SHADOW Home Secretary Chris Philp has said that Labour’s new plan to be launched today will be a “desperate, panicky” re-launch by a failing government. Speaking on GB News, he said: “What we’re going to see today is essentially a desperate, panicky attempted relaunch by Keir Starmer of his government after only five months, because they are failing so desperately. “We’ve seen the winter fuel payment being stripped from pensioners, including pensioners in poverty. We’ve seen these massive, massive tax rises, which Labour lied about during the election campaign. “They said there were not going to be significant tax increases. That’s turned out to be a complete lie, and they’ve hit all of us with these massive tax rises, which people like the CBI and the retail sector and the hospitality industry tell us is going to result, not only in lower wages for working people, but also actual job losses. “And all the while Keir Starmer was loading up on freebies from Lord Alli and handing out bumper inflation busting pay rises to his trade union bosses, and that’s why…his approval rating has plummeted. “The figure I saw was minus 32% so it’s no wonder he’s trying this desperate, panicky relaunch to try and rescue what has been a catastrophic start to government.” Philp added: “The announcement we’re going to get today from Keir Starmer on policing is predictably a bogus, dishonest and misleading announcement. “He’s going to announce, I believe, 13,000 more police officers, but it turns out only 3,000 of those are actually new, and he’s not even giving the police enough money to pay for those new officers. So they’re going to have to cut something else, probably cut police numbers elsewhere, in order to deliver his promise. “So even today’s announcement is going to be completely dishonest, just like Labour’s entire election campaign.” On tax rises for farmers, he said: “They continued with this awful plan that we’ll see farms being lost. It’ll damage our food security. It means we’ll end up importing more food, and it will actually put up food prices for all of us. “So this terrible idea of Labour’s to attack farms is going to – it actually won’t just affect farmers. It’ll actually end up affecting all of us in the form of higher food prices, and we’re going to have to import more food from overseas as well. But we’re going to keep the battle up. We’re going to keep working with the National Farmers Union. “We’re going to keep finding ways in Parliament to put Labour on the spot and try and engineer further votes, because we on the Conservative side are standing firmly with our farmers, just as we are standing with the pensioners who Labour have attacked, just as we’re standing with the businesses who Labour have attacked, and just as we are standing with working people who Labour have also attacked with their swinging tax rises.”

With lower interest rates, curbed inflation and a new U.S. administration, the outlook for 2025 is for M&A activity to build on this year’s gains. Research from WTW’s Quarterly Deal Performance Monitor (QDPM) shows a steady rise in the volume of deals valued at over US$1 billion during the last 12 months[1], a positive trend that has sparked growing confidence in corporate boardrooms for the year ahead.

5 M&A trends for 2025
After a challenging couple of years, with the market having to grapple with inflation and rising interest rates, M&A activity in 2024 demonstrated signs of recovery. However, getting complex, costly transactions right in the fast-changing world of M&A will remain a challenge for buyers and sellers. Jana Mercereau, Head of Europe M&A Consulting at WTW, looks at five critical trends that companies should track for 2025:
1. Consolidation and rise of mid-market deals
“Due to a shortage of high-quality M&A targets during 2024, corporates are now sitting on a record cash pile that must be directed somewhere. With deal flow predicted to increase during the next 12 months, investment will be focused on core revenue-generating functions that enhance competitive edge, with divestment of non-core assets.

“While the market was top-heavy during the third quarter of 2024, according to WTW data, mid-market M&A activity looks set to surge in 2025 driven by increased margin pressure, the push for scale and inorganic growth as a means to accelerate digital transformation. Under pressure to deploy vast sums of capital, private equity buyers will also see this upswing in carve outs and spin-offs as an opportunity to generate value.”

2. AI’s watershed moment
“Digital transformation and the burgeoning use of AI in the deal process will be a big story in 2025. Technology-driven dealmaking is being advanced by companies seeking to integrate AI capabilities – including automation, cloud computing and cybersecurity – in order to remain competitive in a digital-first world.
“With technology already cutting through every deal, the next question is whether 2025 will be a watershed moment for GenAI when the fog of hype clears and its true value is revealed, including its potential as a powerful new tool for streamlining the resource-intensive M&A process, from target identification to due diligence and integration.”
3. Economic stabilisation
“Improving economic conditions and market sentiment should give much-needed predictability for buyers to plan their financing, especially for mid-sized companies reliant on borrowing, and a more stable foundation for more deal activity. The strong equity markets should also be a key driver of M&A, usually corresponding with a positive economic outlook and high CEO confidence.”
4. Geopolitical knowns and unknowns
“2024 was the year of the ballot box with more than 50 elections worldwide and despite less political instability anticipated in the short term, geopolitics will inevitably continue to define the global M&A landscape.

“Companies will need to be ready for the risks that come with rapid changes in regional and global stability, in particular conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. The impact of the US and China’s trade relationship on the cost of doing business could create further complexities that dealmakers will need to navigate carefully during the year ahead.”

5. Regulatory limbo
“Dealmakers will be energised by the prospect of reduced regulation and cautious as they adopt a ‘wait-and-see’ approach regarding which policies are actually enacted by the incoming White House administration. More highly regulated sectors, including finance and pharmaceuticals, where antitrust oversight could loosen, are likely to see a lift in M&A activity.”

Mercereau said: “There is already a clear consensus emerging that the M&A market is poised for a significant uptick in 2025, with technology-driven deals at the forefront. This goes beyond the implications of the ‘super election’ year of 2024, well into the future.”