly concerned with blood types, at the centre of this week’s cheerful news is Mina Stoddart-Stones, who is considered a “VIP” to the NHS Blood and Transplant service. As few as nine other donors in the UK share the same blood type as the 26-year-old.

Her donation is desperately needed to treat others with the same rare blood type, for example, during surgery. Because the blood is so rare, each of Mina’s donations is carefully stored away and frozen for years until someone needs it. Speaking about her regular donations, Mina said: “It’s nice to know that it’s so rare and that it can help people.

“It makes me feel very special and honoured, actually, that I could help someone that is really poorly.” Spoken like the true hero she is. ❤️

More Cheerful News of the Week

In a double edition of cheerful news, this week we also wanted to highlight a new podcast, hosted by the former Welsh rugby international Rich Parks, which explores community and climate change issues through sharing the untold stories of Wales’ local rugby clubs, often struggling with a lack of funding.

The series, Beyond the Breakdown, was featured in the Mirror on Friday, with Parks telling journalist Ros Wynne-Jones: “Rugby clubs aren’t just about rugby - people come for funerals, weddings, kids parties. They are one of the few hubs that still provide a place for the community. If we lose them, we’ll lose something profound in our country.”

And the team behind the pod said they have even taken climate minister Katie White to Bridgend rugby club, which has partnered with Electrify Cymru as ground sponsors, to show her how they plan to bring in solar and wind power. You can give it a listen via the website - or on most podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple. Mwynhau!

Is this the next scandal set to shake up Westminster? In these turbulent times, you’d be forgiven if your mind jumped to Peter Mandelson’s appointment as Ambassador to the US or the latest bout of Parliamentary intrigue.

But what if I told you it’s all centred around… a beaver? You read that right. Beavers could soon replace former wartime PM Winston Churchill on our five-pound note.

Set to very dramatic music in a social media video, leader of the Liberal Democrats, Ed Davey, made a desperate plea to save our fivers from the ultimate insult: “Winston Churchill saved our country and the whole of Europe from fascism. He deserves better than being replaced by a badger,” he said.

While Ed Davey is free to celebrate Churchill’s leadership during World War II, let us also remember the lives of all those that made huge sacrifices during the war - whether on the front lines or back at home. Watch the full clip on Bluesky.

Next week is a busy one, from St Patrick’s Day on Tuesday, to elections in the Netherlands, Slovenia and Paris, and Friday’s International Day of Happiness.

Have a good one.

Jessica Frank-Keyes and Laurena Rodrigues

Head of Press and Social Media Manager

Best for Britain

It feels as though we talk about our ever-more dangerous world on a daily basis, but the last seven days have certainly turned up the temperature. [Ed note: could someone please check the DefCon scale?] From the deadly bombing of a girls’ school in southern Iran, which saw at least 160 children killed, to the growing fears of a wider regional or even intercontinental conflict, it’s an extremely bleak picture. With the lack of any real plan becoming more and more evident, it’s difficult to work out Trump’s exit from this war.

To any readers who are directly affected, be it yourself or worries about family or friends in the region, all of us at Best for Britain are thinking of you. And if anyone’s finding it hard to look away from the news, we recommend taking a deep breath, putting your device aside and getting out for a walk during any sunny spells forecast on Sunday.

The Week in War

To recap… late last Sunday night, Keir Starmer confirmed the UK would allow the US to use British bases to destroy Iranian missiles “at source in their storage depots or the launchers”, in a “specific and limited defensive purpose”, after previously refusing their use to bomb Iran. It came after the RAF Akrotiri base, in Cyprus, was hit by a drone. Speaking in the Commons on Monday, Starmer set himself against what he called “regime change from the skies”, following the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Strikes have continued throughout the region during the week, with the US and UK rushing to organise repatriation flights, some of which have now finally taken off. Speaking on Tuesday, Trump lashed out at Starmer, dubbing the PM “not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with”. It emerged on Wednesday, ahead of a fairly bad-tempered PMQs session, that a US top brass revealed the first 24 hours of strikes in Iran had sunk the entire Iranian navy, and were almost double that of Operation Shock and Awe, the US entry into the 2003 Iraq War. It seems we can expect that to continue, after a US Senate vote aimed at restraining Trump’s war powers failed to pass 53-47.

On Thursday, Starmer took to the airwaves for a mid-afternoon press conference from Downing Street - just minutes after the first UK (BA chartered) repatriation flight took off from Oman. He announced that four extra British Typhoon fighter jets were being deployed to Qatar amid the conflict, that he had chaired a Cobra meeting that day, and set out to “reassure the British public” about his “calm, level-headed leadership in the national interest”.

Any hope for a calmer end to the week was dashed on Friday when Donald Trump demanded “unconditional surrender" and his administration’s approval of any new Iranian leader. Oil prices passed $90 (£67) for the first time since October 2022. But, just before Weekend Wire went to publication on Saturday morning, Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, apologised to its neighbours, promising no further attacks on them, but at the same time making a firm commitment that they will not surrender to the United States and Israel. Within a few hours, this all could be very different, or not at all.

Home and (Go) Away

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood also had a busy week, unveiling several proposed updates to the UK’s asylum system for people seeking safety or fleeing conflict from abroad.

On Monday, Mahmood announced that, via an immigration rules change, people granted asylum in the UK will now have their refugee status reviewed every 30 months, with those whose home countries are deemed safe then expected to return. The government has also halted study visas for people from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan, as well as work visas for Afghan people. Mahmood argued that a growing number of people from these countries are using legal migration routes as a backdoor to claim asylum in the UK. On Thursday, she announced further reforms, in a speech at the IPPR think tank, including allowing some 20,000 people seeking asylum who are waiting for their claims to be processed to work in the UK, and removing support payments from people seeking asylum who break the law or work illegally. The home secretary also announced a new incentive scheme to pay people seeking asylum whose claims fail £10,000, or up to £40,000 per family, to leave Britain.

Mahmood’s approach naturally sparked criticism from the Labour party and progressives. Sarah Owen, a leader of the Tribune group of centre-left Labour MPs, told the Guardian that while the immigration system should be “both credible and fair… the idea of deporting children mimics Trump’s ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] detention of children”. Sunder Katwala, director of British Future, who was in the room shared an interesting thread on BlueSky.

And as our CEO Naomi Smith argued at the beginning of the week: “Using the lives of those in greatest need as a political poker chip to win over certain groups of voters risks playing a game that the government will almost certainly lose.”

The week’s European news has been led by an important report published by the Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday, which found that the government’s UK-EU reset lacked “direction, definition, and drive”.

Chair Emily Thornberry remarked that the influential group of MPs felt that “the government is being unnecessarily secretive”. One of the key recommendations is the establishment of the House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee to track and hold the government’s progress to account. Thornberry also argued ministers should “clarify” if they are reconsidering their election manifesto red lines on the single market, customs union, and freedom of movement.

Best for Britain’s CEO Naomi Smith called on the government to “do better and go faster” in rebuilding the UK-EU relationship in a powerful op-ed for the Guardian on Wednesday, setting out a clear roadmap for Starmer to reset his reset, and get EU relations back into gear.

The Spy Who Loved Me

We all know that feeling where a partner or family member might be a bit embarrassing. A dad joke here; a drink too much there… but has your partner ever been arrested on suspicion of spying for the Chinese Communist Party?

No? Me neither. But sadly for current Labour MP Joani Reid she can no longer say the same. Reid’s husband David Taylor was arrested on Wednesday alongside two other men similarly accused of colluding with the Chinese intelligence services.

In a statement Reid commented that: “I have never seen anything to make me suspect my husband has broken any law. I am not part of my husband’s business activities, and neither I nor my children are part of this investigation.”

It marks the latest China-related scandal to hit British politics after the controversial mega-Embassy was given the green light before Starmer’s trip to Beijing in late January. While in October last year, controversy erupted over the collapse of a trial into two men accused of allegedly spying for the CCP. The decision by the prosecutors to drop the charges against the two men, who maintained their innocence throughout, drew the ire of opposition leader Kemi Badenoch.

Following the arrest, the police said: “We have seen a significant increase in our casework relating to national security in recent years, and we continue to work extremely closely with our partners to help keep the country safe.”

Spring in her step

It was less dramatic than usual. No OBR leak, no months of tittle tattle, and no real policy announcements… Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ spring statement was well and truly overshadowed by events in the Middle East that have seen stock markets crash and energy prices soar across the globe. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) warned that the situation in Iran “could have very significant impacts on the global and UK economies”.

Qatar’s decision to cease production of liquified natural gas fed fears that the war in Iran may lead to rampant inflation and peaking energy costs for households struggling with the cost of living across the country. The Resolution Foundation released a report suggesting that the average Brit’s energy prices could rise by £500 a year, more than wiping out all the progress recently made by the government on the issue.

The chaos is only the latest in a string of geopolitical and financial challenges that Britain - and its Chancellors - have faced in recent years. Reeves cited the devastating impact of Brexit alongside COVID-19 and Liz Truss’ minibudget as events which have crippled the public finances. And you won’t be surprised to know that we couldn’t agree with her analysis more.

Naomi Smith, CEO of Best for Britain, said:

“While it is welcome that the Chancellor has overseen falling inflation and interest rates, the dangerous and unpredictable situation in the Middle East could reverse both.

“The best insurance policy for our economy is closer alignment with our partners in Europe for all industrial and service sectors which will not only help ease the cost of living for UK consumers, but also shield the EU from the worst of Trump induced volatility.”

Cheerful News of the Week

We’ve had reading on the brain this week, after the UK celebrated the annual children’s costume festival known as World Book Day. Amid all the ongoing concerns about exactly what AI and algorithms are doing to our brains, we were delighted to read that no such concerns are plaguing the French. According to a fascinating Guardian piece, “from hefty literary magazines to thriving newspaper kiosks and book sales, the French publishing industry refuses to let printed matter die”. Have a ‘lire’ here - and vive la France.

Never miss a chance to grift. President Trump would sell his grandma down the river for $5…

Next week sees an economics-focused few days, with both GDP monthly estimates and January trade stats, as well as a debate on incentivising foreign direct investment into the UK in the House of Lords.

Have a good one.

Jessica Frank-Keyes and Joshua Edwicker

Well, in the end, it wasn’t even close. A remarkable victory for Hannah Spencer of the Green Party has well and truly put the cat among the Westminster pigeons. It was doubtless a kicking for the government, as is common in by-elections, but the result will be an important lesson for the Labour Party to stop courting Reform UK voters and neglecting its core base of more left-wing supporters. Will the right lessons be learned? Only time will tell.

Elsewhere, disgraced Labour grandee Peter Mandelson was arrested on Monday in dramatic fashion, Trump gave the longest State of the Union address in history, and Reform UK illustrated just how dangerous they would be in government.

The Green light

Credit: PA Images/Peter Byrne/Alamy

Gorton & Denton has a brand new MP: Hannah Spencer! The plumber has downed her wrench for written statements, and her plunger for PMQs. The result was far more decisive than any pundit predicted. The people of Gorton & Denton voted overwhelmingly to reject the politics of hate and division that Reform UK pushed throughout this by-election.

The message from voters is clear, Labour is no longer the assumed choice for those on the left. Over a year after the general election, Labour’s policy of courting right-wing voters has failed. Two-thirds of voters in this by-election voted for either the Greens or Labour. There is clearly a progressive majority in many parts of the country that wants a fairer Britain. A Britain that welcomes multiculturalism. A Britain that delivers change built on left-wing values.

British politics is changing at a rapid pace. Both the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives lost their deposits, together picking up less than 4% of the vote - unthinkable just over 18 months ago - although the Tories had already lost half of their 2019 vote at the last election. This is the Conservatives worst ever by-election result, winning just 706 votes. Although there is a serious risk of overstating the consequences of by-election results, it is starting to appear as if the Labour-Tory duopoly that has dominated the last century of British politics has come to an end.

Yet even in defeat, Reform UK continued its corrosive attack on British society. Reacting to the result, Nigel Farage plucked from the Trumpian playbook, accusing the Greens of “cheating” and blaming Muslim sectarianism. The failure to accept the democratic process is a dangerous next step in the development of radical right politics in this country.

In a video released on Friday morning, the Reform UK leader attacked the legitimacy of postal votes, mirroring Trump’s comments during his State of the Union speech (more on that later). We have seen over the last decade in the States the damage that misinformation about electoral fraud does to trust in democracy. By claiming that “this election was a victory for sectarianism and cheating”, Farage has opened a Pandora’s Box within British politics. We all saw the violence in Washington on 6 January 2021 following Trump’s false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. Voters will understandably worry that Farage risks importing that violence and mistrust into our own politics.

May’s elections, covering a far greater chunk of the electorate will still prove a challenge. But, this result shows that Reform UK can be beaten. Although it is also a stark reminder of the threat that the party poses to our democracy, even in defeat.

Bird in Mand

The arrest of Peter Mandelson - still a Lord (for now) - on Monday came as little surprise following the explosive revelations about his dealings with Jeffrey Epstein while at the heart of the British government.

Regardless, the sight of Mandelson being led into a police car by detectives was remarkable. Perhaps even more shocking were claims made by the former US ambassador, who suggested he had been arrested over fears that he posed a flight risk and was planning an escape to the British Virgin Islands.

