Ellen Milligan
@EllenAMilligan
Followers
2,842
Following
1,239
Media
30
Statuses
1,982
Political Correspondent for @business covering UK foreign policy and defence. Email: emilligan11 @bloomberg .net
London
Joined April 2022
Don't wanna be here?
Send us removal request.
Explore trending content on Musk Viewer
FEMA
• 1286699 Tweets
Liz Cheney
• 283207 Tweets
MOONLIT FLOOR OUT NOW
• 232000 Tweets
JUMP
• 210092 Tweets
Mets
• 159942 Tweets
Falcons
• 64255 Tweets
Baker
• 63283 Tweets
Brewers
• 57446 Tweets
天使の日
• 47422 Tweets
Pete Alonso
• 45580 Tweets
Bucs
• 27285 Tweets
Spiritual Awakening
• 25237 Tweets
Kirk Cousins
• 24931 Tweets
Phillies
• 21562 Tweets
Bijan
• 21525 Tweets
Mooney
• 17487 Tweets
ワートリ
• 14007 Tweets
Kirko
• 11283 Tweets
#PowerGhost
• 11073 Tweets
Pinned Tweet
New: I sat down with Keir Starmer earlier today for
@BloombergUK
to discuss Europe’s political shift to the right, concerns about Joe Biden, Ukraine, Israel, economic growth and if he’s got a secret plan to raise taxes on banks.
Here’s what he said 🧵
4
30
53
A cracking and very helpful diagram of the breakdown of running UK appliances to help you through the energy crisis:
129
3K
7K
Exclusive: Rishi Sunak’s plans for a Great British chess revival
- Gov will financially back England’s chess teams for the first time
- 100 chess boards to be rolled out in parks
- drive for more chess in state schools
476
121
887
NEW: Tory aides say the party is "finished" now Farage is standing.
They expect defections + say Sunak made a tactical error by alienating centrists while failing to shore up support from voters who will now opt for Reform
w/
@AlexJFMorales
@alexwickham
29
107
655
The UK will finally impose checks on EU fresh food next week.
I've tracked the journey bacon takes from Denmark to the UK, to illustrate the new reality of Brexit - that while trade doesn't stop, it's about to become harder and that bit more expensive
44
354
488
This is painful for Sunak. Shouts of “shame” from the Question Time audience. He looks defeated.
12
71
434
NEW: The UK and EU are close to a major breakthrough in their talks over the Northern Ireland Protocol, with the EU beginning tests on the UK's live trade database which tracks goods moving from mainland Britain to N.Ireland 1/
29
177
370
Johnson's campaign briefed that they had the backing of over 100 MPs more than five hours ago. You may have expected a flood of public endorsements to follow but so far he still has less than 60 publicly supporting him.......
31
52
295
NEW: As Westminster braces for a report into Dominic Raab's treatment of staff, we reveal new bullying allegations against ex-Cabinet Minister Alok Sharma.
Four senior officials who worked closely with Sharma between 2020 + 2022 spoke to
@BloombergUK
25
189
242
NEW: Gay soldiers were subjected to electric shock treatment + conversion therapy referrals were still being made to doctors in the 1990s, according to testimony in a damning review into historic homophobia in the UK armed forces seen by Bloomberg
5
63
165
Labour's treatment of Diane Abbott and Faiza Shaheen has dented party morale - shadow ministers, aides + activists (none on the Corbyn left) tell me,
@PronouncedAlva
+
@alexwickham
. Some will no longer campaign this election, one plans to quit the party.
25
72
146
Scoop: UK signs-off legislation to establish an independent football regulator, after the Premier League failed to agree on a deal to share revenues with smaller clubs.
Bill likely to be introduced in Parliament as soon as this month - w/
@hellierd
13
74
135
6
47
137
Liz Truss losing her seat is the ultimate, iconic ending to the chaotic storybook telling 14 years of Conservative rule.
