Labour seeks to balance P&O criticism after Starmer slaps down call for boycott October 12, 2024 A Labour MP has sought to balance criticism of P&O Ferries after reports the Transport Secretary’s call for a boycott of the company could have jeopardised a £1bn investment in the UK. Keir Starmer has said Louise Haigh’s call for a boycott of the ferry firm was “not the view of the Government”. Liam Byrne [...]
Labour pulls back from ‘day one’ protections as it unveils workers’ rights overhaul October 10, 2024 Labour has pulled away from its pledge to give employees protection from unfair dismissal from the first day in a job, according to reports, as it unveils its long-awaited package of employment reforms today. The Employment Rights Bill, which Labour promised to introduce within its first 100 days, is set to be laid before Parliament [...]
Rayner reviews decision to block development of Marlow Film Studios October 9, 2024 Angela Rayner has launched a review of the decision to block the construction of Marlow Film Studios, opening up the possibility that the £750m project could still be approved.
A ‘New Deal’ for fewer jobs and worse pay? October 8, 2024 Labour’s promise of a ‘New Deal for Working People’ is deliberately worded to evoke the era of Roosevelt, when major federal interventions supposedly shook America out of the Great Depression and conclusively demonstrated the benefits of Keynesian economics. But even Keynes knew it was more complicated than this. Alongside stimulus, he wrote that reversing a [...]
Pay tax on your gifts, top accountancy firm warns politicians amid Labour row September 26, 2024 Politicians should pay tax on gifts in the same way that other industries and individuals do, a leading accountant has said. Currently, firms and workers in sectors where gifting is commonplace and an element of their profession – such as the media industry or online influencers – are made pay to income tax and, in [...]
Donations a ‘feature of our politics’, Angela Rayner tells BBC amid gifts row September 22, 2024 Donations to MPs are “a feature of our politics”, Angela Rayner has insisted amid a row over Labour politicians accepting gifts and freebies. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had come in for criticism in the past week over accepting more than £100,000-worth of gifts, including tickets to football matches, concerts and luxury clothes. But he, [...]
Oxford Street: Sadiq Khan plans to pedestrianise iconic retail centre September 17, 2024 Sadiq Khan has announced plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street in a bid to reinvigorate the nation’s “most famous high street” and attract more shoppers. The mayor of London has announced the proposals to turn the road into a traffic-free avenue, alongside a wider regeneration of the shopping destination. Pedestrianisation plans would be delivered via the [...]
Right to Buy isn’t to blame for depleted social housing stock September 10, 2024 Right to Buy created a generation of homeowners and enabled mass transfer of capital wealth from the state to the people. No wonder Labour want to abolish it, says Emma Revell Imagine you could introduce a policy which could create more than 2m new homeowners over the next 40 years. Would you do it? Or [...]
The government needs a flight plan September 3, 2024 Airport capacity is a vital national infrastructure issue critical to growth, but we have no idea where the government stands, says Eliot Wilson Michael O’Leary, the veteran CEO of Ryanair, is a reliable source of copy. Last week this paper reported his view that the next runway to be built to serve London would not [...]
Workers’ rights fines will harm growth and jobs, small businesses warn September 3, 2024 The government risks “reversing economic growth” and disincentivising hiring if it pursues plans to issue “punitive” fines to businesses that breach its workers’ rights plan, industry leaders have warned. Businesses face paying thousands of pounds in fines if they fall foul of the new protections that Labour are hoping to introduce, it was revealed on [...]