An official custody document shared with the Prince of Darkness’s lawyers is understood to have mistakenly referred to the Lords Speaker, Michael Forsyth, as the source of the tip off. In the latest twist in the tale, House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle revealed that it was he who passed information to the Metropolitan Police. What drama.

Whether Mandelson had been planning an escape to sunnier and more windswept climes is unknown, but you have to wonder whether fleeing the British judicial system by moving to a British Overseas Territory would be the smartest move.

No to ICE

In one of the most radical and worrying policy announcements by Reform UK to date, its Home Affairs spokesperson, Zia Yusuf, announced that the party would create an ICE-style immigration task-force here in the UK. In a speech littered with tropes and divisive rhetoric, Yusuf labelled migration “an invasion” and promised to remove 288,000 people from the UK each year.

The Reform donor, whose parents immigrated from Sri Lanka in the early 1980s, went on to say he would terminate the status of those with indefinite leave to remain. Promising to leave the ECHR, Yusuf blamed former Prime Minister Boris Johnson for opening the UK’s borders. It is a shame that Zia seems to have forgotten that many of his new friends at Reform UK were cabinet members in the Johnson government.

It goes without saying that the introduction of an ICE-like taskforce would be inhumane and deeply unpopular. In America, 32 individuals died last year alone at the hands of ICE. Communities have been torn apart and children separated from their families. Over 3,000 children in America have been arrested by ICE, while stories of filthy living conditions and abuses of power have been commonplace.

Beyond that, voters actually want politicians to focus on pressing, and less bombastic, matters. Here’s what voters in Gorton and Denton told us they were concerned about…

Six in ten Americans disapprove of the job ICE is doing, and 65% feel the immigration agency has gone too far, according to the latest polling data. Meanwhile, opinion polls on this side of the pond show that almost two-thirds (63%) of Brits hold a negative opinion of ICE, compared to just 11% who hold a positive opinion of the organisation. The proposals have rightly sparked fury among civil rights organisations. Dora-Olivia Vicol of the Work Rights Centre said: “This is a sadistic vision of UK families and communities being ripped apart, money being wasted, and the government turning against its own people”.

Reform UK was embroiled in further controversy later in the week after it was revealed that a councillor from the party had shared a post on social media appearing to call for Natalie Fleet MP to be shot. In a fiery exchange at PMQs, the Prime Minister challenged Nigel Farage to sack the individual and condemn the comments wholeheartedly. Farage failed to do so.

State of division

Historically, a president’s State of the Union address was an important opportunity to bring members of Congress and the Senate together and build bridges beyond the thorns of partisanship.

Not so much today. Donald Trump’s State of the Union address was the longest in American history, and potentially the most divisive in living memory. The president was at his most bullish, praising the “winning” economy his administration has created for the American people. The speech came just days after the Supreme Court struck down Trump’s global tariffs, drawing the ire of the Commander-in-Chief.

One of the most notable moments came when Trump instructed the Senate to pass the SAVE America Act. The bill, which passed through the Republican controlled Congress on 11 February, has been framed as vital for reducing election fraud, but many fear would unfairly disenfranchise millions of Americans. Advocacy organisations have claimed the new bill would create barriers in low income and minority communities, as these groups tend to lack the type of ID the SAVE America Act would require them to hold. This all sounds rather familiar…

Spring statement and student loans

Domestically, the debate around the mounting debt being accrued by graduates has continued. The Times claim that the government is considering taking action at next week’s Spring Statement; potentially either raising the repayment threshold or reducing the rate of interest on loans.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has suggested that next week’s Spring Statement will be a low-key affair compared to previous announcements, signalling that she wishes to make the autumn budget the sole major fiscal event of the year. Nevertheless, the OBR are due to publish their latest forecasts - hopefully after the speech this time.

Despite repeatedly saying that there will be no major policy announcements, will the Chancellor be tempted to use some of the £30.4 billion surplus built up from increased tax receipts on a politically useful treat for the electorate ahead of the May elections?

Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle was in Brussels this week where he signed a new agreement with the EU called the Competition Cooperation Agreement. The deal is the first “supplementing agreement” (such an arrangement has been deemed unlikely in the past, so this is significant) to the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) and is an important step forwards in the renewed and revitalised UK-EU relationship.

The agreement improves market safeguards by delivering;

• Mutual notification of significant antitrust and merger investigations

• Coordination in cases of parallel enforcement

• Robust safeguards to protect confidential business information

During his visit, Kyle argued that alignment ‘is where the magic happens” in a story which even managed to make the front page of The Telegraph. How times change.

““No one knows more than the EU that when you work with like-minded partners, you solve challenges. We should always be focused in this particular moment, even more so in times gone past, in focusing on solutions rather than creating barriers.” - Peter Kyle MP

Elsewhere, President of the EU Parliament Roberta Metsola met with the Prime Minister on Wednesday before attending PMQs. During her visit, Metsola called for the UK and the EU to forge a deeper relationship that expanded on the agreement reached at the May 19 Summit last year.

Speaking to POLITICO, the President of the EU Parliament argued that both London and Brussels should renew negotiations on the UK’s participation in the €150 billion SAFE project. Talks had previously broken down between the two parties in a blow to the UK government. Though Metsola seemed more optimistic over a successful negotiation, describing British involvement as vital “not only to help Ukraine, but also to build Europe’s capacity at a time when the United States is reducing its investment in this continent,”

One step to justice for campaigners

It can be hard for campaigners on the most challenging social care issues to get the political attention that they so often need and deserve. However, at PMQs this week, the leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Ed Davey raised the issue of William Blake House to the Prime Minister.

William Blake House is a care home for those with severe disabilities and the families of those under care have been campaigning tirelessly for an investigation into the finances of the home. Davey’s question came after the Charity Commission announced that it would fast track its enquiry into the care home due to “serious concerns around possible financial mismanagement”. The families of those under care have launched an ambitious plan to take over the residential home after the current board amassed huge tax debts and paid £1m in fees to one of its trustees.

It can often be fairly said that politics does not deliver for those who need it most. Yet the tireless and committed campaigning of the families in this case proves that perseverance can still hold power to account, and that Parliament can still draw attention to the topics that matter most.

Is Britain’s democracy adequately prepared for authoritarianism?

That is the important question Best for Britain’s Naomi Smith asked on our Substack this week. Across the world, we have seen democratic norms under attack from Budapest to Washington. Unlike many other countries, Britain has no codified constitution and no strict separation of powers, does that leave us more vulnerable?

Meanwhile, former Tory MP and Justice Secretary David Gauke wrote passionately about the need for the moderate centre-right to find its feet in response to the threat of Reform UK and a more radical Conservative Party. While Laura Hutchinson, the Head of Public Affairs for Citizens Advice, delivered a powerful piece on the impact of the cost of living on both peoples pockets and their sense of themselves. Trade expert David Henig explained why the Supreme Court ruled against Trump’s tariffs and what comes next for the UK and the EU.

Good to see that the Head of the FBI was keeping himself busy. Perhaps he could spend a little less time celebrating in Italy and a little more time bringing those involved with Jeffery Epstein’s horrific crimes to justice?

Cheerful Corner

As if beating Reform UK in a by-election isn’t cheerful enough…

Punch, a lonely baby monkey from Japan has been making friends. For those who haven’t heard about this sweet primate - let me fill you in. Punch is a baby macaque who was rescued and hand-reared shortly after being born. The sweet little fella was filmed with his orangutan plushie and has melted the hearts of millions across the world.

This week, Ichikawa City Zoo have reported that little Punch has begun to deepen his relationship with the other monkeys in the enclosure, long story short he is making friends.

If you haven’t seen the video please do enjoy;

Next week, Colombia heads to the polls for its legislative elections, while the Baden-Württemberg state election is shaping up to be a tight race between the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Greens.

Back in Blighty, the Chancellor will deliver her spring statement, Hannah Spencer will be welcomed into the House of Commons, and an important debate in the chamber next Thursday will highlight the contributions of Commonwealth troops in the First World War.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Joshua Edwicker

Parliament might not be sitting, but we are, so here is your regular Weekend Wire from Joshua Edwicker.

If we thought that recess was going to mean a quieter week for politics, all hopes of that were dashed by a Royal arrest - ending a 378 year run - and the news that the local elections would now be going ahead, bringing the total number of government u-turns close to that of a busy day at a driving test centre. Meanwhile Trump has been doing handbrake turns of his own launching stinging criticism of the Chagos deal. Here’s the week’s news:

Citizen’s Arrest

The arrival of Thames Valley Police at around 8am on Thursday morning was probably not the birthday surprise that Andrew had in mind, after becoming the first senior royal to be arrested since Charles I was put on trial for treason in 1647 after the bloody English Civil War. However, with nine police forces in the UK investigating Jeffrey Epstein’s ties to the country, it is important to keep in mind the victims of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Essex Police announced on Tuesday that they were investigating claims that Stansted Airport was used to “fly in girls from Latvia, Lithuania and Russia”.

Responding to the arrest of his brother, King Charles released a statement stating that;

“(The authorities) have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation… the law must take its course”

You’re the Tories in disguise! Oh yes you are

All but one of the “shadow cabinet” (which of course it is not) announced by Nigel Farage on Tuesday were former Tories, and all but one were women Robert Jenrick has become Reform UK’s man on the economy, supposedly sending his first speech in his new position to austerity architect George Osborne for approval. Two men presumably less than happy about Bobby J’s elevation to Farage’s number two are Richard Tice and Zia Yusuf, who have both spent many months gazing longingly at the role.

Yusuf, who - let’s not forget - is not actually an MP, has been appointed as Reform UK’s home affairs spokesperson. Former Conservative donor Tice has been appointed to a newly created role combining energy, business, and trade portfolios. Recent Tory-defector Suella Braverman has been handed the education and skills portfolio. In one of the most shocking moments of the announcement, Braverman committed to scrapping the Equalities Act altogether.

In another appointment, James Orr was announced as the new Head of Policy for Reform UK. For those who are unaware, Orr is a professor of theology at the University of Cambridge who has been described by American Vice President JD Vance as his ‘British sherpa’. Orr has previously argued that abortion should be illegal in every case in another worrying sign of the threat that a Reform UK government would face to women’s rights. On international affairs, Orr has labelled the Ukraine war “a regional Slavic conflict” and called for a “British ICE”.

Orr’s new position at the helm of Reform UK’s policy platform is a deeply concerning next step in the development of Nigel Farage’s party. Combining the promise to repeal the Equalities Act with their much-touted disdain for the ECHR, it is evident that Reform UK are committed to eroding the rights of all of us.

Tri-election

It’s one of the most high-stakes by-elections in recent years. The Gorton and Denton race culminates with polling day next Thursday after a hectic three-horse contest between the Labour Party, the Green Party of England and Wales, and Reform UK. The Manchester constituency is seen as a crucial test for the Labour government as it faces pressure from both its right and left flanks.

Labour won 50.8% of the vote in the 2024 United Kingdom general election, but just over 18 months later both the Greens and Reform UK are confident about their chances. The constituency, created in 2024, is demographically split into two very different places. Gorton is home to an ethnically diverse, young population, where 42% of the electorate are students. Meanwhile, Denton, where 83% of the population is white, has an older demographic, with predominantly working class jobs.

Reform UK candidate Matt Goodwin, a former academic turned GB News presenter and provocateur, has come under fire for a slew of troubling statements about women, including suggesting that those who do not have children should pay more tax. It’s the latest in a long line of unpalatable remarks from Goodwin, who has previously questioned whether ethnic minorities born in Britain are British. We hope that this time next week Matt Goodwin and his divisive politics will have been defeated at the polls.

Full list of candidates for Gorton and Denton by-election (26th February)

Advance UK - Nick Buckley

Communist League - Hugo Wils

Conservative - Charlotte Cadden

Green - Hannah Spencer

Labour - Angeliki Stogia

Liberal Democrats - Jackie Pearcey

Libertarian - Dan Clarke

Monster Raving Loony - Sir Oink-a-lot

Rejoin EU - Joseph O’Meachair

SDP - Sebastian Moore

Bored of Peace

The inaugural meeting of Donald Trump’s Board of Peace took place this week, with luminaries such as the increasingly-authoritarian Viktor Orban of Hungary, and representatives from known human rights abusers Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. One man who was missing from the meeting was Vladimir Putin, but only because he had turned down Trump’s invitation.

Also present at the meeting was Board of Peace member and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Commenting on Donald Trump’s 20 point plan for Gaza, the ex-PM argued that the scheme was “the only hope for Gaza”. Notable individuals joining Blair on the Board of Peace’s Executive Board include US Secretary of State Mark Rubio, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Ajay Banga the Head of the World Bank.

The meeting comes at a point of high tension, following Donald Trump’s announcement that Iran had around 10 days to agree to US terms or face military action. The threat of an all-out conflict between the two countries was described by one Washington source as “90% likely”, which has led some nations to warn their citizens to leave Iran as quickly as possible. The build-up of US military in the Gulf region has continued in recent days, with the aircraft carrier the USS Gerald R Ford heading east to join the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier near Iranian waters.

