I wonder what untruths Rachel Reeves will bring back from her visit to China? Sleight of hand is her stock in trade after all. For instance she told us that rail fares have been frozen this year - in fact the majority of fares increased. #bbcpm

Who cares whether they are singing on the bus or not? Does Tim Harford use that as a trade deal lead indicator measure?! #wato

Visa free travel to China makes business trips easier. Holidaymakers going there doesn’t really help the UK economy though. #wato

Germany has downgraded its GDP forecast to just 1 percent, despite historic levels of €1 trillion fiscal stimulus. Its structural economic weakness is taking a lot longer to resolve than expected. 🇩🇪 #wato

Any Chinese automotive investment in UK as a result of trade deals will be interesting. The number of vehicles built in Britain last year fell to the lowest level since the early 1950s. #wato

We are told that inflation is going to return to 2 percent from the current 3.8 percent next year. Yet water bills are going up 5.4%, council tax 5%, food inflation is still rising, non-regulated train fares are rising, private rent rise average is 4%. 🤔🤔🤔 #r4today

With so many parents not preparing their kids how to go to the toilet, how to swim or even how to use a toothbrush, what chance those parents will prioritise time for setting parental blocks on phones? Or even care? #r4today

I’m sure HK and Taiwan “came up”. Starmer would have said: “These matters are important.” Xi would have replied: “What’s next on the agenda?” #r4today

Looking forward to driverless taxis across the country- in our city, cab drivers are so unsafe, I avoid them at all costs. #r4today

Assisted Dying Bill passed in the Commons and has 70%+ support from the public. To put up 1000+ amendments is ironically designed to be death of the bill by a thousand cuts. This is not what the Lords is for. #r4today

I imagine Starmer has offered to build closer ties with China, rather than “told” Xi anything. #r4today

Of all the potential candidates to replace Starmer, I’m surprising myself by warming to Shabana. It’s simply because she expresses herself clearly and in detail. That is Starmer’s greatest weakness, whilst Rayner & Burnham bring more heat than light #bbcpm

What’s the difference between Starmer and Nato Sect. General Mark Rutte vying to be Trump’s Flatterer-In-Chief? Rutte gets results. His private chat at Davos wound back Trump’s threats to invade Greenland, at the very small cost of simply exploring future US bases there. #r4today

The only positive thing that could be said about the “Board of Peace” idea is that it would be more fleet of foot than the divided UN Security Council and peacekeeping operations. But being run by Trump makes it a non starter. Making UN better not weaker should be the focus. #r4today

There are already lots of AI courses available already, both free and paid for. Why do we need state run ones? #r4today

US consumer confidence has fallen to its weakest level in more than a decade, outstripping pandemic lows. (Source: FT) The GDP boom in US doesn’t reflect that….yet. #r4today

My biggest fear is that China will offer to invest billions in UK infrastructure- and Starmer will agree, despite the obvious security concerns. Think Huawei on steroids. #r4today

I’d expect China to offer the UK more service sector trade - banks/finance, consulting etc. China wants ongoing free trade to exports its cars and solar panels, other tech into UK. That will be a cost to UK manufacturing and security. Starmer will do it anyway. #r4today

Feta cheese and digestive biscuits- don’t knock it till you’ve tried it. 😋

Starmer tries to pretend blocking Burnham is in Labour’s interest. If they lose the by-election, it will be impossible to deny that he put his own interests before the party. That could make failure in the May elections terminal for him. #r4today

I was in London last night to see a show, and fancied a drink afterwards. Entering a pub, the chairs were on the tables - “we’re closed” I was told. It was 9.30pm. Pubs are really struggling. #r4today

Burnham hasn’t just won each of his mayoralty elections in Manchester - he also won every single ward in the city, bar one. #r4today

What larks to read the po faced critics of the Guardian and Observer slate “Oh Mary” - the bawdy send up of the first couple Lincoln’s and his assassination, currently running in the West End after Broadway success. In a world of American shame, this was 80 minutes of escapist fun - lighten up.

The Greenland ice sheet holds enough ice to raise global sea level by over 7 m. Even half a metre of melt would devastate Country is like Bangladesh and Vietnam. Since 2012, Arctic temperatures have risen four times faster than the global average. #ClimateEmergency

Five carriages on this train, I’ve walked the length of it. Each one has someone with a phone blaring out noise on speaker and them shouting back into it. How did people become so inconsiderate of others? 😣

Starmer cites “very important local elections” as things they must focus on. Like the 29 elections that are being postponed because Labour fears for the results?! You’re kidding no one, Pinocchio. #wato #bbcpm

Sending some love and help to snowbound New Yorkers with a little help from my friends 🤗 #wato

There’s a bit of an arts magazine feel to #r4today this morning.

