Nigel Farage is no stranger to political earthquakes, and his Reform UK party produced another one in the recent elections – securing 10 councils, two mayoralties and another MP.

With this shift towards more local and regional power, the party’s policies will come under more scrutiny.

Read the full opinion piece here.

Economists have warned the UK’s trade deal with he US was unlikely to significantly boost growth directly.

The deal removes tariffs on UK steel and aluminium imports to the US, and cuts the levy on cars from 27.5% to 10%, offering British luxury carmakers like Jaguar Land Rover a reprieve.

But the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (Neisr) said the boost for UK gross domestic product (GDP) will be minimal.

Read the full story here.

Downing Street has declined to rule out changes to the digital services tax as part of a future agreement with the United States.

Asked whether changes to the tax would be on the table in future negotiations, a Number 10 spokesman said: “The position on the digital services tax remains unchanged.

“Obviously, there are continuing discussions and, as I say, this is the beginning of the process.

“This deal marks only the beginning. We are continuing talks on that wider economic deal which will look at increasing digital trade, which is a tremendous opportunity.

“And that kind of work on a digital trade deal will strip back paperwork for British firms trying to export to the US, opening up the UK to a huge market that will measurably boost the UK economy.

“That deal also opens the way to a future UK-US technology partnership through which our science-rich nations will collaborate in key areas of advanced technology, for example biotech, life sciences, quantum computing, nuclear fusion, aerospace and space.”

Labour MPs must realise the welfare system needs reform, Rachel Reeves has said.

The Chancellor’s comments come as more than 40 Labour MPs have written to the Prime Minister urging him to pause and reassess planned cuts to disability benefits.

Asked what her message to Labour MPs worried about the welfare overhaul was, Ms Reeves said: “I don’t think anybody, including Labour MPs and members, think that the current welfare system created by the Conservative Party is working today.

“They know that the system needs reform. We do need to reform how the welfare system works if we’re going to grow our economy.”

She added: “But crucially, if we’re going to lift people out of poverty and give more people the chance to fulfil their potential, the focus has got to be on supporting people into work.

“Of course, if you can’t work the welfare state must always be there for you, and with this Government it will be.

“But there are many people that are trapped on benefits that are desperate to work, that have been cut out of opportunity for too long. That will change under this Government.”

Sir Keir Starmer said Ukraine would be top of the agenda as he arrived for the Joint Expeditionary Force summit in Norway.

Speaking to media after being greeted by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store at Oslo City Hall, the Prime Minister said: “I think events of the last few months show that we’re living in an evermore unstable world and to have allies like this coming together, an agile group of colleagues, to discuss issues of defence co-operation, co-ordination at this vital time is hugely important.

“Of course Ukraine will be on the agenda first thing this morning so I look forward to working with our colleagues here. It’s an excellent group.”

The UK-US trade deal was urgently needed to protect as many as 150,000 livelihoods, a senior Government minister said.

Asked by BBC Breakfast if agreeing the deal was urgent, Treasury minister Darren Jones said: “Yes. Yes, it was.”

Pressed if this was because of the threat of job losses, Mr Jones added: “Of course, which is why it was so important that we’ve got the deal over the line.”

He also rejected suggestions the UK is no better off than before Donald Trump’s tariffs were first introduced.

The deal removes tariffs on UK steel and aluminium imports to the US, and cuts the levy on cars from 27.5% to 10%, offering British luxury carmakers like Jaguar Land Rover a reprieve.

Mr Jones told the BBC: “If I could rather be in a world where there were no tariffs, of course I would. But that’s just not the world that exists. So it’s not really an option on the table. The option on the table is to have not signed a trade deal with the United States and had higher tariffs, or to have signed a trade deal with the United States and had lower tariffs.

“We’ve signed that trade deal. We’ve got lower tariffs in critical manufacturing sectors in the UK. 150,000 people’s livelihoods that we’ve protected as a consequence of that trade deal.

“That is, by definition, factually better off as a consequence of the action that this Government is taking to stand up for working people across the UK.”

The Governor of the Bank of England has said he hopes the UK can “rebuild” trade relationships with the EU after striking a trade deal with the US.

Andrew Bailey said it would be “beneficial” to reverse the post-Brexit reduction in trade between Britain and the bloc.

In an interview with the BBC, the Bank’s chief suggested that the UK-US trade agreement could set an example to nations around the world.

He said: “It is important we do everything we can to ensure that whatever decisions are taken on the Brexit front do not damage the long-term trade position.

“So I hope that we can use this to start to rebuild that relationship.”

The new trade deal agreed between the US and the UK is “quite disappointing” and “still very unclear”, the shadow business and trade secretary has said.

Andrew Griffith told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “There’s some good elements to yesterday’s deal – I think car industry and steel industry will welcome at least the reduction. But overall, it’s quite disappointing.

“It’s still very unclear what happens to pharmaceuticals, a really big UK industry, there’s nothing on film and TV, and yet (at) the start of the week, the Government was talking about 100% tariffs on that.

“It’s not a trade agreement in the classic sense.”

Mr Griffith said the deal did not offer any mutual recognition between the US and UK and urged the Government to get back round the table with its counterparts to negotiate “a comprehensive agreement”.

A top Labour minister has categorically denied that the new US trade deal includes a White House veto on Chinese investment in the UK.

The agreement says that both countries “intend to co-operate on the effective use of investment security measures”, which some have said amounts to Washington being able to block certain decisions.

However Darren Jones, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, tells Times Radio: “there is no such thing as a veto on Chinese investment in this trade deal”.

“This is not what this trade deal is about. It’s a sectoral trade deal in relation to tariffs in key sectors in the way that we’ve just been talking about. So I’d suggest the Conservative Party reads the documents and they come out and maybe comes back for a second go.”