Starmer’s bid to ease welfare cuts piles pressure on Rachel Reeves May 26, 2025 Keir Starmer has told his cabinet to jettison the two-child benefit cap, according to reports over the weekend, in a move that piles pressure on the Treasury and chancellor Rachel Reeves. The cap, which was introduced by the Conservative party a decade ago, prevents low-income families from receiving additional universal credit after the first two [...]
MP defends ‘human cost’ of assisted dying bill after impact assessment May 3, 2025 Assisted dying is about the “human cost” and not pounds and pence, the MP behind the proposed legislation has said after an assessment of the potential costs. An impact assessment into the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was published on Friday, exactly a fortnight ahead of the next Commons debate on the proposed [...]
Russian confrontation with peacekeepers ‘would be an extraordinary escalation’ March 16, 2025 Russian soldiers confronting British troops in Ukraine would be an “extraordinary escalation”, a minister has said as talks continue on a possible Western peacekeeping operation. Wes Streeting suggested on Sunday morning that the prospect of such a confrontation would be sufficient to deter Russia from breaching any ceasefire agreement reached with Ukraine. He told Sky [...]
Health Secretary declines to be drawn on benefit freeze ‘speculation’ March 16, 2025 A senior minister has declined to be drawn on whether the government will freeze personal independence payment (PIP) as uncertainty continues to surround Labour’s upcoming benefits reforms. Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall is expected to announce reforms on Tuesday aimed at cutting a welfare bill that ministers have described as “unsustainable”. Ahead of the [...]
NHS delays drive demand for private healthcare to record March 4, 2025 Private healthcare market has broken yet another record, with private hospital admissions hitting their highest Q3 on record
Government hits NHS target early and opens door to more private investment February 17, 2025 Government hit NHS appointments target seven months early, as the health secretary warns there is a "hell of lot more to do"
Wes Streeting’s waiting list plans will cripple GPs January 31, 2025 Wes Streeting’s plan to bring down waiting lists by shifting care out of hospital make superficial sense, but if GPs are going to shoulder more of the burden they need the resources to do it, says Katie Collin GPs have been at the sharp end of the government’s NHS missteps for some time; the persistent [...]
Streeting heckled as he urged progressives to fight ‘populist right’ January 25, 2025 Health Secretary Wes Streeting was interrupted by climate protesters on Saturday as he gave a speech urging progressives to fight the “populist right” in a battle of ideas. Two women shouted over him as he used an address to the Fabian Society to call for the centre-left to take on the “miserablist, declinist vision” he [...]
Further delays will devastate the social care sector January 8, 2025 The government’s decision to delay social care reform will simply prolong the crisis. The sector needs decisions not inquiries, says Martin Jones Labour’s decision to delay a social care overhaul until 2028, announcing an independent commission led by Baroness Casey of Blackstock, is another devastating blow to a sector in desperate need of reform. For [...]
Healthcare: Could the private sector help Keir Starmer cut NHS waiting lists? January 6, 2025 Plans for a “new agreement” to more closely link the NHS and the private healthcare sector have been unveiled today in a bid to slash waiting lists for patients. The National Health Service (NHS) and the independent sector have struck a new deal which ministers say will improve patient choice as part of plans to [...]