Atticus Agenda (06/06/25)

As the dust settles from last week’s local election tremors, Westminster is already showing signs of structural damage. Reform UK’s leap from fringe to force - installing mayors, councillors, and now its first female MP - has cracked the ground beneath Labour and the Tories alike. The question in Parliament isn’t just how both parties rebuild, but whether they can.

Labour and the Conservatives are bleeding - but it's Labour that’s conducting its autopsy in the open. Louise Haigh, once a rising star and recently ousted from the transport brief, has stepped forward with what many on the party’s left consider a lifeline, and what others are calling a challenge to Starmer’s core strategy. By openly criticising Labour’s strategy as “alarming” and calling for a break from the party’s self-imposed fiscal constraints, she sharpened the debate over Labour’s economic credibility. Writing in The Times and The Guardian, Haigh called for a new industrial strategy, increased investment, and an end to what she termed the “simplistic” belief courting the political right would stem Reform’s rise.

This comes amid internal dissent over energy policy, social spending, and the party’s economic direction. Trade unions are calling out the lack of meaningful progress on job creation in green industries, while Treasury officials quietly confirm further welfare budget cuts are under discussion - despite clear voter backlash.

The shockwaves are not just domestic. Donald Trump’s floated plan to impose 100% tariffs on foreign films has triggered serious alarm across the UK’s film and television sector. Industry leaders warn the proposed policy could devastate British exports to the U.S., a market that underpins thousands of jobs and billions in revenue. The British Film Institute described the prospect as “existential,” with some executives already bracing for paused productions and slashed budgets.

Politics wasn’t confined to policy desks this week, either. Former Vice President Kamala Harris’ unexpected appearance at the Met Gala last night - clad in Off-White and unmistakably poised for renewed media attention - lit up both cultural and political channels in the States. In an election year defined by narrative warfare, Harris’ presence was more than performative. For the UK, whose own creative and luxury sectors are deeply intertwined with transatlantic flows of capital, talent, and symbolism, this is a reminder: culture is strategy.

As Starmer prepares for the Joint Expeditionary Force summit in Norway later this week, foreign policy analysts are watching to see whether Labour will use the event to reassert Britain’s international leadership - particularly after Brussels dealt a quiet blow last week by blocking access to Schengen and Eurodac crime databases.

From potential welfare U-turns and investment stagnation to energy transition disputes and regulatory divergence in Reform-led regions, business leaders and investors face a uniquely unstable environment. Political risk remains a key domestic variable, where the stakes for policy clarity and strategic coherence could not be higher.

What’s On in Parliament

Tuesday 6^th May 

House of Commons

• Oral Questions: Health and Social Care
• General Debate: 80^th anniversary of victory in Europe and victory over Japan
• Westminster Hall debate: Energy resilience 

House of Lords

• Oral Questions: Plans to use artificial intelligence to improve public services
• Legislation: Renters’ Rights Bill – committee stage (day 4)
• Order and regulations: Infrastructure Planning (Onshore Wind and Solar Generation) Order 2025 

Wednesday 7^th May 

House of Commons

• Oral Questions: Women and Equalities
• Legislation: Data (Use and Access) Bill: Remaining stages
• Westminster Hall debate: Barriers to defence sector financing  

House of Lords

• Oral Questions: Supporting teachers and schools to reduce pupil absenteeism 
• Legislation: Sentencing Guidelines (Pre-sentence Reports) Bill – second reading 
• Oral Evidence: International Relations and Defence Committee – The UK’s future relationship with the US 

Thursday 8^th May  

House of Commons

• Oral Questions: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
• Backbench Business: General debate on St George’s day and English affairs
• Westminster Hall debate: Cold and damp homes  

House of Lords

• Oral Questions: Assessment of the increased risk of wildfires caused by climate change and Wildfire Strategy and Action Plan 
• Legislation: Property (Digital Assets etc) Bill – third reading  

Friday 9^th May

House of Commons

The House of Commons is not sitting. The House will next sit on 12 May 2025.

House of Lords

• Debate: 80^th Anniversary of Victory in Europe and Victory Over Japan

Consultations

• Promoting electronic invoicing across UK businesses and the public sector – closes 7^th May
• Amending our Taking Regulatory Action policy – closes 15^th May
• Supported Housing regulation – closes 15^th May

Statistics

• Further education and skills inspections and outcomes: management information from September 2024 to August 2025 – published 6^th May
• Average household income, UK: financial year ending 2024 – published 2^nd May
• Economic activity and social change in the UK, real-time indicators – published 1^st May
• Energy Trends: UK renewables – published 29^th April