More Americans are searching for property in Scotland, especially the capital Edinburgh.
Rightmove reported a 19% rise in US inquiries about homes in the UK this year.
Trump's tariffs and economic uncertainty may be behind the rising US interest in British property.
More Americans appear to be dreaming of Scotland — not just as visitors but as prospective homeowners, according to a UK property portal.
Rightmove revealed a 19% increase in enquiries from the US about buying property in the UK since the start of 2025 compared to the same period — the highest pace since 2017.
Some 28% of US enquiries have been about Scotland — an area closely associated with President Donald Trump. That's slightly more than the proportion asking about homes in London (26%).
Rightmove did not reveal the number of queries it had received and noted that only a small percentage of all UK enquiries came from the US.
Colleen Babcock of Rightmove said thatTrump's tariffs had led to "more economic uncertainty globally, and we're starting to see some of the effects of this on the UK property market — whether it's because the UK is seen as a more stable investment opportunity, or whether some buyers are considering a permanent move across the Atlantic."
Trump has long emphasized his Scottish roots. His mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, was born in a village called Tong, near Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis.
In 2006, he Trump strengthened his Scottish connection by purchasing a championship golf resort in Aberdeenshire, later opening the Trump International Gold Links. He then acquired another course in Turnberry.
Edinburgh's castle, great food, and Arthurs Walk, which were featured in the Netflix drama "One Day" have helped raise the profile of the Scottish capital.
Rising interest in Edinburgh could also reflect its lower property prices than central London, Rightmove said.
Glasgow as well as other Scottish regions including Argyll and Bute, and Fife are among those of interest to potential US buyers along with the Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea areas in London.
Glynn Gibb, regional director at real estate agent John D Wood & Co, said, "We're seeing a number of politically motivated relocations —Americans seeking greater stability abroad. There's a noticeable trend of high-net-worth individuals looking to move capital into what they see as a safe and stable market."
Gibb added: "We expect activity to build in the coming months … as more buyers make lifestyle and financial decisions shaped by the political climate in the US."
President Donald Trump slammed Bruce Springsteen as being "highly overrated" on Friday after the rocker called his administration "corrupt, incompetent and treasonous."
"I see that Highly Overrated Bruce Springsteen goes to a Foreign Country to speak badly about the President of the United States. Never liked him, never liked his music, or his Radical Left Politics and, importantly, he’s not a talented guy — Just a pushy, obnoxious JERK, who fervently supported Crooked Joe Biden, a mentally incompetent FOOL, and our WORST EVER President, who came close to destroying our Country," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
"The mighty E Street Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock and roll in dangerous times. In my home, the America I love, the America I’ve written about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration," Springsteen said, drawing applause from his audience.
"Tonight, we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experiment to rise with us, raise your voices against authoritarianism and let freedom ring!" Springsteen added in a video posted on his YouTube page.
Trump said in his Truth Social post that "Sleepy Joe didn’t have a clue as to what he was doing, but Springsteen is ‘dumb as a rock,’ and couldn’t see what was going on, or could he (which is even worse!)? This dried out ‘prune’ of a rocker (his skin is all atrophied!) ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT until he gets back into the Country, that’s just ‘standard fare.’ Then we’ll all see how it goes for him!"
Springsteen declared last year that "I'll be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz" in the presidential election. Harris ended up losing the race to Trump.
The "Born in the USA" singer-songwriter, in an Instagram video endorsing Harris, attacked Trump as "the most dangerous candidate for President in my lifetime" with a "disdain for the sanctity of our constitution, the sanctity of democracy, the sanctity of the rule of law, and the sanctity of the peaceful transfer of power."
The Harris campaign later announced a concert series with Springsteen in battleground states to mobilize voters in the weeks leading up to Election Day last year.
Fox News Digital's Lindsay Kornick and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
I see many tourists make the same mistakes when they visit London.
Shutterstock
I was born and raised in London, where I've seen tourists make a wide range of missteps.
Prepare for all types of weather, and don't forget to order a Sunday roast at a pub.
Instead of spending a fortune on taxis, just navigate the London Underground — it's not hard.
As someone who was born and raised in London, I've seen tourists make their fair share of mistakes — from unwittingly missing out on one of the best British dishes to clogging up traffic on escalators.
But with some planning and strategizing, newcomers can make the most of their time in London and save some money as they do it.
Here are the major mistakes I see visitors make while exploring my hometown and how to avoid them.
Paying to see panoramic skyline views that they can find for free
The Sky Garden has bars and restaurants.
Shutterstock
Whether you're paying for admission to an observation deck or a pricey cocktail at a rooftop bar, going to the top of a skyscraper in any major city will probably cost you money. For the most part, London is no exception.
Many people go to The Shard, a 1,016-foot skyscraper with panoramic views of the city. Tickets start at £28, or about $37.
However, visitors can get a similarly fantastic view at the Sky Garden, which is right across the River Thames from The Shard. London's highest public garden offers some of the best views of the city's skyline and comes complete with an indoor garden, restaurants, and bars. The best bit? Entry is free.
Tickets for Sky Garden can book up quickly, so plan ahead if you want to see the breathtaking views.
Standing on the left side of escalators, especially in London Underground stations
Tourists should never stand on the left side of escalators, especially in London Underground stations.
Shutterstock
If you have no intention of walking down or climbing an escalator, make sure you stand on the right side. That way, those who don't want to stand still have the option to pass you on the left, keeping you from running into a scorned Londoner.
It's an unwritten rule in the city, and everyone, visitors and locals alike, must follow it.
Keep this in mind when you're getting on the London Underground (also known as the Tube), especially if you want to avoid strangers angrily telling you to move as they rush to make their train.
Leaving London without ordering a pub-made Sunday roast
Sunday roasts usually have meat, potatoes, and vegetables.
