The UK Government has announced its intention to align with EU specifications on high risk in vitro diagnostic devices - tests on human samples for a wide range conditions, infections and diseases.

Rob Reid, Deputy Director of Innovative Devices at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), said the move will “enhance patient safety” and “make it easier for manufacturers to navigate regulatory requirements across different markets.”

The Law Society of England and Wales has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Italian National Bar committing  the two organisations to work together to support lawyers from each country working in the other.

The Italian National Bar will push the Italian Government to support Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications (MRPQ) between Italy and the UK. If the MRPQ comes into force, it would allow qualified lawyers in one country to work in the other on a level playing field with domestic lawyers.

Lord Kim Darroch warned that the US President’s repeated delays in introducing tariffs may have created an ‘optimism bias’ in people’s view of US trade policy.

The national accreditation bodies of the UK and Australia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to “deepen collaboration and support trade and regulatory alignment” between the two countries.

The UK Trade and Business Commission has welcomed the full publication of the government's trade strategy today which highlighted the unparalleled importance of EU trade for British businesses.

This morning the government published the UK’s new Trade Strategy, the first one since the UK left the EU. The report outlines the targeted approach the government will take over the coming years to provide ‘practical deals that deliver faster benefits to UK businesses’. The Trade Strategy makes clear that the EU is “our closest neighbour and trading partner”, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying that he wanted the UK-EU relationship “to move on in iterations” at the yearly summits the UK and EU have now agreed to.

Commission Chair Andrew Lewin has welcomed the imminent publication of the government’s trade strategy and called for a renewed drive to secure mutual recognition agreements with the EU

Times have changed in UK-EU relations. Negotiators from London and Brussels appear to have been in a negotiating “tunnel” in early April, and the outside world didn’t notice. In amidst the closer cooperation may even be a certain amount of joint briefing designed to suggest how both sides are fighting for their interests on difficult topics, such as fish, to be triumphantly announced as being solved at the May 19 Summit.

When Rachel Reeves stood at the despatch box for Wednesday’s spending review her message was clear. The era of austerity was over. Fifteen years after George Osborne entered the Treasury, Reeves branded austerity as “a destructive choice for our economy…creating a lost decade for growth, wages, and living standards”. 

Reeves' first year in office has so far been largely defined by cuts to Winter Fuel Payments and looming cuts to PIP, but what was included in the Chancellor’s plans for the rest of the Parliament? And how could a closer relationship with Europe help her mission?

Defence expert Sir Adam Thomson, who held the role at the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) from 2014 to 2016, has today stressed that the “US nuclear deterrent that backs the NATO Article 5 guarantee is no longer fully credible”.

Donald Trump has temporarily exempted the UK from his executive order doubling the base rate of tariffs on steel and aluminium from 25% to 50%. The UK’s rate will remain at 25% until at least 9 July 2025, due to the recently agreed UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal (EPD) - but with a warning that the exemption relies on the EPD being implemented. So what is in the EPD? And what do these latest tariffs mean for the UK?

The UK and EU have struck a new deal aimed at fixing post-Brexit friction. From smoother travel and youth mobility to cheaper food, defence cooperation and reduced barriers for businesses, some changes will kick in quickly, while others require further negotiation. The deal marks the first step towards a more practical partnership - here's what's in it.

The Chair of the UKTBC Andrew Lewin MP reacts to the May 19 Summit.

The UK has secured a new agreement with the European Union which includes many policies developed and campaigned for by Best for Britain.

Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has said the UK must "do everything we can" to "rebuild trade with the EU.

The US and UK have announced a deal on tariffs which will see the 25% levy on UK steel and aluminium removed and the rate on most car exports cut to 10% - but campaigners argue the White House's "chaotic" style means any agreement must be treated with "extreme caution".

On 6 May the UK government announced that a UK-India Free Trade Agreement had been agreed, but what does the deal entail and what does it mean for the UK economy?

Campaigners have welcomed confirmation that the UK Government has signed a new bilateral trade deal with India but have highlighted the need to remove trade barriers with the EU.

The German Ambassador to the UK has today stressed the economic and social value of a reciprocal Youth Mobility Scheme to both the UK and EU while disagreeing with those who conflate it with immigration or freedom of movement.

Times have changed in UK-EU relations. Negotiators from London and Brussels appear to have been in a negotiating “tunnel” in early April, and the outside world didn’t notice. In amidst the closer cooperation may even be a certain amount of joint briefing designed to suggest how both sides are fighting for their interests on difficult topics, such as fish, to be triumphantly announced as being solved at the May 19 Summit.