Lisa O’Carroll

EU and US to restart trade talks as sticking points on July tariff deal remain US officials to hold high-level talks in Brussels amid unhappiness in Washington at slow action on July deal

Howard Lutnick to fly to Brussels to restart trade talks. Steel, steel derivatives, food and drink... Lunch with 27 foreign ministers, meets with three commissioners and bilaterals. www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Daily Mail owner strikes £500mn deal for Telegraph Tie-up would create one of the most powerful right-leaning media groups in Britain

Daily Mail's parent company agrees a deal to buy Telegraph for £500m! Media consolidation, let's go, ya gonna blink and stop this competition regulators? Over to you, Nandy? Strong potential everyone just waves the sale through to STOP HAVING TO READ OR THINK ABOUT IT. www.ft.com/content/cd8e...

Reform UK’s former Wales leader jailed for taking bribes for pro-Russia speeches Police say Nathan Gill received at least £40,000 while he was an MEP from Oleg Voloshyn, an alleged Russian asset

Reform UK’s former leader in Wales, Nathan Gill, has been jailed at the Old Bailey for 10 and a half years for taking bribes to make statements in favour of Russia when he was an MEP

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Reform UK’s former Wales leader jailed for taking bribes for pro-Russia speeches Police say Nathan Gill received at least £40,000 while he was an MEP from Oleg Voloshyn, an alleged Russian asset

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

EU confirms it wants UK to pay into its budget in exchange for closer ties ‘Politically realistic’ for UK to make financial contribution so it can access European single market, Irish minister says

ICYMI - Eu wants UK to pay in for greater ties/reset relationship. Already talking about a 6bn ask for SAFE defence participation + MEP Barry Andrews denounces “glacial pace” of reset talks www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...

Helen McEntee to go to foreign affairs.
Simon Harris takes over from Paschal Donohoe.

HMRC accused of being ‘cavalier’ with finances of child benefit claimants Thousands of parents had their payments stopped after faulty data suggested they had left the UK and not returned

HMRC "cavalier" with people's finances over child benefit crackdown with more than 3,500 so far innocent parents accused of emigrating based on incomplete Home Office travel data. HMRC tells select committee it removed PAYE cross checks to "streamline" process.

www.theguardian.com/money/2025/n...

Poland says ‘everything indicates’ Russia was behind rail sabotage incidents – Europe live Security spokesperson says the incident at the weekend was a terrorist attack ‘initiated by special services from the East’

Paschal Donohoe, Ireland's long standing finance minister and head of Eurogroup of EU states using the Euro, steps down to take over MS of World Bank

www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...

Ireland to act if tougher asylum rules create Belfast back door for migration Jim O’Callaghan says he will closely monitor changes proposed by Britain amid concerns over impact

Ireland fears UK will drive migration through Belfast back door (remember in Brexit the Brexiteers concerned invisible border would mean non-EU nationals getting to UK over border into NI and over to GB. Turns out the other direction is the issue)

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...

Tougher asylum rules could affect relations with UK, says Irish justice minister Jim O’Callaghan says he will closely monitor changes proposed by Britain amid concerns over impact

Ireland raises concerns that UK plans will increase flow of people using irregular routes to GB to then move to Ireland via Belfast back door.

CTA under pressure

“I am committed to ensuring that Ireland is not viewed more favourably than the UK,” justice min

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...

‘I was scared’: parents reveal stress of HMRC’s child benefit errors From incorrect repayment demands to mistaken claims about emigration or non-existent holidays, those caught in anti-fraud debacle tell their stories

More parents tell how child benefit stopped by UK due to suspected emigration
- woman asked to pay back 2.6k shortly after giving birth in oxfordshire
- mum never flew- was in hospital including ICU
- Ukrainian woman told she emigrated, before she even had baby

www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Call for inquiry after families stripped of child benefit due to flawed travel data Andrew Snowden MP says government ‘must immediate take action’ on failures of anti-fraud benefits crackdown

HMRC facing calls for inquiry into child benefit fiasco - Guardian been running stories for weeks as thousands of parents found their letter from govt stopping their child benefit began to realise they were not alone. We know to end of Oct 2,000 parents impacted.

www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

I think this was Karremans point in interview - Europe has to look after its economic security and dependence with any one country is dangerous. China, without democracy, can turn on and off low-material value, but high political value goods at will

Netherlands v China, who wins? China reaction straight out of China v Trump playbook, but Dutch minister's point is that Europe has a choice - be dependent on China or not. Brussels also complains privately that it can take defence measures but industry and member states are not diversifying supply

Exclusive: 'Everything can be weaponised,' says EU trade chief EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič told Euronews in an exclusive interview that the Nexperia incident is "beginning to be resolved", but points to lessons about critical dependencies: "Everything ca...

