5 important things happening in the UK today

Here are 5 important things happening in the UK today, 16 September 2025.

Starmer refuses to quit: Prime Minister Keir Starmer has insisted he will not quit over the Lord Mandelson scandal and blamed his team for failing to brief him on the peer’s emails with Jeffrey Epstein. Asked if he would resign as Prime Minister in order to prevent a Reform government, he said: “No, because I’m absolutely clear what the task is in front of me, we have a crossroads really in terms of the future of this country. [Telegraph]
Pressure mounts on Prime Minister after another key exit: Starmer faces mounting pressure after the resignation of a third senior ally in two weeks raised further questions about the stability of his government. Paul Ovenden quit as the prime minister’s director of political strategy after the publication of old messages in which Ovenden relayed lewd jokes made at a party about the Labour MP Diane Abbott.[Guardian]
Google owner makes £5 billion AI investment in the UK: The world’s fourth-biggest company, Google-owner Alphabet, has announced a £5 billion investment in UK Artificial Intelligence. The money will be used for infrastructure and scientific research over the next two years – the first of several massive US investments being unveiled ahead of US President Donald Trump’s state visit. [BBC]
Concerns grow over the number of Brits leaving the workforce: A new levy on UK employers is needed to fund the creation of a universal in-work health service that can stem the rising tide of people leaving the workforce due to sickness and disability, a think-tank said on Monday. The Fabian Society is proposing an increase in the levy large employers currently pay to fund apprenticeships, which would be rebranded the “growth, skills and health levy”, as well as a lowering of the threshold at which employers would start paying the levy. [Financial Times]
On Tuesday, Oil was trading lower at $67.08. The pound is trading at $1.36, €1.16, and ¥9.69.