Conor Clark
Going to the pub is a rite of passage during any trip to the UK, let alone a visit to its capital city. It is steeped in history and home to some of the country's oldest and finest watering holes.
But many tourists don't realize pubs serve some of the best food in London, too.
No trip to London is complete without trying a Sunday roast, a traditional meal typically made up of roasted meat (or a meatless alternative), roasted potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, stuffing, gravy, and a variety of vegetables.
Only preparing for rain and not other types of weather
London weather can be unpredictable, and temperatures fluctuate year-round.
Alexander Spatari/Getty Images
One common misconception about London is that it always rains. It isn't entirely wrong, but it also isn't exactly correct.
The reality is that you need to prepare for all four seasons, regardless of the time of year.
You probably don't need to bring a winter jacket if you're visiting in July, but pack versatile clothing that will give you options in case you encounter unexpected temperatures.
If you're planning to go out at night, note that the temperature tends to drop a fair bit, even in the summer, so bring a layer.
Taking the Tube around Central London instead of walking short distances
Instead of taking the Tube around Central London, explore on foot.
Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images
When you're in Central London, it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking you need to take public transit everywhere you go. However, it can be a waste of time and money.
Take Leicester Square and Covent Garden, for example. They're one Tube stop away from each other, resulting in a ride that's about one minute long.
However, that doesn't account for the time it takes to get in and out of the stations, especially since Covent Garden has stairs and an elevator instead of an escalator.
If you're willing and able to walk, I recommend avoiding the chaos inside two of London's busiest stations and enjoying a five-minute stroll down Long Acre, a street home to numerous shops and restaurants, instead.
Overpaying for airport taxis and cars
Look into alternative transportation options from the airport to save time and money.
Conor Clark
Tourists often spend a fortune on taxi rides from the airport to wherever they're staying, which is a big no-no.
Sadly, London's iconic black cabs are usually overpriced, and rideshare apps tend to be no different when it comes to the trek from the airport to the city.
Alternatives — such as coaches (buses) and railways, including the Heathrow Express, Gatwick Express, and Elizabeth line — are cheaper and will usually get you where you need to go in less time than a car.
Local tip: The Elizabeth line is an air-conditioned rail service that leaves from the same platform as the Heathrow Express and costs about half the price.
Only shopping on Oxford Street
Some people only shop on Oxford Street, but other areas have stores that are just as wonderful.
Conor Clark
Oxford Street is one of the best places to go shopping in London, but it's also one of the city's busiest streets. It's often a bit chaotic, but the activity level really ramps up on weekends.
For a more peaceful shopping experience with options just as good as those on Oxford Street, visit stores on King's Road in Chelsea or Marylebone. You can also explore the high streets in areas like Camden Town and Hampstead.
Branching out beyond Central London will increase your chances of finding local, independently-owned businesses selling goods you can't get outside the UK.
Splurging to stay in the center of London
Visitors splurge to stay in the center of London, but public transportation makes it easy to get around the city regardless of where they stay.
Getty Images
It can be tempting to book a luxurious hotel right in the heart of Central London, but in my opinion, that's not the best way to spend your travel budget.
Thanks to London's amazing public transportation system, almost anywhere you stay will have excellent connections to most parts of the city.
Staying in areas such as Camden, Islington, and Stratford will give you a more authentic experience and get you a lot more value for your money.
Overlooking London's free museums and galleries
London has a wide variety of museums and galleries, and many offer free entry.
Conor Clark
From the Tate Modern to the British Museum, London is home to some of the world's finest museums and galleries, and many of them are free to visit.
Visiting the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum is a great way to spend an entire day, as all three museums are within walking distance of each other.
They're also located right by the Royal Albert Hall, meaning you can end a day of museum-hopping by watching a fabulous show at the historic concert hall. Just make sure you book tickets in advance.
It's also worth noting that some museum exhibitions, even the free ones, require you to reserve slots ahead of time. So take a look at the places you're interested in visiting before your trip to ensure you don't miss out.
This story was originally published on May 12, 2023, and most recently updated on May 13, 2025.
President Donald Trump and his administration inked a major trade deal with the U.K. Thursday, and closed the week gearing up for trade talks with China over the weekend.
Details of the specific trade plan with the U.K. are sparse, but the deal keeps the existing 10% tariffs in place against U.K. goods while removing some import taxes on items like steel and cars.
"With this deal, the U.K. joins the United States in affirming that reciprocity and fairness is an essential and vital principle of international trade," Trump said Thursday. "The deal includes billions of dollars of increased market access for American exports, especially in agriculture, dramatically increasing access for American beef, ethanol and virtually all of the products produced by our great farmers."
The deal is the first historic trade negotiation signed following Liberation Day, when Trump announced widespread tariffs for multiple countries April 2 at a range of rates.
The administration later adjusted its initial proposal and announced April 9 it would immediately impose a 145% tariff on Chinese goods, while reducing reciprocal tariffs on other countries for 90 days to a baseline of 10%. China responded by raising tariffs on U.S. goods to 125%.
Trump also shed some insight into trade negotiations with China, given that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is scheduled to kick off trade negotiations with China in Switzerland Saturday.
"Scott's going to be going to Switzerland, meeting with China," Trump told reporters Thursday at the White House. "And you know, they very much want to make a deal. We can all play games. Who made the first call, who didn't make them? It doesn't matter. Only matters what happens in that room. But I will tell you that China very much wants to make a deal. We'll see how that works out."
Here’s what also happened this week:
Trump also doubled down on his interest in expanding the U.S. during a Tuesday visit with Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney.
Trump regularly has said he wants Canada to become a U.S. state, and has discussed acquiring Greenland and the Panama Canal for security purposes. However, the matter of Canada isn’t open to negotiation, Carney said.
