UK not to be a target of Donald Trump’s tariffs, Chancellor Rachel Reeves says
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has indicated she will overrule environmental objections to a third runway at Heathrow in order to prioritise economic growth, a position likely to bring her into conflict with colleagues including energy secretary Ed Miliband.
Speaking as she began a 48-hour pitch to international investors at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Ms Reeves said she would back infrastructure projects even where they are unpopular.
The expansion of Heathrow has been debated for almost 20 years but despite the consistent support of business groups and a consensus it would boost economic activity, environmental and political objections have prevented it.
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Asked directly if she would now put the runway, along with expansion at Gatwick and Luton ahead of the UK’s net zero commitments, Ms Reeves said: “I’m not going to comment on speculation, but what I would say is when the last government faced difficult decisions about whether to support infrastructure investment, the answer always seemed to be no.
“We can’t carry on like that, because if we do, we will miss out on crucial investment here into Britain. You’ve already seen a number of decisions, including on Stansted and City Airport, on energy projects, on transport infrastructure, because we are determined to grow the economy.”
The chancellor’s trip to Davos comes with her economic program under increased scrutiny after a bumpy start to the new year, including a rise in borrowing costs and data showing the economy has stagnated since the election.
Business groups have also questioned the increase in employment costs in the budget, but Ms Reeves insisted the UK is competitive internationally, and has a strong case to make to international markets.
“If you look at the UK’s taxation compared with countries around the world, we remain highly competitive, we have the lowest corporation tax in the G7. Amongst European countries, we have some of the lowest employment taxes, So Britain is an attractive place to invest.”
Read more:
Politics may stand in the way of economics when it comes to airport expansion
Ms Reeves also hailed the removal of the chair of the Competition and Markets Authority, a regulator regularly blamed for unnecessarily slowing down deals, as a sign she was serious about growth.
“We’ve got huge strengths as a country and this government is reforming the planning system, reforming the regulation system, making it easier for businesses to get things done, all with the purpose of making working people better off,” she said.
UK not a target
The chancellor said she did not think the UK would be a target for tariffs threatened by president Donald Trump, largely because Britain has a trade deficit with America, and that she planned to meet the incoming Treasury secretary once he is confirmed.
Growth trade offs thrown into stark relief
The saga of a third runway at Britain’s biggest airport encapsulates, perhaps better than any, the trade-offs required to prioritise growth.
Airport expansion is a proven vehicle for growth. Heathrow’s current investors are desperate to expand, despite the cost of complications.
But for a decade political opposition, from Boris Johnson to Sadiq Khan, has stood in the way.
Of course, there are sound environmental arguments against that a government committed to net zero by 2050 might consider, and Ed Miliband can be expected to make.
But if growth really is the priority then at some point they have to choose.
Given the multiple avenues for objection and the strength of feeling inside and outside cabinet, Ms Reeves’ position does not mean that a runway is now more likely than it was six months ago.
It may however be less unlikely, and as a short-term signal to the investors she is courting in Switzerland, that is a start.
“I believe in free and open trade, and I’ll be making that case to my counterparts in the United States. I’m excited about the opportunity to work with the new Trump administration.
“Trade between the UK and the US is worth £300bn a year, a million Brits work for American firms, a million Americans work for British firms, so our economies are closely intertwined, and I look forward to enhancing and strengthening that relationship.”
Privately some international investors and British company bosses in Davos have questioned the clarity of Ms Reeves’s message, but she has received public support from significant companies.
Bill Winters, the chief executive of bank Standard Chartered, told Sky News: “I think the chancellor is doing the right thing in terms of putting the sign out that the UK is open for business.
“She’s also made very clear statements about the fact that we’re going to reduce some of the red tape set back to regulation in a way that’s safe and sound. Exactly how that’s going to work through, we’ll see. So I’m encouraged, but obviously, she’s got a huge, huge challenge.”
New Hampshire became the first US state to allow its government to invest in crypto currencies including Bitcoin (BTC), after Governor Kelly Ayotte signed a bill passed by the legislature into law.
In a May 6 notice, Ayotte announced on social media that New Hampshire would be permitted to “invest in cryptocurrency and precious metals” through a bill passed in the state Senate and House of Representatives. House Bill 302, introduced in New Hampshire in January, will allow the state’s treasury to use funds to invest in cryptocurrencies with a market capitalization of more than $500 billion, eliminating many tokens and memecoins.
“The Live Free or Die state is leading the way in forging the future of commerce and digital assets,” said New Hampshire Republicans in a May 6 X post.