2
32
126
A few more u-turns:
- plan to charge for missed GP appts
- promise for a separate energy dept
- pledge to house asylum seekers on cruise ships
Most of the policies he promised in his summer leadership campaign are in the bin (for now)
COP is the 3rd Sunak u-turn in 8 days
He reversed his summer campaign position on fracking (previously said 'yes with local consent', then reinstated the ban)
And on EU retained law (previously he vowed a review in first 100 days, now canned per
@GeorgeWParker
)
39
156
318
9
47
112
New: Labour strategists have privately conceded that rejoining the EU single market or customs union would be the most impactful way to boost the economy.
So why are they ruling that out and how viable is their plan to forge closer ties with the EU? 🧵
41
63
109
8 years since the Brexit vote, the end of seamless EU trade is about to hit home.
It’s a story on cumbersome checks, paperwork + the people it's impacting. And ultimately it's about the British consumer + a supermarket staple: the humble bacon rasher.
3
56
108
New: The UK is considering strengthening social media regulation to tackle online harms, prompted by the role platforms like Elon Musk's X played in far-right riots. One option is to revive a 'legal but harmful' clause in the Online Safety Act
w/
@mhbergen
10
45
106
Starmer: “The big takeaway from last night is a flash of character from the Prime Minister, which was when his back was against the wall desperately trying to defend his failure in office, he resorted to lies and deliberate lies, and I don't say that lightly”
NEW: Keir Starmer tells me in Portsmouth that Rishi Sunak “resorted to deliberate lies” last night over the £2000 tax rise claim.
He rules out raising NI, VAT, income and corporation tax. Also says Labour has no plans to raise inheritance tax.
2
8
31
2
37
101
Some exciting job news: I’m moving to Brussels with Bloomberg in January to cover EU politics + continue writing about UK-EU relations for two months.
I’ll be back in the Westminster lobby before long so keep in touch + if you work in politics in Brussels, I’d love to meet!
5
7
100
NEW: Kemi Badenoch is now unlikely to run and is currently having conversations with colleagues to decide which candidate to back. Her decision is likely to have sway over several MPs who haven't yet declared support...
25
20
94
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has just confirmed to broadcasters that the government plans to "look more broadly at social media after this disorder"
New: The UK is considering strengthening social media regulation to tackle online harms, prompted by the role platforms like Elon Musk's X played in far-right riots. One option is to revive a 'legal but harmful' clause in the Online Safety Act
w/
@mhbergen
10
45
106
9
25
79
In a sea of Labour wins, there’s been some notable upsets for the party: Jeremy Corbyn comfortably wins Islington North as an independent + Jonathan Ashworth loses his seat in Leicester
2
14
66
Key points from John Curtice here:
- The average fall in support for the Tories of 21 points shows the opinion polls are accurate
- Even if Labour just replicated the 7% swing in Uxbridge, Sunak would lose his majority
early morning analysis w/
@elashton
2
38
64
Scoop: The UK has reached a preliminary agreement with the EU to access its border agency Frontex. Sunak wants to announce the deal at a meeting of European leaders in early October.
Exclusive with
@alexwickham
+
@AlbertoNardelli
13
29
64
NEW: The most senior civil servants in the UK Business Department intervened to protect their staff after officials raised concerns about what they described as former minister Alok Sharma’s volatile and intimidating behavior
5
32
60
The story examines each new point of trade friction along bacon's path from farm to plate.
From the pig farmer + meat company dealing with the new regime to the Danish health officials and in-house vets at the abattoir responsible for the new certificates needed
1
26
58
The bloc will spend the next weeks testing the UK's system and if it's satisfied, it could pave the way for a customs agreement - a crucial step in resolving trade disruption between Britain and N.Ireland since Brexit 2/
1
15
53
Three years since the UK left the EU, life has got worse in most areas that voted strongly for Brexit in 2016.
@BloombergUK
's Levelling Up Scorecard shows how constituencies that voted Leave have yet to see many of the promised economic benefits:
5
32
52
Tory party members have been egged walking into hustings in Perth, Scotland this evening - this is definitely the biggest protest so far in the campaign:
18
9
53
I also speak to the Danish shipping firm at Esbjerg port who have only known internal EU trade since the 1970s, to the UK port owner at Immingham, Lincolnshire operating a new facility for the checks + finally the Kent wholesaler who's had to adapt how he trades.