"Having met with the owners of Canada over the course of the campaign the last several months, it's not for sale," Carney said at the White House Tuesday. "Won't be for sale ever, but the opportunity is in the partnership and what we can build together. We have done that in the past, and part of that, as the president just said, is with respect to our security, and my government is committed for a step change in our investment in Canadian security and our partnership."
While Trump acknowledged that Canada was stepping up its investment in military security, he said, "Never say never" in response to Canada becoming another state.
"I’ve had many, many things that were not doable, and they ended up being doable," Trump said.
Trump also met with Russian-American ballet dancer, Ksenia Karelina, at the White House Monday. Karelina faced a sentence of 12 years in a Russian penal colony for treason in 2024, but the Trump administration negotiated her return to the U.S. during a U.S.-Russian prisoner swap in April.
"Mr. Trump, I'm so, so grateful for you to bring me home and for (the) American government. And I never felt more blessed to be American, and I'm so, so happy to get home," Karelina said in a video posted by Trump deputy assistant Sebastian Gorka on April 11 upon her return to the U.S.
Karelina, a resident of Los Angeles who was born in Russia, was arrested in 2024 during a trip to visit family in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Russia Federal Security Service arrested her after inspecting her phone and finding a donation to a U.S.-based charity that supports Ukraine.
President Donald Trump is "determined to continue with a "10% baseline tariff" against all countries despite his announcement this week of a trade deal with the United Kingdom, the White House said Friday.
"The president is committed to the 10% baseline tariff, not just for the United Kingdom, but for his trade negotiations with all other countries as well," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.
"Permanently? Even after the deals are done. Like, that is going to remain?" Leavitt was asked by Fox News Senior White House Correspondent Jacqui Heinrich.
"The president is determined to continue with that 10% baseline tariff," Leavitt responded.
Trump announced a new trade deal Thursday with the U.K., calling it "an incredible day for America."
Trump told reporters at the White House that "today’s agreement with the U.K. is the first in a series of agreements on trade that my administration has been negotiating over the past four weeks."
"With this deal, the U.K. joins the United States in affirming that reciprocity and fairness is an essential and vital principle of international trade.
"They’ll also be fast-tracking American goods through their customs process so our exports go to a very, very quick form of approval," the president added, noting that "The final details are being written up in the coming weeks."
As of April 5, the U.S. has imposed a 10% reciprocal tariff on imports from the U.K.
The Trump administration’s 25% global tariff on cars took effect on April 3, impacting all imported vehicles, even from traditional U.S. allies, including the U.K. A 25% tariff on U.S. imports of steel, aluminum and derivative products took effect on March 12.
Prior to April 2025, most U.K. goods exported to the U.S. were subject to standard, relatively low tariffs, mostly ranging from 0 to 2.5%, with higher rates only for specific products like steel, aluminum, and some vehicles. The U.K., meanwhile, imposed tariffs on U.S. imports based on the World Trade Organization’s "Most Favored Nation" or MFN rules.
The U.K.’s average MFN applied tariff rate was 3.8% in 2023, according to the most recent data available. The UK has some high tariffs that affect U.S. exports, such as rates of up to 25% for some fish and seafood products, 10% for trucks, 10% for passenger vehicles, and up to 6.5% for certain mineral or chemical fertilizers.
Fox News’ Danielle Wallace and Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
Some social media users claimed the 31-year-old seemed "uncomfortable," while others argued elements of the outfit closely resembled a woman's swimsuit.
There were even claims that Archer "should have worn clothes" as she competed in the annual event late last month.
Archer caught wind of the chatter. In a separate TikTok post, the British runner responded to critics by asking, "Should I have worn a tracksuit?" Archer also cited the conditions, saying the humidity reached nearly 78 percent as temperatures climbed into the mid-70s.
More than 56,000 participants finished this year's London Marathon.
The sports governing body for soccer in England has banned transgender athletes from competing in the women’s sport on Thursday, a policy change that comes weeks after a UK Supreme Court ruling defined a woman as someone born biologically female.
The Football Association (FA) announced its policy change on Thursday, calling the issue "a complex subject."
"As the governing body of the national sport, our role is to make football accessible to as many people as possible, operating within the law and international football policy defined by UEFA and FIFA," the statement began. "Our current policy, which allows transgender women to participate in the women’s game, was based on this principle and supported by expert legal advice."
The previous policy required that transgender athletes wishing to compete in women’s soccer must show a "blood serum testosterone maintained at below 5.0 nmol/L" for a period of at least 12 months prior to competition. The athlete must have medical records to prove hormone therapy and annual verified hormone treatment before the start of each season.
"This is a complex subject, and our position has always been that if there was a material change in law, science, or the operation of the policy in grassroots football then we would review it and change it if necessary," the governing body’s statement continued.
"The Supreme Court’s ruling on the 16 April means that we will be changing our policy. Transgender women will no longer be able to play in women’s football in England, and this policy will be implemented from 1 June 2025."
The UK’s top court ruled on the legal definition of a woman last month. The court of five judges said the ruling did not remove rights for trans people still protected from discrimination under UK law. However, it said certain protections should apply only to biological females and not transgender women.
"We understand that this will be difficult for people who simply want to play the game they love in the gender by which they identify, and we are contacting the registered transgender women currently playing to explain the changes and how they can continue to stay involved in the game," the FA said Thursday.
A prominent NBA team owner was among three of President Donald Trump’s diplomatic nominees confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday evening.
Tilman Fertitta, owner of the Houston Rockets and CEO of Landry’s Restaurants group was confirmed as the upper chamber to be Trump's ambassador to Italy and San Marino by a margin of 82-15.
Investors Tom Barrack and Warren Stephens were also up for ambassadorship posts to Turkey, and the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland respectively.
Barrack’s nomination passedby 60-36. Stephens was confirmed 59-39.
