The past seven days have not been great for the prime minister nor the leader of the opposition. Rishi Sunak followed up his ill advised bet with Piers Morgan with a truly cringeworthy performance at PMQs. Meanwhile Keir Starmer finally ditched Labours £28bn green pledge – and was inevitably met with a chorus of criticism with accusations of traitor and flip flopper in equal measure. To add to his woes, disturbing words in respect of Israel and the Gaza conflict from Labours Rochdale by election candidate came to light, reminding voters of the party’s challenge with antisemitism. But, if you think it’s been a bad week for messrs Sunak & Starmer, then spare a thought for US president Joe Biden. His senility is becoming a real barrier to his re-election and a boost to his Republican opponent Donald Trump. Is it too late for the Democrats to select an alternative candidate before the November presidential poll? Welcome to the Downtown Den Politics podcast.

DOWNTOWN IN BUSINESS WARNS: RISING UNEMPLOYMENT AND SLUGGISH GROWTH SHOWS LABOUR MUST RETHINK ITS EMPLOYMENT LAW AGENDA
Downtown in Business has urged the government to think again on its sweeping employment law reforms, warning that this week’s double whammy of announcements – UK unemployment hitting a four-year high, and growth at a disappointing 0.1% in the last quarter, is a flashing red light the Treasury cannot afford to ignore.

DOWNTOWN IN BUSINESS CRITICISES BANK OF ENGLAND’S “TIMID” APPROACH AS DAMAGING TO UK GROWTH
Downtown in Business has slammed the Bank of England for once again ducking the opportunity to inject desperately needed momentum into the UK economy, after the Monetary Policy Committee chose to hold interest rates at 4% this week—despite mounting evidence of economic fragility.

Historic Warrington Soap Factory to Become Cutting-Edge AI Data Centre
A 130-year-old former Unilever factory at Bank Quay, once a cornerstone of Warrington’s proud soap-making heritage, is set to be transformed into a state-of-the-art data centre powering the UK’s growing artificial intelligence economy.

Regeneration Brainery
We are delighted that Regeneration Brainery are our latest business of the week. Regeneration Brainery is an award-winning aspirational academy for brilliant young minds.