5 important things happening in the UK today

Here are 5 important things happening in the UK today – 23 July 2025.

• British car and van production hits worst low in decades: The British vehicle manufacturing industry has reached its lowest production levels since 1953, excluding the Covid shutdown. The decline in production was driven by carmakers closing plants and uncertainty over the future of US tariffs. [BBC]
• Keni Badenoch compares herself to Javier Milei: In an interview with the Financial Times, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch compared herself with Argentine arch-capitalist Javier Milei, stating she has similar ambitions to slash state spending. Badenoch distanced herself from the more combative rhetoric of Reform UK, which leads the opposition party in the polls. [Financial Times]
• Donald Trump’s state visit to be met with protest: The upcoming state visit of US president Donald Trump to Scotland, slated for Friday 24 July, is expected to be met with a wave of resistance by locals. The Scottish Police Federation has stressed the scale of the operation required to ensure security and noted that response times may be longer during the visit. [Guardian]
• Stocks surge across Europe: The FTSE 100 is poised to reach another record high and European stocks are surging as investors place their hopes in an upcoming trade deal with the United States. It has been reported that the EU and the US are moving towards a deal that would set 15% tariffs for most imports .[Bloomberg]
• On Thursday, Oil was trading slightly higher at $69.26. The pound is trading at £1.36 to the dollar, £1.15 to the euro and £9.71 to the yuan.

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