Fertitta is a GOP donor and has spoken fondly of Trump’s business sense.
During Trump’s first term, Fertitta told CNBC the president was doing "a fantastic job for the economy."
"Businesses are booming, unemployment is low. He understands what drives this country," Fertitta said in 2018.
Fertitta’s praise of Trump often steers more toward business-focused than overtly-political, as in the CNBC interview.
Trump’s choice of Barrack played into two different aspects of the investor’s history.
Before he was a friend of the future president’s, Barrack served as an undersecretary in the Reagan Interior Department, focusing on energy policy including Middle East oil.
Barrack, who is fluent in Arabic, would therefore fit well with a Turkish ambassadorship.
Later in that decade, Barrack helped Trump secure financing for his short-lived ownership of the Plaza Hotel – during which time the future president famously told a lost Kevin McCallister its lobby was "Down the hall, and to the left" in 1992’s Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.
The two real estate moguls remained friends in the years after Trump ultimately gave up the Midtown landmark.
Barrack was a strong supporter of Trump’s first presidential campaign and raised millions for his first inauguration’s events.
Stephens’ family bank has a footprint in London, and he is a noted fan of the Tottenham Hotspurs Premier League soccer team, which draw parallels to his ambassadorship nomination.
The billionaire will be the eyes and ears for Trump in London, where the president has a cordial relationship, albeit one wherein lies a politically contrasting view of global politics, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the Labour Party.
Stephens has a history of donations to Republican causes and many Arkansas candidates, per OpenSecrets.
Recipients have included former Sens. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., Mitt Romney, R-Utah, Bob Dole, R-Kan., ex-Arkansas Govs. Asa Hutchinson and Mike Huckabee, and media executive Steve Forbes’ presidential run in 1995.
We're comparing the most popular cheese brands in the US and UK. We delve into the portion sizes, ingredients, price, and nutrition of Kraft, Sargento, Tillamook, Dairylea, Cathedral City, and more. This is "Food Wars."
Earlier this month, a women's pool tournament championship in the United Kingdom featured two transgender athletes who defeated their female competition.
Harriet Haynes and Lucy Smith went toe-to-toe in the Ultimate Pool Women's Pro Series Event 2 at Robin Park Leisure Centre in Wigan. Both competitors defeated four female opponents each to get to the championship bout.
But weeks after the event, the organization has barred biological males from competing against women.
Ultimate Pool's policies now state, "With effect from 23rd April 2025 trans women will not be eligible to participate in the women’s series nor will trans women be eligible to be selected for international events in the female category."
The organization said that it commissioned an "experts report" to determine if pool is a "gender affected sport" in which biological males could have competitive advantages.
"The clear conclusion of the biological and cue sports expert who jointly authored the report was that eightball pool was a gender affected sport and that in cue sports female players have unique disadvantages compared to male players and that transgender women retain male advantages," Ultimate Pool said.
According to Ultimate Pool Group, Smith won 85 of 113 matches and 62% of 848 frames dating back to 2021 before entering the final. Haynes owned a .750 winning percentage in 241 lifetime matches and won 61% of the frames before taking on Smith.
The two players wound up facing each other in the semifinals of the U.K. Mini Series pool championships in October. Haynes won that matchup but lost the championship to a biological woman.
In August 2023, the World Eightball Pool Federation (WEPF) announced it was updating its guidelines to only allow those who were "born female" to play the sport.
"We understand that this decision may prompt questions and discussions within our sport. We want to emphasize that our commitment to upholding the values of sportsmanship, inclusivity, and adherence to regulatory standards remains unwavering," the WEPF said at the time. "Our ultimate goal is to ensure the continued growth and development of the sport we all love, while maintaining a harmonious balance between inclusivity and the integrity of competition. We recognize the importance of fostering an environment where everyone can participate and thrive, and we remain dedicated to upholding these principles to the best of our ability."
But in October that year, the WEPF reversed that protection. It allowed transgender competitors under the condition that they identified as female for a minimum of four years and submitted proof of lowered testosterone levels.
However, Ultimate Pool also said that their decision came as the U.K. Supreme Court defined the word "woman" under its biological meaning, rather than gender ideology.
"In this judgment the Supreme Court ruled that a Gender Recognition Certificate does not change a person’s legal sex for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010," the new Ultimate Pool guidelines say.
"The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) chairwoman Baroness Kishwer Falkner has confirmed that the ruling has brought clarity and that trans women cannot take part in women’s sport and that the EHRC would pursue organisations which do not update their policies. UPG welcomes the clarity which this judgment brings."
Fox News' Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
As President Donald Trump reshapes American foreign policy around hard-nosed deals and national self-interest, a new report warns the UK must rethink its strategy to preserve its "special relationship" – or risk being sidelined in Washington.
Darren Spinck, a fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, cautions that there will be no "business as usual" under Trump and that the "special relationship" between the U.S. and UK can no longer be taken for granted. To remain a key ally, Spinck argues in a new report, Britain must embrace Trump's "transactional" approach to foreign policy.
"Choosing not to retaliate" against Trump-era steel and aluminum tariffs may signal a "strategic patience that may facilitate bilateral negotiations," the report states. It outlines steps that Prime Minister Keir Starmer could take to align with the Trump administration and pursue a U.S.-UK free trade deal, including deeper security cooperation and a tougher stance on China.
Trump recently imposed 10% across-the-board tariffs on foreign nations and paused harsher levies he earlier proposed on every nation except China.
Another path, the report suggests, could involve the UK seeking accession to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the North American trade bloc, as a way to deepen economic ties with the United States.
The report also urges the UK Labour Party leadership to "reduce commercial dependency on the PRC rather than deepening it," warning that closer economic ties with Beijing could strain U.S.-UK relations under Trump.
