News Archive
26/6/2024
IFS Election Special: The Big Issues Politicians Haven't Spoken About
On Monday, the IFS released a comprehensive analysis of the parties manifestos at an event in Westminster. After some time digesting and analysing the manifestos, we've concluded that neither of the main parties is being honest with voters about the challenges we face in coming years.
25/6/2024
10 Lessons For Successfully Restarting An Industrial Strategy
How can the next government design a successful industrial strategy after the general election?. The last three industrial strategies were sunk by changes at the top of government.
25/6/2024
Main Parties Manifestos Tell Us Little About The Funding Individual Public Services Would Actually Receive
The Institute for Fiscal Studies looks closer at the Manifestos. Labour and the Conservatives' manifestos are continuing a conspiracy of silence when it comes to public service spending plans.25/6/2024
The Conservatives Supermajority Warnings Do Not Add Up
What does a large government majority really mean for the House of Commons?. Hannah White at the Institute for Government argues that whether a government's majority is enormous or merely substantial - for example 80 seats - the more significant factor for democracy is the attitude a government takes to the role of parliament and the value of scrutiny.24/6/2024
Thousands More Carers Now Able To Apply For Benefit
Thousands of unpaid carers in Scotland can apply for a new benefit from today. Carer Support Payment, the replacement for Carer's Allowance, is now available in Angus and North and South Lanarkshire.24/6/2024
Credit Card Interest Rates Rise To Highest Since 2006 And 0% Deals Stall
Moneyfacts Unsecured Lending Trends Treasury Report data, which studies the UK personal finance market (Credit Cards, Personal Loans and Overdrafts), reveals the cost to borrow on a credit card rose to a new record high and the availability of 0% purchase offers stalled during Q2 2024. Between the start of March 2024 and the start of June 2024 (Q2 2b]024), the average purchase APR (which includes card fees) rose to [35.3% APR, the highest on our electronic records[/b] which started in June 2006.24/6/2024
More People Are Taking A Mortgage Over 40 Years - What This Means For Young People's Finance
My generation of baby boomers in the UK generally grew up with reasonable expectations of buying a home in our mid-20s with a 25-year mortgage, happily being able to afford a family, and maybe retiring in our early 60s with a comfortable pension. How different today.
24/6/2024
Keir Starmer Rejects Tax And Spend - So Do Labour's Plans For Economic Growth Add Up?
In launching Labour's manifesto, Keir Starmer sought to shed his party's "tax and spend" image. Instead, Starmer pressed home that Labour's core mission is to increase UK economic growth - the manifesto mentions the term more than 200 times.
24/6/2024
What Does The Law Say About Gambling On Election Dates With Inside Information?
People with connections to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak are being investigated by the Gambling Commission, reportedly over allegations they placed bets on an election being called on July 4, shortly before it became public knowledge. Sunak's former parliamentary private secretary and Conservative candidate for Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr, Craig Williams has admitted to betting on the election, saying: "I put a flutter on the general election some weeks ago.
24/6/2024
Freeports Are Dangerous - Richard Murphy
Rishi Sunak's very limited legacy will include the creation of freeports. They are, however, deeply dangerous places where the normal rule of law is suspended for the benefit of financial capital, usually at cost to the workers in the places and the communities that host them.
24/6/2024
What The Election Date Betting Scandal Really Tells Us About The State Of British Politics
Many stories of political wrongdoing involve an element of plain stupidity - at least the ones we find out about. In fact, many of the most famous scandals in modern history have involved moments where one thinks, "Crikey, these guys aren't half as smart as they think they are." Partygate is a pretty good example.
23/6/2024
Higher Education Finances - How Have They Fared, And What Options Will An Incoming Government Have?
The next government faces difficult choices on higher education funding, with tuition fees frozen and international student recruitment falling. 1.
23/6/2024
Oil and Gas - Are There Thousands Of Jobs At Risk In The North East Of Scotland?
Oil and Gas has come up in many of the election broadcasts in Scotland so lets take a look at an article by Mairi Spowage the Director of the Fraser of Allander Institute published on 5 June 2024. As we enter the third week of the election campaign, the policy announcements from the main parties are coming thick and fast.
23/6/2024
Savings rates on the rise amid ISA decline - Move Your Savings To Better Rates
Billions of pounds are languishing in zero or low rate interest accounts and for long time it may not have mattered when interest rates were so low. More recently however thing have changed.23/6/2024
Gender Representation On Public Boards Amendment Passed
Legislation to amend the Gender Representation on Public Boards (Scotland) Act 2018 has been passed by the Scottish Parliament. The Act, which was passed by the Scottish Parliament in 2018, sets an objective that 50% of a public board's non-executive members should be women.23/6/2024
How Should We Interpret Parties Public Spending Pledges This Election?
Parties have pledged lots of ‘fully costed' spending policies but these tell us little about the actual funding each public service might receive. The Institute for Fiscal Studies takes a deep look at the problem.22/6/2024
Home Ownership Support Scheme Reopens
Help for first-time buyers across the country on low to medium incomes. A scheme to help first time buyers and certain priority groups step on to the property ladder has reopened for applications.22/6/2024
Economic Activity And Social Change In The UK, Real-time Indicators: 20 June 2024
Overall retail footfall remained broadly unchanged in the week to 16 June 2024 when compared with the previous week but was 4% lower when compared with the equivalent week of 2023 (MRI OnLocation). Section 3: Consumer behaviour.22/6/2024
Cool Weather Pushes Drinks Sales Down 10% But Wine Shines
CGA by NIQ's Daily Drinks Tracker shows average sales in managed venues in the seven days to last Saturday (15 June) were 10% behind the same period in 2023, making it one of the worst weeks for sales of the year so far. Low temperatures and rain brought tough trading conditions in many parts of Britain for most of the week, keeping consumers out of beer gardens and terraces.
22/6/2024
