Budget 2024: Why the post-match politics are risky for Labour October 31, 2024 After months of speculation, Rachel Reeves has finally unveiled Labour’s first Budget in power. Coming in the wake of 14 years in opposition, this big tax and spend – and borrow – document is very much an ideological project, with the NHS, schools and low-paid workers among the big winners. The Chancellor may have ditched [...]
Post Office: MPs to hold inquiry into compensation ‘unfinished business’ October 31, 2024 MPs are set to launch an inquiry into the “unfinished business” of financial redress for victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal. The business and trade committee will hold a short probe focused on “fast and fair redress” for those affected by what has been dubbed the biggest miscarriage of justice in UK history. It [...]
Tory leadership: End race early so victor can respond to Budget, says Jenrick October 10, 2024 Robert Jenrick has called for the Tory leadership race to end early so that the winner can be in place to respond to Rachel Reeves’ first Budget. The Chancellor will deliver Labour’s first fiscal statement on 30 October, and the leadership hopeful has argued for a speedier end to the race ahead of the major [...]
Lib Dems push for changes to Commons rules to boost their influence September 14, 2024 The Liberal Democrats will push for changes to Parliament’s procedures to give them more influence as the third biggest party. Lib Dem chief whip Wendy Chamberlain questioned the fairness of the current rules, which give a “special platform” to the Tories as the largest opposition party. The Conservatives have 121 MPs while the Liberal Democrats [...]
Winter fuel payments: Just one Labour MP rebels in Commons vote on policy September 10, 2024 Just one Labour MP – Jon Trickett – rebelled against the government in a House of Commons vote on plans to means test the winter fuel payment to pensioners. The government won the vote with 348 votes in favour to 228 against, while some MPs – including 53 Labour members – abstained on the ballot, [...]
GB Energy: Bill criticised as ‘blank cheque’ as MPs debated flagship policy September 6, 2024 The government’s Great British Energy bill has been criticised as a “blank cheque” and for having “barely anything in it” as MPs debated the flagship policy in the Commons. Energy security secretary Ed Miliband introduced the legislation to the chamber on Thursday for its second reading – when the main Commons debate was held – [...]
UK-EU trade has ‘flatlined’ but hopes for ‘reset’, MPs told September 6, 2024 UK trade with the European Union (EU) has “essentially flatlined”, MPs were told, but the new government hopes to “reset our relationship” with the neighbouring bloc. Business minister Douglas Alexander told the House of Commons: “Overall trade since 2018 has essentially flatlined. “As a government, we’re determined to reset our relationship with the EU more [...]
Grenfell: Firms involved to be barred from public contracts, Starmer vows September 4, 2024 Companies involved in the failings that led to the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy will no longer be awarded government contracts, Sir Keir Starmer has said. The Prime Minister apologised for the disaster – which saw 72 people die in the tower block blaze in June 2017 – in a grave statement to the House of [...]
‘No plans’ to raise council tax but cut to discount not ruled out September 2, 2024 The government has no plans to increase English council taxes, Angela Rayner confirmed, but she declined to say whether she would scrap the single person discount to the bill. The deputy Prime Minister, who is also the secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, said her government “is about making sure working people [...]
Westminster is broken – literally July 30, 2024 Welcome to parliament new MPs – now please vote to kick yourselves out so the building can be restored, before it’s too late, writes Emma Revell Labour are making a lot of noise about the mess they’ve inherited from the Tories. But there’s one issue that’s messier than almost any other, and where tough decisions [...]