U-turn me inside out

And so, as has so often been the case for this Prime Minister, international affairs threaten to dominate domestic politics. In a long-winded rant on Truth Social Donald Trump lambasted Keir Starmer over the Chagos deal in the latest flip-flop from the American administration. Trump’s outburst, which came just a day after the United States Department of State released a statement of support for the deal, is reportedly a response to Starmer’s refusal to allow American jets to use the Diego Garcia air base to strike Iran.

Perhaps Starmer will be getting an understanding of why his MPs are so upset by the Government’s seemingly persistent u-turns. The latest backtrack, a reversal of the decision to postpone local elections in 30 English councils due to concerns over legality, were welcomed with glee by Reform UK. Nigel Farage’s party had previously launched a legal challenge of the government’s decision and both parties were due in the High Court on Thursday. The government has agreed to pay Reform UK’s legal bill - understood to total at least £100,000.

One area where Starmer will be hoping he doesn’t have to u-turn is on the appointment of his new head of the civil service Antonia Romeo, who becomes the first woman to be appointed as cabinet secretary. Amid contested claims surrounding Romeo’s conduct in prior positions, the Prime Minister will be hoping Romeo underwent a stronger vetting process than other appointees appear to have received…

In news that is likely to make all of us feel very jealous, Gibraltar has taken the next step towards regaining Freedom of Movement after the EU Commission accepted plans outlined in June of last year.

The deal means that all checks on the roughly 15,000 individuals who travel across the border between Gibraltar and Spain will be scrapped. The agreement will also remove the physical checks of goods passing across the border, in effect rejoining Gibraltar to the Single Market and Customs Union.

Who’s up for moving to Gibraltar?

Loans and borrowed time

At the start of the week, Best for Britain’s Cal Roscow called for Rachel Reeves to rethink her position on the student loans crisis. Ellie Chowns MP, Green leader in the House of Commons, questioned the current electoral system, and former Observer political editor Toby Helm wondered if the Prime Minister is on borrowed time.

And if you missed it yesterday, we sent you a free article by our CEO Naomi Smith on the encroachment of MAGA influence and money into European politics. If this all sounds like a bit of you, why not become a paid subscriber and support all of our work on Europe, the radical right and the Cost of Living?

Alan Partridge is that you?

Life comes at you fast…

Cheerful Corner

Some otter-ly lovely news to finish today. Some otter cubs have been rescued after sheltering in a car engine in North Ayrshire.

Local hero Karen Watson kept the two otters, now named Valentine and Juliet, in a cardboard box in her bath. They are now healthy and happily recovering with the SSPCA charity.

Next week MPs return from recess with what is shaping up to be quite a sizable in-tray. The government will be hoping that they can move away from the Andrew scandal and focus on the ‘record-breaking budget surplus’ that Rachel Reeves has to enjoy ahead of the upcoming Spring Statement. Will there be any rabbits out of hats or will the Chancellor choose to squirrel the money away for a rainy day?

Next Tuesday marks the fourth anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a stark reminder of the need for Europe to unite on defence and security in the face of continuing aggression from an expansionist Russia. There will also be a Westminster Hall Debate on the “Impact of the 2016 EU membership referendum on the UK” brought forward by Stephen Gethins MP of the SNP. How long have you got?

Have a wonderful weekend,

Joshua Edwicker

Jessica and Josh are away this week, so it’s Cal here with your Weekend Wire from Best for Britain. Despite it being Valentine’s Day, it has been a week of Labour break-ups and heartache 🥀. Although Chancellor Rachel Reeves appeared to be far more in the mood, daring to say ‘I ❤️ EU’ in a speech to the LSE on Tuesday.

As the Prime Minister flies off to the Munich Security Conference, we look at what he’s set to say, and bring cheering news from the Winter Olympics. Closer to home, we take a look at what’s in and out of the Representation of the People Bill.

And finally, those who don’t subscribe to Theo Von’s podcast (which is probably everyone who reads Weekend Wire) can read on to find out who’s been sniffing cocaine off toilet seats…

We’re gonna a bigger… selection of Keir puns

From ‘Keir Death Experience’ to ‘Keir in the headlights’, every pun that we might start this section with has been done. That’s right, it’s been another week of fervent media frenzy over whether the Prime Minister can stay in the job.

Sar-war and peace

Despite hoping to draw a line under matters, by sacking his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, it was still a terrible start to the week for Stamer with the Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, calling on him to quit in a press conference that probably could have been an email*. No one can blame the Scottish party leader for being frustrated; Labour had been the frontrunner in several mid 2024 polls, often level-pegging with the SNP, offering the prospect of the first Labour administration in nearly twenty years. A More in Common poll in January put Labour in third behind Reform UK. On Monday afternoon all attention was on whether this was the inflection point, the moment at which Starmer’s tenure became untenable.

But by the evening it looked as if Starmer might secure a stay of execution; Ministers tweeted out support - even Streeting who had been touted as the man who put Anas up to the job. Prif Weinidog Eluned Morgan’s much-rumoured call for Keir to quit never materialised leaving the Scottish Labour leader staging a one-man coup.

*Cynics might speculate that even before Sarwar spoke at the podium his speech had been somewhat curtailed by pressure from senior Labour figures, after he did the honourable thing of telling Starmer ahead of the presser. Sadly honour doesn’t appear to carry much of a reward in British politics.

Recurring billing

For the last few months campaigners, including Best for Britain, have eagerly awaited the details of what had been colloquially termed ‘the Elections Bill’, which was finally introduced to the House on Thursday. Rebadged the “Representation of the the People Bill” (no you’re not going mad - there have been eleven identically named Acts over the years - the most notable being 1918’s provision for some women to be allowed to vote) it aims to:

• Automate voter registration, undoing Tory legislation that made it very easy for eligible voters to fall off the register. In fact, local authorities would now register absolutely anyone they have reason to believe is permitted to vote.

• Extend franchise to 16-17 year olds, bringing the rest of the United Kingdom into line with Scotland

• Increase the fines that the Electoral Commission can levy to £500,000 per offence

• Expand the requirement to include an imprint on digital content for even the smallest campaign groups, but removing the responsibility for criminal enforcement from the police unless the Commission deems it necessary

• Finally expand the list of acceptable ID, something that Best for Britain has called for since 2022, to include bank cards - provided they are in the exact name held on the electoral register

• Require nominated candidates to sign paperwork that confirms they understand that it is a criminal offence to knowingly provide false information on the nomination papers

• Allow political parties to withdraw support from candidates who have already submitted nomination papers

• Tighten up the rules on political donations. Recipients of donations over £11,180 will have to carry out a risk assessment to judge the likelihood of foreign or illicit sources of funding

• And companies making political donations of over £2,230 will have to have made sufficient revenue to cover their donation, be headquartered in the UK; and be majority owned or controlled by UK electors or UK citizens usually resident in the UK

While there’s a lot of good stuff in this Bill, there’s also quite a lot missing, some of which had been promised ahead of the general election.

Not included:

• anything about PR (the changes to mayoral voting systems was in a totally different Bill last year)

• anything about misinformation or the content of election or political campaigning

• anything about the role of digital advertising platforms in election campaigns

• anything about ‘live’ reporting of election/political donations and expenditure

• anything specifically about cryptocurrency, although the new risk assessment around whether a donation recipient is certain about the UK-source of the funds is possibly intended to work against crypto donations

With so many pertinent matters missing from the Bill, Best for Britain will be mobilising voters to take action as this legislation is considered, and where new Bills might be required. Make sure you’ve signed up to campaign updates if you want to take part.

The Apprentice is back (not that one)

It’s been National Apprentice Week and the Government has been matching promises made at the last Labour conference on giving university and apprenticeship places equal weight in statistics. But to see the current state of things, the number crunchers at Polimapper have put together a map of England showing the latest apprenticeship figures from the Department for Education.

While Trump’s away

With Rubio standing in for Trump and Vance in Munich, commentators have been predicting a smoother Security Conference than past occasions. (By the time this reaches your inbox we’ll know for sure if that forecast was accurate.) Enter stage left, Prime Minister Keir Starmer who’s expected to take a hardline stance against UK and EU reliance on the United States stating “I’m talking about a vision of European security and greater European autonomy, that does not herald US withdrawal but answers the call for more burden sharing in full, and remakes the ties that have served us so well.”

Following on from Reeves’s significant change in tone over UK-EU relations on Tuesday evening at the LSE (which we’ll cover in Brexit Corner), it’s been reported that Starmer will tell delegates

“We are not the Britain of the Brexit years anymore. Because we know that, in dangerous times, we would not take control by turning inward – we would surrender it. And I won’t let that happen.

“There is no British security without Europe, and no European security without Britain. That is the lesson of history – and it is today’s reality too.”

Although that has been somewhat qualified by suggestions that he will praise America’s contribution to European security and reiterate that the US remains a key ally.

Given that talks for Britain to join the 150 billion Euro Security Action for Europe reportedly broke down in October 2025 over the high cost of entry, we’ll be closely watching for a reaction to Starmer’s speech.

Meanwhile Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has called for Europe to adopt an ‘emergency mindset’ to survive, according to the FT.

Customs Union consternation

David Henig has written a piece for The Best for Britain Wire on the pitfalls of getting bogged down in talks about a Customs Union between the UK and the EU. It’s worth remembering that there are far greater “prizes” on offer. (See the next item!)

We’re all high on LSE

It’s not been an easy few years campaigning for greater UK-EU relations. The difficulty in persuading a Labour party, that has spent many years dancing around the issue, to be bolder has made enemies of Best for Britain from both directions. Those that want to rejoin the EU have (often rightly) been frustrated at slow progress, and the other side of the debate is ready to claim ‘betrayal’ at anything less than blowing up the Channel Tunnel. So the significance of Rachel Reeves’s speech at the LSE should not be understated.

Listing off the trade deals that the UK is seeking, the Chancellor was candid that the “biggest prize” was a deal with the European Union. Best for Britain’s Tom Brufatto welcomed the news. With areas, such as financial services, mooted it points to ambitions to secure Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications (in layman’s terms this means the UK and EU would recognise people working in regulated professions like accountants, bankers, doctors, lawyers, and teachers) paving the way for an uplift in GDP from aligning our service sectors. If you want to know by how much, take a look at modelling from Best for Britain and Frontier Economics.

Cheerful News of the Week

Right now, Olympic athletes are braving snow and icy slopes in their quest for glory - but this year, more women than ever are competing. The Milan-Cortina Winter Games are the most gender-balanced Winter Olympics yet, with 50 women’s events and 12 mixed-gender events.

And who knows, maybe with more women competing, we’ll be spared the one or other bizarre press conference, like the one Norwegian biathlete, Sturla Holm Lægreid, gave, in which he confessed to the world that… he had cheated on his girlfriend.

Women’s participation in the Winter Olympics has risen to 47% of athletes. Although that’s still not quite as good as the Summer Olympics, which achieved a 50:50 split in Paris in 2024. But it’s up two percentage points on Beijing in 2022.

We’ve had our fair share of amusing Health Secretary appointments here in the UK; Therese Coffey was famously pictured puffing on a cigar. It’s an occupational hazard for anyone whose job it is to tell the nation what they should and shouldn’t be putting in their own bodies. Sky’s Trevor Phillips presented Wes Streeting with a plate of crisps and chocolate last summer in an attempt to trip him up. Yes, that’s the same Trevor Phillips who spent last week defending his ‘friend’ Peter Mandelson live on air - but no, that’s not the main cringe of this week’s column.

None of this holds a candle to US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s interview on Theo Von’s This Past Weekend podcast where boasted that he’s not afraid of germs because he “used to snort cocaine off of toilet seats”...

Your move, Wes!

Next week the House of Commons is in recess, but there’s plenty to look forward to with Pancake Day on Shrove Tuesday, Chinese New Year, Ramadan, the start of London Fashion Week, and the BAFTAs. And we will be a week closer to polling day for the Gorton and Denton by-election.

If you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day today, I hope your plans bring you joy. If you’re not, then quite right - what a load of nonsense anyway. But I would like to take the opportunity to say how much we love having you as a subscriber. By sharing our work you’re helping support Best for Britain take on the political challenges the country faces. Thank you!

Have a wonderful weekend, and Josh will be back next week.

Cal

Cal Roscow

Executive Director of Communications & Campaigns

Best for Britain

Welcome to your Weekend Wire from Best for Britain, after what’s been yet another seismic week of headlines worldwide.

We usually aim to offer a bit of humorous relief with this newsletter - a funny take on these all-too heavy times - but sadly, this week’s instalment won’t be quite so light-hearted. As our readers will be well aware, the release of the Epstein Files and their impact around the world, including at the very top of our government, are something far beyond the usual.

As we bring you all the latest political developments, including the crisis surrounding Keir Starmer’s leadership, at the heart of this should be those who were directly harmed, the victims and survivors, and their immediate families, friends and loved ones.

With all this in mind, we’ve also shared some much-needed good news. From welcome progress on EU negotiations, an uplifting Substack on the emotional power of sport, to the return home of five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, who were detained by ICE, read on for much more on all that.

Crisis mode

Prime Minister Keir Starmer fought for his premiership this week after facing serious questions over his judgement in appointing former New Labour-ite politico and lobbyist Peter Mandelson, also known as the Prince of Darkness, as the UK’s ambassador to Washington DC. Starmer sacked Mandelson from the post in September 2025, after No10 said new information about the extent of his relationship with convicted paedophile and billionaire Jeffrey Epstein emerged.