"Everything can be weaponised" - that is the "lesson" from the Nexperia row with China, says Maros Sefcovic warns in interview with
@ShonaMurray_
Says it is time for Europe to act more like the Japanese who are stock piling their critical raw materials.
www.euronews.com/my-europe/20...

China voices ‘extreme disappointment’ with Dutch minister at centre of car chip row Vincent Karremans called semiconductor supply chain crisis a ‘wake-up call for western leaders’

ICYMI and you are following the Nexperia "economic thriller"
www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Chinese govt react with fury over Dutch minister intervention saying he would 'do it all again'

Beijing asked about the Guardian late on Friday - here's response

www.theguardian.com/business/202...

China voices ‘extreme disappointment’ with Dutch minister at centre of car chip row Vincent Karremans called semiconductor supply chain crisis a ‘wake-up call for western leaders’

NEW: China voices "extreme disappointment" with Dutch minister after interview in the Guardian, saying the Netherlands, not China was the cause of chip row www.theguardian.com/business/202...

EU investigates Google over ‘demoting’ commercial content from news media Officials say effective invisibilty in search results could be leading to unfair ‘loss of revenue’

Eu has launched investigation into alleged demotion of newspapers sponsored or partner content to point where it is not visible in search

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

This interview shows that the EU relationship with China is as tense as ever, with Dutch minister hinting they will not be reversing out of Nexperia any time soon... they will wait until first chips arrive in europe, and I got the impression, until they are sure the supply is steady and long term

‘I’d do it all again,’ says Dutch minister at heart of car chip standoff with China Exclusive: Vincent Karremans says six-week row with Beijing that threatened global car production is ‘wake-up call’

Exclusive: My interview with Dutch economy minister Vincent Karremans on what exactly went on at Nexperia.
"It is a wake up call" for Europe
I would do it all again.
www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Ken Clarke, former chancellor and Tory veteran tells @itvpeston.bsky.social that rejoining EU would be impossible at me. But. “rejoining customs union and single market would be a huge hue advantage “

China "weaponising" EU relationship and winning.

Spoke to quite a few China experts and Imperial College rare earths and auto experts.

dashboard.ophan.co.uk/info?from=20...

Nexperia row shows how China is weaponising trade – and winning Experts say Brussels must stand up against Beijing using supplies of vital chips and minerals as ‘sword of Damocles’

Analysis: China is now pushing EU into series of 'rolling crisis', weaponising its traderelationship and winning. Nexperia, just one example, say China watchers. Some ask if it is time for the EU to change tack and use anti-coercion instrument?
www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Davis Dimbleby on channel 4 this is the “most violent attacks on the BBC in my lifetime”. Panorama editor shd have been sacked over that edit. And he had no idea how this came to result in the DG and Turness who apparently was told by the board initially she cannot go

Mohammad Baraka, the one Gaza man, working for the EU in Gaza during the war, evacuated and then dismissed, says he has yet to receive the €54k severance offered after near 20 Says EU lodged money frozen in Gaza, after flagged as potential corrupt payment.

audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/media/vid...

Palestinian man dismissed from Gaza border assistance role to sue EU Exclusive: Mohammed Baraka’s case alleges discrimination on basis of nationality after EU counterparts were transferred

The one Gazan working for EU evacuated mid war. Taken to Egypt and promised life in EU. But this year he dismissed after office in Gaza closed. He is taking legal action against EU + needs financial help. 56k EU gave him after 20 years service is stuck in Gaza.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...

HMRC trial of child benefit crackdown wrongly suspected fraud in 46% of cases Exclusive: Almost half of families flagged as emigrants based on Home Office travel data were still living in UK

Exclusive: Lib Dems demand to know how HMRC child benefit crackdown got go ahead after data from pilot scheme shows high error rate, with 46% of those originally flagged as emigrated, living in the country.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Businesses worldwide brace for extra Trump tariffs on steel imports Commerce department expected to add about 700 more items with steel content to levy list at request of US firms

US and China deal did not inc steel. EU still facing 50% tariffs in US, UK 15%. Plus 407 products with steel elements also taxed.
I trawled US commerce site to find 700 products, from bikes to tin cans, r on potential next round of steel derivatives in Dec.
Brace.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

China poised to lift ban on chips exports to European carmakers after US deal Dispute began with Dutch government takeover of Nexperia and China halting exports, threatening car production

Trump + Xi do deal. China eases export controls of chips and rare earths for 12 months. US reciprocates pausing controls on security risk affiliates for year. Voila! Nexperia controls ease

theguardian.com/business/202...
Today Dutch PM + trade minister Sefcovic confirm China will grant exemptions

France moves to suspend Shein over sex dolls as debut store opens in Paris The fast-fashion retailer has faced a backlash after the childlike dolls were discovered for sale on its website

Shein’s life in Paris department store may be short lived

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...