Politics

5 top UK news stories today: Starmer unlikely to be in office by July, no jobs for young UK workers, minimum wage to be revisited & more (18 February 2026)

Ryan Brothwell 18 February 2026 3 min read

Here’s your UK news roundup for Tuesday (18 February 2026):

Starmer unlikely to be in office by July

Prime Minister Keir Starmer is likely to be ousted from office before the end of July, according to a top investment bank, which warned that, irrespective of whether there’s a change in leadership, the Labour Party is likely to lurch leftwards on economic policy. Analysts at Jefferies said the Prime Minister had been left vulnerable by a succession of damaging news stories, meaning there are now “60 per cent odds of him leaving by the summer”. “If Starmer stays, it is likely to be through concessions to the left-leaning camp of Labour,” they wrote in a regular macroeconomic strategy note. “If Starmer goes, he is likely to be replaced by a left-leaning candidate. Either scenario would be negative for the fiscal picture in the UK.” [CityAM]

No jobs for young UK workers

Young people are bearing the brunt of the UK’s weak labour market, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Some 16.1% of people aged 16 to 24 are not able to find work, compared to a national unemployment figure of 5.1%. That does not include young people who are out of work but not looking for a job, due to ill health or who are still studying. Businesses, particularly in sectors that traditionally give young people their first jobs, like retail and hospitality, say higher costs are leading them to cut staff or not take on new hires, which often hits young workers the hardest. But graduate-level roles are also proving harder to land. [BBC]

Minimum wage to be relooked at

Ministers are considering ditching Labour’s manifesto pledge to pay young people the same national minimum wage as older workers amid warnings it is fuelling record youth unemployment. Business groups have told ministers they are ‘pricing a generation of young people out of the workplace’ by increasing the cost of hiring workers through rises to the national living wage, wider employment rights, and a tax raid on employers’ national insurance. In response, ministers are reviewing their promise to equalise national minimum wage rates by the time of the next election. A decision could come within months when the government sets its annual remit to the Low Pay Commission, which makes recommendations for rises in the national living wage. [The Times]

One in nine new homes in England built in areas of flood risk

One in nine new homes in England built between 2022 and 2024 were constructed in areas that could now be at risk of flooding, according to new data. The figures show the number of homes being built in risky areas is on the rise – a previous analysis showed that between 2013 and 2022, one in 13 new homes were in potential flooding zones. The research comes with the government under huge pressure to deliver new affordable housing, amid signs that the climate breakdown is accelerating. [Guardian]