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Britain’s electoral map could look dramatically different after voters go to the polls this year.

Labour is on course for a majority but in parts of the North of England and the Midlands, the battle is by no means straightforward.

Politics latest: Chancellor warned of £2bn real-term cuts to NHS funding

Here, there are a number of traditional Labour strongholds, where voters are more likely to be white, working class and to have voted leave in the referendum.

Grimsby is one such example.

Grimsby Docks. Pic: PA
Image:
The entrance to Grimsby Docks. Pic: PA

It turned Conservative for the first time since the end of the Second World War in 2019, with many people at the time feeling a cultural rift with the Labour Party.

This constituency has now been combined with Cleethorpes, where the Tories have been in power since 2010.

Since its formation in 1997, it’s been a bellwether seat, backing the largest party in Westminster.

It contains a rural conservative base as well as urban voters who in more recent years backed the promises of levelling up and Brexit offered by the Tories.

The complex composition of this new constituency means it’s shaping up to be an interesting battleground.

People enjoy the hot weather in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire.
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Cleethorpes is a seaside town that neighbours Grimsby. Pic: PA

Boris Johnson’s personal appeal, his party’s promise to “Get Brexit Done” and a promise to level up poorer parts of the country was a winning ticket for the Tories here.

Fast forward five years and disillusionment with the Conservatives is rife.

A cost of living crisis has eroded living standards and the promise of “levelling up” appears to have been forgotten.

Net migration to the UK is at a record high and the tax burden at a post-war high.

Tory party infighting, repeated leadership contests and a chaotic premiership under Liz Truss have eroded the public’s trust.

Support for the Conservatives may be fading but that won’t necessarily translate into strong support for Labour.

The Reform party is gaining ground in pro-leave constituencies, picking up their 2019 Tory voters.

The rebranded Brexit Party, led by Richard Tice and co-founded by Nigel Farage, has described itself as “the party of the working class”.

The party is polling at about 10%.

While this may not be enough to deliver Reform a single seat in parliament it could damage the Tories by splitting the vote and helping to deliver a Labour majority.

We saw this play out at the by-elections in Wellingborough and Kingswood.

What is Target Town?

Sky News’ Target Town series aims to tell the story of the upcoming election from the perspective of voters in the new constituency of Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes.

We’ll hear from locals all the way through to election night to understand the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, and to discuss how the future could look depending on which political party is elected into power.

The constituency is high on Conservative and Labour target lists, lying right at the heart of the ‘Red Wall’ that the Tories smashed to take the election in 2019.

Once again they promise to be pivotal to both leaders’ ambitions.

However, Reform doesn’t have candidates everywhere yet, including in Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes. Instead, voter disillusionment and low turnout could be a bigger problem for the Tories than outright conversion to Labour.

Labour needs an 11.7 point swing to win in this new constituency and it has reason to be quietly confident.

The party has achieved larger swings at recent by-elections.

However, winning in places like Grimsby and Cleethorpes will be important if it is to secure the 12.7 point swing needed across the country to win a majority in parliament.

Labour lost people in Grimsby to Boris Johnson’s Tories in 2019.

Back then voters questioned the culture of the Labour party, whether it really stood for people like them, the working classes.

Labour will need to win them back but, in both Grimsby and Cleethorpes, it’s also contending with disillusionment with both main parties.

Sky News’ Target Town series aims to follow the build-up to the general election from a key constituency prized by both Conservatives and Labour – Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes.

To launch it The UK Tonight with Sarah-Jane Mee will broadcast live from Cleethorpes at 8pm.

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Circle gets Abu Dhabi greenlight amid UAE stablecoin and crypto push

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Circle gets Abu Dhabi greenlight amid UAE stablecoin and crypto push

Stablecoin issuer Circle has secured regulatory approval to operate as a financial service provider in the Abu Dhabi International Financial Center, deepening its push into the United Arab Emirates.

In an announcement Tuesday, Circle Internet Group said it received a Financial Services Permission license from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the International Financial Centre of Abu Dhabi. This allows the stablecoin issuer to operate as a Money Services Provider in the IFC.

The USDC (USDC) issuer also appointed Saeeda Jaffar as its managing director for Circle Middle East and Africa. The new executive also serves as a senior vice president and group country manager for the Gulf Operation Council at Visa and will be tasked with developing the stablecoin issuer’s regional strategy and partnerships.

Circle co-founder, chairman and CEO Jeremy Allaire said that the relevant regulatory framework “sets a high bar for transparency, risk management, and consumer protection,” adding that those standards are needed if “trusted stablecoins” are going to support payments and finance at scale.

UAE, Circle, Stablecoin
Source: Circle

Related: Abu Dhabi Investment Council triples stake in Bitcoin ETF in Q3: Report

Abu Dhabi awards a wave of licenses

The ADGM has recently awarded licenses for financial operations to a wave of crypto companies. Earlier this week, Tether’s USDt (USDT) — the largest stablecoin by circulation and Circle’s top competitor — secured a regulatory milestone in Abu Dhabi’s international financial center, as did Ripple’s dollar-pegged stablecoin Ripple USD at the end of November.

On Monday, crypto exchange Binance was granted three separate licenses from Abu Dhabi’s financial regulator, allowing it to operate its exchange, clearing house and broker-dealer services. This followed its competitor Bybit receiving regulatory approval in the UAE in early October.

Related: HSBC to bring tokenized deposits to US and UAE as stablecoin race heats up

UAE bets on crypto

The Central Bank of the UAE has been actively reviewing its cryptocurrency regulations. In November, it introduced rules for decentralized finance (DeFi) and the broader Web3 industry.

The newly introduced Federal Decree Law No. 6 of 2025 brings DeFi platforms, related services and infrastructure providers under the scope of regulations if they enable payments, exchange, lending, custody, or investment services, with licenses now required. Local crypto lawyer Irina Heaver said that “DeFi projects can no longer avoid regulation by claiming they are just code.”

Heaver told Cointelegraph at the end of 2024 that during that year the country cemented its status as a global crypto hub.

In October 2024, the UAE exempted cryptocurrency transfers and conversions from value-added tax, just a month after Dubai’s digital asset regulator announced stricter rules on crypto marketing. Around the same time, local free economic zone Ras Al Khaimah Digital Assets Oasis was also working to introduce a legal framework for decentralized autonomous organizations.

Local regulators were not shy about enforcing the rules, with Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority cracking down on seven unlicensed crypto businesses, issuing fines and cease-and-desist orders.

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