The UK government imposed sanctions on three smaller Russian oil producers, as a US-brokered peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv remains elusive.

The watering down of Britain’s rules for benchmark providers — such as stock and bond indices that influence the destination of vast flows of capital — will mean 90 per cent of companies in the sector are excluded from the regime, according to proposals seen by the Financial Times.

The U.K.'s inflation rate cooled sharply to 3.2% in November, boosting the chances of the Bank of England cutting interest rates at its final meeting of the year on Thursday. Economists had expected inflation to stand at 3.

The UK government is facing a revolt from its own backbenchers over plans to curb trial by jury, in a further blow to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s leadership.

When the partnership was unveiled in September the UK government said it would "shape the futures of millions of people".

Rules introduced last year by the previous Conservative government require employers to pay overseas workers an hourly rate set at the UK median for their specific occupation — as well as clearing a general salary threshold of £41,700 that applies in all occupations.

The new head of Britain’s foreign intelligence service MI6 has warned the nation in her first public speech that the UK is “now operating in a space between peace and war” and “the front line is everywhere,

British consumer confidence and spending is muted heading into Christmas and the government's budget last month did little to help, the boss of electricals retailer Currys said on Thursday.

Reform UK threw a Christmas party last weekend, and they had more to celebrate than just the festive season. A few days earlier the party pulled off a surprise victory in a council by-election in the ward of Whitburn and Blackburn in West Lothian. This was their first ever win in Scotland.

The UK will kick off a review of its EV sales targets next year instead of 2027 as the government pledged to be “responsive” to the car industry in the wake of changes to climate targets in Europe.