It all looks like a script from a political soap opera as the country heads to a nightmare budget before Christmas. On Thursday 13th November figures were published indicating growth had fallen to 0.1%, down from 0.3% in the previous quarter.
That all comes on the back of a nightmare two weeks in which the new Deputy PM and Justice Secretary had to deflect awkward criticism after it was revealed a convicted asylum seeker was mistakenly released from prison, only for an Algerian sex offender who was due for deportation, to also be accidentally released, just one of more than 90 prisoners accidentally released over seven months [Sky News]. Of course much of the problem was an inherited one, it wasn't a good look.
And this all on the back of a series of resignations, sacking and political manoeuvrings in the corridors of power.
Only last month a tabloid furore was building against Rachel Reeves after accusations of hypocrisy concerning her having failed to apply for a licence from her local council before letting out her south London home. On the eve of Halloween the prime minister declared the matter closed having accepted an apology from the chancellor who had said she had not known a licence was required [Guardian].
Emails then emerged showing that the letting agent for the property had told her husband that a licence would be necessary [BBC].
One email also purported to indicate that the agent would apply for a licence on behalf of the client. Within a day the letting agent which rented out Chancellor Rachel Reeves' family home apologised for an "oversight" which led to a failure to obtain the correct licence.
Gareth Martin, owner of Harvey & Wheeler, said the company's previous property manager had offered to apply for a "selective" rental licence on behalf of their client - but this never happened as the manager resigned before the tenancy began.
The story would no doubt have led to louder calls for her resignation but for the breaking news that Prince Andrew was to be stripped of his Royal titles and be known henceforth as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor [Guardian]. He would also, rolling media coverage informed the public, be required to move out of Windsor and slum it on King Charles III's Sandringham Estate where he would reside with the monarch bearing the cost personally. The decision came after long running criticism of Andrew's close connections with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Given how long the episode had been burning, the timing of the decision to strip him of his title seemed somewhat suspicious.
Even if just coincidence, Rachel Reeves would surely have been relieved that the media spotlight had shifted from her dubious financial affairs to the former prince.
While the details of the Reeves' financial affairs concerning her flat may be explained away by an oversight or failure of communication, it is not the first time the chancellor's expenses and financial affairs have been under the spotlight.
In February 2025 the BBC News reported that Rachel Reeves had exaggerated her online CV and had been investigated over her use of expenses while working at Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) [BBC]. The reactions from Reeves and her colleagues were that the BBC reports were exaggerated and inaccurate. Of her expenses Reeves said they had been "signed off in the proper way" and "no issues were ever raised" during her time at the bank. Meanwhile the then Science Secretary Peter Kyle told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the reporting was "inaccurate".
While Reeves has so far survived media scrutiny, others have been less fortunate.
In the summer the Deputy PM Angela Rayner was photographed holidaying in Brighton, vaping on an inflatable kayak on the southern coast near Hove. It then emerged she had bought a flat in the seaside town, her third property which resulted in her being dubbed "three pads Rayner" by the tabloid media [The Sun]. The tabloid media had their claws out and the vitriol and criticism was loud and vociferous. "The hypocrisy of buying a second home when you also have use of a third home — at a time when your own department is waving a stick at second-home owners — does somewhat leave the mouth hanging open," the Sun proclaimed.
Within weeks Angela Rayner was giving a resignation speech, having admitted she underpaid stamp duty. The resignation on the 22nd October came despite repeated messages of support from her colleagues and the prime minister. On the 1st of September Keir Starmer said he was "proud" of his deputy, just days after The Daily Telegraph reported that Rayner saved £40,000 in stamp duty by not paying the higher rate reserved for additional home purchases. By the 3rd of September Rayner contacted the HMRC and referred herself for investigation by Sir Laurie Magnus, the prime minister's ethics adviser. That same day, shortly before Starmer was due to appear at Prime Minister's Questions, Rayner released a statement admitting she should have paid the higher rate of stamp duty when purchasing the Hove flat. Nonetheless the prime minister continued to stand by his deputy. The following day he repeatedly refused to say if he would sack Rayner if the standards adviser concluded she broke the ministerial code [BBC].
