Politics

All Politics coverage

Illustrative photograph: the United States Capitol building.
Politics

Healey's first Budget on 28 October faces a £23.6bn buffer eroded by gilt yields

Chancellor John Healey delivers the Burnham government's first Budget in under two weeks, with Bloomberg Economics estimating the gilt sell-off has cut roughly £12bn from the fiscal headroom he inherited.

Helena Lindqvist · October 15, 2026
Illustrative photograph: the United States Capitol building.
Politics

Takaichi pledges to cut Japan's food consumption tax to 1% without deficit bonds

Opening a 69-day extraordinary session on 5 October, the prime minister pledged a two-year cut in the levy on food from 8% to 1% from April, paired with cash benefits and funded without new deficit-covering bonds.

Helena Lindqvist · October 15, 2026
Illustrative photograph: the United States Capitol building.
Politics

Congressional fact sheet maps US tariff regime rebuilt on Sections 232, 301 and 338

A Congressional Research Service report dated 8 October catalogues the active duties that replaced the emergency-powers tariffs struck down in February, including 10% to 100% on patented pharmaceuticals and 50% on select Canadian goods.

Helena Lindqvist · October 15, 2026