UK can take advantage of US decline: why won't the government plan for growth?
Legal services are the unsung hero of the British economy with huge potential in this uncertain world, but to capitalise the government needs a plan for growth — and now.
The past record is there. The UK legal services market is already the second largest, after the US, and with American courts, law firms and prosecutors under threat from a capricious White House, confidence in that jurisdiction of choice for transactions and disputes is inevitably being damaged.
With a stable government and re-stated commitment to the rule of law, the UK is best placed to take advantage of US decline. The UK has many natural advantages: English language, the flexible and predictable common law; underpinned by excellent lawyers and judiciary.
Of course, more resources are
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Finextra
29 minutes ago
- Finextra
BCP launches British pound stablecoin
BCP Technologies has launched the first British pound-backed stablecoin from an FCA-registered crypto issuer. 0 BCP's tokenised GBP (tGBP) is backed 1:1 by reserves held in a segregated account at a UK-regulated financial institution and is fully redeemable for sterling at any time. BCP says the stablecoin is now live after more than a year-long review process, including a month in the FCA's regulatory sandbox. As the stablecoin market heats up, the firm is hoping to take advantage of the fact that GBP options have so far been limited, typically issued by offshore entities with low liquidity. It says that tGBP uses the reliability of UK financial infrastructure for the minting and redeeming process and has the flexibility and speed of blockchain technology. Benoit Marzouk, CEO, BCP Technologies, says: "tGBP supports a broad range of use cases: GBP self-custody for retail and corporates to bring an alternative from banks (and their inherent fractional reserve risk), cross-border payments, institutional collateral management, a GBP option for DeFi lending protocols and a GBP on-chain access for bitcoin-backed loans. "It might also be used in the future as the main GBP rail for settling tokenised assets like bonds, securities, or real estate."
Daily Mail
42 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
White Brits will be a minority in the UK within the next 40 years, report claims
White Brits will become a minority race in the UK population within the next 40 years, a new report has claimed. A study into birth rates and migration levels has predicted that white British people will make up only 33.7 per cent of the population by the end of the century. The research conducted by Professor Matt Goodwin of Buckingham University says the projected change will come in phases: first falling from the current level of 73 per cent to 57 per cent by 2050, then into the minority levels by 2063. Professor Goodwin's report also suggests significant changes for foreign-born citizens and second-generation immigrants, who currently make up less than 20 per cent of the population. These groups, the report says, will comprise 33.5 per cent of the UK's population in the next 25 years. It also predicts a near three-times increase in the number of Muslims living in the UK, suggesting that almost one in five people living in Britain will be followers of Islam by the end of the century. By the year 2100, the report expects 60 per cent of people living in the UK to have at least have one immigrant parent. Professor Goodwin said his research, which was based on Office for National Statistics and census data, will 'spark anxiety, concern and political opposition' among voters who wish to 'maintain the culture of the traditional majority'. He added: 'By the end of the current century, most of the people on these islands will not be able to trace their roots in this country back more than one or two generations. 'This raises enormous questions about the capacity of our country and leaders to unify people around a shared sense of identity, values, ways of life, and culture, and avoid the very real risk of us becoming what Sir Keir Starmer referred to in May as "an island of strangers".' In the report titled 'Demographic Change and the Future of the United Kingdom', Professor Goodwin also warned of the UK's ability to 'absorb and manage this scale of demographic change'. He said: 'What these projections show is that the UK is currently on course to experience enormous and historically unprecedented changes in the composition of its population.' Professor Goodwin's projections were based on non-white ethnic groups having a higher fertility rate until the end of the century. The UK- born fertility rate used was 1.39 for those born in the UK , 1.97 for foreign-born people, for Muslims it was 2.35, and for non-Muslims 1.54. The report comes just days after 1,200 migrants crossed the Channel to the UK in what was labelled 'a day of shame '. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer even faced criticism from one of his own ministers who said control of Britain's borders had been lost as a surge in dinghy crossings overwhelmed French and UK border patrol vessels. The latest Home Office figures show that 1,194 migrants arrived in 18 boats, bringing the provisional annual total so far to 14,811. This is 42 per cent higher than the 10,448 at the same point last year and 95 per cent up from the same point in 2023, 7,610. It is still lower than the highest daily total of 1,305 arrivals since data began in 2018, which was recorded on September 3, 2022. But the total of arrivals for the year, 14,811, is the highest ever recorded for the first five months of a year since data was first recorded on Channel crossings in 2018. It has also surpassed the highest total recorded for the first six months of the year, which was previously 13,489 on June 30 last year - and n 2024 the number of arrivals did not reach more than 14,000 until July 9, reaching 14,058. At Gravelines in northern France, more than half a dozen French police officers stood by and watched as migrants waded into the sea and scrambled on to an inflatable boat. French authorities said they rescued 184 people. One of Sir Keir's senior cabinet ministers admitted the scenes were 'pretty shocking' as he said the UK had 'lost control of its borders over the last five years'. Defence Secretary John Healey told Sky News that the latest crossings revealed a 'really big problem' - but insisted there was pressure being put on France for better co-operation and crackdowns ahead. Britain had agreed a deal in 2023 to pay France £480million over three years to stop the crossings, including £175million in the current financial year – more than £480,000 per day. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp branded the latest Channel scenes 'a disgrace but sadly entirely expected' and 'a day of shame for the Labour Government'. He added: 'It's a shameful failure by the French to discharge their duties to stop illegal migration. The French are failing to stop these crossings by illegal immigrants. 'Over a thousand illegal immigrants in a single day, boats flooding the Channel, Border Force stretched beyond breaking point, and even fishing vessels drafted in because our maritime rescue services are overwhelmed.' And Richard Tice MP, deputy leader of Reform UK, said: 'It looks like we pay hundreds of millions to give French police officers photography lessons because they are certainly not providing any security. Frankly, the Government should be suing the French for our money back.' At least 18 migrant boats were seen leaving the French coast on Sunday, June 1, carrying more than 1,000 people - exceeding the previous daily record for 2025 of 825, set earlier last month. Mr Healey added: 'Pretty shocking, those scenes [on Sunday]. The truth is, Britain's lost control of its borders over the last five years. 'The last government last year left an asylum system in chaos and record levels of immigration. 'But I think that [Sunday] tells us a really big problem which is that you've got French police unable to intervene to intervene and intercept the boats when they are in shallow water. 'We saw the smugglers launching elsewhere and coming round like a taxi to pick them up.' Mr Healey insisted there was 'new co-operation' with the French suggesting their officials would intervene in the water. When asked whether he was 'hacked off' with France for not doing so now, Mr Healey said: 'They are not doing it, but we've got the agreement that they will change the way they work. 'Our concentration now is to push them to get that into operation so they can intercept these smugglers and stop these people in the boats, not just on the shore.'
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Common diet Brits choose to lose weight could lead to depression, study finds
Yo-yo dieting which is used by many Brits to lose weight could lead to depression, a study has found. The diet involves managing calories to shed the pounds before putting the weight back on again. And researchers have discovered questionnaire scores for depressive symptoms, such as a low mood, low energy and sleep disturbances, were higher among those restricting calories using such diets, compared to those who reported not being on one at all. The scores were also higher among overweight people following low-calorie diets. The effects of calorie restriction on mood were more pronounced in men and overweight people, the study said. The findings contrast previous reports which claim low-calorie diets improve depressive symptoms. However, researchers argued prior trials included tailored and balanced diet programmes that may not be the same as what people realistically follow in everyday life. The team said a focus on 'idealised diets' can 'overlook the diversity of dietary patterns'. For the study, published in BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health, researchers in Canada used data from the 28,525 people who took part in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and had completed a health questionnaire relating to depressive symptoms, which gave them a score based on severity. A little under 8 per cent had reported depressive symptoms, while 33 per cent were overweight and 38 per cent were obese. The majority of the group (87 per cent) said they were not on a specific diet, while 2,206 (7.7 per cent) were restricting calories. Some 859 (3 per cent) were on a 'nutrient-restrictive' diet, low in fat, sugar, salt, fibre or carbohydrate, and 631 (2.2 per cent) were on diets tailored for the likes of diabetes. Researchers found low-calorie diets were more common among obese patients and those who were overweight. They said: 'Numerous studies have consistently focussed on "healthy" versus "unhealthy" diets. 'They have shown that "healthy" diets rich in minimally processed foods, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, lean proteins and fish have been linked to a lower risk of depression. 'In contrast, an "unhealthy" diet dominated by ultra-processed foods, refined carbohydrates, saturated fats, processed meats and sweets is associated with an increased risk of depressive symptoms. 'Therefore, individuals must adopt a perfectly healthy dietary pattern to reduce the risk of depressive symptoms. This dichotomy fails to capture the complexity of real-world eating habits.' Restricting calories can lead to deficiencies in protein, vitamins and minerals, researchers suggest, which puts the body under stress. They added: 'In contrast, real-life calorie-restricted diets and obesity often result in nutritional deficiencies, particularly in protein, essential vitamins and minerals, and induce physiological stress, which can exacerbate depressive symptomatology including cognitive-affective symptoms.' Researchers stressed the study has a number of limitations, but gives an insight to how diets recommended by healthcare professionals should be considered for risk factors for depression, especially in men and obese patients. Professor Sumantra Ray, chief scientist at the NNEdPro Global Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health, added: 'This study adds to the emerging evidence linking dietary patterns and mental health, raising important questions about whether restrictive diets which are low in nutrients considered beneficial for cognitive health, such as omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B12, may precipitate depressive symptoms. 'But the effect sizes are small, with further statistical limitations limiting the generalisability of the findings.