1
19
53
If you want to learn more about the significance of data access in the N.Ireland Protocol talks, would strongly recommend
@tconnellyRTE
's recent analysis 5/
1
18
49
European Political Community summit at Blenheim Palace ✅
8
0
51
The EU has long sought access to the real-time data -
@MarosSefcovic
said just yesterday that its needed for talks to move on. The bloc wants to make sure it has enough info to carry out reliable risk assessments on goods coming into the single market 3/
2
16
47
A pleasure to join Newsnight tonight to discuss my reporting on the role social media has played in fuelling recent violence in Britain and what the government plans to do about it!
"The government has been trying to engage with social media companies [following the riots] and what I've been told ... is that X/Twitter has been one of the least cooperative ... although that has improved slightly in recent days" - Bloomberg's Ellen Milligan
#Newsnight
102
54
143
3
14
48
Major points of disagreement remain, primarily over the role of the ECJ, but this is the first sign of progress in a long-running spat that is continuing to disrupt N.Ireland's political institutions 4/
4
13
45
Two officials characterised Sharma's behaviour as bullying and said he'd often call junior staff working from home in 2020 without warning to criticise their work. A junior official rang a senior colleague in tears after one of these calls
37
15
42
The direct cost of creating a new gov department can be around £15m, with up to £34m on top resulting from loss of productivity - as per
@instituteforgov
2019 report. Today we're getting three new departments...
3
24
45
They say Sharma often insulted staff's work, used profanity, was unpredictable and could quickly lose his temper. Some became demoralised and feared submitting work to him. One said they resorted to anti-depressants + mental health support to cope
1
13
42
Scoop: UK weighs slashing benefits in real terms to free up cash for tax cuts next year
Hunt considers lifting benefits in line with projected lower inflation figures for next year vs September CPI
+early talks on whether to tinker w/pensions triple lock
35
55
41
Northern Ireland party leaders sit side by side for President Biden’s speech in Belfast today
2
9
41
NEW: The Labour Party raised £7.2 million in donations between October and December last year, widening its lead on the Conservative Party who raised £4.8 million
@Joe_Mayes
@EamonFarhat
5
22
42
Keir Starmer’s response to this video: Sunak is “going round and round in ever decreasing circles of desperation. It’s sad to see. It’s ridiculously desperate stuff.”
The Tory campaign has put out a video claiming a Labour win will crash the FTSE100
Alternatively, this
@BloombergUK
story from today reports on how the UK has become a safe haven for investors, based on the stability they expect from a Labour govt…
67
502
1K
0
16
42
Scoop: The UK is weighing options to blunt the cost of Brexit border checks on EU food imports due to start in January over fears of stoking inflation
w/
@Joe_Mayes
@alexwickham
5
22
40
After that YouGov poll showing 75% of Tory voters back
@Keir_Starmer
’s energy crisis plan, me and
@tetley_liza
spoke to Tory party members…
…Most said Truss & Sunak need to do more to help people & some even said they should adopt Starmer’s policy:
6
33
37
NEW: Keir Starmer + Olaf Scholz agreed at NATO to strike a deep UK-Germany defence agreement, modelled on the Lancaster House treaties with France.
Number 10 announce the countries will start work to forge the agreement “without delay.”
3
7
41
Notable that Ben Houchen didn't mention or thank the Conservative Party or the Prime Minister in that speech. Also wasn't wearing his party's rosette on stage...
0
14
40
Staff raised concerns about Sharma's behaviour at least 4 times in 2020, though stopped short of filing official complaints. Cab Office say they have no records of any complaints. Gov practice doesn't require staff to make records of informal complaints
2
14
37
“In his last-ditch to Tory MPs before last week’s confidence vote, Johnson warned that kicking him out would mean the return of ‘hellish groundhog’ debates about Brexit. They appear to be happening anyway.”
Essential reading ahead of the Northern Ireland protocol bill today:
Boris Johnson risks reopening divisions that tore the Conservative Party apart in 2019, with his government set to propose a law that would let UK ministers override parts of the Brexit deal he signed with the EU
3
11
6
0
16
37
The IFS supports Reeves claims today:
Need to see the detail, but I think Rachel Reeves has grounds to be cross. The in-year funding pressures do genuinely appear to be greater than could be discerned from outside. The £9bn contingency ‘reserve’ has seemingly been spent several times over. It’s a mess.