The prevarications were moot, and the following day Rayner resigned.
Rayner's stepping down resulted in Starmer being forced to shuffle chairs and pick a new deputy. David Lammy was drawn closer to the PM and placed in position of deputy prime minister and Justice Secretary. Meanwhile he sacked a number of ministers from his cabinet and elevated others to more senior roles. Ian Murray, the Scottish Secretary, was thrown out of the Cabinet and replaced with Douglas Alexander. The decision was treated with indignation by Murray who said he was "hugely disappointed" to be cut from the Cabinet. However it was apparently more than 'dissappointment'. A close friend told the Daily Record that Murray was "very angry and is still in the dark as to why he was sacked."
Gone too was Lucy Powell, Leader of the House of Commons, who was also unimpressed about being dismissed from her post.
However in a humiliating move for Keir Starmer she managed to place herself close to the inner circle after placing herself in the deputy leadership contest against Bridget Phillipson and winning [BBC].
Despite having secured a senior position Powell was not brought back into the Cabinet.
Political pundits have suggested that the PM might 'feel some unease about the outcome for a few different reasons' in that, according to Sky's Beth Rigby 'she has power and profile, but will remain an independent voice, free from collective cabinet responsibility [Sky News].
And so a little under three weeks after assuming her position as a political fly in the ointment, Keir Starmer was facing a wrath of stories plastered across many frontpages claiming that he might be facing a challenge to his own leadership.
Once again the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was forced to answer awkward questions in PMQs and address reports that rivals in his Labour Party were plotting to replace him as leader. It all came just two weeks before a government budget announcement that could worsen his already dire poll ratings, three weeks after Lucy Powell secured her position as deputy leader, and 10 weeks since his previous deputy leader and deputy PM Angela Rayner had resigned.
Late on Tuesday 11th November, several media outlets quoted Starmer allies as saying his job might be under immediate threat and singled out Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, as a challenger whose "ambition" was being viewed with "particular suspicion."
Ahead of an awkward PMQs, Streeting was on the media rounds busily defending Starmer and denying any suggestion he was behind any plot to oust the prime minister. According to one Downing Street source quoted in the Daily Express, "there is a pattern of Keir's team briefing against his own people – they did it to Angela [Rayner], Lisa [Nandy], Lucy [Powell], now it's Wes's [Streeting] turn. A circular firing squad won't help the Government out of the hole we're in."
During a tense grilling on the BBC, Streeting defended the PM and denied he was behind a coup, and said people should 'calm down'
BBC Breakfast host Jon Kay launched his interrogation with a graphic description of the likely scenes inside Number 10. "It sounds like people inside Downing Street think you are a potential problem yourself because we've had this extraordinary briefing overnight to the BBC from people close to the Prime Minister who seem to think they're worried about some kind of leadership challenge in the next few weeks, and they name you as a potential threat. Wes Streeting, are you a faithful or are you a traitor?"
Streeting responded, likening the whole episode as being like a soap opera. "Someone has definitely been watching too much Celebrity Traitors in Downing Street. I think they should be watching Countryfile instead and calm down a bit. I am a Faithful, what you're seeing from a silly number 10 source overnight is probably the worst attack on the faithful since Joe Marler was banished in the final."
Another person in the spotlight is Morgan McSweeney, whose official title is Downing Street Chief of Staff. Starmer has come under intense pressure from a wide range of ministers and MPs to sack his chief of staff after No 10 was accused of an extraordinary briefing operation against the health secretary, Wes Streeting [Guardian].
But there is also a name that has failed to be mentioned in all this, that of Starmer's Cabinet Secretary, Sir Chris Wormald, appointed by the PM on the 16th December 2024, succeeding Simon Case.
Case had been in the role for the six months after Labour won the general election last year and was involved in the transition between governments but left with some questions over his stepping down, though health reasons were cited [BBC] .
Just as depicted by Humphrey in the 'fictional' political sitcom Yes, Prime Minister, the role of the Cabinet Secretary involves advising the Prime Minister, supporting the government's decision-making processes, and heading the Home Civil Service.
