The UK sought closer ties to the EU ahead of Trump’s inauguration, joined a new global trade agreement, made ‘diplomatic contact’ with Syrian rebels, and the Conservatives traded blows with Reform UK over membership numbers.
UK and EU relations
Despite PM Starmer’s refusal that a Trump presidency would necessitate closer ties between the EU and the UK, British diplomats and economists have been keen to engage with the trading bloc.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves reflected this in a speech to European finance leaders in Brussels, saying that closer relations between the UK and EU will boost economic growth.
This came after the election of Donald Trump in November, who ran on a protectionist trade platform and claimed “tariff” is the “most beautiful word in the dictionary”.
Therefore, British and European leaders are wary of the effects of another Trump administration on global trade and may be keen to mitigate this, especially in the wake of Brexit, the pandemic, and Ukraine.
The UK joins the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)
In mid-December, the UK joined the CPTPP, a global trade agreement boasting twelve members, including Australia, Canada, and Japan.
The CPTPP emerged from an earlier Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which was never ratified following American withdrawal under Trump in 2016.
Six members formed the CPTPP in 2018, with the UK expressing its interest early that year. It formally applied to join in February 2021 and opened talks that June. The group’s eleven members ratified the UK’s membership in August 2024, and it entered into force in mid-December.
Following the UK’s membership, the CPTPP represents one of the world’s largest free trading areas, representing almost $16 trillion of global GDP.
The UK has had ‘diplomatic contact’ with Syrian rebels – Foreign Secretary
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said that the UK Government has had ‘diplomatic contact’ with Syrian rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) following its toppling of Assad’s regime.
While he maintained that HTS is a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK, Lammy insisted it was important for British diplomatic contact to exist so that they can ensure they meet certain conditions.
These include the rebels restoring chemical weapon stockpiles, establishing a representative and inclusive government, and putting an end to violence.
The UK Government also announced £50mn in aid for vulnerable Syrians, and £120,000 of funding to “rid Syria of chemical weapons”.
Conservative and Reform membership spat
On Boxing Day, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage celebrated the party surpassing 130,000 members, more than the Conservatives had when they elected Kemi Badenoch in the autumn.
Responding on X, Badenoch accused Farage and Reform of inflating their membership numbers with an automatic online ticker that was unrepresentative of real people joining the party.
Farage said these allegations were ‘disgraceful’, demanded an apology, and suggested that he would ‘take some action’.
This thinly veiled threat of legal action was later shunned by Reform Deputy Leader Richard Tice, who told Sky News that Reform was going to ‘make her constituency a key target seat… at the next general election’.
Following this coverage, Reform reported its membership at over 175,000 as of early January 2025, which Sky News has verified as accurate. This represents an increase of 45,000 members in two weeks, something Tice suggests Badenoch is to thank for.
The Conservative Party last reported 131,680 members in November 2024, while Labour had 366,604 members as of March 2024.
Honorary mentions
Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies resigned amid party instability, and Darren Millar was elected unopposed the next day.
Former PM Boris Johnson called on Keir Starmer to correct the record after he said in Parliament that two of Kemi Badenoch’s predecessors ‘had convictions for breaking the Covid rules’. While Johnson and Rishi Sunak were awarded fixed penalty notices for flouting restrictions, they were not criminally convicted.
The Scottish Government backed a move to bar MSPs from holding dual mandates ahead of the 2026 Holyrood election. The move came after SNP MP Stephen Flynn announced his intention to sit in both parliaments.
The National Archive released three Downing Street visitor’s books spanning 1970 to 2003 for the first time, containing the signatures of global politicians, royalty, and celebrities.
Featured Image: Edward Jewsbury
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