64
624
2K
1
17
37
SCOOP: The UK plans to expand its definition of what counts as climate aid to meet its £11.6bn pledge without boosting funding
Decision adds to Sunak’s political gamble this week by moving the goalposts on the UK's green agenda w/
@jendlouhyhc
@alexwickham
6
26
33
Brilliant scoop from Cat back in March that Frank Hester - who made racist comments about Diane Abbott - donated a further £5m to the Conservative Party.
A story that the party refused to confirm to journalists for three months, but the Electoral Commission confirms today.
Exclusive: Tory party “sitting on” further £5m from disgraced donor Frank Hester
Me for
@tortoise
73
588
886
0
17
31
NEW: Keir Starmer tells me in Portsmouth that Rishi Sunak “resorted to deliberate lies” last night over the £2000 tax rise claim.
He rules out raising NI, VAT, income and corporation tax. Also says Labour has no plans to raise inheritance tax.
2
8
31
New: Billionaire Jim Ratcliffe tells
@flacqua
that the UK has "had enough” of the Tories and is “ready for a change"
Britain's 2nd richest man endorses Labour's plan to devolve more power to local mayors + blames the Tories for ending non-dom tax status:
4
24
32
Exclusive w/
@PronouncedAlva
@alexwickham
: Reeves is considering proposals for a funding package to expand childcare services. She's receptive to the DfE request, also supported by No10, though is unlikely to approve a significant spending boost this budget
0
11
32
Rachel Reeves confirms my scoop from last week - she won't go ahead with Jeremy Hunt's plan for a retail sale of its Natwest stake
Scoop: Rachel Reeves is leaning toward offloading a substantial portion of the government’s £5.6bn stake in NatWest to institutional shareholders rather than continuing with Jeremy Hunt’s plan to offer it to the UK public
6
14
23
0
7
31
Rishi Sunak has denied being snubbed by G7 leaders after failing to schedule any bilateral meetings with them in an unusual move on what is likely his last major summit.
Latest from the G7 in Italy:
4
23
30
SCOOP: The UK won’t be able to insulate as many homes as planned before winter after it scaled back a £1 billion boost to help some of the country’s poorest households curb their energy use (w/
@Jess_Shankleman
@_ToddGillespie
)
4
32
29
Starmer’s response to our scoop:
“When Jim Ratcliffe and John Caudwell say ‘we’re switching sides because Labour is the party of economic growth’ that’s serious. That’s people who have long experience of running businesses and growing the economy…who are now backing Labour.”
New: Billionaire Jim Ratcliffe tells
@flacqua
that the UK has "had enough” of the Tories and is “ready for a change"
Britain's 2nd richest man endorses Labour's plan to devolve more power to local mayors + blames the Tories for ending non-dom tax status:
4
24
32
1
16
30
Some more appointments via peerages:
@JamesTCobbler
CEO of Timpsons becomes a minister in the Justice department + Sir Patrick Vallance of pandemic fame becomes a minister in the Tech department
1
4
30
Keir Starmer's week just keeps getting better
4
7
26
NEW: The government plans to legislate later this year to set up a football regulator to oversee England’s Premier League and lower divisions from 2024.
Bill expected to be announced in the King’s Speech + put before Parliament at the end of this year.
7
9
26
Quite the speech from Penny Mordaunt after losing her seat:
"The Conservative party has taken a battering because it failed to honour the trust people put in it. Our renewal..will not be achieved by us talking to an ever smaller slice of ourselves"
0
9
26
Sharma was Business Sec, then COP26 President 2020-2022. He left Cabinet when Sunak took office last year. He's widely reported to be nominated for a peerage by Boris Johnson.
Read the full story for details of the allegations + what this means for Sunak
5
9
25
One official said while Sharma could be volatile, he could also be warm and friendly. All four acknowledged he was under high-pressure and working in government could be stressful. Sharma didn't respond to several requests for comment
2
4
25
Keir Starmer has made his first call as Prime Minister to US President Joe Biden.
