Max Colchester

Britain Correspondent for the Wall Street Journal. Covering Politics, National Security and of course Royalty. A tad French.

[Simon French @Frencheconomics]

If this deficit profile survives next year’s Spending Review, AND the 2024 manifesto tax pledges aren’t broken, then the UK government will deserve a lot of credit.

[Hugo Gye @HugoGye]

Grim!

[David Luhnow @davidluhnow]

More than one in every 10 people in the UK claim sickness or disability welfare.

Here's our deep-dive, with @MaximColch, into part of Britain's welfare state that's started to spiral out of control, threatening the country's finances.

https://t.co/GXBpyh8XNj via @WSJ

[Max Colchester @MaximColch]

Some 10% of Britain’s population is on at least one sickness and disability benefit.
The bill is on track to hit £130 billion by 2030.

It’s a scandal that is hamstringing politicians and inching the U.K. toward a fiscal reckoning. W/ @davidluhnow

https://t.co/tx3Dnkingh

[Max Colchester @MaximColch]

Man City's financial doping ripples to Burnham - who riffs on his persona as an everyday football fan - but is now trapped between a major UK investor and defending the integrity of the Premier League, a key export.

https://t.co/0PBDD4hTW5

[Rachael Bade @rachaelmbade]

This just might be the most bonkers political story I have read in my entire life

https://t.co/FzizXvzRDx

[David Luhnow @davidluhnow]

The incident at RAF Fairford showed how difficult it is for the UK, and the U.S., to protect air bases from new forms of attack like drones. Good explainer here from @MaximColch

https://t.co/GtrX660uUI via @WSJ

[Yaroslav Trofimov @yarotrof]

Europe’s biggest spy scandal of the century has just broken out.

[Max Colchester @MaximColch]

Inside France's fiscal time bomb. "We need shock therapy." Good piece by @SMeichtry @chelseydulaney
https://t.co/svqlqIFedo

[Shelby Holliday @shelbyholliday]

New: Urgent concerns about a complex drone attack ordered by Iran’s IRGC prompted the U.S. to move B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford.

The drones were part of a multifaceted plot to target the aircraft and kill American pilots, per officials:

https://t.co/PvAd0HAEiP via @WSJ

[Tom Calver @TomHCalver]

In fact, if we add in the minimum auto-enrolment employee contribution, the international tax league table looks very different.

Suddenly, on payroll taxes alone, the UK looks like a high tax country. We could go further, as the @CPSThinkTank has done: add in student loan payments and care fees, and Britain's tax take looks positively Scandinavian...

4/6

[Shelby Holliday @shelbyholliday]

New: The B-1 bombers were moved from RAF Fairford due to security concerns over suspected terror plots against the facility, American officials said Sunday.

https://t.co/crn95NfNVm

[Max Colchester @MaximColch]

U.S. abruptly pulls all B-1 bombers from Fairford due to concerns about security following a suspected Iranian plot against the RAF base, officials say. Major shift in strategy for the U.S. which used the base as a launch pad against Iran.
https://t.co/MAV3bHvUNU

[Faisal Islam @faisalislam]

NEW

Astonishing growth of Chinese car market share in the UK, revealed in just released SMMT figures, albeit it should not be surprising, as I wrote three years ago.

Just under 1 in 4 cars sold in the key month in September are Chinese brands/ built, just under 1 in 5 year to date, with Jaecoo 7 selling nearly 11k, top monthly seller (for second time after March and no 2 Year to date).

In a market that is overall up 10% YTD and 12% in September vs last year, Chinese market share is up over 100% to 18%, 319k (YTD) and 24%, 84k (Sept alone).

NB - am counting MG, BYD, Denza, Jaecoo, Chery, Omoda, Polestar, Smart, Lepas, Geely, Leapmotor, Changan, Xpeng, Aion, GWM, Skywell, Maxus.

[Fraser Nelson @FraserNelson]

What was once called the “moron premium” - the excess of UK borrowing rates over other major economics, a reflection of confidence - has hit a new high this morning.

[Max Colchester @MaximColch]

Andy Burnham and the unapologetic socialist makeover of Britain. What happens when the "Burnham bounce" collides with fiscal reality?

A few thoughts on Liverpool: https://t.co/JM09mSET9r

[Max Colchester @MaximColch]

“U.S. officials were aware of an Iran-linked plot to attack bombers at Fairford and kill personnel at the base.”

https://t.co/TiJEOwVifA

[Dave Brown @dave_brown24]

U.K. Probes Possible Iran Link to Suspected Terror Plot at Base Hosting U.S. Forces https://t.co/Eze274EIng @MaximColch

[Max Colchester @MaximColch]

Now King Charles wades into the AI debate trying to knock heads together at summit in Scotland with various tech chiefs. All of which raises the question whether the U.K. can position itself as an honest, if powerless, broker between the U.S. and China.

https://t.co/GMQJaHM5MU

[Max Colchester @MaximColch]

Anyway, here is a takeaway from the town hall meeting: https://t.co/I6mtV2ucEE

[Max Colchester @MaximColch]

Good fun to spend yesterday evening in Piddington village hall. As always it seems that locals' best chance of blocking the building of an asylum center is to deploy Natural England against the Home Office. Huge cheers when one lady announced finding a rare bat in the woods.