UK food and drink exports to the EU down 34% since Brexit

British food and drink exports to the EU have tumbled by more than a third since Brexit, according to new trade body figures highlighting how bureaucratic barriers have changed the relationship between the UK and its most important trading partner.Products including whisky, chocolate and cheese remain popular with EU customers but overall food export volumes to the bloc fell to 6.37bn kg in 2024, representing a 34% decline compared with 2019 levels, the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) found.While some of the fall in exports since the UK left the union in January 2020 can be attributed to global events including the Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine, the FDF’s latest trade snapshot reveals other European countries including the Netherlands, Germany and Italy have increased their export volumes since 2020. The trade body has blamed post-Brexit trading arrangements for the slump in UK exports

Ireland could lose pharma tax to US after Trump accusations, experts warn

US pharmaceutical companies based in Ireland are more likely to shift profits back to the US than close manufacturing plants after Donald Trump accused Ireland of stealing American tax and jobs, experts say.Aidan Regan, a professor of political economy at University College Dublin, said the US president was right to call out the trade imbalance created by US pharmaceutical companies in Ireland, arguing the warning signs have been there for years.“Trump is right. And it was refreshingly honest what he said. I imagine the Irish government would feel the same way if it was Irish companies all over the globe making all their sales in Ireland but shipping their profits offshore,” he said

Young people: what rules around smartphone use should be put in place for children?

We would like to hear from people aged 18-24 about their childhood experiences with smartphones and social media, positive or negative.What approach would you take with your own children, as a result of lessons learned from your experience? Would you let them have access to a smartphone or social media, and how often? What rules would you put in place?You can tell us about your childhood experiences with smartphones using this form.Please include as much detail as possible. Please include as much detail as possible. Please note, the maximum file size is 5

AI should replace some work of civil servants, Starmer to announce

AI should replace the work of government officials where it can be done to the same standard, under new rules that have prompted unions to warn Keir Starmer to stop blaming problems on civil servants.As part of his plans for reshaping the state, the prime minister will on Thursday outline how a digital revolution will bring billions of pounds in savings to the government.Officials will be told to abide by a mantra that says: “No person’s substantive time should be spent on a task where digital or AI can do it better, quicker and to the same high quality and standard.”In his speech, Starmer will claim that more than £45bn can be saved by greater use of digital methods in Whitehall, even before AI is deployed, with 2,000 new tech apprentices to be recruited to the civil service.However, with bruising cuts on the way at this spring’s spending review, Dave Penman, the general secretary of the FDA union for senior civil servants, said: “Mantras that look like they’ve been written by ChatGPT are fine for setting out a mission, but spending rounds are about reality

NBC Universal agrees to $3bn extension to broadcast Olympics in US

NBC Universal has unveiled a $3bn extension of its Olympics deal, ensuring the Summer and Winter Games remain on NBC and its Peacock streaming service in the US until 2036.The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Comcast, the telecoms conglomerate which owns NBC, announced their latest lucrative partnership – the biggest single biggest source of revenue for the IOC – on Thursday.As a result, the US network will continue to broadcast the Olympics beyond the 2032 Games in Brisbane, when its previous deal was set to conclude. LA will host the Olympics in 2028.The deal means the 2034 Winter Olympics, in Salt Lake City, and the 2036 Summer Olympics, the host city of which has yet to be selected, will air on NBC in the US

Wales will combine ‘heart and brain’ as Sherratt aims to sign off with a win

Wales are aiming to surprise England with a combination of “heart and brain” when the two teams meet in Cardiff on Saturday. The caretaker Wales coach, Matt Sherratt, in his final game in charge, believes his team can upset the odds and avoid a 17th successive Test defeat and a second consecutive tournament whitewash.Sherratt has already helped improve squad morale after the abrupt mid-season departure of Warren Gatland and would love to conclude the campaign with a win to reward the hard work of all involved in the Welsh setup. “If that win comes it would give everyone a massive lift, especially against England at home,” said Sherratt, who will revert to his existing job with Cardiff next week.“I would love to sign off [with a win], not for me but for the players and staff who have been here for a long time