Britain | Business Post

Spa and Wellness

Inside the Cotswolds’ new £15,000-a-year club for the fitness-obsessed

Boris Johnson and his wife, Carrie, got married at the Bamford’s Daylesford residence last summer and celebrities like David Beckham have been seen at the farm

The Big Picture

Vincent Boland: Demise of Libor is another symptom of Britain’s malaise

The death of the international financial benchmark in use for 40 years is symbolic of a small, stagnant Britain systematically destroyed by Tory rule

Britain avoids recession by narrowest of margins in last quarter of 2022

The UK economy grew 4 per cent in 2022, slower than the 7.6 per cent pace recorded in 2021

Today's headlines

Pfizer to invest €1bn in new Dublin plant; Irish government hopes for Sunak as next UK PM

The top stories from business and politics in today’s Business Post

British Politics

Vincent Boland: This psychodrama is damaging everyone – we just want the old Britain back now

Only a general election can solve the national crisis that is destabilising the country and by extension Ireland and all of Europe

British Politics

Matt Cooper: Tories going down with the sinking ship that is Brexit

The best Ireland can hope for in a Britain untethered from reality is a quiet deal on access to the EU, but we might have to wait

Pound and UK bonds rally after Jeremy Hunt scraps Truss tax cuts in bid to salvage credibility

Hunt’s decisions reverse almost all of the £45 billion in tax cuts and giveaways announced by Prime Minister Liz Truss in September

Northern Ireland

Analysis: Baker apology a clear sign the British government wants to end the NI protocol debacle

With a litany of other issues facing Liz Truss’ government at home, it is perhaps unsurprising that Steve Baker’s apology has signalled a new direction on the protocol.

British house prices could drop 40 per cent, analyst warns

Neal Hudson says outlook is ‘terrifying’ after last week’s mini-budget, with market accelerating towards a severe housing crash

Lucinda Creighton: Has Truss’s disastrous ‘mini-budget’ just handed power to Starmer?

Britain’s ruined political and economic reputation can be traced back to Brexit, but while its new prime minister should be enjoying a honeymoon period, her political capital has been virtually wiped out with one ill-judged move

Nadine O’Regan: Is the Queen’s passing being used by brands as a self-marketing opportunity?

As the current madness demonstrates, it’s easy for a company to virtue-signal on its social media platforms, but somewhat harder to do the right thing by employees and customers

Elaine Byrne: Bad news for Ireland as Truss and Sunak don the Thatcherite mantle

A dirty and derisory Tory leadership contest has seen both candidates summoning up the spirit of the Iron Lady, which spells even more polarised politics ahead

Lucinda Creighton: Playing to the Tory gallery may be key to entering 10 Downing Street

With Rishi Sunak hampered by the fact that he was a major player in Boris Johnson’s downfall, the real battle this week is likely to be between Penny Mordaunt and Liz Truss

Dan O’Brien: We shouldn’t get our hopes up about our relationship ‘reset’ with Britain

No matter who wins the leadership race, Boris Johnson’s successor is likely to tread familiar Tory terrain, from regulation to the Northern Ireland protocol

Elaine Byrne: Multicultural Tory leadership contest shows up ‘shocking’ Rwanda refugee plan

Although six of the ten original candidates for the leadership of the Conservative Party are of an ethnic minority, it seems the emphasis on mobility does not extend to those seeking refuge in Britain today

The Big Picture

Vincent Boland: It’s time for the grown ups to pick up the pieces after all the buffoonery

The Johnson era has been a disaster and Britain needs to stop indulging in delusions if it is to rebuild relations with its allies and friends

National power system in ‘very dangerous’ position, say experts

With the British government reportedly planning to stop supplying the Benelux with gas supplies should shortages occur, fears are growing that Ireland could be cut off too

Dan O’Brien: We could find ourselves put over a barrel by Britain in a gas crisis

Ireland depends on Britain for the bulk of our gas supply and we must not assume that in a crunch, Boris Johnson would not hesitate to put Britain first and cut the supply to Ireland

Northern Ireland

Liz Truss sets out plans to override Northern Ireland Protocol

British Foreign Secretary tells House of Commons that UK government will proceed with a bill ‘consistent’ with obligations under international law and Good Friday Agreement

Northern Ireland

British moves to override NI protocol ‘illegal’, minister says

Thomas Byrne, the Minister for European Affairs, rejected the idea that Britain could act unilaterally on either the protocol or the Good Friday Agreement