Dear John,

This week saw the UK host French President Emmanuel Macron for a state visit, a former Tory minister defect to Reform UK, fresh doctors’ strikes confirmed, and a new grouping of Labour MPs focused on living standards unveiled.

Monday also marked the 20th anniversary of the 7/7 bombings on London’s transport network, killing 52 people and injuring more than 770 others. Our thoughts remain with all those whose lives were forever changed that day, as well as with those who lost their loved ones.

As the UK swelters in our third heatwave of the summer, here to keep things cool is your Weekend Wire.

Stately visitors

The main story of the week was undoubtedly French President Emmanuel Macron, and his wife Brigitte, embarking on a three-day state visit to the UK. All the usual pomp and ceremony was deployed, from a glitzy royal welcome and a sombre tour of Westminster Abbey, to a state banquet at Windsor Castle, with guests including (Sirs) Mick Jagger and Elton John.

Amid the festivities, Macron and Prime Minister Keir Starmer found time for a UK-France summit, and a press conference announcing a new pilot scheme to send people who arrive in the UK on small boats back to France, in exchange for asylum seekers entering via a legal route.

But our CEO Naomi Smith was keeping a close eye on the visit - and its implications for the wider UK-EU relationship - and argues in an op-ed for Politics Home that Starmer and Macron’s warm words must yield concrete results, or benefit their far-right rivals. 

“Macron and Starmer face a simple choice: use this window to build a legacy of post-Brexit cooperation or risk feeding the narratives of their most dangerous political adversaries. In allowing the issue of small boats to dominate this visit, both Starmer and Macron have ceded a moment of potential to their domestic right-wing rivals. The two men chose an issue on which nothing they do will ever be enough. Both French and UK far-right parties thrive on failure and fracture.”

Read her thoughts in full on the Politics Home website. 

Oui to YMS

During his visit Macron also addressed MPs and peers in Parliament’s Royal Gallery, giving a more than thirty minute long speech in another language, seemingly without autocue.

The French President highlighted the need to increase opportunities for cultural, student and professional exchange. He appeared to refer to the reciprocal Youth Experience Scheme which the EU and the UK agreed to progress at the May reset summit, arguing: "Let's allow our children to have the same opportunities as we had.”

Best for Britain led the charge in the campaign for a better deal on youth mobility, to put an end to “young people on both sides of the Channel being denied life enhancing experiences that bring economic and cultural benefits to our societies”.

Read our CEO’s reaction in full on our website.

Navigating uncertainty

“He loves tariffs, he likes chaos, he likes to be in the limelight, he thinks the world is ripping the US off, he’s happy to put unusual things together in a deal.” - Dr Deborah Elms

On Thursday, we held the latest session of the UK Trade and Business Commission (UKTBC). Chaired by Labour MP Andrew Lewin, the cross-party, cross-industry body assesses UK trade policy and makes recommendations to the government.

This week’s session saw a panel of high level trade experts dissect UK and international trade policy in the age of Trump. Thanks to our witnesses, Professor Emily Lydgate, Dr Deborah Elms and Professor Jun Du for their insights. 

It was also great to hear from our commissioner, and former ambassador to the US, Lord Kim Darroch, who shared his thoughts on why Trump represents a “permanent risk” to UK trade. 

You can catch up on the full panel session via YouTube, or on the UKTBC website.

New Radicals

A new grouping of Labour MPs is calling on No10 to focus less on G7-level growth and more on helping Brits with the everyday costs of food, energy and childcare, ahead of the next election.

The Living Standards group of over 100 MPs wrote to Keir Starmer warning Labour risks losing the next election to Reform UK unless it focuses on putting money back into people’s pockets. After all, you only get what you give.

UKTBC chair Andrew Lewin, who is also on the group’s organising committee, told the Guardian: “It’s also a little bit less talking about the G7, a little bit more about groceries.”

And as Best for Britain has long argued: 

“No set of policies can boost the British economy, support our entrepreneurs - and generate the grassroots growth this government must deliver - like reducing trade barriers and securing closer ties with the EU across every industrial sector. Our polling shows voters know this is common sense.”

‘In out, in out…’ 

Reform UK were shaking it all about this week with another game of (not quite) MP hokey-cokey. 

On Saturday, it emerged the Reform MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock, James McMurdock, had “removed the party whip from himself” ahead of a Sunday Times story which alleged two businesses connected to him took out Covid-19 loans totalling £70,000 during the pandemic. The now-independent MP has insisted all of his business dealings “had always been conducted fully within the law and in compliance with all regulations”.

On Monday, it was revealed former Tory Welsh secretary David Jones was now backing Reform UK. But the former Clwyd West MP stood down at the 2024 election and has said he had no intention of running again.

The following day, McMurdock confirmed he would not return to Reform, after taking “specialist legal advice”, and said he would “continue my parliamentary career as an independent MP”. Commons leader Lucy Powell joked that the party was “really enthusiastically implementing a policy of one in, one out”. Still with us?

Then on Thursday, former Tory party chairman - under Liz Truss - Sir Jake Berry announced he had defected to join Reform, claiming his former party had “lost their way”. Sir Jake lost his seat of Rossendale and Darwen at the 2024 general election to Labour’s Andy MacNae, who took the seat with a majority of 6,000.

It marked a rare moment of harmony for both main parties, as a Labour spokesperson warned that Nigel Farage “wants Liz Truss’s reckless economics… to be Reform’s blueprint for Britain”, while a Tory spokesperson noted: “We wish Jake well in his new high-spend, high-tax party.”

Ouch…

‘Cynically misrepresenting’

This week the Conservatives made (a handful of) headlines with calls to limit sickness benefits to British citizens. It was initially floated by shadow Chancellor Mel Stride.

But while discussing the policy on TV, shadow policing minister Matt Vickers later appeared to conflate the numbers of foreign nationals claiming the benefit with the number of households where someone claims the benefit, which also have a foreign national living there. 

Cary Mitchell, Best for Britain’s director of strategy and operations, spoke to Byline Times about why this just doesn’t add up.

“The Conservatives are cynically and deliberately misrepresenting this general trend of their making to increase division.”

This has been your Weekend Wire from Best for Britain. 

Keep an eye out next week for a big speech from Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, the G20 finance meeting, and the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz dropping by. 

Have a good one (hopefully near a fan).

Jessica Frank-Keyes

Senior Press Officer

Best for Britain