Hargreaves Lansdown's Derren Nathan: Prospects for British business after Starmer's first year

As FTSE 100 hits 9,000

July marks the first year of a Labour government since 2010. In general, stock markets, including the London Stock Exchange, are more sensitive to events on the global stage than the UK economy or domestic policy.

On that front, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has won some admiration for carving out a relatively favourable deal with US President Donald Trump's administration in its crusade against free trade. UK, France and Germany urge increased defence spending on eve of Hague NATO summit And while Starmer cannot take all the credit for the index's performance, the FTSE 100 recently reached an altitude of 9,000 for the first time. Sticking with foreign policy, elevated threat levels have seen the prime minister commit to the biggest investment in defence since the Cold War. And with NATO state...