However, it seems clear that Starmer is either not receiving very good advice, or simply ignoring it.
From issues concerning the integrity of his cabinet members, choices concerning roles and public statements on his team, as well as policy, Starmer's leadership has been a litany of confusion, procrastination and prevarication.
This is in addition to increasing rumours concerning Starmer's personal life, details of which have been mostly hidden from the public to date.
Labour won an election on the back of a failed and failing Tory administration seen as corrupt and inept. It came in on a promise of 'Change', a single word that was emblazoned on its manifesto. In that manifesto it also gave unrealistic promises it would not raise taxes, something it is widely believed Reeves will break in her late November Budget. The manifesto also fenced itself in with promises that it would 'make Brexit work' and that Labour would not seek to rejoin the EU, the Customs Union or the Single Market, even if this were the only way out of economic oblivion.
The UK has continued to face low growth throughout 2025. The latest figures, ahead of a budget which is likely to dampen public spending yet further paints a gloomy picture for 2026 [BBC]. The EU economy in comparison was projected to experience moderate growth in 2025, with real GDP expected to increase by 1.1% in the EU and 0.9% in the euro area as a whole. Moreover EU growth is expected to rise to 1.5% in 2026. Hardly a celebration, especially given the likes of China which has seen its growth level at around 4.8% in 2025. Meanwhile, the US economy expanded an annualised 3.8% in Q2 2025, much higher than 3.3% in the second estimate, and marking the strongest performance since Q3 2023.
Whichever way one cuts it, the UK's economic picture is bleak. And yet the government has boxed itself into one corner, with promises not to forge closer ties with the EU which would undoubtedly boost the economy [Numerous economic analyses by institutions like the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the Centre for European Reform (CER), and others suggest that rejoining the EU, or even just the single market, would boost the UK economy compared to its current post-Brexit trajectory. ] Yet, at the same time the treasury department is willing to break other promises not to raise taxes in order to keep the ailing ship of HMS Britannia afloat.
And amidst all this, one is witness to a political soap opera with denials, rumours and infighting abound. The comedy and farce of it all would be hysterically funny if it weren't so serious.
tvnewswatch, London, UK
That all comes on the back of a nightmare two weeks in which the new Deputy PM and Justice Secretary had to deflect awkward criticism after it was revealed a convicted asylum seeker was mistakenly released from prison, only for an Algerian sex offender who was due for deportation, to also be accidentally released, just one of more than 90 prisoners accidentally released over seven months [Sky News]. Of course much of the problem was an inherited one, it wasn't a good look.
And this all on the back of a series of resignations, sacking and political manoeuvrings in the corridors of power.
Only last month a tabloid furore was building against Rachel Reeves after accusations of hypocrisy concerning her having failed to apply for a licence from her local council before letting out her south London home. On the eve of Halloween the prime minister declared the matter closed having accepted an apology from the chancellor who had said she had not known a licence was required [Guardian].
Emails then emerged showing that the letting agent for the property had told her husband that a licence would be necessary [BBC].
One email also purported to indicate that the agent would apply for a licence on behalf of the client. Within a day the letting agent which rented out Chancellor Rachel Reeves' family home apologised for an "oversight" which led to a failure to obtain the correct licence.
Gareth Martin, owner of Harvey & Wheeler, said the company's previous property manager had offered to apply for a "selective" rental licence on behalf of their client - but this never happened as the manager resigned before the tenancy began.
The story would no doubt have led to louder calls for her resignation but for the breaking news that Prince Andrew was to be stripped of his Royal titles and be known henceforth as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor [Guardian]. He would also, rolling media coverage informed the public, be required to move out of Windsor and slum it on King Charles III's Sandringham Estate where he would reside with the monarch bearing the cost personally. The decision came after long running criticism of Andrew's close connections with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Given how long the episode had been burning, the timing of the decision to strip him of his title seemed somewhat suspicious.
Even if just coincidence, Rachel Reeves would surely have been relieved that the media spotlight had shifted from her dubious financial affairs to the former prince.