Spinck contrasted the Trump administration’s focus on "bilateralism, economic nationalism, and Indo-Pacific security" with the Starmer government’s preference for "multilateral diplomacy, progressive trade policies, and European security commitments."
"This policy gap threatens transatlantic cohesion, weakening their collective ability to act against common adversaries, particularly China," he warned.
Divergent policies on China, NATO commitments and Indo-Pacific strategy could erode Five Eyes intelligence sharing, which is key to UK national security.
Spinck called on the British government to strike a deal with the U.S. that addresses the White House’s digital privacy concerns – particularly after the UK ordered Apple to grant security agencies access to encrypted cloud data – and to launch a mineral mining partnership to bolster critical supply chains.
Whereas the previous conservative UK government deemed China its "greatest state-based threat," the current liberal leadership has "reversed the course of the previous three Conservative Party Governments and has sought to strengthen economic ties with Beijing," according to Spink.
He said the UK had recently advanced Beijing’s access to Western capital markets and re-established bilateral frameworks on industrial, trade and energy policy with China.
"One must wonder why London appears eager to expand economic ties with China – a country widely criticized for its human rights record – while the UK’s development finance institution has been less inclined to support international infrastructure development or mining projects in other regions."
"As the Trump Administration seeks to further accelerate America’s decoupling from targeted CCP economic and technology sectors, the US feels that the Labour Government’s apparent rapprochement with Beijing, after years of cautious relations following the PRC’s 2020 breach of the Sino–British Joint Declaration, could unnecessarily complicate the "Special Relationship," Spink wrote.
He said that critical issues "requiring transatlantic cooperation," such as a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, are "at risk" if the U.S. and the UK are not aligned on China policy.
The UK must also set aside its disagreements over U.S. domestic policy, according to Spinck, due to the more urgent need for security cooperation.
"As the Labour Government works with President Trump’s Administration, it should realize its views on a wide range of policies, including immigration, climate policy, digital privacy and welfare benefits, are vastly different," he wrote.
He said such "fractures" like the UK government’s demand for backdoor access to Apple’s encrypted cloud storage "have begun to define the overall relationship between the two allies, impacting the potential for foreign policy alignment."
"Overcoming these cultural differences requires a shift to a more transactional model of foreign policy cooperation. Britain needs to take an active role in re-setting this agenda, pushing questions of domestic ideology to the margins in favor of solid, mutually beneficial measures."
The UK could also signal goodwill by taking a tougher diplomatic stance on Iran. Spinck urged London to help close the "transatlantic divide" on Iran policy, which he said has "disrupted attempts to forge a coherent approach to stopping Iran’s nuclear progress."
While the U.S. withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and imposed sweeping sanctions, the UK remained a party and declined to trigger snapback sanctions – even amid reports that Iran had violated the agreement and was enriching uranium to near-weapons-grade levels.
Spink also urged the UK to join the U.S. in designating Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. Such moves, he argued, "would also be seen as a victory for the long-established Trump policy on Iran – one that would cost the UK nothing and would generate much goodwill in Washington, D.C."
British professional snooker player Jimmy White made quite the admission during a recent interview, saying that he took his brother's dead body to a pub following his funeral as a final farewell before laying him to rest.
White told TalkSport about the moment he decided to take the corpse of his brother Martin to a local pub in 1996.
"We were all in shock and were in floods of tears for hours and hours," White explained to the outlet. "All of a sudden I said I was going to see him again. A couple of them tried to stop me. I went over and there was a big padlock on a chain. I kicked this chain and the padlock fell off."
"'Let's take him out,'" White said to those with him. "I took him to a couple of places for a drink, then to my brother's house and took him back about 5 a.m. or 6 a.m. I put him back exactly how he was and tried to put the chain back."
"About two days later, the police came to arrest me for breaking and entering, but when I explained the story to them they said nothing had been stolen and if you go and apologize then everything should be fine," White said.
White didn't try to shrug off his actions, admitting during the interview that they were "insane." However, he also admitted his thought that it was the right thing to do at the time.
White is among the top 100 snooker players in the world (No. 93 on the list), and is hoping to qualify in the World Snooker Championship.
He hasn't been to the world championships since 2006, and he kept his hopes of reaching that stage again alive in the early hours of Wednesday after coming back to beat Ukrainian Anton Kazakov, a 20-year-old snooker player.
White tallied six straight frames after beating down 7-3 to defeat Kazakov.
Each of Haynes' matchups were rather close, but Smith dominated in the early going of the bracket. Smith defeated Jane Mitchell 7 frames to 3 in the first round and then beat Vicki Lomax, 7-1.
Haynes led the championship match, 6-3, at a point, but Smith came back to cut the deficit to one. Haynes, though, held on to the victory.
According to Ultimate Pool Group, Smith won 85 of 113 matches and 62% of 848 frames dating back to 2021 before entering the final. Haynes owned a .750 winning percentage in 241 lifetime matches and won 61% of the frames before taking on Smith.
The two players wound up facing each other in the semifinals of the U.K. Mini Series pool championships in October. Haynes won that matchup but lost the championship to a biological woman.
The rules of both the English Pool Association and World Eightball Pool Federation (WEPF) state that trans-identified athletes are allowed to compete in the sport with absolutely no restrictions, according to their website. Those bylaws for the English Pool Association have been under review since December 2023.
In August 2023, the WEPF announced it was updating its guidelines to only allow those who were "born female" to play the sport.
"We understand that this decision may prompt questions and discussions within our sport. We want to emphasize that our commitment to upholding the values of sportsmanship, inclusivity, and adherence to regulatory standards remains unwavering," the WEPF said at the time. "Our ultimate goal is to ensure the continued growth and development of the sport we all love, while maintaining a harmonious balance between inclusivity and the integrity of competition. We recognize the importance of fostering an environment where everyone can participate and thrive, and we remain dedicated to upholding these principles to the best of our ability."
