View in browser

theipaper.com

Thursday March 19 2026

By Eleanor Coulson

Audience Producer at The i Paper

Good afternoon and welcome to Thursday’s edition of The Essential.

The Government says it will not rejoin the customs union or single market, but senior figures have been pushing for closer ties with the EU.

Britain is approaching 10 years since it voted to leave the European Union in a razor-thin referendum – but the debate over what comes next for the UK’s relationship with the bloc persists.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has said that UK membership of the EU is “inevitable” and has called on the Government to commit to rejoining the customs union and single market before the next general election, expected in 2029.

The Government’s official position remains that it will not do so.

But a pattern of ministerial language and mounting internal pressure has prompted questions about whether that position can hold.

Here, the recent hints dropped by varying political figures, suggesting the ways the Government wants to be more in line with the EU, are explained by political reporter Eleanor Langford.

Keir Starmer and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, are leading plans for resetting the UK’s relationship with the bloc (Photo: Carl Court/Getty)

Elsewhere, with the Middle East conflict threatening to dramatically escalate after strikes on energy facilities, James Ball ruminates on whether Donald Trump is losing control of Israel and the conflict or whether he’s lying about what’s really going on.

In the latest from our “Are We Ready For War?” series, Conservative MP Alicia Kearns looks at the potential weaknesses of Britain’s overseas territories, why this makes them sitting ducks for an attack – and how exactly the Government would respond. 

Finally, Elizabeth Davies explains how an embarrassing accident at the gym led her to leave her career in law and embark on her years-long training to become a personal trainer. Amassing a huge social media following, she now teaches women of all ages how to “train for their old lady body”.

• How I Manage My Money: Couple, on £4,700 a month, who don’t want to buy property
• I spent a day with a damp expert – and learned easy, cheap ways to keep my home dry

Nigel Farage has criticised the high street, claiming Turkish barber shops are fronts for money-laundering. But the steady decline of local shopping centres has been decades in the making

1

How Turkish barbers and vape shops could decide the next election

Nigel Farage has made hay criticising the high street – most controversially claiming that Turkish barber shops are fronts for money laundering. Labour is not unaware of the need to act – promising at the election to breathe new life into the high street, which it described as the “lifeblood” of communities. But with a crucial set of elections coming in May and a general election due in a little over three years, there is concern among Labour MPs that the Government’s best endeavours will not be enough to convince voters that change is on its way.

2

Trump is obsessing over his own mortality. Insiders fear it will damage the UK

For Trump-whisperers seeking to understand the US President’s shifting deliberations about the Iran war, there was a hidden significance to the comments. “Washington thinks Trump is thinking about life after Trump,” a diplomatic source told The i Paper. Trump has been seething this week, and Sir Keir Starmer has, once again, been his punching bag. After extensive conversations with diplomatic sources and insiders, The i Paper can reveal what’s really going on behind the scenes of the US President’s feud with the Prime Minister.

3

Students to be jabbed for meningitis in their home towns as infection spreads

Meningitis vaccines are being stockpiled by the Government to stop supplies running low in areas most affected by the outbreak, it has emerged. Two organisations representing pharmacies said manufacturers had been told to withhold stocks of the jabs after the cluster in Kent led to a nationwide surge in demand. High street chemists are being “inundated” by requests from concerned parents for the MenB vaccination after two young people died. As of Wednesday evening, there have been 15 confirmed cases and a further 12 remain under investigation, bringing the total number of confirmed or suspected cases to 27. 

4

‘Load of b******s’: Labour Red Wall MPs angered by Rayner’s migration attack

Angela Rayner has sparked a backlash from Labour MPs for a speech in which she attacked the Government’s immigration reforms and said the party was “running out of time” to deliver change. Backbenchers accused the former deputy prime minister of “selfish” behaviour and being on leadership manoeuvres ahead of the crunch local elections on 7 May. In a speech to Labour’s “soft left” Mainstream group on Tuesday night, she said that plans to double the time it takes for most migrant workers to qualify for permanent residence from five to 10 years are “un-British”.

Three writers with varied backgrounds share their views on a single issue, so you get a view of all sides of the story.

I refuse to burden my daughter in old age – I’ve already left her with problems

Simon Kelner, columnist at The i Paper 

Read perspective  →

I resented caring for my dad – I had to sacrifice my entire life

Catherine Renton, lifestyle journalist

Read perspective  →

Grandparents do free childcare then are carted off to a care home. It makes me sick

Janet Street-Porter, broadcaster and television executive

Read perspective  →

SHARE YOUR PERSPECTIVE

Fluffy fraudster: A wild possum joined stuffed furry friends in an Australian airport gift shop this week, surprising travellers in an adorable case of hide and squeak. Staff at Hobart Airport in Australia’s Tasmania state said the disoriented marsupial was spotted among the stuffed toys. (Photo: Melissa Oddie/AFP)

♦ WORLD

♦ MONEY 

♦ CULTURE 

♦ LIFESTYLE

♦ SPORT

♦ OPINION

The King Charles III England Coast Path will stretch for almost 2,700 miles when complete (Photo: Natural England)

With seabirds, seals, Saxon relics and public art, there’s a wealth of walks to enjoy on our shores.

Read more.

role=”presentation” style=”mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0″>

Get in touch

Author: West London