They discussed:
-their aligned ambitions for greater economic growth
-their steadfast commitment to Ukraine
-protecting the Good Friday Agreement, AUKUS + next week's NATO summit
9
11
26
Keir Starmer is in Stoke with Keith from The Great Pottery Throw Down. He stamped ‘change’ on the mug.
1
4
25
Just arrived at Blenheim Palace for the European Political Community summit where Keir Starmer will begin to reset the UK’s relationship with Europe.
But it’s the outcome of the US election in November that hangs over today:
1
5
25
It continues to dominate the news and while it highlights the changes Starmer is making to his party since the Corbyn era, it also risks appearing chaotic and disunited - an argument Starmer has long made about Sunak’s Conservative party.
3
8
24
Threats to out veterans as gay were used as blackmail to cover up sexual assaults + interrogations spanned several hours where they couldn’t have water or use the toilet until they admitted they were gay. You can read more of the personal testimony here:
3
12
21
Key part of the SC ruling: The ECHR is not the only international treaty which prohibits refugees returning to their country of origin if their life is threatened eg the UN refugee convention. This means even if the UK leaves the ECHR, it still won't clear all legal hurdles.
1
18
22
Scoop: Rachel Reeves is leaning toward offloading a substantial portion of the government’s £5.6bn stake in NatWest to institutional shareholders rather than continuing with Jeremy Hunt’s plan to offer it to the UK public
6
14
23
Keir Starmer is making a big point of his commitment to international law at this summit:
The Treaty of London (which led to the Council of Europe + ECHR) has been intentionally put on display in Blenheim Palace's library where King Charles will host European leaders later
The UK’s handling of Brexit "tarnished" its international reputation, EU minister Nick Thomas-Symonds tells
@ocrook
at Blenheim Palace
Ending the Rwanda plan displays a “very different approach to international affairs" as the UK begins its European reset
6
7
19
6
15
23
BREAKING: The EU has launched four new infringement proceedings against the UK for breaching parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol
2
14
18
An absolutely brutal newsnight opening tonight:
PM resigns - what's next?
#Newsnight
montage klaxon from
@adamlivingst0n3
Join us at 2230 on BBC 2
81
501
2K
0
12
20
President Zelensky arrives for his Westminster Hall address!
1
3
22
Now things have settled down, here's our key takeaways from the Sue Gray report 1/
Parties included heavy drinking, karaoke, vomiting & fighting
Poor treatment of cleaning & security staff
200< were invited to 1 event, 1 person left at 4.20am from another
2
17
22
NEW: The EU is set to agree to use the UK’s live database tracking goods moving from Britain to N.Ireland, the 1st sign of progress in the protocol talks. Agreement finalized at lunch between Cleverly, Sefcovic today - w/
@alexwickham
@AlbertoNardelli
1/
1
17
21
Interesting move - Richard Hermer KC will receive a peerage + become UK Attorney General instead of Emily Thornberry.
He's a human rights barrister who donated to Keir Starmer's leadership campaign.
Will Thornberry become paymaster general after Jonathan Ashworth lost his seat?
2
4
21
More from my interview with Neil Kinnock: He realised in the last week that Labour is “not going to lose” the election
“It’s not all guesswork, some of it’s to do with polling, some of it’s to do with contact, with just smelling the air” he said tearfully
1
1
20
NEW: The UK will announce its financial commitment for the Sizewell C nuclear plant as soon as Tuesday. EDF will hold a board meeting early next week to sign-off on the plan after it was given the go-ahead by No 10/Treasury -- with
@MathisWilliam
4
12
20
Understand that Tulip Siddiq has been appointed City Minister and James Murray Exchequer Secretary
So no reshuffle in Rachel Reeves Treasury other than Murray and Livermore swapping roles
Treasury reshuffle: Lord Livermore becomes Financial Secretary. James Murray is expected to become Exchequer Secretary.
Names floating around for city minister are Tulip Siddiq (who shadowed this role), Emma Reynolds and Callum Anderson.
0
4
15
0
10
21
Boris Johnson began his resignation speech by proudly declaring that he got “Brexit done.” He left it to his successor to define what that means in practice.
Read my latest on the tricky balancing act Sunak/Truss must tread with Brexit 5/
2
10
21
NEW: The UK is set to secure a commitment from Tata's Jaguar Land Rover to build a battery plant in Somerset. The decision could be announced as soon as this week.