But in October that year, the WEPF reversed that protection. It allowed transgender competitors under the condition that they identified as female for a minimum of four years and submitted proof of lowered testosterone levels.
Fox News' Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer will announce Sunday that he understands the rationale behind President Donald Trump’s tariffs and that the West is entering a new economic era.
"The world has changed, globalization is over and we are now in a new era," the prime minister’s office said in a statement to the Sunday Times. "We’ve got to demonstrate that our approach, a more active Labour government, a more reformist government, can provide the answers for people in every part of this country."
The statement comes after Trump announced new tariffs on dozens of countries around the world on Wednesday, including a 10% levy on goods from the U.K.
While Starmer will still argue that tariffs are wrong, according to the Sunday Times report, the prime minister will also admit that he understands the rationale behind Trump’s move and why such policies have become increasingly popular with voters.
"Trump has done something that we don’t agree with, but there’s a reason why people are behind him on this," the prime minister’s office said in the statement.
Starmer is expected to emphasize the failures of free trade and mass migration specifically during the address on Sunday, the report said, arguing that it has failed millions of voters.
Meanwhile, the report noted that Trump ally Elon Musk seemingly publicly broke with the president during a video interview for an event in Italy Saturday, saying he hopes, eventually, for a "zero-tariff" solution between the U.S. and Europe one day.
"At the end of the day, I hope it’s agreed that both Europe and the United States should move, ideally, in my view, to a zero-tariff situation, effectively creating a free-trade zone between Europe and North America," he said.
Musk also called for there to eventually be more "freedom" of movement between the two continents, an apparent break from Trump’s hard line on immigration.
"That’s what I hope occurs, and also more freedom of people to move between Europe and North America if they wish," Musk said. "If they wish to work in Europe or wish to work in America, they should be allowed to do so, in my view. So that has certainly been my advice to the president."
The White House did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
FIRST ON FOX: Vice President JD Vance said the message in a new docuseries echoed the direction of the Trump administration's recent actions – and the rest of the world would be wise to take notice.
He offered remarks Tuesday night at an exclusive screening of the film adaptation of author Rod Dreher’s "Live Not By Lies" – first-hand interviews with civilian figures throughout the postwar period who embraced Christian values to blunt totalitarian regimes and efforts from Great Britain to Czechoslovakia when it was part of the Soviet bloc
Vance said he got to know Dreher after the writer asked to interview him about his book, "Hillbilly Elegy," before the now-vice president was a fixture on the political scene.
Before boarding a flight back to the U.S. from a vacation in the United Kingdom, Vance submitted written answers to Dreher and hoped for the best – his book was hovering around No. 1,000 on the Amazon list. By the time he landed in the U.S., Dreher’s write-up had propelled it to No. 16.
"Hillbilly Elegy" later inspired a Ron Howard film, and helped launch Vance into the spotlight as a nationally recognized figure. He would go on to win a seat in the Senate and eventually become vice president.
Dreher’s book and film, which featured interviews with notable dissidents of communism and totalitarianism in the Soviet bloc and even in England today, is a lesson for people of Christian and democratic values not to lose hope and "never stop fighting," Vance said.
He said that, without the courage to act in the face of government-compelled groupthink, the traditionalist West cannot "reclaim our civilization… rebuild prosperity and opportunity [or] rebuild the kind of society where we teach children the important virtues and skills to thrive; as opposed to trying to tear our kids down, which is what I think our education system does all too often."
Without speaking up, people who seek liberty over tyranny cannot defeat the left-wing foreign policy groupthink that has become the "animating concept" in too many Western nations, the vice president added.
"We're not going to solve any of these problems unless we have the courage to speak the truth, unless we have the courage to live the truth."
One thing the traditionalist right struggles with is submitting to despair, Vance said.
"This idea that because things were not going great in 2020, because things weren't always going in our way electorally, we would give into this sense that the country that we love, the civilization that we love was always on a negative trajectory," he said.
"And I say that as not a criticism of Rod, because I, myself, have sometimes felt in the lowest moments of American politics that, maybe, this country is just not going in the right direction."
"But I think that what we've learned over the last few months is that the American people, and I think Western peoples, are a hell of a lot more resilient than our elites give them credit for."
Vance said "Live Not By Lies" – a phrase itself coined by Soviet exile Alexander Solzhenitsyn in one of his famous oratories – means to maintain the same optimism that is at the root of Judeo-Christian theology and therefore the root of American traditions.
"You have Western peoples calling out their governments pushing back on issues like migration and religious freedom in a way that we haven't seen in 20 or 30 years – if we've ever seen it," he said.
"If we keep on fighting and we keep working and we keep on having faith and we keep on pursuing the values that we know are right, I really do believe that we are going to see great things happen… all across the West. I know the president knows this."
Vance said the message of "Live Not By Lies" has been proven in the first months of the fledgling Trump-Vance administration.
"We’ve gone from a country where we would harass and threaten and investigate and even arrest pro-life protesters to one where we're encouraging pro-life activists to do what they can to persuade their fellow Americans," Vance said.
The film and book show British pro-life leader Isabel Vaughan-Spruce recounting being arrested essentially for praying outside an abortion clinic, and feature video of London police interrogating her on the street to find out what she was praying about.
"A couple of months ago, we had social media censorship run amok. We were threatening people's right of free expression for not saying the things that Silicon Valley technology companies told them to say," Vance went on.
"Now I believe that we have more free speech on the internet today than we've probably had in 10 or 15 years. So we're making progress."
President Donald Trump's Department of Justice (DOJ) is seeking to have Momodou Taal, an anti-Israel student protester attending Cornell University who is in the U.S. on a visa, surrender to immigration authorities, according to court documents. Taal holds dual citizenship in the United Kingdom and Gambia.