While the details of the Reeves' financial affairs concerning her flat may be explained away by an oversight or failure of communication, it is not the first time the chancellor's expenses and financial affairs have been under the spotlight.
In February 2025 the BBC News reported that Rachel Reeves had exaggerated her online CV and had been investigated over her use of expenses while working at Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) [BBC]. The reactions from Reeves and her colleagues were that the BBC reports were exaggerated and inaccurate. Of her expenses Reeves said they had been "signed off in the proper way" and "no issues were ever raised" during her time at the bank. Meanwhile the then Science Secretary Peter Kyle told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the reporting was "inaccurate".
While Reeves has so far survived media scrutiny, others have been less fortunate.
In the summer the Deputy PM Angela Rayner was photographed holidaying in Brighton, vaping on an inflatable kayak on the southern coast near Hove. It then emerged she had bought a flat in the seaside town, her third property which resulted in her being dubbed "three pads Rayner" by the tabloid media [The Sun]. The tabloid media had their claws out and the vitriol and criticism was loud and vociferous. "The hypocrisy of buying a second home when you also have use of a third home — at a time when your own department is waving a stick at second-home owners — does somewhat leave the mouth hanging open," the Sun proclaimed.
Within weeks Angela Rayner was giving a resignation speech, having admitted she underpaid stamp duty. The resignation on the 22nd October came despite repeated messages of support from her colleagues and the prime minister. On the 1st of September Keir Starmer said he was "proud" of his deputy, just days after The Daily Telegraph reported that Rayner saved £40,000 in stamp duty by not paying the higher rate reserved for additional home purchases. By the 3rd of September Rayner contacted the HMRC and referred herself for investigation by Sir Laurie Magnus, the prime minister's ethics adviser. That same day, shortly before Starmer was due to appear at Prime Minister's Questions, Rayner released a statement admitting she should have paid the higher rate of stamp duty when purchasing the Hove flat. Nonetheless the prime minister continued to stand by his deputy. The following day he repeatedly refused to say if he would sack Rayner if the standards adviser concluded she broke the ministerial code [BBC].
The prevarications were moot, and the following day Rayner resigned.
Rayner's stepping down resulted in Starmer being forced to shuffle chairs and pick a new deputy. David Lammy was drawn closer to the PM and placed in position of deputy prime minister and Justice Secretary. Meanwhile he sacked a number of ministers from his cabinet and elevated others to more senior roles. Ian Murray, the Scottish Secretary, was thrown out of the Cabinet and replaced with Douglas Alexander. The decision was treated with indignation by Murray who said he was "hugely disappointed" to be cut from the Cabinet. However it was apparently more than 'dissappointment'. A close friend told the Daily Record that Murray was "very angry and is still in the dark as to why he was sacked."
Gone too was Lucy Powell, Leader of the House of Commons, who was also unimpressed about being dismissed from her post.
However in a humiliating move for Keir Starmer she managed to place herself close to the inner circle after placing herself in the deputy leadership contest against Bridget Phillipson and winning [BBC].
Despite having secured a senior position Powell was not brought back into the Cabinet.
Political pundits have suggested that the PM might 'feel some unease about the outcome for a few different reasons' in that, according to Sky's Beth Rigby 'she has power and profile, but will remain an independent voice, free from collective cabinet responsibility [Sky News].
And so a little under three weeks after assuming her position as a political fly in the ointment, Keir Starmer was facing a wrath of stories plastered across many frontpages claiming that he might be facing a challenge to his own leadership.
Once again the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was forced to answer awkward questions in PMQs and address reports that rivals in his Labour Party were plotting to replace him as leader. It all came just two weeks before a government budget announcement that could worsen his already dire poll ratings, three weeks after Lucy Powell secured her position as deputy leader, and 10 weeks since his previous deputy leader and deputy PM Angela Rayner had resigned.
Late on Tuesday 11th November, several media outlets quoted Starmer allies as saying his job might be under immediate threat and singled out Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, as a challenger whose "ambition" was being viewed with "particular suspicion."
