Harriet Harman advises Sir Keir Starmer to clearly communicate that Donald Trump’s tariffs on UK goods are incorrect and unjustified.

The UK Economy grew by 0.5% in February, outperforming analyst forecasts of a 0.1% rise, driven by strong manufacturing and service sectors.

Continuing the trend of the week, coverage of Donald Trump’s tariffs, the stock market reaction and now claims of potential insider trading. 

Gold has risen to a record high as investors seek safe-haven assets amid the chaos. The ongoing escalation in the US-China trade war is still causing chaos in the markets as the Asian markets slid on Friday and the US markets slumped on Thursday close, wiping out a chunk of Wednesday’s historic rally. The US markets open at 14:30 GMT. 

Prince Harry made a surprise visit to an orthopaedic clinic in Lviv – a centre that treats and rehabilitates wounded military personnel and civilians. Harry attended with a group from the Invictus Games Foundation after two days back in London for a high court appearance.

Friday’s UK headlines cover a variety of domestic and international stories. There is, of course, continued coverage of the fallout from the Trump tariff debacle amid claims of market manipulation and calls for an investigation into potential insider trading.

Royal news continues to be highlighted on the front pages – in print and online – with Prince Harry making a surprise visit to Ukraine and Prince William talking football after Villa’s 3-1 loss. Charles and Camilla are pictured on several tabloids after marking their 20th wedding anniversary with a state visit to Italy, where the pair exercised their soft power in a bid to rebuild relations with the rest of Europe. 

The UK is set for another sunny day with temperatures reaching over 23C in some parts – and in Scotland, there are warnings of potential wildfires. 

The International Energy Agency forecasts that electricity consumption by global data centres will double within five years, largely driven by the rise of powerful AI models.