Eric Lee, an attorney for Taal, stated in court filings that he was notified via email by a Department of Justice attorney, marking the first time he learned the government planned to issue him a notice to appear to begin deportation proceedings alongside an invitation to turn himself in to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Friday.
Lee, who called Trump's orders an "urgent threat of dictatorship," wrote in court documents that "undersigned counsel contacted counsel for Taal to share that ICE invites Taal and his counsel to appear in-person at the HSI Office in Syracuse at a mutually agreeable time for personal service of the NTA and for Taal to surrender to ICE custody."
Taal, who has been an anti-Israel student activist since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, has praised the "resistance" against Israel several times on his X account. Despite being accepted on a student visa in 2022, Taal has also posted about his "hatred" for the U.S. and called for "the end of the US empire."
Hundreds of Cornell University students, alumni and faculty held a rally in support of Taal – who was not present for the demonstration – last week.
"I’m safe. I’m well. And I await my time to be heard in court," Taal wrote in a X post on Sunday.
A document titled "Jewish Cornellians Stand with Momodou Taal" is also being circulated among students and staff at the university and has under 50 signatures.
When reached for comment, a Trump administration official said, the DOJ "has already been fighting in court to vigorously defend President Trump’s agenda and will continue to do so, especially when it comes to protecting Jewish Americans."
The motion comes after Taal, alongside two other students, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration earlier this month for the president's executive orders vowing to "combat antisemitism," which they say violates their First Amendment rights to protest against Israel.
"Immediate action will be taken by the Department of Justice to protect law and order, quell pro-Hamas vandalism and intimidation, and investigate and punish anti-Jewish racism in leftist, anti-American colleges and universities," the order states.
Another order listed in Taal's lawsuit includes the "Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats," which seeks to strengthen the vetting and screening processes for individuals seeking entry into the U.S.
Ivy league schools and universities were the center of anti-Israel protests last year, with several instances of harassment of Jewish students, violent altercations and vandalism reported on campuses.
Taal's case comes after the Trump administration targeted Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University student and outspoken anti-Israel activist, for deportation this month. Khalil, who arrived in the U.S. on a student visa, is accused by the DOJ of failing to disclose key details on his green card application, including his work with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and a position at the British Embassy in Lebanon.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Cornell University for comment.
President Trump said Friday he liked the idea of the United States joining the British Commonwealth after a report claimed King Charles III would make an offer.
"I love King Charles," Trump wrote on Truth Social Friday morning while linking to an article citing a Daily Mail report that said the monarch would secretly offer the U.S. associate membership in the Commonwealth during Trump's second state visit to Britain. "Sounds good to me!"
Trump also reposted the same report about the king’s "secret" offer of membership late Saturday morning.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.
The British Commonwealth, created in 1926, is made up of 56 countries, including Australia and Canada, most of which were originally British colonies. The monarch is the head of the Commonwealth, whose maintenance was a major priority of Queen Elizabeth II.
Membership is voluntary.
The U.S. was part of the British Empire before winning independence after the Revolution.
India was the first country to decide to remain within the Commonwealth after gaining independence in 1947.
Trump had a friendly relationship with the late queen and always spoke highly of her.
"I got to know her very well, and, you know, I got to know her in her '90s, OK, but she was great," Trump told Fox News’ Mark Levin in 2023. "This is a woman … 75 years she reigned, and she never made a mistake."
Trump has also praised Charles and the heir to the throne, Prince William, whom he met with in December in Paris, but he had fewer nice things to say about Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle.
The president is scheduled to meet with King Charles during a rare second state visit later this year. He met with the late queen and Charles during his first state visit in 2019.
The Daily Mail said Commonwealth membership was first floated during Trump’s first term, and this time around the hope is that it would ease tensions between the U.S. and Canada as the countries trade tariff threats.
"This is being discussed at the highest levels," a member of the Royal Commonwealth Society told the Daily Mail. "It would be a wonderful move that would symbolize Britain's close relationship with the U.S.
"Donald Trump loves Britain and has great respect for the royal family, so we believe he would see the benefits of this. Associate membership could, hopefully, be followed by full membership, making the Commonwealth even more important as a global organization."
Late last month, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer presented Trump with Charles’ invitation for a second state visit while the two politicians were meeting in the Oval Office.
"I think that just symbolizes the strength of the relationship between us. This is a very special letter. I think the last state visit was a tremendous success," Starmer said. "His majesty the king wants to make this even better than that."
Trump responded, "The answer is yes. On behalf of our wonderful first lady Melania and myself, the answer is yes, and we look forward to being there and honoring the king and honoring, really, your country. Your country is a fantastic country."
Documents related to Prince Harry’s immigration record were released Tuesday and paint a "clear picture" of how the British royal was allowed to move to the United States.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released court declarations from agents in the immigration case of Prince Harry, while a closed-door hearing transcript of a lawsuit filed by the Heritage Foundation into the royal’s immigration case was also released, with one expert claiming the British royal likely lied on his application despite the documents being heavily redacted.
"The key information may be at State," Heritage Foundation lawyer Samuel Dewey said in a report in the New York Post on the new documents, noting the heavy mentions of the State Department in the documents that point "pretty clear picture" of how Harry was able to navigate the U.S. immigration process.
While Harry’s immigration records were not released and the documents were heavily redacted, Dewey believes there are plenty of hints in what was released in federal court Tuesday after a deadline set by Judge Carl Nichols.
Dewey told the New York Post that the documents point to the possibility that Harry lied and failed to divulge his history of drug use on what was likely a 0-1 visa application, which are typically filed with the State Department for people "of exceptional talent or ability."
The Heritage Foundation lawyer argued that if Harry had admitted to taking drugs, the information would have gone into a DS-160 file and been sent to DHS in its entirety, but would not have ended up with DHS if he was dishonest about his prior drug use.