Ahead of an awkward PMQs, Streeting was on the media rounds busily defending Starmer and denying any suggestion he was behind any plot to oust the prime minister. According to one Downing Street source quoted in the Daily Express, "there is a pattern of Keir's team briefing against his own people – they did it to Angela [Rayner], Lisa [Nandy], Lucy [Powell], now it's Wes's [Streeting] turn. A circular firing squad won't help the Government out of the hole we're in."
During a tense grilling on the BBC, Streeting defended the PM and denied he was behind a coup, and said people should 'calm down'
BBC Breakfast host Jon Kay launched his interrogation with a graphic description of the likely scenes inside Number 10. "It sounds like people inside Downing Street think you are a potential problem yourself because we've had this extraordinary briefing overnight to the BBC from people close to the Prime Minister who seem to think they're worried about some kind of leadership challenge in the next few weeks, and they name you as a potential threat. Wes Streeting, are you a faithful or are you a traitor?"
Streeting responded, likening the whole episode as being like a soap opera. "Someone has definitely been watching too much Celebrity Traitors in Downing Street. I think they should be watching Countryfile instead and calm down a bit. I am a Faithful, what you're seeing from a silly number 10 source overnight is probably the worst attack on the faithful since Joe Marler was banished in the final."
Another person in the spotlight is Morgan McSweeney, whose official title is Downing Street Chief of Staff. Starmer has come under intense pressure from a wide range of ministers and MPs to sack his chief of staff after No 10 was accused of an extraordinary briefing operation against the health secretary, Wes Streeting [Guardian].
But there is also a name that has failed to be mentioned in all this, that of Starmer's Cabinet Secretary, Sir Chris Wormald, appointed by the PM on the 16th December 2024, succeeding Simon Case.
Case had been in the role for the six months after Labour won the general election last year and was involved in the transition between governments but left with some questions over his stepping down, though health reasons were cited [BBC] .
Just as depicted by Humphrey in the 'fictional' political sitcom Yes, Prime Minister, the role of the Cabinet Secretary involves advising the Prime Minister, supporting the government's decision-making processes, and heading the Home Civil Service.
However, it seems clear that Starmer is either not receiving very good advice, or simply ignoring it.
From issues concerning the integrity of his cabinet members, choices concerning roles and public statements on his team, as well as policy, Starmer's leadership has been a litany of confusion, procrastination and prevarication.
This is in addition to increasing rumours concerning Starmer's personal life, details of which have been mostly hidden from the public to date.
Labour won an election on the back of a failed and failing Tory administration seen as corrupt and inept. It came in on a promise of 'Change', a single word that was emblazoned on its manifesto. In that manifesto it also gave unrealistic promises it would not raise taxes, something it is widely believed Reeves will break in her late November Budget. The manifesto also fenced itself in with promises that it would 'make Brexit work' and that Labour would not seek to rejoin the EU, the Customs Union or the Single Market, even if this were the only way out of economic oblivion.
The UK has continued to face low growth throughout 2025. The latest figures, ahead of a budget which is likely to dampen public spending yet further paints a gloomy picture for 2026 [BBC]. The EU economy in comparison was projected to experience moderate growth in 2025, with real GDP expected to increase by 1.1% in the EU and 0.9% in the euro area as a whole. Moreover EU growth is expected to rise to 1.5% in 2026. Hardly a celebration, especially given the likes of China which has seen its growth level at around 4.8% in 2025. Meanwhile, the US economy expanded an annualised 3.8% in Q2 2025, much higher than 3.3% in the second estimate, and marking the strongest performance since Q3 2023.
Whichever way one cuts it, the UK's economic picture is bleak. And yet the government has boxed itself into one corner, with promises not to forge closer ties with the EU which would undoubtedly boost the economy [Numerous economic analyses by institutions like the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the Centre for European Reform (CER), and others suggest that rejoining the EU, or even just the single market, would boost the UK economy compared to its current post-Brexit trajectory. ] Yet, at the same time the treasury department is willing to break other promises not to raise taxes in order to keep the ailing ship of HMS Britannia afloat.
And amidst all this, one is witness to a political soap opera with denials, rumours and infighting abound. The comedy and farce of it all would be hysterically funny if it weren't so serious.
tvnewswatch, London, UK
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