Oscar Williams

🚨 NEW by @carolinee_hug and me UK is poised to announce a deal with the Trump administration on pharmaceutical pricing *today* Industry sources expecting something at 2 p.m. Details for POLITICO Pro subscribers here pro.politico.eu/news/209326

Scoop from @CharlieCooper8 -- Top of govt is split on key COP summit pledge. Keir Starmer flies into leaders' summit in Brazil next week, but UK commitment to rainforest fund is still unresolved. Story ⬇️

EXC: The U.K. has drawn up proposals to increase the amount the NHS pays pharma firms for drugs, in a bid to steer U.S. President Donald Trump away from threatened tariffs and head off intense pressure from the sector in Britain

India will retaliate with tariffs against EU and U.K. plans to impose carbon border taxes, New Delhi's Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal tells POLITICO politico.eu/article/india-…

EXCL Ex-No 10 foreign policy guru John Bew has been brought back to write the UK’s national security strategy. Bew (sacked by Starmer in ‘24) will outline how UK can keep its security partnership with Europe and US w/o choosing sides. More in Playbook politico.eu/newsletter/lon…

SCOOP: New Delhi has accepted the U.K. will only make limited concessions on visas in trade talks. The new rules will lead to around 100 new visas for Indian workers each year, a U.K. official told POLITICO. politico.eu/article/india-…

EXCLUSIVE: Starmer wants trade talks with Trump’s team to get going in the weeks ahead, he told POLITICO in an interview Thursday. Via @TimRoss_1 w/ assist from me. politico.eu/article/uk-kei…

I've spent over a year tracking the U.K.'s AI Safety Institute. From Rishi Sunak being played a deepfake of his own voice by Sam Altman to running pre-deployment tests on the most powerful models, this is its story 🧵: politico.eu/article/britai…

Much noise about the Bulb bailout this week but @nearlblog has nailed the light. Taxpayer was on the hook for about £3 billion. Govt now expects to recover the lot, according to letters seen by POLITICO pro.politico.eu/news/188671

Was Brexit responsible for the U.K.’s handover of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius? It's more likely than you might think... Story from me and @estwebber politico.eu/article/brexit…

How Brexit helped Britain lose the Chagos Islands — fascinating tale by @sophie_inge politico.eu/article/brexit…

🗓️ Britain's new look data reform bill — aka the Digital Information and Smart Data bill — set to be reintroduced to parliament late next week. More info on what's likely in there (and what's likely gone) in POLITICO's Morning Technology UK newsletter. Sneak peek:

Tomorrow’s Investment Summit will feature a session on “the U.K.’s creative assets” - but the Labour government is preparing to reduce copyright protections on those very assets to lure AI firms. Exclusive w/ @vmanancourt for Pros pro.politico.eu/news/187440

Revealed: Liz Truss pushed through $1.15 billion in U.K. taxpayer support for a Mozambique gas project now embroiled in allegations of abduction, murder and rape. politico.eu/article/liz-tr…

Scoop: The U.K. has further delayed the rollout of its post-Brexit border regime amid concerns that the technology is not ready. via @g_lanktree and myself pro.politico.eu/news/187089

2) And then turn to what London can learn from Sacramento’s doomed attempt to regulate the existential risks posed by powerful AI? politico.eu/article/califo…

Meet the world’s toughest trade negotiator. It’s not Donald Trump. Indian trade chief Piyush Goyal's showmanship and negotiating savvy are helping India shrug off the shadow of its colonial past. Transatlantic collab with @CamGijs & @tradereporter politico.eu/article/piyush…

BIG READ Putin threatens war as Western allies near deal on missile strikes in Russia Big read on the drumbeat towards a deal — nothing announced tomorrow but will be a crucial staging post We get inside all the issues & report from over the Atlantic politico.eu/article/russia…