With the signing of the bill into law, New Hampshire becomes the first of several US states considering passing legislation to establish a strategic Bitcoin reserve, including an initiative with the federal government. A similar bill in Arizona passed the state’s House in April but was vetoed by Governor Katie Hobbs on May 2, and Florida’s government withdrew two crypto reserve bills from consideration on May 3.
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The efforts to create crypto reserves in different US states come as US President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers propose similar policies at the federal level. Trump signed an executive order in March to establish a “Digital Asset Stockpile” and a “Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.”
Senator Cynthia Lummis, who sponsored the Boosting Innovation, Technology, and Competitiveness through Optimized Investment Nationwide (BITCOIN) Act, proposed that the US government could hold more than 1 million BTC through civil and criminal forfeiture seizures. The bill is currently being considered by members of the US Senate Banking Committee.
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A group of crypto traders reportedly purchased millions of dollars worth of Melania Trump’s memecoins minutes before she announced the launch on social media.
According to a May 6 Financial Times report, the crypto traders earned roughly $100 million from buying $2.6 million worth of MELANIA tokens before the public launch on Jan. 19. Shortly after Trump announced the memecoin launch on social media, the price surged from roughly $2.00 to $12.95 — a 550% increase. The traders reportedly sold their holdings within 12 hours.
“In total, the 24 accounts bought up 16.7mn of the 200mn total $MELANIA tokens scheduled for sale during the launch period,” the Financial Times reported. “[…] the run of sales that started pre-launch continued. About $900,000 worth of tokens bought by an additional 22 accounts in the 42 seconds after the launch.”
The memecoin started trading roughly two days after then-president-elect Donald Trump announced the launch of his own TRUMP coin. Both tokens have come under scrutiny from lawmakers, alleging conflicts of interest and corruption due to the potential for bribery and foreign influence.
Memecoin dinner prompts call for impeachment
Much of the scrutiny and criticism from US lawmakers over the memecoins seems to be directed at the president rather than the first lady. After Trump announced some of the top TRUMP tokenholders would be offeried the chance to get access to him at a private dinner and tour, one senator called for his impeachment.
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Both the prices of the MELANIA and TRUMP tokens have dropped significantly since shortly after their launch in January, with the First Lady’s memecoin falling to $0.31 at the time of publication. The TRUMP token price briefly surged after the memecoin dinner announcement in April, but had dropped to $10.90 as of May 6.
Two companies connected to the president control roughly 80% of the TRUMP supply, though many of the tokens were locked and will be released over the next three years. Critics have suggested that the project’s insiders could still rug-pull investors.
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21Shares has launched an exchange traded product (ETP) in Europe, providing investors with exposure to Crypto.com’s Cronos token, the asset manager said.
The ETP is listed on Euronext’s Paris and Amsterdam exchanges, 21Shares said in a May 6 announcement.
Cronos (CRO) is a layer-1 blockchain network affiliated with Crypto.com, a centralized exchange.
The chain is designed to integrate with the Ethereum and Cosmos ecosystems and support “decentralised finance (DeFi), NFTs, and Web3 applications,” 21Shares said.
The ETP aims to provide investors with a “straightforward way to integrate CRO into their portfolios through traditional banks and brokers, eliminating the need to directly handle digital wallets or exchanges,” 21Shares said.
“By launching a Cronos ETP, we are offering investors […] regulated exposure to a blockchain ecosystem that is driving real-world adoption,” Mandy Chiu, 21Shares’ head of financial products development, said in a statement.
Related: Standard Chartered sees BNB more than doubling in 2025
The CRO token has a market capitalization of approximately $2.3 billion and a fully diluted value (FDV) of nearly $8.7 billion, according to data from CoinMarketCap.
Cronos has a total value locked (TVL) of approximately $400 million, according to data from DeFiLlama.
Its DeFi ecosystem includes Crypto.com’s liquid Ether staking token, Crypto.com Staked ETH, which has nearly $64 million in TVL, the data shows.
Altcoin ETFs abound
On May 5, asset manager VanEck filed to list an exchange-traded fund (ETF) in the US tied to yet another exchange-affiliated token.
The VanEck BNB ETF is the first proposed ETF in the US holding BNB Chain’s native token, BNB. The chain is affiliated with Binance, the world’s largest centralized exchange.
In the US, 21Shares has proposed ETFs holding cryptocurrencies including Dogecoin (DOGE), Polkadot (DOT), and Solana (SOL).
Asset managers are seeking the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) permission to list upward of 70 cryptocurrency ETFs.
The wave of filings has come as a result of US President Donald Trump softening the SEC’s regulatory posture toward crypto after taking office in January.
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