Almost half of Britain’s households live in areas where economic growth isn’t translating into better living standards, according to consultancy PwC. Its report puts the figure at 12.5 million households, or 46 percent of the total. The findings cut through…
The Resolution Foundation has urged Chancellor John Healey to prepare to raise taxes on middle earners to help finance Labour’s military expansion. Its economists argue that meeting the government’s defence pledge would require another £28bn a year, and that average…
Britain’s long-term borrowing costs have hit a 28-year high, tightening the squeeze ahead of Andy Burnham’s first Budget on 28 October. Labour has promised relief from rising living costs while committing itself to rules that reassure creditors and preparing higher…
Pet owners could continue to be kept in the dark about who owns their local veterinary practice after the Competition and Markets Authority weakened proposed transparency rules for Britain’s increasingly monopolised veterinary industry. The regulator recently investigated the £6.3bn veterinary…
Train drivers at Avanti West Coast have secured an above-inflation pay rise after their union threatened strike action across some of Britain’s busiest rail routes. The agreement between Avanti and the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (Aslef) gives…
Europe is heading towards winter with its gas stores at their lowest level in 13 years, raising the prospect of another surge in household energy bills. EU storage facilities were only 63 percent full in the final week of August….
The University of Exeter has approved plans to train senior Saudi military officers and government officials, adding another institutional link to Britain’s longstanding military relationship with the Saudi monarchy. Under the proposed “formal partnership”, Exeter academics will deliver an MA…
Andy Burnham has backed away from supporting a cap on political donations only months after telling a campaigner that individual contributions should initially be limited to £500,000 and reduced further over time. In May, before becoming the MP for Makerfield…
Birmingham city council is seeking an injunction against members of Raise the Colours, the anti-migrant campaign responsible for attaching Union Jacks and St George’s flags to public infrastructure across the city. The application names the campaign’s co-founder, Ryan Bridge, seven…
Millions of households face another sharp rise in energy costs this autumn, with prices set to increase by nearly 4 percent in October. Cornwall Insight predicts a further 9 percent rise in January, just as winter demand reaches its peak….