When the Epstein Files were published last weekend, further information came to light, including emails which appeared to suggest Mandelson, who has since resigned from the Labour Party and stepped down from the House of Lords, forwarded on market-sensitive information to Epstein when he was business secretary under Gordon Brown in 2009.

The Met Police opened a criminal investigation into allegations of misconduct in public office. As of Friday, Mandelson has not commented publicly on the latest developments, but has previously expressed regret and apologised to Epstein’s victims. The BBC reported that it “understands his position is that he has not acted in any way criminally and that he was not motivated by financial gain”.

It has sparked the biggest crisis of Starmer’s administration so far, with the PM now facing calls to stand down from his own shocked and angry MPs. He apologised to Epstein’s victims in a speech on Thursday, for believing Mandelson’s “lies” and appointing him as the UK’s ambassador to the US. He said, while the relationship was publicly known: “None of us knew the depths and the darkness of that relationship.” Speculation is also rife about the future of Starmer’s top advisor Morgan McSweeney, who is widely seen as a Mandelson protege.

And of course, there is always a Brexit angle. As the Independent reported, the latest release of documents suggest Epstein celebrated Britain’s decision to leave the EU following the 2016 referendum, gleefully dubbing it a “return to tribalism”, and appeared to show him emailing the tech billionaire Peter Thiel, describing Brexit as “just the beginning”. While the Guardian reported on dozens of messages between Epstein and Donald Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon, including discussing support and funding for European far-right parties.

A lighter shade of blue

Westminster’s psychodrama went west on Thursday as Nigel Farage held his weekly sermon, in the guise of a press conference, this time in Newport, Wales. While we still await the promised ‘senior Labour figure’ due to defect at any moment, we were treated to not one but two former Tories announced as Reform UK candidates for the upcoming Senedd elections in May.

As Dan Thomas - the former Conservative leader of Barnet Council - took to the lectern as Reform UK’s new Welsh leader, the number of former Tories swapping their navy rosettes for a slightly paler blue ticked up to a remarkable 118. Find whether there is a local defection in your area using our handy tracker…

Joining Thomas, was current Welsh MS James Evans who becomes the second Reform UK member in the Senedd, joining fellow former Tory Laura Ann Jones MS. Jones was suspended from Wales’ parliament for using a racial slur about Chinese people, but has apologised and denied she is racist.

However, after losing the Caerphilly by-election, Reform UK’s hopes of forming a government in Wales have faltered.

Latest YouGov research has Plaid Cymru in a promising position ahead of the polls opening on May 7, and with the elections taking place using the ‘closed proportional list system’ the number of votes won will directly correlate to the number of MS’ each party commands.

Supermarket sweep

Our polling on widespread public support for an agrifood deal, also known as a sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement, with the EU, which could help lower the cost of the weekly food shop reached Prime Minister Questions (PMQs) this week.

Labour MP for York Outer Luke Charters quoted Best for Britain’s research - that 62% of the public back such a deal - in the Commons chamber. He asked the Prime Minister to “build closer ties with Europe to cut the price of the weekly shop”. You can watch the exchange on our BlueSky.

And as our policy director Tom Brufatto stressed: “From reducing the cost of the supermarket shop to shoring up our defence and security, voters overwhelmingly - and rightly - recognise the vital benefits of closer alignment with Europe.

“Best for Britain’s polling has repeatedly shown the public are in favour of strengthening Britain’s ties with our closest partners in Europe, and these findings are yet more evidence of that.”

Washington’s Past

The Washington Post has a long and illustrious history of fighting for the truth and illuminating the darkest excesses of power in American politics. Most famously, the paper uncovered the Watergate scandal that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon and, more recently, in 2017, reported that President Trump had revealed highly classified information to Russian officials.

Yet this week, large scale redundancies at the paper have reinforced domestic and international concerns about the freedom of the American press and the vitality of its media, new and old. Around one-third of the paper’s staff were laid off in what has been described as a “bloodbath” and a “sickening attempt to curry favour” with President Trump. The news follows increasing tensions between the White House and America’s progressive media corp and the recent arrest of former CNN host Don Lemon.

The decision of Washington Post owner and Trump fan Jeff Bezos to cull the papers books section marks a dark twist of irony given the Amazon tycoon’s wealth was founded on revolutionising e-commerce through books. The newspaper’s adopted slogan under Bezos - “Democracy dies in the darkness” - now reads more like an instruction than a warning.

Cheg mate?

On Sunday, Portugal heads to the polls to elect a new President. The race between the far-right Chega party and the social-democratic Socialist Party appears to not be as close as many had feared, if pollsters are to be believed.

António José Seguro of the Socialist Party leads voting intentions with 67 percent, compared with just 33 percent for Chega leader André Ventura, according to a poll released on Tuesday. Whilst a largely ceremonial role, the Portuguese President still holds significant powers such as vetoing legislation and dissolving Parliament to call new elections.

This run-off election is only the second in Portugal’s democratic history following the Carnation Revolution of 1974 that saw the end of the Estado Novo - a period of almost fifty years of corporatist dictatorship in the country.

Sporting goods

On the Best for Britain Wire this week, our very own Josh Edwicker previewed the start of the Six Nations with an uplifting piece on the power of sport to bring us all together.

Whether you’ve never heard of the 1973 Ireland-England game at Lansdowne Road, or you remember it well, the story is well worth a read.

“It’s a powerful reminder that even when society is at its most divided, it is so often through sport that we build bridges and foster understanding.” - Joshua Edwicker

And if more of this sounds like your cup of tea, why not have a think about taking out a subscription to the Best for Britain Wire?

It was a busy week for UK-EU relations, and some things might have slipped under your radar…

1. On Monday, EU minister Nick Thomas-Symonds met with his counterpart Maroš Šefčovič to reaffirm their commitment to completing negotiations on the policies agreed to in the May 2025 summit by the time of the next summit. That means that (hopefully) by then we will have an agreement on the Youth Experience Scheme (YES), on establishing a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Area and on linking their Emissions Trading Systems (ETS).

2. Singer Kate Nash gave powerful evidence to the Culture, Media, and Sport Select Committee, which also highlighted Best for Britain’s research into the impact of Brexit on touring artists. Nash outlined how post-Brexit restrictions had made touring the continent far more challenging and expensive. Nash revealed that her last European tour had seen her lose £26,000. A remarkable 87% of musicians have reported that Brexit has hit their income according to a survey by UK Music in 2024.

3. Collect your tapas, uncork your rioja, and stir your paella: Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez has said he “absolutely supports” the UK rejoining the EU. Vamos, señor!

Cheerful News of the Week

Amid the update that Trump’s border tsar Tom Homan will withdraw some 700 of the 3,000 ICE agents deployed in Minnesota, another event may have escaped your notice.

When five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias were detained by immigration enforcement in Minneapolis, and sent to the Dilley detention center in Texas, it sparked outrage across the US, and elsewhere.

However, last week the Democrat Texas congressman Joaquin Castro confirmed Liam and his dad had been released, and he had accompanied them back to Minnesota.

“Liam is now home. With his hat and his backpack,” Castro said. In a post on Instagram, he shared a moving letter he wrote for Liam, which stated: “As you get older and you understand these words and this time, I hope you will judge America not by your days at Dilley, but by the millions of Americans whose hearts you touched.”

Expensive fashion, an icy protagonist, and more than a touch of camp? No, it’s not the hotly anticipated Devil Wears Prada sequel; this week’s cringe column entry is, of course, the lacklustre ticket sales for the Amazon-funded Melania Trump documentary.

The film has reportedly made just £33,000 at the UK box office on its opening weekend, despite journalists rushing to file copy alongside their popcorn buckets. The Independent reported attending “a near-empty screening at Vue Westfield, in Stratford, where four other audience members were present, two of whom were reporters”. Tough crowd…

Next week marks both National Apprenticeship Week and Valentine’s Day, alongside elections in Bangladesh and the beginning of a parliamentary recess.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on a Westminster Hall debate on Russian influence on UK politics and democracy, as well as MPs discussing the UK-India free trade agreement, and any continued fallout from Starmer’s leadership woes.

Have a good one.

Jessica Frank-Keyes and Joshua Edwicker

Head of Press and Content Officer

Best for Britain

Welcome to your Weekend Wire from Best for Britain.

After the long, dark slog of January, February is finally almost upon us, with those lighter mornings and longer evenings just around the corner.

On the news front, from Starmer’s China visit to Trump’s military posturing in the Middle East, it’s been another week of international headlines that took us (literally) that bit closer to Doomsday. Closer to home, the wait goes on for Labour to announce their candidate in the upcoming Greater Manchester by-election, while the Guardian took a deep-dive into the state of your local high street.

Read on for much more on all that.

Visa Xi Travel

This week Prime Minister Keir Starmer embarked on one of the biggest international trips of his premiership so far: a three-day visit to the East Asian economic powerhouse of China, accompanied by a host of business leaders. The visit has seen the PM meet with Chinese premier Xi Jinping, announce lower tariffs on Scotch whisky and under 30 days visa-free travel for British travellers to China, and confirm the lifting of Chinese sanctions on MPs and peers.

However, in what may have felt like a rerun of his ‘Ming vase’ electoral strategy, the visit also saw Starmer navigate a fine line between the economic opportunities on offer, valid security and human rights concerns and - oh yes Xi did - US President Donald Trump’s inevitable weighing in. The PM faced staunch criticism from Sino hawks, including Alicia Kearns, who laid into him for boarding the (BA) plane before confirming jailed British citizen Jimmy Lai, 78, would join him on the flight home. Starmer said he had raised Lai’s case in his talks with Xi, alongside a “respectful discussion” on reported human rights abuses against the Uighur Muslim ethnic group, but there has not been an update on his release after five years in detention.

No10 staffers are understood to be on burner phones and laptops while on the trip, to avoid tech hacking amid spying fears - although Starmer confirmed to GB News that he did not get changed under the bed sheets. Former PM Baroness Theresa May and her staff were advised to get changed while in bed during their visit to China in 2018, to avoid spy cameras, PA reported.

Trump’s take? The President - who is himself expected to visit China in April - told reporters on Friday, in a not-so coded message to Mark Carney: “Well, it’s very dangerous for them to do that, and it’s even more dangerous, I think, for Canada to get into business with China.”

‘Psychodrama, qu’est-ce que c’est?’

After Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) rejected Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham’s bid to stand in the Gorton and Denton by-election, the competition has continued hotting up. Labour are expected to declare their candidate this weekend, while the Green Party have selected Trafford councillor and plumber Hannah Spencer, who ran as the party’s candidate for mayor of Manchester in 2024.

Reform UK, meanwhile, unveiled the GB News presenter and former political academic-turned-right-wing-activist Matt Goodwin, who once ate his own book live on Sky News. Goodwin has since earned the endorsement of far-right agitator Tommy Robinson, in what may not be entirely welcome news for his party. With both Labour and the Greens warning they are the only ones who can win against Reform UK, we’ll be watching this one closely.

Burnham - who is seen by some in the party as a potential challenger or successor to Starmer - has also given an interview to BBC Radio Manchester where he insisted he stepped forward to stand for Labour because he wanted to “fight the politics of Reform” and that he did not try to “undermine the government”. What was it Kemi Badenoch said about psychodrama…?

Energy in the Zoom

At the UK Trade and Business Commission (UKTBC) this week, our commissioners heard from expert witnesses about the current state of UK-EU negotiations on energy, and the key challenges and opportunities facing the sector, in an enlightening panel session.

As Jonny Peters, chief of staff at independent European climate change think tank, E3G, rightly highlighted: “In 2022, in the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the price spikes were huge… [in] these kind of unforeseen geopolitical situations, it’s absolutely vital that we invest in the UK-EU relationship, including through the negotiations, to make sure we mitigate the impact of those price spikes into the UK and consumers.”

ICE-d out

After the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minnesota, Trump said earlier this week that his administration would “de-escalate a little bit” in the state, which has seen huge protests against ICE operations there. He also branded the deaths “terrible”.

However, on Friday, it emerged that former CNN anchor Don Lemon had been arrested over charges that he violated federal law during a protest at a church in Minnesota earlier this month, according to his lawyer, as the Guardian reported. Lemon had entered the church and filmed anti-immigration enforcement protesters as they disrupted a service, the BBC said. He was taken into custody by federal agents on Thursday while in LA covering the Grammy Awards. A statement from his lawyer Abbe Lowell said: “Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court.”

Elsewhere in US news, Trump has continued his military build up in the Middle East, following huge demonstrations against the regime in Iran and a violent crackdown in response. He has also warned Iran to “stop killing protestors” and insisted “no nuclear”, amid weeks of pressure on the country to negotiate a deal. Trump also suggested there were “a lot of very big, very powerful ships sailing to Iran right now, and it would be great if we didn’t have to use them.”

It also emerged this week that Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, a frequent supporter of the US President, told other EU leaders he was left shocked by Trump’s mental state, Politico reported, including using the words “dangerous” and “out of his mind”. However, Fico later posted on X, formerly Twitter, stating that he “must emphatically reject” Politico’s reporting about his meeting with Trump, and adding: “No one heard anything, no one saw anything, there are no witnesses, but nothing prevented the POLITICO portal from coming up with lies.”

