The 79 economists are thinking too narrowly | Letters
Ha-Joon Chang, Thomas Piketty and 77 others argue (Letters, 12 June) that there is “no basis in economics” for George Osborne’s plans to legislate for budget surpluses. This is reminiscent of the...
View ArticleGeorge Osborne’s Tea Party settlement is the stuff of cold sweats | Aditya...
This isn’t just Bullingdon Boys running amok – they’re using austerity to transform irrevocably our politics, our public realm and our societyEver since the crash of 2008, every economic argument worth...
View ArticleThe conservative case for the left is overwhelming | Owen Jones
Workers’ rights; public ownership; tax justice. Tories should be urging their party to return to its history‘Trade unions are a long-established and essential part of our national life,” said the...
View ArticleGovernment plans cap on pension fund withdrawal charges
George Osborne announced the government’s desire to limit excessive early-exit penalties for people wanting access to their pension potsThe government is considering introducing a cap on the charges...
View ArticleCreasy, Eagle and Bradshaw make it on to Labour deputy leadership ballot -...
Rolling coverage of all the day’s political developments as they happen, including George Osborne standing in for David Cameron at PMQs and nominations closing for the Labour deputy leadershipWage...
View ArticleThe election has finally opened Tory eyes to the disaster of the bedroom tax
After praising the bedroom tax for five years, Tory MPs returned from their constituency doorsteps with a better understanding of the chaos it has causedWhen elected to a majority government, David...
View ArticleUK government borrowing in May lowest since 2007
George Osborne still expected to press ahead with steep cuts to welfare budgets and WhitehallGeorge Osborne is on track to cut the annual budget deficit by more than previously forecast after a block...
View ArticleGeorge Osborne’s policies have huge recessionary risk | Letters
In his comments on the debate about the plans for legislation to enforce budget surpluses, Philip Booth (Letters, 16 June) takes the opportunity to return to the debate about the crucial 1981 budget....
View ArticleAnti-austerity protests: tens of thousands rally across UK
Between 70,000 and 150,000 estimated to have marched in central London, with demonstrations in Glasgow, Liverpool and BristolForty-four days after David Cameron won an unexpected majority in the...
View ArticleThat’s why the country’s in such a state: too many bankers
New work from the OECD concludes that Britain’s inequality, poor productivity and lack of investment can all be laid at the door of a bloated financial sectorWhen banking goes bad, everyone suffers:...
View ArticleSo much for trickle down: only bold reforms will tackle inequality
Even the IMF recognises the vicious circle in which inequality breeds instability, which causes recession and spending cuts that make inequality worseChristine Lagarde took time off last week from...
View ArticleAnti-austerity protest passes off peacefully with just five arrests
Fears of a ‘riot plot’ proved unfounded as up to 150,000 protesters marched through central London, with other demos in Glasgow, Bristol and LiverpoolBritain’s largest anti-austerity demonstration in...
View ArticleAndy Burnham rejects Osborne's call for Labour support on £12bn welfare cuts
Labour leadership candidate says chancellor is scaring people by failing to set out which benefits he would slashThe Labour leadership frontrunner Andy Burnham has launched a blistering attack on...
View ArticleGeorge Osborne’s success selling tissue-paper brollies in a thunderstorm |...
What is Matthew d’Ancona on about (George Osborne’s coup: converting Labour to fiscal conservatism, 21 June)? I borrow a fiver so I can travel to the next village for a day’s work picking fruit. At the...
View ArticleHow to meet Britain’s housing needs | Letters
Zoe Williams is quite right to identify foreign ownership for investment purposes to be one of the root causes of the housing problem, particularly in London and the south-east (Why more houses won’t...
View ArticleCabinet must lead drive to get Britain out of 'export slow lane', report says
Commission led by AgustaWestland chairman Graham Cole urges government to work better with businesses to win and develop overseas marketsThe government must do more to turn around Britain’s weak export...
View ArticleCampaigners alarmed over plans to sell stake in Green Investment Bank
Business secretary Sajid Javid is expected to announce sell-off on ThursdayThe government is set to sell a majority stake in the Green Investment Bank, the project that was a central promise in the...
View ArticleHow the Tories would rewrite child poverty | Letters
As organisations working with and on behalf of children and the low paid we share the prime minister’s wish to open up opportunity for all our children and to tackle the UK’s low-pay problem (Report,...
View ArticleTax credits: over-inflated, but still a life raft for many
The cost of Gordon Brown’s idea has ballooned unacceptably since the crash, but there are few signs that employers will pay up and relieve the pressureThere is nothing easy about making work pay. Tax...
View ArticleTories plan to sell £1.4bn stake in Green Investment Bank to pay down deficit
Critics including the Greens’ Caroline Lucas and Lib Dem Tim Farron question government’s ‘commitment to low-carbon economy’The government’s commitment to low-carbon technology has been called into...
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