Voters ‘angry’ and impatient’, Rayner admits, amid fall in Labour support December 8, 2024 Voters are angry and impatient for change, Angela Rayner has admitted, amid a fall in support for Labour in the polls and a rise for Reform UK. The deputy Prime Minister said she understood the mood of the country after what she called several “significant challenges” faced by the government in its first months in [...]
Keir Starmer: Planning regime ‘suffocating aspirations of working families’ December 6, 2024 Writing in the Times, Starmer said the planning system had become "increasingly ruinous" and was "suffocating the aspirations of working families".
Planning reforms have had ‘profound and hugely positive impact’, Berkeley says December 6, 2024 FTSE 100 house builder Berkeley said it was on track to meet its profit targets in 2025 as it announced a new investment strategy to help capitalise on the government’s planning reforms. The government has committed to building 1.5m new homes over the course of the parliament. To meet its target, ministers are consulting on [...]
Oxford Street M&S: Angela Rayner gives all-clear for demolition December 5, 2024 Angela Rayner has given the all-clear for the demolition of the flagship Oxford Street Marks & Spencer store. The deputy prime minister has granted permission for M&S to demolish the 94-year-old shop at Marble Arch in a decision published today. Plans to knock down Orchard House, which dates to the 1930s, and two other buildings, [...]
Shock poll puts Reform UK ahead of Labour for first time, as Tories surge December 5, 2024 A new poll has put Reform UK one point ahead of the Labour Party for the first time. Research by pollsters at FindOutNow put Nigel Farage’s party on 24 per cent, one point above Labour on 23 per cent. While Kemi Badenoch’s Conservative Party came higher than both, at 26 per cent, with the Lib [...]
Starmer pledges to deliver ‘higher living standards’ in milestones speech December 5, 2024 Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to deliver “higher living standards” across the UK by the end of this parliament – but did not put a figure on his target. The Prime Minister aimed to flesh out his pre-election promise to kickstart economic growth, as he set out a set of new “milestones” in a major [...]
Slump in housebuilding casts doubt on government’s new homes pledge December 5, 2024 Tim Moore, economics director at S&P Global Market Intelligence, said housebuilding was suffering from a "sustained downturn".
ISA changes to be government priority in 2025 says AJ Bell boss December 5, 2024 AJ Bell’s boss has said that ISA simplification is expected to be a priority for the government next year. “My understanding is that in 2025 we’ll see some progress on ISA simplification, and we’ll look to engage with government as part of that,” said AJ Bell CEO Michael Summersgill. There had been anticipation of a shakeup in [...]
Could Elon Musk and Nigel Farage upend British politics? December 5, 2024 Labour’s majority is enormous, but it only gives us the appearance of stability. All the evidence suggests their support is broad but shallow and their victory was as much a question of good luck and good timing as it was a literal vote of support for Labour’s policies. The Tory party is basically neck and [...]
More big tax rises are ‘inevitable’, ING says December 5, 2024 Rachel Reeves will have to do another “big top-up” of tax rises this parliament, analysts at a major bank have said, despite the Chancellor previously vowing not to. In its outlook for 2025, published today, Dutch lender ING said that Reeves’ controversial October Budget “is likely just the beginning” of several more Budgets characterised by [...]