The General Affairs Council on the EU side will discuss the state of play of EU-UK relations later this week, with the file taking on added sensitivity given Sir Keir Starmer’s domestic difficulties. Brussels is increasingly factoring UK political volatility into its working assumptions on regulatory cooperation, defence partnership, and the future financial services framework.
With the London Stock Exchange closed for the Spring Bank Holiday on Monday 25 May 2026, UK investors and homeowners are looking ahead to the Bank of England’s 18 June rate decision. FTSE 100 closed Friday at 10,466.26 (+2.7% week-on-week), while Nationwide cut its 2-year fixed mortgage at 60% LTV to 4.35%.
Over 95 Labour MPs have now publicly called on Sir Keir Starmer to resign or set out a departure timetable, while Andy Burnham’s Makerfield by-election candidacy was approved by the NEC on 15 May. With a YouGov net favourability of -57 matched only by Liz Truss, the Prime Minister enters one of the most precarious phases of his premiership.
Between 26 May and 1 June 2026, the EU institutional agenda intensifies ahead of the June European Council, with foreign ministers gathering for the informal Gymnich meeting on 27-28 May, the Competitiveness Council debating the Industrial Accelerator Act on 28-29 May, and the EU-Western Balkans summit setting strategic enlargement direction.
While Wall Street and the London Stock Exchange remained closed on Monday 25 May 2026 for Memorial Day and Spring Bank Holiday respectively, the Paris Stock Exchange operated normally despite the Whit Monday public holiday in France. Brent crude fell about 5% to under $99 a barrel as President Trump described US-Iran talks as proceeding in a ‘constructive manner’.
Three weeks after the first-ever EU-Armenia summit, held in Yerevan on 4 and 5 May 2026, the European Union institutions are mapping out the practical path toward an expected Armenian membership application by late 2026. The summit marked Armenia’s most decisive pivot toward the EU institutional space since the adoption of its EU Integration Act in 2025.
Following the European Commission’s preliminary findings of 29 April 2026 that Meta’s Instagram and Facebook are in breach of the Digital Services Act on the protection of minors under 13, the US tech giant faces fines of up to 6% of its global annual turnover. The case represents one of the most direct DSA enforcement actions to date.
On 20 May 2026, the Council Presidency and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on two regulations implementing the EU-US Joint Statement of August 2025, fixing a 15% tariff ceiling on EU exports to the US with a sunset clause through 2029. The deal also includes a robust safeguard mechanism on steel and aluminium.
The European Commission has launched a comprehensive review of the General Data Protection Regulation as the landmark legislation marks its tenth anniversary, with officials pledging targeted reforms to address mounting challenges posed by generative artificial intelligence and persistent enforcement gaps across member states. During commemorative events held between 22 and 24 May, Commission officials acknowledged…
London’s premier equity indices closed the week ending 24 May on a buoyant note, with the FTSE 100 reaching a record high of 9,158 points as investors welcomed the Bank of England’s decision to maintain interest rates and absorbed optimistic forecasts from major Wall Street analysts. The domestically-focused FTSE 250 posted stronger gains, climbing 0.9%…
