Government borrowing jumps as threat of tax hikes grows September 20, 2024 The figures come just over a month before Rachel Reeves delivers her first Budget as Chancellor.
Bank of England holds interest rates but Andrew Bailey flags further cuts September 19, 2024 The Bank's decision comes after the Fed reduced interest rates by 50 basis points last night, the first cut since the pandemic.
Replace the NHS with Social Health Insurance says think tank September 19, 2024 The IEA has called for a radical transformation of the NHS, proposing it be replaced with a Social Health Insurance system to improve healthcare outcomes in the UK
Jeremy Hunt backs calls to abolish NHS England September 19, 2024 Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt has backed calls to abolish NHS England amid a suite of reforms to how the service is managed. A new report from think tank Policy Exchange has argued for overhaul of NHS management structures, training and incentives to improve the system’s performance and productivity – as opposed to focusing on [...]
Cut beer duty by five per cent to create 12,000 jobs, pubs urge Chancellor September 18, 2024 Cutting beer duty by five per cent could create up to 12,000 jobs, a beer and pub association has urged the Chancellor ahead of next month’s Budget. The brewery and hospitality industries are urging the government to continue supporting them to invest and maintain the 1,040,000 jobs across the sector. Jobs could be at risk [...]
‘Strike right balance’ on flexible working, business groups urge Labour September 17, 2024 Ministers must allow firms to “strike the right balance” on flexible working, business lobby groups have urged. It comes after business secretary Jonathan Reynolds told The Times alternative work schedules “contribute to productivity” and could be “significant” in tackling regional inequality issues, amid debate over the government’s proposed plans for workers’ rights reforms. He said, [...]
Ed Miliband brands renewable energy transition a ‘national security fight’ against nimbys September 17, 2024 Britain’s transition to renewable energy is the “economic justice, energy security and national security fight of our time”, Ed Miliband has said, as he pledged to “take on the blockers”. The energy security and net zero secretary told Energy UK’s annual conference in London that fossil fuel “dependence” continued to leave the UK “deeply vulnerable [...]
Oxford Street: Former MP for the City and Westminster brands pedestrianisation ‘bullying’ September 17, 2024 A row has erupted over Sadiq Khan’s plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street as the area’s former MPs branded the move “bullying”. The mayor of London today unveiled proposals to ban traffic from the iconic central London retail destination, in what he hopes will reinvigorate the nation’s “most famous high street”. But Nickie Aiken, the former [...]
Keir Starmer: Policies that inhibit growth will be in the ‘no column’ September 17, 2024 “If it promotes economic growth, it’s in the Yes column — if it is inhibiting growth, it’s in the No column,” he reportedly said.
Economic inactivity due to sickness could reach 4.3m, report warns September 17, 2024 The UK’s level of economic inactivity due to sickness could reach 4.3m by the end of this parliament, with an “unthinkable human and economic cost”, a health report has warned. A cross-party commission on health and prosperity, led by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), has published its findings on the future of Britain’s [...]