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A former Labour MP who left the party four years ago over antisemitism under Jeremy Corbyn has rejoined.

Luciana Berger, who is Jewish, quit the party in February 2019, saying she could not “remain in a party that I have today come to the sickening conclusion is institutionally antisemitic”.

But Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer revealed Ms Berger, the Liverpool Wavertree MP from 2010 to 2019, had accepted his invitation to rejoin Labour.

“My test for change was whether those who were rightly appalled by how far we had fallen believe this is their party again,” he tweeted.

“I know we’ve more to do but we’re unrecognisable from the party that forced her out.”

Sir Keir shared images of the letter he had sent to Ms Berger apologising to her “again on behalf of the whole party” for the “disgusting” antisemitic abuse she received while Mr Corbyn was leader.

He said she had been “forced out by intimidation, thuggery and racism” in a “stain on Labour’s history” and invited her back to the party.

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Ms Berger lost her seat after joining the fledgling party Change UK, then later the Liberal Democrats.

In her reply to Sir Keir, Ms Berger said: “I am looking forward to rejoining the party and working with you to continue what you have started.

“It is time to replace this reckless and divisive government and ultimately make the difference our country so desperately deserves.”

Labour ‘fell into the depths of the abyss’ under Corbyn

Ms Berger said she was “pleased” with the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s decision to no longer monitor the party over antisemitism, but added: “As you [Sir Keir] have rightly said, this is not a moment for celebration and there is a great deal more to do.”

She claimed the party “fell into the depths of the abyss under Jeremy Corbyn’s reign”.

“I never expected to bear witness to the volume and toxicity of anti-Jewish racism espoused by people who had been allowed to join Labour, and to experience a leadership that treated antisemitism within the party’s ranks differently to every other kind of racism – and that by refusing to condemn it, encouraged it,” she said.

“But that is exactly what happened.”

Sir Keir wrote: “Before you were forced out of the party, you were an outstanding Member of Parliament.”

He said the party and British politics are “poorer places” without her, and apologised to her for the “intolerable and unacceptable” experience she had.

“The abuse you suffered was disgusting. You were left isolated and exposed. Shamefully, those who should have defended you stood by.

“The Labour Party – our party – has always prided itself on being a party of equality, collectivism, solidarity and anti-racism.

“But during those dark days we were none of those things.”

Her return was applauded by several from the party hierarchy, including shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves who tweeted: “So pleased to have you back, Luciana.”

Peter Kyle, the party’s Northern Ireland spokesman, tweeted: “An emotional and healing moment. The Labour Party and Luciana…friends finally reunited. I’m grateful to @Keir_Starmer for making this possible, and in awe of @lucianaberger’s strength and compassion for giving us this precious second chance. Labour has changed for the better.”

Margaret Hodge, another of Labour’s critics of Mr Corbyn, said on Twitter: “Welcome back Luciana! It’s so important that those who were pushed out of the Labour Party because of vile antisemitism now feel able to return to their political home. We’ve come so far. Labour is proudly an outward looking, tolerant & inclusive party once again.”

Jewish Labour Movement added: “Our former Parliamentary Chair @lucianaberger is a hero of the Labour Movement. What happened to her under Corbyn’s leadership was a disgrace and she showed immense bravery. That she feels now is the time to rejoin shows the party is on the right track.”

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‘Jeremy Corbyn will not stand for Labour’

Starmer rules out Corbyn standing for Labour at next election

Marking the EHRC’s decision to no longer monitor the party for antisemitism, Sir Keir ruled out allowing Jeremy Corbyn to stand as a Labour candidate in the next general election.

The human rights watchdog in 2020 found the party broke equality law over its handling of antisemitic complaints.

Mr Corbyn rejected some of the report’s findings and claimed the issue had been “dramatically overstated for political reasons” – comments which led to Labour’s headquarters suspending him from the party.

Ms Berger joined the board of online used-car retailer Cazoo in August 2021 as chair of its environmental, social and governance (ESG) committee.

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Financial markets were always going to respond to Trump tariffs but they’re also battling with another problem

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Financial markets were always going to respond to Trump tariffs but they're also battling with another problem

Global financial markets gave a clear vote of no-confidence in President Trump’s economic policy.

The damage it will do is obvious: costs for companies will rise, hitting their earnings.

The consequences will ripple throughout the global economy, with economists now raising their expectations for a recession, not only in the US, but across the world.

Tariffs latest: FTSE 100 suffers biggest daily drop since COVID

Financial investors had been gradually re-calibrating their expectations of Donald Trump over the past few months.

Hopes that his actions may not match his rhetoric were dashed on Wednesday as he imposed sweeping tariffs on the US’ trading partners, ratcheting up protectionism to a level not seen in more than a century.

Markets were always going to respond to that but they are also battling with another problem: the lack of certainty when it comes to Trump.

More on Donald Trump

He is a capricious figure and we can only guess his next move. Will he row back? How far is he willing to negotiate and offer concessions?

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These are massive unknowns, which are piled on to uncertainty about how countries will respond.

China has already retaliated and Europe has indicated it will go further.

That will compound the problems for the global economy and undoubtedly send shivers through the markets.

Much is yet to be determined, but if there’s one thing markets hate, it’s uncertainty.

