University chief says £12,500 fees needed to support higher eduction sector September 6, 2024 A London vice-chancellor has suggested universities could need tuition fees of £12,500 to address the sector’s financial woes. Professor Shitij Kapur, the vice-chancellor and president of King’s College London (KCL), has said the “number to ask for” was between £12,000 and £13,000 – but warned institutions risked looking “out of touch” if they requested the [...]
Government must fix ‘antiquated’ business rates, firms and CBI urge September 6, 2024 The government must fix the “antiquated” business rates system which is dampening productivity and growth, firms and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has urged. A cross-sector panel including retail and manufacturing firms met to develop proposals to improve the current system in a bid to boost investment and supercharge the economy. CBI chief executive [...]
The City needs a shake-up for Britain to attract the £1trillion it needs, warns Sir Nigel Wilson September 6, 2024 The UK must unlock a wave of cash from domestic pension funds and revamp the structure of its capital markets to attract the £1 trillion of investment needed to achieve its target growth rate over the next decade, a report by a City grandee has found. The Capital Markets of Tomorrow report, led by former [...]
GB Energy: Bill criticised as ‘blank cheque’ as MPs debated flagship policy September 6, 2024 The government’s Great British Energy bill has been criticised as a “blank cheque” and for having “barely anything in it” as MPs debated the flagship policy in the Commons. Energy security secretary Ed Miliband introduced the legislation to the chamber on Thursday for its second reading – when the main Commons debate was held – [...]
UK-EU trade has ‘flatlined’ but hopes for ‘reset’, MPs told September 6, 2024 UK trade with the European Union (EU) has “essentially flatlined”, MPs were told, but the new government hopes to “reset our relationship” with the neighbouring bloc. Business minister Douglas Alexander told the House of Commons: “Overall trade since 2018 has essentially flatlined. “As a government, we’re determined to reset our relationship with the EU more [...]
Water: Tougher regulation will attract ‘global investment’, Steve Reed claims September 5, 2024 Steve Reed has claimed that toughening up water regulation will “attract global investment” to rebuild the UK’s sewage and pipeline infrastructure. The environment secretary today insisted his efforts to reform the under-fire industry—including the threat of prison time for rogue water bosses—would create “growth and opportunity.” It comes after Reed unveiled the Water (Special Measures) [...]
The Debate: Should workers have the right to a four-day week? September 5, 2024 Would you want to compress your hours into a four-day week? The answer won't be the same for all employees...
Is there a Tufton Street of the left? September 5, 2024 With think tankers and campaigners being appointed to government, it’s tempting to think these secretive groups are calling the tune, but there are better ways to work out what Labour really thinks, says James Nation Over the last 14 years, there was a theory among some commentators that went something like this: yes, Conservative Prime [...]
Playing nice with trade unions won’t fix public services September 5, 2024 With trade unions promising further strike action despite generous pay settlements, Labour have found themselves in a bind of their own making, say Matthew Lesh Throughout the election campaign, Keir Starmer repeatedly pledged to end strikes by engaging in constructive dialogue with the unions. This always sounded like a pretty hollow promise. How could simply talking to [...]
Water bosses risk prison time as government launches crackdown September 4, 2024 Bosses of water companies who obstruct watchdog investigations could face up to two years behind bars, as the government unveils tough new laws to ramp up enforcement. The Water (Special Measures) Bill was introduced in Parliament on Wednesday and will grant sweeping new powers to the Environment Agency (EA), the Drinking Water Inspectorate and Ofwat [...]