High street woes

The Guardian newspaper took a deep dive into the state of Britain’s high streets this week, publishing a data-led look at a new academic study which “lays bare the changing face of town centres”. Researchers at the University of Southampton found people feel high streets have declined more than any other part of their local area over the past decade.

While this may come as no surprise - whether you choose to blame out of town megastores, Amazon Prime, next day delivery or fast fashion Shein hauls - the impact is clear. The story came stamped with a warning label that the issue could risk damaging Labour’s electoral prospects if the party can’t succeed in halting the decline.

Why not have a look at your local high street’s stats, and - if you’ve got time to fill this weekend - spend some time and money supporting yours?

Bumper crop

In case you missed it, we had a busy week on Substack, publishing four fantastic reads for our subscribers. Our external affairs manager James Coldwell took a look at the Fabian Society’s conference, while our campaigns director Cal Roscow got stuck into the topic of water bills.

We also had great pieces from Frank McKenna, CEO of Downtown in Business, on the economic own goal of net zero migration, and Toby Helm, on whether Starmer might choose to step down.

If all this sounds like your cup of tea, why not have a think about taking out a subscription to the Best for Britain Wire?

A decade on from the Brexit referendum (how time flies) and we now know that leaving the EU has damaged our economy, reduced GDP by 6-8%, and weakened our standing in the world. With the anniversary of the vote approaching, it’s no wonder we’re all starting to reflect on what it has meant for us.

This week, Ian Dunt outlined the case for (whisper it) rejoining the EU in a piece for the i paper marking the upcoming decennial. As he writes: Europe “is our part of the world. We will necessarily prioritise trade with it, because it is closer to us. Our security arrangements are necessarily bound up in it, because we are one continent. Our history and sense of identity is defined by it, because of the things we have gone through together and the ideas we share about how to constitute society.” One to ponder as we look back - and forward - over the upcoming months.

Cheerful News of the Week

Thankfully, the world of science has brought us some genuinely good news in these otherwise turbulent times. Spanish scientists have developed a treatment that eliminates pancreatic tumours in preclinical studies.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers and is known for quickly developing resistance to drug treatments. While the research has not yet moved to human trials, this breakthrough offers hope that scientists are one step closer to finding a cure.

We now turn to the conveyor belt of former Tory MPs jumping ship defecting to Reform UK, for what Andrew Marr described “perhaps the least surprising piece of political news so far this year”. Yes, Suella Braverman, former home secretary, has joined Farage and co.

However, with her face at the press conference announcement looking eerily similar to when a superfan gets invited onto the stage at their idol’s concert, you’d be forgiven for thinking, surely, she’s already made the leap. One for the Best for Britain tracker…

Next week is already looking busy, with World Cancer Day, the start of the Winter Olympics in Milan, and elections in Portugal, Thailand and Japan - as well as the start of the Six Nations.

Have a good one.

Jessica Frank-Keyes

Head of Press

Best for Britain

With thanks to Laurena Rodriguez

Welcome to your Weekend Wire from Best for Britain.

It may be dry January for some, but after the past seven days, we’ve certainly been left with what those in the biz describe as a ‘news hangover’. From Trump’s speech at Davos, yet more internal Labour party machinations, via a volte face on Greenland, the bar is well and truly drunk dry.

Just consider us your Saturday morning pint of water and two paracetamol, following a good old fashioned night on the lash.

Read on for plenty more on all that.

Shock and aw(ful)

Quiet weeks are rare under the current White House administration, but this one was particularly noisy. After delivering an over an hour long speech at Davos on Wednesday (more on that below), Trump then sparked a major backlash on Friday, over his comments to Fox News that NATO troops had “stayed a little back, a little off the front lines” in Afghanistan.

The response was swift and furious, from ministers and MPs including Emily Thornberry, Al Carns and defence secretary John Healey. Kemi Badenoch branded Trump’s remarks “a disgrace”, while Lib Dem leader Ed Davey urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to demand an apology, as the families of service members killed in action expressed hurt and outrage, including the mother of the youngest British soldier to be killed in Afghanistan, 18-year-old rifleman William Aldridge.

The PM’s spokesman said Trump was “wrong to diminish the role of Nato troops, including British forces, in Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks on the US”, citing the 457 British personnel who died there and the “life-changing injuries” suffered by many.

He added: “We are incredibly proud of our armed forces and their service and sacrifice will never be forgotten.” Starmer himself later described the Presidents’ comments as “insulting and frankly appalling”, adding that if he had said those words, “I would certainly apologise”.

Bored of Peace?

Also this week, the US President inaugurated his new Board of Peace on stage at the World Economic Forum, in what’s seen as an audacious attempt to replace the United Nations amid growing threats to the rules-based international order. It evolved from US plans to end the war in Gaza, although leaked details of its charter don’t make reference to that.

As the BBC’s chief international correspondent, Lyce Doucet, wrote in a must-read deep-dive on the newly unveiled Board:

“But for many observers and officials in capitals the world over, it is yet more proof of Trump’s drive to dismantle the post-war international architecture and replace it with new institutions - dominated by him.”

However, when it comes to membership of the board - priced at a cool billion dollars for permanent status - it’s not exactly a geopolitical A-list. No G7 states have accepted membership, and neither Russia nor China have said whether they will accept their invitations.

Vladimir Putin is reportedly considering joining, which the UK cited when declining to take part. Canada’s invite has been withdrawn, in the latest jibe to Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Not Easy Being Green(land)

Delivering his main address at the Switzerland billionaire convention, the US President told the world he would not “use force” to make his demands for control over Greenland a reality. In a wide-ranging speech, Trump insisted no one but the US could protect the island territory from Russia and China - and said he was seeking “immediate negotiations” on its acquisition. Ahead of the speech, he had also criticised the UK’s Chagos Islands deal, in what Starmer used PMQs to brand publicly an attempt by Trump to “put pressure on me to yield on my principles”.

However, Trump later announced he was dropping his threats of tariffs against European nations opposed to his plans to take Greenland, after he met with NATO boss Mark Rutte, in Switzerland. The President said the pair had “formed the framework of a future deal” for Arctic security. Specific terms of the agreement remained unclear, but Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has reiterated that Denmark “cannot negotiate on our sovereignty”.

And while visiting Starmer at official country residence Chequers on Thursday, she thanked him for the UK’s support and praised the “British way of doing things”, saying: “You have a cup of tea and then you think a bit about everything.” We’ll drink to that.

Five hundred, twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes

How indeed do you measure a year? Well, if you’re a foreign policy expert dissecting the past twelve months of Donald Trump’s second stint in the White House, you can forget daylights and sunsets (although we won’t say no to cups of coffee), in exchange for tariffs and global upheaval.

This week marked one year since Trump’s second inauguration. Who better to turn to than British Foreign Policy Group director Evie Aspinall, who shared her insightful reflections, including on where America, and the world, goes from here. Well worth a read.

“Trump’s actions will, ultimately, undermine the United States’ long term security and prosperity but by then, it won’t be his problem.” - Evie Aspinall

Feel the Burn(ham)

In (potentially) major news for the government - and the wider Labour Party - this week, it was confirmed former Labour minister Andrew Gwynne will stand down as an MP for medical reasons. The move paves the way for a by-election which could prompt Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham to mount a return to Westminster, with speculation rife as to whether a challenge to Starmer’s leadership could follow.

Gwynne has sat as an independent MP since February 2025, after being suspended from Labour over offensive WhatsApps - which he has apologised for.

Starmer has since been urged not to “stitch up” the selection process and prevent Burnham from standing, with Jo White, chair of the Red Wall group of Labour MPs, urging: “Let the North decide who their Labour candidate should be for the Gorton and Denton by-election. A London stitch up will be a disaster for Labour.” One to watch closely…

Distance learning

News broke this week that the government is set to scrap targets for international student numbers in the UK, instead encouraging British universities to set up campuses overseas. The move comes in the context of an ongoing focus from No10 on reducing immigration numbers.

However, as our CEO Naomi Smith was quick to observe, public opinion when it comes to foreign university students - and all the associated economic, cultural and social benefits they bring with them - remains as broadly positive and welcoming as ever. Something for our policy makers to ponder on.

“The irreplaceable value of international students from around the world enrolling in our world-class universities and, alongside their education, taking a lifelong fondness for the UK back to their home countries is a vital component of Britain’s soft power.” - Naomi Smith

Gone but not forgotten

There was some sad news for all of us at Best for Britain HQ this week, as we said goodbye to our Director of Communications, Niall McGourty, who is leaving these shores for a big move back to Belfast - and will no longer be editing this Substack. We wish him all the very best.

However, we’re told he remains available for guest posts in the near and not so near future, so keep an eye out. So long, Niall, and thanks for all the fish(ing quotas related humour)!

2026 will mark the 10th anniversary of the Brexit referendum. While Weekend Wire readers won’t be surprised to learn that the promises of the Leave Campaign have not come to fruition, it’s important to back this up with sound numbers - and NatCen’s research provides the latest.

Today, 69-70% of the British public thinks that the UK is worse off outside the EU , up from just 40% in 2015. Only 9-12% believe that Brexit has improved the economy - and even 38% of Leave voters now say the economy is worse off after leaving the EU.

Cheerful News of the Week

Last week, we learned that London’s homicide figures are the lowest on record - and the good news streak continues this week.

A new report has ranked London among the top ten greenest cities in the world. Reform UK must be furious - how can they talk down London now?

In bizarre news from Leicestershire and Rutland this week, the BBC reported that police and crime commissioner Rupert Matthews, who defected to Reform UK last year, was subject to a complaint for allegedly asking a police officer in an “unsolicited email” to help him organise an election campaign photo with a horse - in the style of Vladimir Putin’s infamous topless photo.

In doubly bad news for him - he didn’t get the photo, and he had to face a panel meeting to answer questions about the complaint. The BBC have the full tale here.

While it may feel like we’re on the 47th day of January, there are actually only eight days to go.

But before we turn the calendar page, next week marks International Day of Clean Energy, International Day of Peaceful Coexistence, and Holocaust Memorial Day, on Tuesday.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on the House of Lords next week, with questions expected on the Erasmus+ scheme, the decline in public trust in national politics, and on the impact of a new EU-UK customs union and connections with the EU single market.

Have a good one.

Jessica Frank-Keyes

Head of Press

Best for Britain

With thanks to Laurena Rodriguez

After what’s been another long week of the world holding its breath, we hope you’re ready for an exhale. Stick the kettle on, lower your shoulders, and unclench your jaw, as we round up the state of the world, without trying to raise your blood pressure.

From Greenland to Grok, via Rubio and Reform UK, read on for lots more on all that.

Arctic Circling

As US President Donald Trump continued to press for American control of Greenland, an autonomous Arctic territory of Denmark, an extraordinary meeting was held in the White House on Wednesday between Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Vivian Motzfeldt, US vice-president JD Vance and secretary of state Marco Rubio.

The hour-long meeting culminated in Lokke Rasmussen declaring to reporters that it was “clear that the president has this wish of conquering over Greenland”, which he - tactfully - dubbed a “fundamental disagreement” with the Trump administration. Trump argues China and Russia have designs on Greenland - the world’s largest island - and wants the US to take it over.

There are hopes the talks will eventually lead to Trump dropping his demand, in favour of closer co-operation with the US. But the sight of European leaders puffing on cigarettes after the discussion hinted at the tension in the room.

Symbolic numbers of troops from several European nations - including France, Germany, and the UK - continued arriving in Greenland in a show of unity throughout the week, after it was announced prior to the White House summit that Denmark would up its military presence there.

However, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday that this had no impact on Trump’s decision-making. There is a clear gap between the two sides with Denmark describing a future working group to resolve differences, and the US is billing any further discussions as “technical talks on the acquisition agreement” to acquire Greenland, according to the PA news agency. Errrr…

Terror in Tehran

After weeks of increasingly fierce protests, reports emerged towards the end of the week that the national uprising in Iran has stalled, following the regime’s deadly crackdown. Reprisals have included state forces shooting directly into crowds, who first took to the streets in December over the collapse of Iran’s rial currency, as well as an internet blackout. Activists say 2,615 people have been killed, and there were threats to put those arrested to death within days.

Iranian state media reported more arrests on Friday, despite repeated US threats to intervene over plans to execute detainees. However, fears of US intervention have dialled back since Wednesday, when Trump said he had been told the violence was easing. It comes after he announced on Truth Social that “any country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a Tariff of 25% on any and all business being done with the USA”.

Eyewitness reports from Tehran suggest the sound of gunfire and smell of bonfires is fading. However, on Friday, the Pentagon said it had moved one of its most powerful warships to the Middle East - the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier, alongside fighter jets and an attack submarine.

Elsewhere in Middle East news, it was reported that Keir Starmer is considering whether to join Trump’s Board of Peace for Gaza, as part of the 20-point US plan to end the Israel-Hamas war, following US media reports that Trump will announce the membership this week. Tony Blair is expected to join a separate executive board alongside Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Cops and Roberts

Provocateur-in-chief Robert Jenrick received his marching orders on Thursday morning from an emboldened Kemi Badenoch. After being provided with “irrefutable evidence” that the former Tory leadership candidate was planning to defect to Reform UK, she had (finally) had enough.

