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UK trade deficit with EU widens as non-tariff barriers bite
New ONS figures show the UK's trade deficit with the EU has widened by a further 8% in the most recent quarter, driven by increased compliance costs and rules-of-origin paperwork under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. Economists at the Centre for European Reform warn that without structural changes to the UK-EU trading relationship, the divergence trend will continue.
55% of British voters now back EU rejoining or closer ties, new poll finds
An aggregation of recent polling data shows that 55% of British voters now support either full EU membership or a significantly closer trading and movement relationship with the EU — the highest recorded level since the 2016 referendum. The shift is most pronounced among 18–34 year olds, 71% of whom back restoring free movement rights.
NHS staffing crisis deepens as EU worker shortage reaches critical level
NHS Digital data shows the number of EU-born healthcare workers in England has fallen by 130,000 since 2020, with hospitals and care homes reporting acute shortages in nursing, social care, and specialist medicine. The Royal College of Nursing has called on the government to pursue a bilateral free movement agreement with the EU as a matter of public health urgency.
Burnham does not rule out EU rejoin pledge in next Labour manifesto
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has declined to rule out including a Switzerland Plus framework in Labour's next general election manifesto, in what commentators are describing as the most significant signal yet that the government is preparing the ground for restored free movement with the EU. Burnham told reporters that 'the question is not whether we want closer European ties — the evidence shows we do — but what the most achievable and beneficial form of that relationship looks like.'