China wins stake in British nuclear power and high-speed rail
Hinkley Point C investment among £14bn worth of trade deals with Beijing, announced during Li Keqiang visit to UKChina has been given the chance to take a decisive stake in the next stage of Britain's...
View ArticleBank of England minutes clear up nothing
Rather than illuminating the City on Bank's view on interest rates, monetary policy committee records add to the confusionThe Bank of England seems intent on confusing the financial markets about the...
View ArticleEd Balls refuses any role in currency union with an independent Scotland
Shadow chancellor says proposed sterling zone, on back of a yes vote, would be flawed, unstable and may make him resignEd Balls has hinted that if he were chancellor in a future Labour government he...
View ArticleLabour can't spend its way to equality. Here's an alternative plan | Nick Pearce
Growth won't deliver redistribution of wealth. We need to challenge the old hierarchiesAll over Europe, social democratic parties are on the ropes, shedding votes to populists on the left and right....
View ArticlePoverty hits twice as many British households as 30 years ago
The UK economy has doubled in size since the early 1980s yet the number of those suffering below-minimum living standards has grown by more than twice, a study claimsThe number of British households...
View ArticleVince Cable hits out at Bank of England over loans to small business
Business secretary angered by blocking of regulatory reforms that favour mortgages rather than lending to private companiesVince Cable has rebuked the Bank of England on Wednesday for blocking reforms...
View ArticleHigh street spending dips in May but the underlying trend is probably still up
Retail figures suggest that inflation will remain low as consumers spend less in non-food sectors than they did a year earlierConsumers are taking a pause for breath. After some strong monthly...
View ArticleThe benefits system needs overhauling, but simple stability will be a...
The IPPR says contributions not income should be the new yardstick, but whoever is in charge in 2015 will need more money or to make more cutsWhen I joined the Treasury in 1987, one of my first...
View ArticleBe ready for interest rate rises, Bank of England insider warns mortgage payers
Monetary policy committee external member signals end to ultra-cheap borrowing owing to stronger-than-expected growthBritain's 10 million mortgage payers have been warned to ready themselves for dearer...
View ArticleGovernment must investigate Sodexo racism claims, says Labour
Jon Trickett says awarding of £100m military contract should not be decided while questions remain about outsourcing firmLabour is calling for the government to investigate allegations of racism at one...
View ArticleMiliband's embrace of IPPR report marks turning point in Labour thinking
Thinktank's analysis of social renewal in Britain 're-imagines social democracy within a very cold climate economically'Thinktank reports tend to be rated by the number of the individual policies that...
View ArticleBritish public sector borrowing rises higher than expected
Economists say government appears to be struggling to reduce deficit in line with targets as borrowing hits £13.3bn in MayBritain's public sector finances showed little sign of improvement in May, with...
View ArticleGovernment U-turn over privatising child protection services
Outcry by social work experts leads ministers to say no to private companies but to consider charities and social enterprisesProposals to allow local authorities in England to privatise child...
View ArticleHigher UK state borrowing hits struggle to cut deficit
Coalition's deficit reduction stalls when falling unemployment and higher tax receipts should be helping state financesPublic sector finances showed little sign of improvement last month, despite a...
View ArticleWhy does big business want to save the world? | Lucy Seigle
Multinational companies do have the power to make things better and perhaps they are beginning to show itConsumers, stand by to feel increasingly uplifted and guilt-free! The foremost means of...
View ArticleHow tech's new wave turned UK on to winning ways
London's tech economy is booming as apps and games made there entertain the world and experts predict the first global trillion-dollar company will rise in the UK, most likely in big data. What is the...
View ArticleEducation, education, education means nothing without a job
Working-class children were being left behind by the school system long before the crash. It's time for radical changeEd Miliband was trying to make a simple argument when he braved the subject of...
View ArticleLabour tears itself apart over the 'Ed problem'. So can he unite his team?
The party is ahead in the polls, but there is no sense of certain victory and one of the great dividing lines is the leader himselfThis was supposed to mark the end of Labour's long wait. They told us...
View ArticleThe readers' editor onBritain's rail companies
Papers should strike a balance in coverage of the private companies that operate the railway networkWe British are curiously emotional about our railways; many of us are fondly nostalgic for a...
View ArticleLabor encourages a debate over welfare, but let's keep it factual | Chris Bowen
The Liberal party, which opposes means testing when Labor introduces it, now complains that Australia's welfare system is unsustainable. Nobody's buying their bare assertionsStung by the near-universal...
View Article