The Jenrick-Badenoch face-off had a Shakespearean quality - Julius Caesar crossed with A Comedy of Errors. Jenrick’s plot was reportedly rumbled when a copy of his resignation speech was found ‘lying around’. While Tory bosses apparently became aware of a meeting in December between Farage and the ex-Shadow Justice Minister.

Just hours later, at a hastily organised Westminster press conference, Jenrick was unveiled as a new Reform UK MP - taking the party’s total to six. In his speech, Jenrick, without an ounce of self-reflection or irony, lambasted his former party’s record in government. He launched blistering personal attacks on the records of Mel Stride and Priti Patel, but largely avoided taking responsibility for his own four years as government minister. Badenoch was able to find solace in the situation, telling reporters: “Robert Jenrick is not my problem any more. He’s Nigel Farage’s problem now”.

Making tracks

At Best for Britain, we’ve been keeping a close eye on the numbers of former Conservatives - from MPs to councillors and donors - making their way over to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.

And this week - with the news that both Nadhim Zahawi and Robert Jenrick had jumped ship - it was time to launch our brand new Defection Tracker. You can follow all the updates on our website - and please do share far and wide.

While it remains to see what the wider impact will be for the right of British politics, it’s worth remembering what our CEO Naomi Smith powerfully argues:

“Nigel Farage paints Reform UK as a new insurgency party - undoing the mistakes of mainstream politics. Quick to criticise the fourteen years of Tory austerity, mismanagement, and chaos - Farage is even quicker to welcome them into his party with open arms.”

A Grok and a hard place

In welcome - if bare minimum - good news this week, Elon Musk and X have climbed down from their position on the use of AI tool Grok to produce sexually explicit images of women and children. A statement on X on Wednesday confirmed they had taken steps “to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing”.

Keir Starmer and technology minister Liz Kendall had been clear in their anger at X for the failure to properly implement safeguards. Andrea Simon, director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said it illustrated “how victims of abuse, campaigners and a show of strength from governments can force tech platforms to take action”. This week, we at Best for Britain made the decision to stop using X completely. Read more on that decision below.

The ongoing X controversy has increased calls for the UK to follow Australia’s lead in banning social media for under-16s. On Thursday the Prime Minister refused to rule out such a ban - reaffirming that “all options are on the table”, while Badenoch announced that her Conservative Party would seek the same, if they won the next election. The issue is likely to return to the front-pages next week as the House of Lords prepares to vote on an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill that would include the proposed ban.

Decision to Leave

This week, Best for Britain took the decision to stop using X, formerly Twitter, completely. Here’s our full statement, on why:

“For the last twelve months we’ve maintained a presence on the platform because - regrettably - MPs, journalists, and the UK Government, have continued to use it to publish news and monitor public sentiment.

“The continued degradation of X, particularly the more recent trend of abusive images being generated using Grok, means we can’t in all good conscience continue to use it.

“For an organisation that seeks to change minds, always trying to reach new people, and change politics for the better, it’s a difficult decision. Some of our team, dedicated to countering the spread of misinformation and disinformation, will continue to monitor X and other social media networks as part of our efforts to fight the rise of extremism and the radical right.

But we’ll only be sharing on other platforms, like this one. We urge politicians and the media to do the same.”

In advance…

Would you delay your pension to get on the housing ladder? That’s what Welwyn Hatfield MP, and chair of the UK Trade and Business Commission, Andrew Lewin, is asking.

In a much-needed, fresh approach to the thorny policy problem of increasingly unaffordable home ownership, Lewin makes the bold policy proposal that could be a game changer for young people. .

Read his piece in full - and stay up to date with the policy’s development here.

Plaid comes before a fall

A new YouGov poll ahead of May’s local, Welsh and Scottish elections caused a stir. The research, for ITV Cymru and Cardiff University, put the Welsh national party on 37% to Reform UK’s 23%, with Labour an astonishing fourth place (10%) in one of its former strongholds, behind the Greens (13%). With Reform hoping for a big win in Wales come spring, could this latest upset indicate a shift in their fortunes?

While Westminster digested the news, it was over to Fife, where Farage announced the party’s leader in Scotland ahead of the locals. And yes you guessed it, it’s another former Tory minister and peer Malcolm Offord, who quit the Lords to stand for Reform UK at Holyrood, after being directly appointed to the post. But Farage was quick to remind him who was really in charge, telling journalists at the press conference: “I am the leader of the party, I have quite a lot of power.”

Election watch

Portugal heads to the polls on Sunday for the first round of its presidential election. While the office is largely ceremonial, it still holds significant powers, including calling snap elections and vetoing legislation.

In a now all too familiar pattern, the far-right Chega party holds a slim poll lead. The latest figures put André Ventura, Chega’s firebrand anti-establishment leader, on 24%, narrowly ahead of Socialist António Seguro on 23%. With a third candidate, João Cotrim de Figueiredo MEP, from the pro-business Liberal Initiative polling at 19%, the race is likely to require a second-round run-off for the first time in forty years.

Grab your popcorn and pastel de natas.

Feel the Byrne

This year marks a decade since the 2016 Brexit referendum. How time flies. This week Business and Trade Committee chair Liam Byrne MP held a timely evidence session into the damage caused by Brexit to a wide range of industries. From ports, and haulage companies, to the National Farmers Union - the Committee heard hours of damning evidence into the act of economic self-harm that Brexit has so clearly been.

One witness, Toby Ovens of Broughton Transport, told how one of his trucks was once stuck for 27 days due a paperwork error, whilst another saw a vet chasing lorries down motorways.

Cheerful News of the Week

Alright, this is commentary, not news, but we wanted to share this final column from the Guardian’s Martin Kettle, comparing Britain today to the world of the 1980s. After yet another ‘quite a week’, his reflective tone left us feeling, if not quite optimistic, then at least hopeful. He writes:

“But – and here’s the point that needs to be grasped – those moods did not endure. Not everything was broken. With effort and tough judgment, we managed to get out of that place; imperfectly, because life is always imperfect; sometimes at a cost, though sometimes with reward; but nevertheless in real and significant ways.

“So the question is whether we can do something of the same kind now. I know we must. I also think we can.”

Cast your mind back to Monday, when Zahawi became the most senior Conservative politician to cross the aisle - ahead of Jenrick. The former Chancellor of the Exchequer, who enjoyed a blockbuster two month stint in the role, glossed over former tweets that warned he would be “frightened” to live in a country run by Farage.

While with his own case of amnesia, the Reform UK leader appears to have forgotten all about his accusation that “all he’s (Zahawi) interested in is climbing the greasy pole”. Awks.

Next week is the International Day for Education, Blue Monday, and of course, a happy Burns Night to all our Scottish subscribers.

We’ll also be keeping an eye out for the government’s deadline for a decision on the proposed Chinese embassy in London, and the first anniversary of Trump’s second inauguration.

Have a good one.

Jessica Frank-Keyes and Joshua Edwicker

Head of Press and Content Officer

Best for Britain

Welcome back to the Weekend Wire, the first of 2026. For everyone hoping to gently ease into the new year like a warm bath, we have bad news, events of the first few days of MMXXVI are enough to give you whiplash. Unsurprisingly, today’s Weekend Wire has a distinctly American flavour and we’re here to guide you through it all.

Before we start

Because our next two stories were likely timed to distract from it, let’s briefly mention the thing Trump doesn’t want us to talk about. As US lawmakers returned from their holidays, attention was expected to turn back to the Trump administration’s breach of their legal requirement to publish all files related to disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein by 19th December.

With the files suspected to include deeply embarrassing and potentially incriminating evidence against the US President, on Wednesday Trump’s justice department confirmed they had so far reviewed and released a mere 1% of the cache and all heavily redacted. Go figure.

The sp-oils of war

The dizzying pace at which events in Venezuela developed last weekend stunned the world. From beginning to end, the abduction of President Maduro (a doubtlessly unpleasant dictator) took just over two hours.

Maduro and his wife, indicted on charges of narco-terrorism, now preside in a Brooklyn detention facility some 2,100 miles from Caracas. The intervention of an American President in the happenings of a Latin American country is hardly novel - just ask Chileans, Bolivians, or Nicaraguans. However, what is perhaps new is the brazen openness with which President Trump has admitted his motivations are driven by oil, failing to mention democracy once in his public comments following the raid.

Trump’s announcement that Venezuela would be turning over ‘50 million barrels of oil’ to the US came as he further announced that he expected American companies to be producing oil in the South American country within 18-months. And in case you thought he was doing this on behalf of the American people - he then confirmed he would be managing the loot personally.

Concerns about the legality of the operation have dominated headlines this week with many legal scholars decrying the action as illegal and criminal. Over on this side of the Atlantic - Keir Starmer and many European leaders chose to be more coy - with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen stating that the bloc was ‘following the situation closely’. Whatever the politics, the episode will doubtlessly be seized on by Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping as they seek to impose their own will on their neighbours.

Green eyed monster

The desecration of the rules-based international order by Trump took another dramatic turn later in the week as he and his administration made clear their intent to ‘acquire’ sovereign European territory. Speaking on Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the President was “actively” discussing an offer to buy Greenland.

European leaders were forced to publish a letter reaffirming that “Greenland belongs to its people.” after Stephen Miller refused to rule out military action to wrest control of the island. An attack on a NATO member by another NATO member would be the death knell of the organisation which has been a bulwark against World War 3 since the end of World War 2.

Further questions are raised when looking at the Lisbon Treaty Article 42(7) which obligates all EU states to assist by “all means in their power” if another member is attacked. Whether any country within the EU would respond to an annexation attempt or whether they even could seems unlikely at the current moment.

Boots on the ground

Trump’s overtures to Greenland overshadowed what was, on the face of it, a pretty significant meeting in Paris this week of the Coalition of the Willing - those European leaders still interested in seeing Putin fail in his invasion of Ukraine. On Tuesday, following a meeting with US representatives and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, both Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron pledged they are ready to deploy British and French troops to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.

The move was strongly criticised by the leader of the opposition who suggested it put Britain on track to a direct military conflict with Russia. However, former British Ambassador to the US and national security advisor Kim Darroch argues that the move was a precondition to Europe having any say in what eventually plays out in Ukraine, and that Putin’s unwillingness to accept anything short of almost total capitulation from the West means significant numbers of British boots won’t be in Ukraine any time soon. Read his full piece only in the Best for Britain Wire.

High Seize

A Russian submarine, the shadow fleet, RAF air cover, and covert American forces; it is a plot that would not look out of place in a James Bond film. Yet off the coast of Bond’s native Scotland such a scene played out as US troops boarded a Russian tanker on Wednesday said to be a part of the shadow fleet used by Iran, Russia, and Venezuela to avoid Western sanctions.

The Marinera (aka Bella 1) has been under sanction since June 2024, accused of carrying illicit goods for the terrorist group Hezbollah. The use of a Russian submarine to guard the ship is the latest example of Russian naval presence in the Atlantic, following the incursion of a spy ship into UK waters late last year.

Defence Minister Jonathan Healey made a late appearance in the House of Commons on Wednesday evening confirming that the RAF assisted the Americans with refuelling and surveillance. Responding to questions regarding the involvement of the RAF in the mission, UK Minister Douglas Alexander said that the government would “continue to look to how we can close down those channels of financing that are funding Putin’s war machine”.

Tehran teeters

It’s something that would have dominated headlines in any other week, but anger in Iran reached new heights with Friday marking the 13th consecutive day of protests. The unrest has been sparked by the collapse of Iran’s currency, with demonstrations now reported in more than 100 cities and towns across the nation.

In a rare attempt at appeasement, the Iranian government offered citizens a monthly payment of £5 earlier this week (roughly equivalent to a day’s pay). It marks a clear break from their traditional response to civil disobedience - hard-nosed repression and dismissing dissent as treason. The situation escalated further on Thursday after reports the regime had begun an internet blackout on the country, hindering the ability of protesters to communicate with one another.

With the Iranian currency now worth around 80% less against the dollar than this time last year, and inflation running at roughly 42%, the government appears weaker than it has been in many years. After a year in which Iran’s military power was dramatically reduced by the dismantling of many of its proxy networks across the Middle East, pro-democracy forces are hoping this could become Iran’s Berlin Wall moment.

“A public execution”

Six months since Trump allocated $75billion to his anti-immigrant militia of masked thugs (AKA ICE) - who have been abducting people off US streets to imprison in camps - this week perhaps the inevitable happened when trigger-happy ideologues are allowed to run amok. On Wednesday, an ICE agent shot and killed a 37 year old woman in her car. Despite clear footage of the incident (upsetting content warning), Trump mouthpieces demanded we ignore the evidence of our eyes, claiming the shooting was carried out in self defence. US Democrats described the incident as a “public execution”.

On Monday, the Times reported that the government was preparing new legislation that would allow the UK to align with the EU on food, plant and animal welfare standards, and lay the legal framework for the implementation of a new EU-UK energy trading scheme. It marks the clearest sign yet that both sides are moving from warm words to the implementation of some of the things that were agreed at the summit last May which should help bring supermarket prices and lecky bills down.

But as our CEO wrote in the Guardian this week, these welcome moves only represent part of what needs to happen by this year’s summit, and that phase two of Starmer’s Brexit reset must go even further.

Cheerful News of the Week

With the NHS saying that around one in five kids are now obese, on Monday the UK put junk food ads on a strict diet. Television adverts for food high in sugar, salt and fat are now only permitted after 9pm and are completely banned online.

