After losing IOC election, how about Seb Coe for chair of football regulator? March 27, 2025 It was, with hindsight, not a “keep Seb Coe out” but a “get Kirsty Coventry in” campaign that determined the International Olympic Committee (IOC) presidential election outcome. I was as guilty as most British observers in believing that Seb Coe would take it to the wire. Unconscious bias and all that. In the event, eight [...]
Spring Statement 2025: Rachel Reeves won’t rule out tax hikes at next Budget March 26, 2025 Rachel Reeves has declined to rule out hiking taxes at her next Budget, amid growing pushback from Labour MPs over welfare cuts in the wake of her Spring Statement. The Chancellor told reporters at a press conference that she was focused on growing the economy, despite speculation she will have to find more revenue to [...]
Spring Statement 2025: Workers’ rights bill ‘net negative’ for economy, OBR says March 26, 2025 The government’s workers’ rights bill will “probably [have] net negative economic impacts”, the independent fiscal watchdog has said. Labour unveiled their workers’ rights package – the Employment Rights Bill – last year, and measures were hailed by unions as “common sense” reforms for a “fairer economy”. But according to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), [...]
Spring Statement 2025 should be Reeves’ last March 26, 2025 If there’s one lesson Keir Starmer should learn from Liz Truss, it’s that he should sack his Chancellor Rachel Reeves, says Alys Denby With living standards clobbered by an emergency Budget hastily cobbled together as market forces react against government policy, the spectre of Liz Truss haunted the Spring Statement in more ways than one. [...]
Spring Statement 2025: Reeves bets big on AI and tech March 26, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered her first Spring Statement on Wednesday, setting out an economic plan that could have major implications for the UK’s tech sector as she pivots towards AI. With billions in government cuts, a fresh push for AI-driven efficiencies, and no new tax hikes, the statement signalled a shift towards automation as a [...]
Spring Statement 2025: More welfare cuts to come March 26, 2025 MPs and voters will “hear more” from the Chancellor on welfare cuts at the Spring Statement, the defence secretary has said. John Healey has appeared to confirm that further cuts to welfare spending will be required because the budget watchdog has said previously-announced measures will not save the £5bn a year expected by 2030. The [...]
Labour’s attempt to use AI to power budget cuts is damaging. Here’s why March 26, 2025 The UK government is beginning to introduce AI tools for deep research, framing the technology as a tool to reduce costs and improve efficiency. Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey announced on Tuesday that Rachel Reeves needs AI to ‘move the needle’ on economic growth. Yet, tying AI to Reeves’ budget cuts risks discouraging its [...]
Spring Statement 2025 LIVE March 26, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has presented her Spring Statement in the House of Commons this afternoon. The headline of the release was the change in the projections by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), which has slashed its growth forecast in half to one per cent as Chancellor Rachel Reeves said she was “not happy” [...]
If the world really has changed, Chancellor, then drop your tax hikes March 26, 2025 Rachel Reeves has one of the most demanding, high profile and exhausting jobs in the country, and so – at the very least – we should forgive her for taking some freebie tickets to a Sabrina Carpenter concert. She’s had very few good weeks since entering office and the least she deserves is a good [...]
Spring Statement 2025: £2.2bn defence and weapons boost, Reeves to unveil March 25, 2025 Rachel Reeves is set to unveil a £2.2bn boost for the UK’s defence spending at the Spring Statement, including cash to kit out Royal Navy ships with laser weapons. The Chancellor vowed to deliver “security and national renewal” but warned “we have to move quickly in a changing world” amid rising uncertainty over future European [...]