Wednesday, January 22
A rather cloudy day across the central swathe of the UK with outbreaks of rain. Elsewhere, fog patches gradually lifting allowing some bright or sunny spells to develop, especially across Scotland and Northern Ireland. Temperatures near or slightly below average. Tonight: Band of patchy rain remaining slow-moving across central areas overnight. Increasingly cloudy to the south with some fog developing. Clear spells and a patchy frost developing across the north.
Tuesday’s news is dominated by the inauguration of Donald Trump and his first day as the 47th president of the United States. As soon as he returned to office he issued orders including withdrawing the US from the World Health Organization and declaring an emergency regarding the US-Mexico border. Many publications look at what sort of relationship the US and the UK will have over the next four years.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a public inquiry into the murder of the three little girls at a dance class in Southport last year. Axel Rudakubana pleaded guilty to their murders as well as attempted murder and terror-related charges including making ricin. Many news publications report he had planned to commit the UK’s first school massacre just a week before he murdered the children. Since his guilty plea, it has also been revealed that he was referred to a counter-extremism scheme three times.
The prime minister has said the state failed the victims and an inquiry will be held to understand how this happened.
The UK has been ranked as the second most attractive country to invest in by global CEOs, behind only the US, as British CEOs feel confident about growth in the country’s economy.
This is the first time that the UK has been ranked second in the 28-year history of PwC’s CEO Survey.
“Our CEO survey findings are a vote of confidence in the UK as a place for business and investment,” said Marco Amitrano, senior partner at PwC UK.
“The UK’s relative stability at a time of instability should not be underestimated, nor should its strength in key sectors including technology.”
https://www.cityam.com/uk-ranked-second-best-investment-target-by-global-ceos/
Tuesday’s front pages are dominated by two main stories: Donald Trump’s inauguration and the guilty plea entered by Axel Rudakubana on the first day of his trial for the Southport attacks. The 18-year-old admitted to killing three young children – aged six, seven and nine – at a dance class in Southport in July.
Many papers lead with Trump’s inauguration and what America’s next four years under his leadership could look like. Some papers offer opinions on how the UK should approach the new leadership in the United States.
The Daily Mirror declares “He’s back… and waging war on everything”. The paper picks up on Trump’s swift start to his presidency including starting the process of withdrawing the US from the World Health Organization and declaring a national emergency at the southern border.
The Metro dedicates its whole front page to the inauguration. The paper carries a picture of Trump hugging his family, saying “now the world waits to see what happens next…”
The Daily Mail leads with Boris Johnson’s experience at the inauguration. Writing in the paper, the former prime minister says Trump’s address was an expression of “surging optimism and pure bullishness.”
The Times quotes the new president who vowed the “golden age of America begins right now.” The paper notes that his return – after defeat, criminal prosecutions and an assassination attempt – is a “remarkable comeback,” whilst noting his “far-reaching and combative policy agenda.”
The Daily Star has a different take on the news. Paraphrasing the oath taken by presidents as part of the inauguration ceremony, it says: “So help us God”.
The Guardian picks up on Trump’s comments that the US would “flourish and be respected again all over the world”. The paper describes it as a “radical shake-up of the global order”, and quotes him saying: “We will be the envy of every nation, and we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer.”
“Unleashed” reports the i newspaper. The paper says he began his new term by pledging a boost in fossil fuel production, promising a crackdown on illegal migration and signing an executive order proclaiming that the US government will officially recognise “only two genders.” The paper points out the irony of a convicted felon pledging to transform what he called a “declining country.”
The FT reports Trump is returning to the White House with broader support than when he left in 2021. The paper says the 47th president has pledged to “deliver quickly on the populist and nationalist platform that swept him to victory in last year’s presidential race”. The paper highlights that Trump has repeated his vow to take back control of the Panama Canal and withdraw the US from the Paris climate accord. He has so far stopped short of announcing the new import tariffs pledged before the election.
The Sun asks “Why did no one stop him?”. The paper says the prime minister will address the nation today after ordering a public inquiry into the attack. The paper says Sir Keir has admitted the state “failed to protect” the three young girls killed by Axel Rudakubana last summer.
The Daily Mirror says “failed by the state.” The paper says it can now be reported that he had been reported to the government’s Prevent counter-extremism scheme at least three times. He also pleaded to eight counts of attempted murder in relation to the eight other kids.
The Telegraph says Robert Jenrick is among those asking why the public were initially told the attack was not being treated as terror-related. He calls on the prime minister to “be open about what he knew” about the nature of the attack and when.
Much like print media, social media is reacting to Donald Trump’s inaguaration and first day as the 47th president of the United States. The public also react to the Southport killer pleading guilty and the prime minister’s announcement of a public inquiry.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, is under fire after making a gesture at a rally celebrating President Donald Trump’s return to office. Critics have likened the movement to
Colombia has declared a state of emergency and deployed 5,000 troops to combat left-wing guerrillas after violence claimed over 100 lives in just five days. The conflict spans three departments,
President Donald Trump signed an executive order to withdraw the US from the World Health Organization (WHO). This move revives his previous efforts to leave the global health agency, which
President Donald Trump has signed a series of executive orders focused on immigration reform, including declaring illegal immigration at the US-Mexico border a national emergency and targeting birthright citizenship.
Panama’s president firmly rejected Donald Trump’s claim to “take back” the Panama Canal, emphasising that the vital trade route “is and will remain” under Panama’s control.
Trump’s renewed warnings sent the Mexican peso and Canadian sliding against the US dollar, and trimmed an earlier sell-off in the greenback. https://on.ft.com/4g5yZFA
The UK has been ranked as the second most attractive country to invest in by global CEOs, behind only the US, as British CEOs feel confident about growth in the country’s economy. This is the first time that the UK has been ranked second in the 28-year history of PwC’s CEO Survey. “Our CEO survey findings are a vote of confidence in the UK as a place for business and investment,” said Marco Amitrano, senior partner at PwC UK. Read the full story here 👇 https://cityam.com/uk-ranked-second-best-investment-target-by-global-ceos/
A February interest rate cut is a “certainty” after new data suggests that inflationary pressures are weaker than previously thought, but the path beyond remains unclear.
Economists expect the Bank of England to back a third rate cut next month after two important pieces of economic data were published this week.
Figures out on Wednesday showed that the headline rate of inflation fell to 2.5 per cent in December, down from 2.6 per cent previously and below expectations.
Rate-setters will likely have been paying particular attention to services inflation, which is a good gauge of domestic price pressures.
https://www.cityam.com/uk-economy-interest-rate-cut-a-certainty-in-february-after-weak-data/
Thousands of graduates will find themselves stranded in their home town, unable to root out professional opportunities, when April’s hike in the minimum wage drags them into the threshold of student loan repayments, a top financial services firm has warned.
The government announced an above inflation rise in the National Living Wage of 5.6 per cent as part of October’s Budget, prompting warnings of price rises and hiring freezes from business lobby groups.
But according to Blick Rothenberg recent graduates will bear much of the brunt, with those earning as little as £12.21 per hour in a full-time job sucked into to student loan repayments.
A full-time employee on the National Living Wage is set to earn roughly £26,660 when April’s uplift is introduced, meaning they will surpass the £25,000 threshold at which student loan repayments kick in.
https://www.cityam.com/student-tax-to-hit-graduates-on-minimum-wage-by-april/
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