A National year of reading seems an odd concept to promote - shouldn’t every year be about reading? #r4today

Not much coverage into what constituents of Gorton and Denton think about blocking a candidate. I doubt they would be positive about choice being made in Westminster. Labour may well lose the seat as a result. A small price for Starmer to pay, but would be a sign of his bunker survival. #r4today

Given the potential leadership challengers to Starmer, Shabana looked more viable today than ever before. As the only one with any experience of the big seats of power, the Home Secretary makes Burnham and Streeting look rather ordinary in terms of gravitas. #bbclaurak

Davos is over, when Macron and Carney turned Trump around on Greenland. 👏 This has exposed how Starmer’s flattery fest of Trump has failed the test of time - a pity it had to take the rest of the G7 to show him that. #bbclaurak

Listening to Washington Post’s Capehart on AI, some of the use case examples are amazing. Eg metal weld testing takes minutes for an experienced human, versus seconds for AI. Increased safety at lower cost, freeing humans from what is an essentially quite mundane if important task. #r4today

Some speculation that the WEF has outgrown Davos and needs to relocate, after long queues to reach the alpine resort. Costs and elitism are other constraints. Swiss will resist it tooth and nail of course - it’s a huge money spinner for them. And that is what WEF is all about. 🤑🤑🤑 #c4news

Within five years of the 2020 pandemic recession, global GDP is 10 percent higher than then. That’s the fastest global recession recovery for >50 years. But it’s been uneven- driven by the high income nations. This went largely unnoticed at Davos because it is a rich country’s forum. #r4today

Our City Council Election in May is one of the twenty nine to be postponed. Labour Council leader cited the reason as “a complete rebuild of the council system.” No doubt when their electoral prospects improve, that will count as “rebuilt”. Until then, democratic accountability is cancelled. #wato

Steel, cement & chemical industry groups delivered an excoriating review of Govt’s carbon border tax, launching Jan 2027. In particular, why a single rate for each sector based on average emissions is being used, rather than differentiating by product type as EU scheme does? 🤷🏻‍♂️ Source: FT #r4today

With all the limelight on Davos, Farage has been quietly growing links in the UAE and will visit next week. A number of Reform members have connections there including Zahawi & Tice. They see fundraising opportunities with expats there, as well as developing political relations. Source: FT #r4today

Moran on Greenland sovereignty: “Let’s put it to a referendum.” Oh boy. #bbcqt

Thornberry now says that “Supreme Court may overrule his sanctions this week.” They are ruling on tariffs, Emily, not sanctions! Tariffs are taxes on imports. Sanctions are embargoes. Do sober up. #r4today #bbcqt

Leyla Moran getting all shouty now too. What has the BBC been serving up in the green room?! 🍷 #bbcqt

Thornberry: “We’ve pulled this back from the brink.” Who is this we? It’s Macron, Carney and von der Leyen who checked Trump’s rhetoric. They are the leaders who went to Davos and stood up to him. Starmer didn’t even front up with his G7 leadership peers. #bbcqt

Dow up nearly 500 pts today. Back in balance.

Zelenskyy: “Europe loves to discuss the future but avoids taking action today. Where is the line of leaders who are ready to act?” Provocative for sure, but I understand why he says that when Russian drones are causing blackouts, disrupting heating and power, even water in sub-zero Ukraine. #bbcpm

If Burnham applies to be the MP, and someone else is chosen to stand instead, it will look like cowardice. #bbcpm

Weird price point tracking of random items to test inflation. And if you read the FT, you really should take subscription - it costs me a fraction of £3.70 a day! #bbcpm

Latest US GDP figures for Q3 revised upwards to 4.4 percent, due to stronger exports - the highest for two years. Completely different league to all other G7. G7 GDP Growth Rates (Q3 2025) United Kingdom: 0.1% France: 0.5%. Canada: 0.1%. Germany: 0.0% Italy: 0.0% Japan: -0.4% #bbcpm

Let’s cheer ourselves up after Davos - this tongue-in-cheek “ how to speak Davosian” from the FT did make me laugh and has more than a grain of truth in it. 😃 Enjoy! #wato

Good news - Government borrowing went down in December year on year. Bad news - that’s because taxes went up of course. #wato

Trump’s imperialism could have a blowback that would make even him see the folly of his actions. As big pension schemes’ large allocations to US bonds mature, they may redirect much of it to more stable places like Europe. Euro owns $8 trillion of US treasuries & stocks. 🤔 Source: FT Op Ed #r4today