Greetings, esteemed meme lovers. We hope you had a great Christmas and wishing you a great new year too.

Now let’s make the most of this beautiful period between Christmas and New Years Day where the top priorities are day-drinking, dreading going back into the office in January and of course, reading The Pint.

So sit back, relax and get stuck into the news you need to know, delivered to you via carefully crafted and curated memes.

⏰ Today's reading time is 6 minutes.

Quote of the Week

Revised data reveals the UK economy recorded zero growth between July and September, adding to concerns after disappointing inflation figures and an unexpected contraction in October.

The CBI business survey warns of a steep decline in activity in early 2025, while the British Retail Consortium predicts a consumer spending squeeze in January.

Rising costs from employer national insurance hikes and a higher minimum wage —effective from April—are expected to pressure businesses further.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves acknowledged the “huge challenge” of reviving growth, while Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride blamed early Labour policies for the stagnant performance. Businesses are split, with some expressing cautious optimism and others bracing for potential job cuts and price hikes.

Economists remain uncertain whether the slowdown reflects a post-election dip or signals a deeper recession ahead.

Auto manufacturers Honda, Nissan, and Mitsubishi to merge

Honda, Nissan, and Mitsubishi are in talks for a three-way merger to address falling sales and rising competition from Chinese EV brands.

The plan involves Honda and Nissan forming a joint holding company, with Mitsubishi deciding on participation by January 2025.

If finalized, the merger would create the world's third-largest automaker, trailing only Toyota and Volkswagen in annual sales.

The move comes as Chinese automakers like BYD (more on them further down the email) and SAIC aggressively expand globally, intensifying pressure on Japan’s car industry.

While Honda (3.8m cars sold in 2023) has been more prolific than Nissan (3m cars) and Mitsubishi (700,000 cars), the combined entity aims to achieve cost-sharing and operational synergies.

However, former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn criticised the plan, calling it “inefficient” due to overlapping operations between Honda and Nissan.

Donald Trump targets Canada, Greenland and Panama Canal in Christmas message

In a series of Christmas Day social media posts, Donald Trump proposed U.S. control over Canada, Greenland, and the Panama Canal.

Trump mocked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, suggesting Canada could become the 51st U.S. state, promising lower taxes, business growth, and unmatched military protection.

On Greenland, Trump reiterated his past request for the U.S. to acquire the island from Denmark, framing it as a national security priority and claiming Greenlanders support U.S. presence.

And finally, regarding the Panama Canal, Trump accused Panama of overcharging for canal usage and raised concerns about Chinese influence, despite Panama's government denying any such control.

The Canal was formerly under U.S control before being officially handed over to Panama in 1999 and it remains one of the most important trade hubs in the world.

Biden administration withdraws student loan forgiveness plans

The Biden administration is abandoning its latest student loan forgiveness proposals, citing limited time, resources, and expected legal challenges ahead of Donald Trump’s presidency.

The plans, a big part of his election campaign in 2020, aimed to cancel up to $20,000 in unpaid interest for almost 38 million Americans and provide targeted relief for at-risk borrowers facing default.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said the focus will shift to helping borrowers return to repayment, as broader forgiveness efforts face political and legal roadblocks.

Advocates expressed frustration but urged officials to fast-track relief for vulnerable borrowers before Trump takes office.

Farage and Badenoch clash over party membership figures

Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservatives, has accused Nigel Farage of cooking the books on Reform UK’s membership count, after the upstart party claimed to have surpassed the Tories in number of members (132,000 vs 131,000).

Badenoch took a break from refreshing the Reform party website to claim that their membership count was “coded to tick up automatically” and dismiss Farage as being “bitter, upset, and angry.”

Farage, in response, waved his 5.4 million social media followers in her face and challenged the Tories to a Big Four audit off (as thrilling as it sounds) of their respecive membership numbers.

Cooked or not, the numbers indicate growing grassroots support for Reform amidst the rebuilding of the Conservatives and the somewhat shaky start that the Labour government have had.

The reality remains, that they have 5 MPs to the Tory’s 121, so they’re going to have to wait until the next general election (and count on a lot of Tory defections) to be able to pose a credible threat.

The squabbling could actually be good for Labour as it detracts attention away from their “mixed” performance in power so far.  

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