Dear readers,
Another week when the political center’s conventional case for competent government seems to be met by voters with their fingers in their ears.
Liz Truss told Anne McElvoy — who traveled to Washington to see Britain’s fleeting prime minister hobnob with those seeking to “Make America Great Again” — that voters are sick of “technocratic managerial crap.” You can listen to the interview on this week’s episode of Westminster Insider.
Plenty more below to get you through the weekend and set you up for the coming week.
All best wishes,
Kate Day
EDITOR’S CHOICE
How Belgium’s De Wever derailed the EU’s ‘insane’ €140B Ukraine loan plan
Belgium dug its heals in over the European Union’s €140 billion loan for Ukraine at this week’s summit in Brussels. Read the story.
European Commission under pressure over Hungarian spying allegations
The European Parliament is demanding answers from the Commission over what it knew about an alleged Hungarian spy ring operating out of the country’s embassy in Brussels. Read the story.
Inside the Commission reshuffle
Our excellent new Brussels Playbook author Gerardo Fortuna sketches out a high-stakes reshuffle of the EU executive’s top ranks. Read all the details in Tuesday’s Playbook.
5 reasons Starmer’s new election disaster should spook Europe’s centrists
A disastrous by-election defeat for Labour in a Welsh seat held by the party for over 100 years spells trouble for centrist incumbents across Europe. Read the story.
Liz Truss’ dream of boosting British cheese exports falls flat in Japan
Exclusive: The second appearance for Truss in this list, but this one was too good to leave out. In 2014 Truss famously called it a “disgrace” that Britain didn’t export more cheese. Five years after the U.K. and Japan signed their trade deal, the Japanese still aren’t buying British. Read the story.
UK considers scrapping oil and gas windfall tax in bid to boost growth
Exclusive: The Treasury is weighing proposals to scrap the oil and gas windfall tax as soon as next year, as the government scrambles to revive the U.K.’s flagging economy. Read the story.
EU considers withholding funds from countries that don’t fix pension systems
Exclusive: Brussels fears Europe’s aging population will cause fiscal crises unless member countries address unsustainable retirement systems. Read the story.
YOUR WEEKEND PLAYLIST
EU Confidential: How about them assets — making Russia pay for Ukraine
The EU wants to lend €140 billion in cash from frozen Russian funds to Ukraine; Belgium is afraid it will be the one on the hook for paying it back. That’s just one of the tough topics EU leaders discussed as they gathered in Brussels at a meeting devoted to fighting the external threat from Russian President Vladimir Putin — and the internal threat from the far right. Listen to the episode.
Westminster Insider: What Liz Truss wants Britain to learn from Trump
Liz Truss is never far from the shores of the United States, hobnobbing with the folk seeking to “Make America Great Again.” What does she think Britain can learn from the second Trump era? Anne McElvoy travels to Washington to talk to the former Conservative Prime Minister Liz Truss, who’s on a self-proclaimed “mission” to remake the U.K. in the image of MAGA-land. Listen to the episode.
DECLASSIFIED
Read this week’s Declassified column.
Caption competition
“And in his search for food, Pavel the Polar Bear decided to leave Russia’s sphere of influence, so I sent a fleet of drones and had him killed. The end.”
Can you do better? Email us at [email protected] or get in touch on X @POLITICOEurope.
Last week, we gave you this photo:
Thanks for all the entries. Here’s the best from our postbag — there’s no prize except for the gift of laughter, which I think we can all agree is far more valuable than cash or booze.
“No, you don’t know how to play rock, paper, scissors.”
by Stephen Robinson
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