Everyone is still free to buy their favourite treats whenever and in whatever quantity they like, but it is hoped that this move will stop our most impressionable citizens being force-fed content designed to make them eat unhealthily.

Phew… after that one I think we need a stiff drink - dry January be damned! Jess will be back next week for her inaugural Weekend Wire of 2026. Until then, hold your autonomous overseas territories close.

Have a great weekend!

Joshua Edwicker & Niall McGourty

Best for Britain

Welcome to The Best for Britain Wire’s Under the Radar round up. And a belated Happy New Year!

We’re three days into 2026 and, in place of your usual Weekend Wire, we wanted to take this opportunity to share a few more of our favourite pieces from 2025, which you might have missed. [But never fear, Weekend Wire will be back next Saturday.]

A huge thank you again to all our Substack writers, readers and commenters who’ve taken the time to support us in 2025.

Please do let us know what you’d like to see more of on The Best for Britain Wire in 2026 - or consider supporting our work with a paid subscription?

Read on for more!

Project 2029

One of the first pieces we shared on The Best for Britain Wire was this look ahead to what a possible Reform government could have planned - aka Project 2029 - by our editor Niall McGourty.

It’s not exactly a comfort read, but well worth a reminder as we head into the new year and May’s local elections are ever-closer.

Progressives and PR

Read that? Great. If you’re now wondering what we can do about all this, let me point you to two great pieces by two fantastic guest authors.

Firstly, by 38 Degrees CEO Matthew McGregor, on why Reform are the “next ‘change’ cab off the rank” and what Labour need to do to win back the progressive voters and “keep populists out of No10”.

Next up, the chief executive of Make Votes Matter, Emma Harrison, shared this deep dive into first past the post - that “Victorian invention… electoral relic propped up by tactical voting” - and why a proportional voting system could offer us so much more.

Say Yes to a YES

At Best for Britain, we’ve been campaigning long and hard for the creation of a new UK-EU youth mobility scheme - or youth experience scheme (YES) as its now known.

With the recent news that the UK is set to rejoin the Erasmus+ scheme, why not revisit policy officer Ayesha Chaudry’s excellent Substack piece on how “Brexit reshaped our futures without our consent”.

She eloquently argues that a YES is a “a sign to young people that our futures still matter, and that the world is not closing in on us, but opening back up”.

A dose of reality

Finally, I wanted to share with you my favourite piece that I wrote for The Best for Britain Wire this year.

As an avid viewer of reality TV (for socio-political research, of course), and coming from a family full of teachers, I had some thoughts - and feelings - about the latest, powerful series of Educating Yorkshire, and how the UK’s kids should be far more of a priority for policymakers.

If you’re looking for something entertaining and inspirational to fill the dark January evenings, I highly recommend giving it a watch.

Thanks for reading. Normal service resumes next week! Until then, take care.

Jessica Frank-Keyes

Senior Press Officer

Best for Britain

Subscribe now

Welcome to The Best for Britain Wire’s Best of 2025.

We hope this email finds you scoffing leftovers, squabbling over a family game of Scrabble, or at least enjoying a something of a break from the daily grind - whatever that looks like.

We all know it’s been a long year. From political turmoil on both sides of the Atlantic, to conflicts across the globe, we don’t need to remind you of the doom and gloom.

However, at Best for Britain HQ, one of our highlights of the past twelve months has been our launch on Substack. It’s been a genuine joy to share fantastic articles by everyone from our brilliant CEO Naomi Smith, to Green Party leader Zack Polanski - and we wanted to take this opportunity to share some of our favourites with you.

But before we get to the festive selection box, we’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who’s written for The Best for Britain Wire since we went live in September, shared our content with friends and followers - but most importantly, to you.

Whether you’re a paid subscriber, or a regular Weekend Wire reader, we truly appreciate all your support, and the kind, positive feedback we’ve had so far. We’d love to know what you’d like to see more of on The Best for Britain Wire in 2026 - please let us know in the comments!

Wishing you all a joyful rest of the festive season and [please, PLEASE!] a lighter and brighter 2026.

Subscribe now

Flags, faith and the far right

Starting off strong, we wanted to share this excellent piece by Alex Andreou, who explored the topic of flags and the far right following the summer of St George’s crosses appearing on lampposts and roundabouts up and down the UK.

On a similar theme, priest Ryan Rodrigues shared his thoughtful view on the role of faith in politics, and what it means for Christianity to be “used as a dog-whistle”.

In praise of the NHS

But as our regular readers will know, it’s not all flags all the time.

Editor of The Best for Britain Wire, Niall McGourty, wrote this personal, and darkly funny, account of waking up the week before his wedding with facial paralysis. Also known as Bell’s Palsy, or - as he put it - an “inconsiderate name… as Bs and Ps are difficult letters to pronounce when half your mouth can’t move”.

Niall also used his experience to mount a defence of our NHS and its “diligent, competent and friendly staff… people who really care about what they do and come from all over the world to do it here”.

If you missed it the first time, it’s well worth a read.

Politics… but not as we know it

We’re also lucky at Best for Britain to have a whole host of experts to call on.

From former Observer political editor Toby Helm’s razor sharp analysis of Starmer’s government, to ex-diplomat Arthur Snell’s insights on Russia, we’re always aiming to keep you well-informed, as well as entertained.

Why not have a re-read of former US ambassador Lord Darroch’s fascinating exploration of whether the Trump era represents an end to normality as we know it?

Antisocial media?

Finally we wanted to share a couple more recent ‘in case you missed it’ pieces.

Firstly, from our social media manager, Laurena Rodrigues, who investigated the prevalence of extreme right content on TikTok - and even advised Prime Minister Keir Starmer to join the platform, rather than “abandon” space to opponents.

And our content officer, Josh Edwicker, who shared his thoughts on why the pressures - economic, social, and cultural - facing young men are proving “fertile ground for radicalisation”.

Thanks for reading - and stay tuned for our next round-up email, sharing some of The Best for Britain Wire pieces which went under the radar this year.

Take care,

Jessica Frank-Keyes

Senior Press Officer

Best for Britain

Welcome to your final Weekend Wire of 2025 from Best for Britain.

With just four days left to open on the advent calendars, what a year it’s been. The presents are almost wrapped, the sprouts are flying off the shelves, and we hope the Baileys (or alcohol-free equivalent) is chilling.

We’ll be sharing plenty of festive content on The Best for Britain Wire over the Christmas period, including rounding up our favourite pieces and some of our more under the radar content. And Weekend Wire will be back in your inboxes on Saturday, January 10.

But, before we get ahead of ourselves, there’s been no shortage of news to cover this week: from ongoing negotiations over the future of Ukraine, to the very welcome confirmation the UK will be re-joining the Erasmus+ scheme from 2027. While US President Donald Trump dropped a bit of coal into the stocking, filing a mega-lawsuit against the BBC in Florida.

Read on for lots more on all that. And from all of us at Best for Britain, have a very merry and restful Christmas, and see you in 2026.

Erasmus-t Be Christmas!

The UK’s university students got an early present to unwrap this year, with the announcement that Britain will be participating in the Erasmus+ scheme once again from 2027.

At Best for Britain we’ve long campaigned for the restoration of these unique opportunities to young people ever since the move was formally recommended by the UK Trade and Business Commission (UKTBC) in their landmark May 2023 report.

Our External Affairs Manager, James Coldwell, welcomed the news, saying:

“Rejoining Erasmus is a major win for young British students, for countless others who will be able to access its vocational training schemes, and for towns and cities across the UK that will once again benefit from its cultural exchange, enriching their communities and broadening horizons for their young people.”

EU ambassador to the UK, Pedro Serrano, hailed the scheme’s “long European tradition of learning, openness and exchange” and its support for “young people’s participation in democratic life” in an op ed for the Mirror. And you can read up on all the details in the Mirror and the HuffPost. Joyeux Noël.

Peace on earth?

Negotiations between the US, Russia, Ukraine and Europe over ending Vladimir Putin’s illegal war continued this week; in what was seemingly the opposite of goodwill to all men…

Speaking at an annual defence ministry meeting on Wednesday, the Russian president lashed out at European leaders as “Europe’s little pigs”, insisting that Russia would meet its goals “unconditionally”, including “on the battlefield”, as the Guardian reported.

Meanwhile on Thursday, European leaders met at the Council of Europe for a crunch vote on whether to use frozen Russian assets, which are predominantly stored in Belgium, to support Ukraine. But the bloc failed to reach an agreement, instead striking a deal to loan Ukraine €90bn (£79bn) which President Volodymyr Zelensky said “truly strengthens our resilience”.

The indecision, the BBC reported, was due to Belgium requiring security guarantees against possible retaliation from Russia for deploying the assets - which other EU nations balked at. Some 24 EU nations - apart from Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic - will be liable for the two-year, interest-free loan. It is about two-thirds of the €137bn Kyiv needs for 2026-27.

In a lengthy address to the Russian people - and the world - on Friday, Putin accused the EU of “theft” for its pursuit of Russian assets, claiming: “It’s burglary... the consequences are very serious for the burglars.” It comes ahead of further talks with the US in Miami this weekend, while the UK’s defence sector continues to discuss the need for a “whole of society response” to the growing Russian threat. You can read more about preparations in this excellent NYT piece.

Seoul Searching

In a (small) boost for UK trade, Britain and South Korea wrapped up negotiations on a new free trade agreement, set to benefit exports including Scottish salmon and Bentley cars.

The deal will cover digital trade, financial and telecommunications services, streamlined customs procedures, business personnel, food safety standards, and investment protection, and revises the existing UK-South Korea agreement which rolled over after Brexit.

As top trade expert David Henig, advisor to the UKTBC, noted:

“The upgrading of the UK-Korea trade agreement is welcome particularly for the automotive sector though the overall economic impact will be limited. Ideally this should be part of ongoing activity to strengthen existing trade agreements - with the EU as our largest trade partner the most important element of this.”

BBC You In Court

Yes, US President Donald Trump is suing the BBC. He has filed a lawsuit against the broadcaster in Florida, which seeks up to $10bn in damages (£7.5 billion) for two counts: defamation, and a violation of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. It all relates to the BBC’s editing of a speech Trump made ahead of the 2021 attack on the US Capitol for a Panorama documentary, as the PA news agency reported.

Trump’s lawyers say the depiction of him in the programme, which aired a week before the results of the 2024 US election, “was false and defamatory” and they add that “the BBC intentionally and maliciously sought to fully mislead its viewers around the world”. In the edit, a clip of Trump’s speech on January 6, 2021, was spliced with remarks he made later in the same speech to show him saying: “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol… and I’ll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.”

A BBC spokesperson said: “As we have made clear previously, we will be defending this case. We are not going to make further comment on ongoing legal proceedings.”

Journalism professor Jane Martinson, writing in a personal capacity for the Guardian, outlined what she called Trump’s efforts to “make the world an absurdist farce”, including reports that the BBC will seek to have the case dismissed, due to not having rights to air the film in the US.

W1-Pay

Speaking of the BBC, culture secretary Lisa Nandy has unveiled a government consultation on the future of the broadcaster, known as charter renewal. It mooted the prospect of new ways of funding including advertising or a subscription model, which could see people choose to pay extra for additional or premium BBC content. Another suggestion is the current licence fee being replaced with a new set of rates, depending on which services people use, per the BBC.

The public are being asked to give their views on the ever-contentious national debate - so why not have your say, if you’re so inclined? While the government has said it is “keeping an open mind, adding: “We have not yet identified a preferred model.”

Commenting on the consultation, Nandy said:

“I believe the BBC, alongside the NHS, is one of the two most important institutions in our country. While one is fundamental to the health of our people, the other is fundamental to the health of our democracy.”

False promises

With the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) rarely out of the headlines these days, Battersea MP Marsha de Cordova has written a tour de force for this Substack.

She powerfully argues that the failure of Brexit proves why “we must protect ourselves against the false promises of leaving yet another international commitment”.

“We all have a duty to push back against these delusions and stand up for the ECHR. Leaving it will not create a fair, responsible immigration system. This is a distraction, not a solution, and it cannot not justify risking the human rights framework that protects us all.

“I cannot stress enough that leaving the ECHR would place these protections at risk for everyone. It does not just affect cases related to immigration – it would undermine essential pillars of our peace and democracy.” - Marsha de Cordova

Subscribe now

Mistletoe and Fines

The government has launched a new review into foreign financial interference into UK politics, coming after former Ukip and Brexit Party MEP Nathan Gill was jailed for taking Russian bribes.

Steve Reed, housing, communities and local government secretary Steve Reed, who announced the review to MPs, said Gill’s conduct was a “stain” on British democracy. The review will be chaired by former top civil servant Philip Rycroft, the Independent reported. Rycroft is set to report his findings back to Reed and security minister Dan Jarvis by March 2026.

Digital cryptocurrency donations and Beijing’s influence would both be “in scope” of the review, Reed told MPs. But No10 said the review is not set to re-interrogate suggestions of interference in the Brexit referendum and is not aimed at any one particular political party.

Meanwhile, foreign secretary Yvette Cooper warned the Foreign Affairs Committee of disinformation disseminated internationally “on an industrial scale” by Russian-backed groups and that foreign financial interference has been “happening in countries across the world”.

