There is no meeting of the group on Monday 5th May 2025. The next meeting will be Monday 12th May. Read more

One hundred days of the new presidency on 30th April. 1.        Democracy Government by executive order, - is this a suppression of democracy? Democracy failing. Bypassing congress, overriding and ignoring laws passed by congress. 2.      Law and order. Government agencies are ignoring court orders or deliberately subverting them. Lawsuits challenging Trump policies raise big constitutional questions, but they… Read more

Shock Le Pen verdict rocks French far right https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy0ylgjew1xo Le Pen attacks ban from running for public office as 'political decision' https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyq40yz70qo Marine Le Pen's ban outraged France's far right - and they may well take revenge https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx27lg8vp41o Who’s up and who’s down in France after Le Pen’s guilty verdict https://www.politico.eu/article/marine-le-pen-jordan-bardella-emmanuel-macron-france-guilty-verdict UK draws up list… Read more

Spring Statement 2025: Key points at a glance https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9qjn879lr4o Chris Mason: Trump means uncertainty is the new certainty for the UK https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1jp6n82k4xo Why Rachel Reeves may raise UK taxes in October https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr52glegdnvo UK private sector growth rises to six-month high in boost for Rachel Reeves https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/mar/24/uk-private-sector-growth-pmi-rachel-reeves-services-trump-tariffs Reeves squeezes benefits as 2025 growth forecast halved https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz7v4370d2xo… Read more

Counter-terror police investigating Heathrow fire https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg5dg4p2l0o Britain’s food supply is precarious – and Trump’s chaos is spreading. I have a plan. Do you? https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/mar/16/britain-food-supply-donald-trump-stockpile How did lockdown impact children? https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00291y1 Loved ones remembered on fifth anniversary of start of Covid https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c798l9gz4y1o Increase absence from school, worsening of children’s behaviour, especially girls. University, more students got… Read more

Starmer says benefit system unfair and indefensible https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0kgpyz3mmpo Mental ill-health is behind soaring disability benefits bill in England and Wales, report says https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/mar/12/mental-ill-health-is-behind-soaring-disability-benefits-bill-in-england-and-wales-report-says 1.B   Civil service under attack by Government. Unions on alert as Labour prepares to unveil ‘Trumpian’ plan for civil service https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/mar/08/unions-on-alert-as-labour-prepares-to-unveil-trumpian-plan-for-civil-service Trump’s tariffs have now reached Europe and the U.K. The EU… Read more

British pharma company GSK pauses diversity work citing Trump orders https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/feb/28/uk-based-british-pharma-gsk-pauses-diversity-work-citing-trump-orders Do you pass Suella Braverman’s ‘Englishness test?’ https://articles.globalplayer.com/2GXqE1kvaWfpDTgSZFjBeoycZHF Dear Suella: I was born in London and raised in Oxfordshire. What do you reckon – can I be English? https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/mar/05/suella-braverman-englishness-race-issues-politics-britain-minorities Trump promised to make America great. Instead, he may bring about its destruction https://app.prospectmagazine.co.uk/story/69410/content.html RFK… Read more

Increased defence spending at the expense of foreign aid. Prime Minister’s visit to the American president. Starmer cuts aid to fund hike in defence spending https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyrkkv4gd7o Starmer slashes aid to fund major increase in defence spending https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/feb/25/starmer-slashes-aid-to-fund-major-increase-in-defence-spending Starmer defends slashing aid budget to raise defence spending to 2.5% of GDP - UK politics live https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2025/feb/25/yvette-cooper-labour-mike-amesbury-keir-starmer-conservatives-kemi-badenoch-uk-politics-live-news-updates… Read more

Trump blames Ukraine over war with Russia, saying it could have made a deal https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/19/trump-ukraine-war-russia-could-have-made-a-deal Trump-Putin meeting not imminent, as first US-Russia talks on Ukraine finish in Riyadh https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-us-talk-riyadh-conclude-4-5-hours THE MINERAL RESOURCES OF UKRAINE https://www.icog.es/TyT/index.php/2022/05/the-mineral-resources-of-ukraine Trump demands $500B in rare earths from Ukraine for continued support https://www.politico.eu/article/trump-demands-500b-in-rare-earths-from-ukraine-for-support JD Vance attacks Europe over migration, free speech… Read more

How do Britons feel about Kemi Badenoch after 100 days of her leadership? https://yougov.co.uk/politics/articles/51550-how-do-britons-feel-about-kemi-badenoch-after-100-days-of-her-leadership Kemi hates doing media’: Tory anxiety after 100 days of Badenoch leadership https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/feb/09/kemi-badenoch-100-days-leader-conservative-party-tory-mps Boris Johnson was ‘one of most damaging PMs in history’, says Reform UK chair https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/feb/07/boris-johnson-was-one-of-most-damaging-pms-in-history-says-reform-uk-chair Extract from The Daily Telegraph 11 Feb 2025 ‘Arrogant fool’ Hermer must step… Read more