Dewey believes that the documents are proof that the State Department and DHS were still withholding information from Heritage and the court, noting an excerpt from the closed-door hearing that was released Tuesday.
"While I have some of the ‘true set of facts’ right now, I don’t have all of them," Judge Nichols said at the April 30, 2024, hearing. "And I well understand that some of this information that we’ve been talking about today is not at DHS."
The judge would make a second reference to Harry’s case being split between DHS and State, noting at one point that "all of the relevant information was at DHS" and that if the case "didn’t have State off to the side," it would be easier "to weigh the public’s interest in knowing that against the privacy concerns."
The Heritage Foundation initially made a Freedom of Information Act request for Harry’s immigration records in 2023, arguing that the British royal may have received special treatment when allowed to move to the U.S. in 2020.
The case arose after Harry admitted to his prior drug use in his 2023 memoir, "Spare," calling into question his honesty on his immigration paperwork a few years prior.
"Of course I had been taking cocaine at that time," Harry wrote in the book, referencing a time when he was 17 years old and sought to "feel different."
"At someone’s house, during a hunting weekend, I was offered a line, and since then I had consumed some more," he continued.
Noting the admission, the Heritage Foundation has argued that it is in the public’s interest to see the immigration records to determine whether the British royal was honest or received preferential treatment on his 2020 visa application.
"Time for Prince Harry to go home. Every partial answer raises three new questions. We now believe he has committed a felony by lying on an 0-1 visa and on form DS-160," Mike Howell, Oversight Project executive director at the Heritage Foundation, told the New York Post.
"The Garland Justice Department and Prince Harry conspired to hide the truth and waste a massive amount of public resources to defend someone who hates their own country and is hell-bent on tearing down this one too," he added. "Prince Harry should self-deport now. He can use his Royal status to drink at the Netflix liberal grift machine and bash the results of the 2024 Presidential Election back in the UK on their taxpayer dime."
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer put forward a framework for a peace plan between Ukraine and Russia on Sunday, though he acknowledged it relies heavily on assumed U.S. support.
Starmer revealed the plan along with French President Emmanuel Macron and other European leaders during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday. In a concession to President Donald Trump's administration, Starmer emphasized that European countries would need to "step up their own share of the burden" toward security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a peace deal.
Starmer said the U.K. is prepared to deploy boots on the ground in Ukraine as well as air force assets to ensure Russia does not infringe on a peace agreement. He nevertheless stated that the plan would rely heavily on U.S. backing as well.
Macron told French media that European leaders were discussing a plan that would freeze strikes from the air, sea and on energy infrastructure for 30 days in Ukraine. He said the window could be used to negotiate a wider peace deal.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy himself has been on damage control since a disastrous meeting with Trump and Vice President JD Vance at the White House on Friday. Zelenskyy has emphasized that he is still willing to sign a rare earth minerals deal with the White House. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday ruled out "security guarantees" for Ukraine before beginning peace talks.
"The security guarantees, which I actually like to call deterrence, is all contingent upon there being a peace," Rubio told ABC "This Week." "Everybody saying security guarantees to secure the peace, you first have to have a peace."
The Ukrainian leader remains largely unapologetic, saying after Sunday's meetings in Europe that the "best security guarantees are a strong Ukrainian army."
"The failure of Ukraine would not just mean Putin's success, it would be a failure for Europe, it would be a failure for the U.S.," he said.
Many Republicans on Capitol Hill have rallied behind Trump's criticism of Zelenskyy. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., called on the Ukrainian leader to resign on Sunday.
"He either needs to resign and send somebody over that we can do business with, or he needs to change," Graham said after Friday's meeting.
Zelenskyy retorted that Graham could weigh in on Ukrainian leadership when he became a Ukrainian citizen, to which Graham responded: "Unfortunately, until there is an election, no one has a voice in Ukraine."
According to the senator, he doesn't think Americans saw the Ukrainian president as someone they feel comfortable going "into business with" following the televised dispute.
Graham also stressed that the Ukrainian-American relationship is "vitally important." However, he cast doubt on whether Zelenskyy could ever "do a deal with the United States."
Things got awkward when Vice President JD Vance remarked on his previous comments on Britain's free speech environment, just feet away from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during an Oval Office meeting.
Vance doubled down on his comments at the Munich Security Conference earlier this month when he said he feared that free speech was "in retreat" in Europe.
"To many of us on the other side of the Atlantic, it looks more and more like old entrenched interests hiding behind ugly Soviet-era words like misinformation and disinformation, who simply don’t like the idea that somebody with an alternative viewpoint might express a different opinion or, God forbid, vote a different way, or even worse, win an election," Vance said.
On Thursday, as Starmer met with President Donald Trump and administration officials at the White House, Vance stood by his comments.
"I said what I said, which is that we do have, of course, a special relationship with our friends in the U.K. and also with some of our European allies," he said.
"But we also know that there have been infringements on free speech that actually affect not just the British. Of course, what the British do in their own country is up to them," Vance added. "But (it also affects) American technology companies and, by extension, American citizens. So, that is something that we’ll talk about today at lunch."
Starmer, seated just a few feet away next to Trump, quickly chimed in.
"We’ve had free speech for a very, very long time in the United Kingdom, and it will last for a very, very long time," the Labour Party politician said.
"Certainly, we wouldn’t want to reach across, and [regulate] U.S. citizens, and we don’t, and that’s absolutely right," he told Vance. "But in relation to free speech in the U.K., I’m really proud of that — our history there."
In Munich, Vance cited the case of a British army veteran who was convicted of breaching a safe zone around an abortion clinic where he silently prayed outside.
He decried the enforcement of buffer zones, alleging that the Scottish government had warned people against private prayer within their own homes.