Nightmare before Christmas

Resident doctors in England began another round of strikes this week, downing stethoscopes from Wednesday, December 17. Union leaders are warning of a “totally avoidable jobs crisis” and calling for a “genuinely long-term plan”, while the NHS put hospitals on “high alert” due to the “immensely challenging” timing, warning “more patients are likely to feel the impact”.

This latest industrial action comes amid concerns around seasonal pressures and the so-called ‘super flu’ with Starmer branding the move “dangerous and utterly irresponsible” during PMQs, while ministers are desperate to cut waiting lists for the 7.39m patients in need of treatment.

NHS England has revealed flu hospitalisations hit 3,140 by the end of last week - the highest ever for this time of year. However, the organisation stressed there were now “welcome signs that the rise in flu cases in hospital is slowing”.

Mediation service Acas has offered to help resolve the dispute. With public opposition to the strike now at just shy of 60%, according to YouGov polling, frankly no one - doctors, patients, NHS staff or politicians - are currently coming out of this well.

For a broader insight into the reality of the NHS and the beds crisis going on right now, the Guardian was granted access to the Royal Stoke University Hospital. This worrying dispatch sheds a light on how the annual winter crisis no longer feels confined to winter.

It was another busy week in UK-EU relations, with minister Nick Thomas-Symonds announcing to Parliament that the government and EU Commission are set to begin talks on the UK participating in the EU’s internal electricity market. Those negotiations “will now proceed swiftly”, he said, with full details set out in letters next week.

Thomas-Symonds also confirmed a deadline for agreements on a food and drink trade deal and carbon markets linkage before the next UK-EU summit expected in the spring. It came as Percy Pigs retailer Marks & Spencer told a House of Commons committee that a new trade agreement on food and drink “can’t come soon enough”. It’s not just an SPS deal - it’s an M&S SPS deal.

Cheerful News of the Week

We’ve got a (subtly) festive entry for you this week. Polar bear researchers in northern Canada found a wild mother bear has adopted a cub that was not biologically her own, the BBC reported.

Adorable video footage of the bear family shows the mother and her 10-11-month-old cubs exploring the wild snowy landscape; Christmas card-style. Scientists said the ‘adoption’ was only the 13th known case of the 4,600 bears studied in the area for nearly 50 years.

Evan Richardson, a polar bear scientist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said: “It’s just nice to know that the bears are looking out for each other.” It really is.

Watch the BBC’s video here. Trust me, it’s worth it.

What else could we possibly choose this week but the Vanity Fair interview with Trump chief of staff Susie Wiles, and the, err, interesting photoshoot with top aides?

Next week, of course, is Christmas Day. With Parliament in recess until January, why not have a look ahead to next year with Politico’s helpful guide to 2026 in politics.

Before then though, it can be difficult to get into a celebratory mood, given the state of the world and the alarm bells for the future. But I recently heard some good advice about this, albeit from an unexpected source (a YouTube knitting video).

“What we need to do is train ourselves to be joyful in a difficult world, not to welcome deprivation in a difficult world.” Consider this your encouragement, if needed!

Have a festive one.

Jessica Frank-Keyes

Senior Press Officer

Best for Britain

Welcome to your Weekend Wire from Best for Britain. From the Council of Europe meeting to discuss the ECHR, to rumoured movement on the UK’s reentry into the Erasmus+ scheme, it’s been a busy old week when it comes to UK-EU relations. Just the way we like it.

That’s all before we get to the launch of the UK Trade and Business Commission’s (UKTBC) new recommendations for a UK-EU Youth Experience Scheme (YES), including for the scheme to have an initial cap of 44,000 visas, which made great headlines ahead of the event on Wednesday morning.

Read on for plenty more on all that - and our usual Brexit Corner, Cheerful News, and Cringe Column picks of the week.

Unconventional

The UK has joined other European countries in agreeing to negotiate a new approach to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which would make it easier to deport people who have arrived in the UK or Europe. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Danish leader Mette Frederiksen wrote jointly in the Guardian that “when trust in government to confront the challenges of today falters, our sense of shared belonging can begin to crack”.

Ministers, including the UK’s justice secretary and deputy prime minister David Lammy, met in Strasbourg, France, on Wednesday, to discuss reforming how the ECHR is interpreted in court. Now the 46 signatory nations will work towards a new political declaration at a summit in May.

However, Akiko Hart, director of human rights organisation Liberty, warned in response that the government “risks taking us down a road of no return by jeopardising the legal framework that protects us all”. She warned:

With friends like these…

The US President chose to hit out at the European continent during an almost 45-minute interview with Politico journalist Dasha Burns this week, describing us as a “decaying” group of nations led by “weak” people. Ouch! His comments - which included continuing his attacks on London mayor Sadiq Khan as a “disaster” - came after Politico named Trump the most influential figure shaping European politics in the year ahead.

His language also echoed America’s new national security strategy, published last week, and - worryingly - praised by Russia. The document claimed Europe faces “civilisational erasure” due to migration and EU integration, within the next 20 years, and stated that the US must “cultivate resistance” within the continent to “Europe’s current trajectory”.

On Thursday, however, EU Commission leader Ursula von der Leyen hit back, warning Trump not to get involved in European democracy. Also speaking to Politico, she stressed that “it is not on us, when it comes to elections, to decide who the leader of the country will be, but on the people of this country… that’s the sovereignty of the voters, and this must be protected”.

Capping it off

The UK Trade and Business Commission (UKTBC) this week launched its shiny new recommendations for the creation of a UK-EU Youth Experience Scheme (YES). The YES, also known as a youth mobility scheme, for the UK and Europe’s young people should be capped at 44,000 visas in the first year and then reviewed, the commission recommended - which would ensure the programme has no impact on overall net migration figures.

The recommendations were covered in the i paper, and the Times, and in countless local news outlets, while UKTBC chair Andrew Lewin penned a piece for the Best for Britain Wire on the “compelling case that young people should be the first to benefit from a strengthened UK/EU relationship”. Policy officer Ayesha Chaudry shared her take on why a YES would be a “sign to young people that our futures still matter, and that the world is not closing in on us, but opening back up”.

Our CEO Naomi Smith also delivered her powerful argument on why a win on youth mobility is vital to progressing the UK-EU negotiations further on Politics Home. While former Conservative MP George Eustice outlined his thoughts on the report for LBC Opinion, describing it as a “cogent negotiating mandate for the UK government”.

Guardian columnist Zoe Williams, in her piece on the report, suggested it was an “important warning” that “young Britons, their interests disregarded so openly, so shamelessly, will leave and move mountains to not come back”. Finishing: “As Sting would tell you, if you love them, set them free.”

A huge thanks, of course, to our fantastic panellists for their insights at our launch event on Wednesday. You can read the full report on the UKTBC website.

Ukraine latest

Negotiations continued this week on the US’ ongoing efforts to broker a peace plan for Ukraine and Russia, with Trump, the EU and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy exchanging plans and counter-plans. Talks between Britain, France, Germany, Ukraine, and potentially the US, are expected to continue this weekend, Politico’s London Playbook reported on Friday, ahead of Starmer heading to Berlin for even more discussions on Monday. The latest twist appears to be the suggestion a ‘free economic zone’ could be created in the Donbas, which would be protected from Russian forces. Ukraine, of course, wants strong security guarantees.

The Coalition of the Willing (COW) had another joint call on Thursday, while Starmer met with the Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever in No10 on Friday, in a bid to persuade him to use the €140bn of frozen Russian assets - of the €165bn total - held in Belgium to support Ukraine. The clock is ticking on the aim to get a deal ahead of Thursday’s European Council summit.

Amid all this, the death of 28-year-old Lance Corporal George Hooley in Ukraine, confirmed by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) this week, was a sobering reminder, both of the present danger of Russia, and of the sacrifices of the brave men and women - of Ukraine, Britain and Europe - who have given their lives to protect our safety and freedoms.

Down with the kids

Starmer joined Trump, Emmanuel Macron and the UK’s 30m users on TikTok this week, launching his account with a festive video of him switching on the No10 Christmas lights.

In another video, the PM revisited his one actually trendy moment - the school visit that got him told off by the headmaster for leading a classroom in the ‘6-7’ trend. And another video - meant to show a more natural Starmer (we think) - has him wandering around No10, looking rather surprised by everything. Our highlight? Larry the cat, who gets some well-deserved screen time.

Awkwardly, the app remains banned from government devices due to security concerns. However, Downing Street confirmed there were “security mitigations” in place. So that’s alright then.

The PM’s spokesman said: “We are intent on reaching audiences where they are and communication is changing and people have a right to know about the decisions the government is taking that affect them and why and how that is. TikTok is simply another way to do that and reach that wider audience.”

But in all seriousness, Keir Starmer is finally waking up to the fact that TikTok matters - and at least that’s a small win. We won’t claim all the credit (see below).

In case you missed it…

Speaking of TikTok, let’s rewind to another fantastic piece which featured on the Best for Britain Wire last week.

Our social media manager Laurena Rodrigues spent months creating and monitoring two accounts on the video-sharing platform to learn more about the algorithm’s political leanings. And as she brilliantly explains:

‘Countless studies have documented exactly what we saw: the algorithm disproportionately favours right-wing content. A Global Witness investigation in Romania found that TikTok’s algorithm served nearly three times more far-right content than all other political content, and almost twice as much in Poland ahead of this year’s elections. Unlike other platforms, such as X, which seem deliberately designed to promote far-right content, with creators such as Tommy Robinson being incentivised by its owner Elon Musk. On TikTok, it may be less deliberate but the effect is pretty much the same. Far-right content tends to provoke strong emotional reactions, leading to more views and shares - which in turn, the algorithm rewards by pushing it further.

‘Nigel Farage has more than 1.3 million followers on Tiktok. Keir Starmer and Ed Davey? Zero. Neither has a TikTok account…voters- especially young voters- are craving, is for their elected leaders to use the platform to meaningfully engage with them.’

Out with the kids

In a sweeping new law this week, Australia banned under-16s from social media. Platforms Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube and Twitch face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars (£24.7 million) if they fail to take reasonable steps to remove such accounts, PA reported. However, Reddit has since launched a High Court challenge against the ban.

Meanwhile, in Blighty, culture secretary Lisa Nandy said ministers would keep a “close eye” on the policy, as the government unveiled its own 10-year national youth plan- but said there were no current plans for Britain to ban social media for under-16s, but could look at it in the future.

She told Times Radio “we don’t think” it would be a good idea, adding: “We asked young people what they thought about it, and the overwhelming response was concerns about enforceability.

“Are we seriously saying that we’re going to start prosecuting young people for going on social media?”

Another one to watch?

Border conflict

Fierce clashes resumed between Thailand and Cambodia this week over a disputed land border in the north. The Guardian reported at least 20 people have been killed, and nearly 200 wounded. Trump - who claimed he had resolved the conflict earlier this year when he brokered a ceasefire in July - called on both countries to “fully honour their commitments”, according to an official who spoke anonymously to the Reuters news agency.

On Thursday, the Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul dissolved the country’s parliament, with new elections set to be held as soon as January, following a disagreement with the opposition party, who are crucial to his minority government. Announcing the decision in a Facebook post, he said he would “return power to the people”.

The i paper reported this week that the UK is on course to rejoin the Erasmus student exchange scheme from January 2027, with “increasing optimism on both sides of negotiations that a deal can be struck before Christmas”.

Grab your passports, students!

Cheerful News of the Week

The recent string of Democrat wins in the US appears to have continued this week, with Eileen Higgins, 61, winning the Miami mayoral race in Florida with 59% of the vote. It marks the first time a Democrat has won the race in almost 30 years. Former county commissioner Higgins, who was endorsed by top Democrats including former transport secretary Pete Buttigieg, conclusively beat her Republican, Trump-endorsed opponent who got almost 41% and is the first woman to become Miami mayor.

At her celebration party, she told supporters: “Miami chose a new direction... you chose competence over chaos.” Higgins pledged to “lead a city that belongs to everyone” and has described Trump’s immigration enforcement actions as “inhumane and cruel”.

Bonus: Enjoy this lovely feature about the recovery of Britain’s otter population, which has gone from “almost nonexistent” some twenty years ago, to today’s “remarkable” revival.

Actual former Prime Minister of the UK Liz Truss launched her own YouTube TV programme this week - creatively titled The Liz Truss Show - and the reviews are in.

Imogen West-Knights, at the Independent, warned would-be viewers Truss’ “opening monologue [is] delivered with the charm of a wet towel” and that the episode is “45 minutes long and you feel every second of it”. While Stuart Heritage, at the Guardian, dubbed it “barking mad”, and “a laundry list of MAGA stereotypes about the British”.

There were even some gems in the YouTube comments, among Truss’s adoring fans. One viewer described her as “another brilliant Diane Morgan character” and another observed: “I’ve seen hostages read ‘they are treating me well’ statements with more enthusiasm.”

Monday next week sees the Prime Minister make one of his semi-regular appearances at the Liaison Committee, where he’s grilled by the chairs of the top Parliamentary committees.

That’s before International Migrants Day, on Thursday, when MPs also head off for the Christmas recess.

Have a good one.

Jessica Frank-Keyes

Senior Press Officer

Best for Britain

*With thanks to Laurena Rodrigues