Race for Labour deputy reignites wealth tax debate Politics Labour’s Islington South and Finsbury MP Emily Thornberry has thrown her hat in the ring for Labour deputy leader and proposed a new wealth tax as part of her campaign, prompting Chancellor Rachel Reeves to strike down calls by ruling out its introduction. Thornberry, the former shadow foreign secretary under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership who now [...]
Labour is gambling with Britain’s global competitiveness – ‘real-life Iron Man’ Business A British engineer and chief executive, known as the ‘real-life Iron Man’, has warned the Labour government is “gambling with Britain’s competitiveness on a global stage”. Richard Browning, a former Royal Marine who leads Gravity Industries, has written an open letter to education secretary Bridget Phillipson expressing concern over the “waning entrepreneurial spirit across our [...]
Angela Rayner under pressure to clarify property questions amid hypocrisy accusations Politics Angela Rayner is facing mounting scrutiny over her property portfolio, with accusations that she avoided £40,000 in stamp duty and questions around a house valuation in her constituency. These suggestions are made more embarrassing by her dual roles as deputy prime minister and housing secretary. The Times has reported on the “remarkable coincidence” that, at [...]
Ministers ‘pushed ahead too fast’ on welfare reform, says Phillipson July 6, 2025 Ministers “pushed ahead too fast” and “didn’t listen enough” on welfare reform, the education secretary has said. Bridget Phillipson also said that future spending decisions had been made “harder”, when asked about the prospect of the two-child benefit cap being scrapped. Phillipson told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme that she was “not going [...]
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 [...]
Labour to back use of ChatGPT and AI in schools May 19, 2025 The UK will back international guidelines on using generative AI such as ChatGPT in schools, the Education Secretary is set to announce. In a speech to the Education World Forum in London on Monday, Bridget Phillipson will aim to put Britain at the forefront of a “revolution” in education technology. As well as funding efforts [...]
Defence spending: 2.5 per cent of GDP is ‘ambitious,’ minister says February 23, 2025 Raising UK defence spending to 2.5 per cent of national income is “ambitious”, a cabinet minister has insisted as the government faces pressure to increase investment. It comes amid uncertainty over the future of the war in Ukraine, as the US began negotiations with Russia, excluding Kyiv from talks. Education secretary Bridget Phillipson sought to [...]
Apprenticeships: Relaxing maths and English rules welcomed by firms February 11, 2025 Firms have welcomed the government’s plans to relax rules around maths and English requirements for apprentices as improving “flexibility and inclusivity”. Apprentices aged 19 and above will no longer be forced to complete English and maths functional skills qualifications in order to qualify, which the Department for Education (DfE) said would allow some 10,000 more [...]
Freedom and parental choice are under threat from school reforms January 8, 2025 The government’s schools bill will undo all the progress that’s been made in English education and had power over our children’s futures to unions and activists, rather than the people who know best, says Mark Lehain English schools really are better now than 35 years ago, by any number of measures. Things improved by design, [...]
China accuses Britain of causing ‘trouble’ over spy linked to Prince Andrew December 17, 2024 The Chinese embassy in the UK has launched an incendiary attack on the British government today, saying London should stop causing “trouble” after it banned from Britain an alleged spy with links to Prince Andrew. Beijing’s representative in Britain issued its statement amid a furore over an alleged Chinese spy with links to the Duke [...]