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Court confirms sacking of South Korean president who declared martial law

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Court confirms sacking of South Korean president who declared martial law

South Korea’s constitutional court has confirmed the dismissal of President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached in December after declaring martial law.

His decision to send troops onto the streets led to the country’s worst political crisis in decades.

The court ruled to uphold the impeachment saying the conservative leader “violated his duty as commander-in-chief by mobilising troops” when he declared martial law.

The president was also said to have taken actions “beyond the powers provided in the constitution”.

Demonstrators who stayed overnight near the constitutional court wait for the start of a rally calling for the president to step down. Pic: AP
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Demonstrators stayed overnight near the constitutional court. Pic: AP

Supporters and opponents of the president gathered in their thousands in central Seoul as they awaited the ruling.

The 64-year-old shocked MPs, the public and international allies in early December when he declared martial law, meaning all existing laws regarding civilians were suspended in place of military law.

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More on South Korea

The Constitutional Court is under heavy police security guard ahead of the announcement of the impeachment trial. Pic: AP
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The court was under heavy police security guard ahead of the announcement. Pic: AP

After suddenly declaring martial law, Mr Yoon sent hundreds of soldiers and police officers to the National Assembly.

He has argued that he sought to maintain order, but some senior military and police officers sent there have told hearings and investigators that Mr Yoon ordered them to drag out politicians to prevent an assembly vote on his decree.

His presidential powers were suspended when the opposition-dominated assembly voted to impeach him on 14 December, accusing him of rebellion.

The unanimous verdict to uphold parliament’s impeachment and remove Mr Yoon from office required the support of at least six of the court’s eight justices.

South Korea must hold a national election within two months to find a new leader.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, is the early favourite to become the country’s next president, according to surveys.

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Stock markets suffer sharp drops after Donald Trump announces sweeping tariffs

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Stock markets suffer sharp drops after Donald Trump announces sweeping tariffs

Stock markets around the world fell on Thursday after Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs – with some economists now fearing a recession.

The US president announced tariffs for almost every country – including 10% rates on imports from the UK – on Wednesday evening, sending financial markets reeling.

While the UK’s FTSE 100 closed down 1.55% and the continent’s STOXX Europe 600 index was down 2.67% as of 5.30pm, it was American traders who were hit the most.

Trump tariffs latest: US stock markets tumble

All three of the US’s major markets opened to sharp losses on Thursday morning.

A person works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Monday, March 31, 2025. Pic: AP
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The S&P 500 is set for its worst day of trading since the COVID-19 pandemic. File pic: AP

By 8.30pm UK time (3.30pm EST), The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 3.7%, the S&P 500 opened with a drop of 4.4%, and the Nasdaq composite was down 5.6%.

Compared to their values when Donald Trump was inaugurated, the three markets were down around 5.6%, 8.7% and 14.4%, respectively, according to LSEG.

More on Donald Trump

Worst one-day losses since COVID

As Wall Street trading ended at 9pm in the UK, two indexes had suffered their worst one-day losses since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The S&P 500 fell 4.85%, the Nasdaq dropped 6%, and the Dow Jones fell 4%.

It marks Nasdaq’s biggest daily percentage drop since March 2020 at the start of COVID, and the largest drop for the Dow Jones since June 2020.

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The latest numbers on tariffs

‘Trust in President Trump’

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNN earlier in the day that Mr Trump was “doubling down on his proven economic formula from his first term”.

“To anyone on Wall Street this morning, I would say trust in President Trump,” she told the broadcaster, adding: “This is indeed a national emergency… and it’s about time we have a president who actually does something about it.”

Later, the US president told reporters as he left the White House that “I think it’s going very well,” adding: “The markets are going to boom, the stock is going to boom, the country is going to boom.”

He later said on Air Force One that the UK is “happy” with its tariff – the lowest possible levy of 10% – and added he would be open to negotiations if other countries “offer something phenomenal”.

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How is the world reacting to Trump’s tariffs?

Economist warns of ‘spiral of doom’

The turbulence in the markets from Mr Trump’s tariffs “just left everybody in shock”, Garrett Melson, portfolio strategist at Natixis Investment Managers Solutions in Boston, told Reuters.

He added that the economy could go into recession as a result, saying that “a lot of the pain, will probably most acutely be felt in the US and that certainly would weigh on broader global growth as well”.

Meanwhile, chief investment officer at St James’s Place Justin Onuekwusi said that international retaliation is likely, even as “it’s clear countries will think about how to retaliate in a politically astute way”.

He warned: “Significant retaliation could lead to a tariff ‘spiral of doom’ that could be the growth shock that drags us into recession.”

Read more:
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Tariffs about something more than economics: power

It comes as the UK government published a long list of US products that could be subject to reciprocal tariffs – including golf clubs and golf balls.

Running to more than 400 pages, the list is part of a four-week-long consultation with British businesses and suggests whiskey, jeans, livestock, and chemical components.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said on Thursday that the US president had launched a “new era” for global trade and that the UK will respond with “cool and calm heads”.

It also comes as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a 25% tariff on all American-imported vehicles that are not compliant with the US-Mexico-Canada trade deal.

He added: “The 80-year period when the United States embraced the mantle of global economic leadership, when it forged alliances rooted in trust and mutual respect and championed the free and open exchange of goods and services, is over. This is a tragedy.”

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