This Month
‘Authentic’ Jeremy Clarkson tops polls in disaffected, desperate UK
His shift from Top Gear cars to Diddly Squat cows has so enhanced Clarkson’s everyman appeal that people are asking if a political future beckons.
- Hans van Leeuwen
November
Australian expats mull leaving UK over game-changer tax rules
The new government’s first budget has changed the equation for many long-term Australian expatriates. They have until April 6 to escape the inheritance tax net.
- Hans van Leeuwen
Want to visit the UK? It’s about to get a lot more painful
From January 8, any Australian visiting the UK will need a visa – even for a short holiday or an airport transit.
- Hans van Leeuwen
- Analysis
- UK leadership
Why Musk’s barbs are more blows for Starmer
Britain’s PM lurches from one self-inflicted mini-crisis to the next. He might say he’s playing a long game, but is he digging a hole too deep to climb out of?
- Hans van Leeuwen
Archbishop of Canterbury quits in scandal over ‘prolific abuser’
The spiritual leader of 85 million Anglicans worldwide has stepped down, after a report found he had failed to act on allegations against John Smyth.
- Hans van Leeuwen
- Analysis
- US Votes 2024
Starmer, like Albo, faces a tricky task with Trump
Both left-wing leaders have to ensure political divergence does not disturb the US alliance. But Sir Keir has a particular problem: his name is Nigel Farage.
- Hans van Leeuwen
Britain’s first black party leader is an anti-woke warrior
Kemi Badenoch won the protracted Conservative Party leadership contest, and has until 2029 to craft a pitch to defeat Labour.
- Hans van Leeuwen
- Analysis
- Analysis
Britain’s budget is heavy on spending but light on reform
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves has raised borrowing and taxes by historic amounts.
- The Economist
October
UK Labour budget smashes record for highest tax take in modern history
A blockbuster $79 billion taxation slug indicates Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s hope that ailing public services can be fixed before the 2029 election.
- Hans van Leeuwen
Trump slight favourite but US election ‘so close’: Costello
Former treasurer Peter Costello says a close result could inflame the US government; NAB backs first home buyer interest rate buffer changes. How the day unfolded.
- Updated
- Lucy Slade
Britain’s PM reels after Trump attacks his Labour Party
The Republican campaign filed a complaint about UK volunteers working for Kamala Harris. It may be a tactical gambit but risks harming relations, even AUKUS.
- Updated
- Hans van Leeuwen
Not quite the ‘Lizard of Oz’: How Brits reacted to Thorpe’s protest
Senator Lidia Thorpe’s heckling made headlines in the UK, but the British PM wasn’t going to pour petrol on the flames.
- Hans van Leeuwen
Local investors roped into British PM Starmer’s pitch to big business
Macquarie and IFM Investors highlighted their UK ambitions, as the new Labour government fought back against perceptions it is hostile to business.
- Hans van Leeuwen
- Analysis
- UK leadership
For a politician, Boris Johnson makes a very good journalist
‘Unleashed’ is a disarmingly self-deprecating tale of an eventful British decade. His observations aren’t always reliable, but they’re sharp and illuminating.
- Hans van Leeuwen
British PM stumps up for Taylor Swift tickets after donations furore
With his popularity in freefall, Keir Starmer has tried to make amends for his freebie frenzy by paying back $12,000 worth of gifts out of his own pocket.
- Hans van Leeuwen
- Analysis
- Brexit chaos
‘Do you miss me yet?’ Britain’s zany ex-PMs back on centre stage
Boris Johnson and Liz Truss return to the limelight, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s travails leave Tories daring to dream of a swift resurrection.
- Hans van Leeuwen
Britain calls time on coal power, steel mills
On a single day, the UK closed its last coal-fired power plant and its largest carbon-munching steel mill.
- Hans van Leeuwen
September
- Analysis
- World politics
Why Britain’s PM faces political firefights on all fronts
A combination of bad politics and unpopular policy has left Sir Keir Starmer on the back foot. And there isn’t even a Tory opponent who can lead the attack.
- Hans van Leeuwen
- Opinion
- Opinion
Keir Starmer’s honeymoon hardly got started
The UK prime minister already has a marginally lower approval rating than the recently deposed Rishi Sunak. Even by modern standards, the fall has been swift.
- Matthew Lesh
Starmer calls for return of ‘sausages’ from Gaza in conference gaffe
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer misread his script – which called for the return of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas on October 7 last year.
- Updated
- Hans van Leeuwen
