Last week in Westminster was a tale of two political fronts: international triumph and domestic difficulty. At the forefront of the headlines was Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s trade diplomacy, culminating in not one but two large trade announcements. First came the deal with India, which immediately triggered a backlash from opposition MPs over immigration visas and the lack of Commons scrutiny. It is important to note, however, a similar deal had been sought by the former Conservative administrations for many years, principally by the then Trade Secretary, Kemi Badenoch. Following this, somewhat surprisingly, Starmer and Donald Trump unveiled a new UK–U.S. trade agreement; a partial détente that aims to reverse some of the damage from Trump’s tariff-heavy America First policies.
The U.S. deal includes notable concessions: reduced tariffs on British steel, aluminium and cars, and new access for American beef. Despite Trump claiming the deal to be “comprehensive” it was certainly not the full free trade agreement many had hoped for post-Brexit. The UK resisted demands to weaken its digital services tax leaving a future tech partnership in the pipeline. The pact has drawn cautious praise even from some Conservative benches, though Reform has framed it as a betrayal of British farmers.
But if foreign policy gave the government a win, immigration policy has thrust it straight into the domestic firing line. Today, Starmer will launch Labour’s landmark immigration white paper, pitched as a defining policy moment and a response to rising public discontent, particularly the growing electoral threat from Reform.
The plan includes abolishing care worker visas for new overseas recruits (despite care sector warnings); raising the bar for skilled worker visas; reintroducing degree-level thresholds scrapped under Boris Johnson; new requirements for employers to train British workers, including mandatory workforce strategies and apprenticeship schemes if they want to recruit from abroad; and graduate visas tightened to ensure foreign students must find graduate-level employment or leave the UK.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described the current immigration model as a “failed free market experiment” and said Labour would end the “discount” employers receive by hiring from overseas. But her media rounds triggered a fierce backlash: UNISON said the NHS and care sectors “would have collapsed” without overseas workers, and Reform dismissed the plans as “tinkering at the edges”. Meanwhile, Conservatives plan to force a vote on disapplying the Human Rights Act entirely from immigration matters.
Elsewhere, Labour was exposed by revelations that its football regulator nominee David Kogan had made large donations to the party, raising transparency concerns. The Bill is still working its way through Parliament, and it is yet clear how stringent the regulations will be on one of the UK’s most successful exports.
Looking ahead, debate is set to intensify over the India deal’s immigration elements and the democratic oversight of trade policy. Further, the backlash over welfare reform, winter fuel cuts and disability benefit changes continue to deepen, with more than 80 Labour MPs signing a letter of protest.
Despite this, the May 19th UK-EU summit may offer a moment of reprieve for the government. A draft statement shows the UK and EU are expected to agree to hold annual summits to review and strengthen their post-Brexit bilateral relationship. The draft reaffirms both parties’ commitment to fully implementing the Withdrawal Agreement, Windsor Framework, and Trade and Cooperation Agreement. It also highlights shared priorities, including continued support for Ukraine, pressure on Russia, and addressing irregular migration through cooperation with third countries.
Regardless, the Starmer administration must find a way to achieve more domestic success, instead of relying on foreign policy wins to save their stuttering start to governance.
What’s On in Parliament
Monday 12th May
House of Commons
- Oral Questions: Work and Pensions
- Urgent Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade if he will make a statement on progress towards a US Free Trade Agreement
- Westminster Hall debate: e-petition 702844 relating to the Income Tax Personal Allowance
House of Lords
- Oral Questions: Protecting and increasing trade between the UK and the USA
- Legislation: Data (Use and Access) Bill - Consideration of Commons amendments
- Legislation: Renters’ Rights Bill – Committee stage (day 5)
Tuesday 13th May
House of Commons
- Oral Questions: Foreign, Commonwealth and Development (including Topical Questions)
- Westminster Hall debate: Reform of the standard method for assessing local housing need
- Westminster Hall debate: Government support for defence industries in the North East
House of Lords
- Legislation: Employment Rights Bill - committee stage (day 3)
- Oral Questions: Improving the morale, recruitment and retention of police, prison and probation officers
- Oral Questions: Encouraging scientists from around the world to do their research and work in the United Kingdom
Wednesday 14th May
House of Commons
- Oral Questions: Science, Innovation and Technology (including Topical Questions)
- Prime Minister's Question Time
- Westminster Hall debate: Future new towns
- Treasury Committee : Oral evidence: National Wealth Fund
House of Lords
- Oral Questions: Ensuring that technology and telecommunication firms contribute to the cost of fraud prevention and the reimbursement of victims of fraud that arises on their platforms
- Oral Questions: Government discussions with the insurance sector about the cost of illegally operated e-scooters
- Legislation: Renters’ Rights Bill – committee stage (day 6)
Thursday 15th May
House of Commons
- Oral Questions: Transport (including Topical Questions)
- Backbench Business: General debate on solar farms
- Westminster Hall debate: Funding for GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, and the Global Fund
House of Lords
- Oral Questions: Support for ex-offenders on their transition from life in prison to their reintegration into society
- Oral Questions: Potential impact of proposed planning reforms on productivity in the UK, specifically in relation to the impact of the reforms on the cost of energy and housing
- Legislation: Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill – second reading
Friday 16th May
House of Commons
- Private Members' Bills: Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Remaining Stages
- Private Members' Bills: Courts (Remote Hearings) Bill: Second Reading
- Private Members' Bills: Political Donations Bill: Second Reading
- Private Members' Bills: Arm's-Length Bodies (Accountability to Parliament) Bill: Second Reading
House of Lords
- There are no debates scheduled.
Consultations
- Innovative hydrogen-to-power projects– closes 12th May
- Better use of new and improved third party data – closes 21st May
- Package travel legislation: consultation on proposed amendments – closes 30th June
Statistics
- Weekly all-cause mortality surveillance: 2024 to 2025 – published 8th May
- Coal mining production and manpower returns 2025 – published 9th May
- Economic activity and social change in the UK, real-time indicators: 9 May 2025 – published 9th May