Big win for Sunak, just when he really needs it.
Scoop with the ace
@James_Woolcock
10
19
21
Our UK launch is live
@BloombergUK
with an in-depth look at how the country's
#LevellingUp
agenda isn't working...fab work by
@Joe_Mayes
@BBGVisualData
& well worth a read. Also our website is subscription free for now so go have a peek at our other work!!
Boris Johnson promised to supercharge Britain by reducing regional inequalities. Two years on, an exclusive analysis by Bloomberg News shows things are going backwards.
#LevellingUp
🔗🇬🇧📈📉:
7
90
116
0
12
19
NEW: Northern Ireland Brexit deal expected by Monday as Sunak plans weekend of crunch talks
-PM to speak with Von der Leyen, Donaldson, Cabinet in next days
-Call with UK's biggest retailers inc Sainsburys, Asda starting soon
w/
@alexwickham
@KatieLinsell
4
13
19
The guest list for Sunak’s AI summit risks falling short as global leaders hold back w/
@kitty_donaldson
@JamieNimmo63
Biden, Trudeau, Scholz are skipping + Macron + Kishida haven’t decided yet, leaving Meloni as the sole other G7 leader so far.
7
14
19
Scoop: The UK is leaning toward restricting or blocking the Chinese takeover of Newport Wafer Fab, its largest microchip factory, after agreeing a further extension to the national security probe - with
@TW_Seal
2
11
20
The Northern Ireland Protocol: a thread on where things really stand between the UK & EU and the political tightrope Sunak must walk to sell a deal to the DUP and his own party 1/
2
19
19
Exclusive: Neil Kinnock tells me “every government needs room to manoeuvre” on tax, suggesting Labour should allow wriggle room to raise tax if needed.
“5 years is a very long time in fiscal regime: Neither voters nor politicians can escape that reality”
4
9
18
Biggest name to quit the Labour front bench and vote for a ceasefire:
1
7
19
Lisa Nandy becomes Culture Secretary - a promotion me +
@PronouncedAlva
were first to report this morning
This is the cabinet position that Thangam Debbonaire vacated when she lost her Bristol seat to the Greens
0
6
20
The UK’s handling of Brexit "tarnished" its international reputation, EU minister Nick Thomas-Symonds tells
@ocrook
at Blenheim Palace
Ending the Rwanda plan displays a “very different approach to international affairs" as the UK begins its European reset
6
7
19
👀 Prime Minister Keir Starmer will make his first visit to Brussels next week to discuss UK-EU relations
Dear
@Keir_Starmer
, good to see you in the margins of
@UN
General Assembly.
Looking forward to welcoming you at the
@EU_Commission
in Brussels next week to discuss the reset of EU-UK relations.
3K
914
5K
3
4
19
NEW on UK-India trade deal w/
@shruti838
:
-Deal could be finalized by year-end after significant progress
-India agrees to slash tariffs on British cars + scotch
-UK willing to relax some business visa rules + accept India's environmental + labor standards
11
14
16
Starmer’s purge of the left has had a single, laser-focused aim: to make Labour electable again after over a decade in the cold. But the escalating row risks undermining his control of the election campaign, where he's 20 points ahead.
32
7
19
Labour's challenge is summed up perfectly by
@JannikeWach
: “People have a lot of hope when it comes to the relationship under Labour. But most areas are unfortunately going to be quite tricky - it’s very difficult to negotiate with the EU.”
2
4
17
Original scoop broken by
@PhilAldrick
for
@BloombergUK
- Reeves could unlock £31 billion more headroom for borrowing by tweaking the fiscal rules on investment and debt. That’s on top of the £4bn from the BOE last week:
🚨 NEW: Rachel Reeves is considering changing how the government’s fiscal rules are calculated to allow for billions more in spending on major infrastructure projects
[
@guardian
]
131
87
1K
1
8
19
Labour's 20 point swing in Rutherglen puts them on track to be the dominant party in Scotland once again. Keir Starmer's path to No10 looks increasingly clear.
More here on Scotland's crucial role at the next election:
1
7
18