"The government's announcement was misleading and opaque and does nobody any favours." Paul Johnson writes for the Times. Last week the prime minister committed to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of national income by 2030.
The Bank of England has released the latest mortgage lending statistics. Individuals borrowed, on net, £0.3 billion of mortgage debt in March, compared to £1.6 billion in February.
Probably the biggest challenge to understanding how the economics of governments really works comes from the need to understand that governments of the sort we have in the UK are not funded by taxes. They are funded by central bank money creation.
In March, UK non-financial businesses (PNFCs and public corporations) repaid, on net, £1.1 billion of loans from banks and building societies (including overdrafts), compared with £2.8 billion of net repayments in February. Within this measure, large non-financial businesses repaid £0.7 billion in March, compared to £2.2 billion of repayments in February.
The accounts of large companies in the UK are complete works of fiction. Now, I don't make that claim lightly.
From today, Monday 29 April 2024, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency will no longer be issuing paper certificates for heavy vehicles (HGV/PSVs, Trailers) that have passed their annual test. Certificates will be able to be viewed, downloaded and printed freely from the MOT History Service (MOTH) throughout the year.
On 25 April 2024 it was announced that the Scottish Government Cabinet had agreed to end the Scottish Government's formal co-operation agreement with the Scottish Green Parliamentary Party (often referred to as the ‘Bute House agreement') with immediate effect. This blog considers the cooperation agreement, the circumstances which led to it being ended and what this may mean for government in Scotland.
Hi folks, Crispin here, one of the editors at Unearthed. I'm writing to let you know about an investigation we've just published.
An article from spice-spotlight.scot. The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) recently published the final report of its market study into housebuilding in England, Wales and Scotland.
From today, regulations enforcing consumer protections against hacking and cyber-attacks will take effect, mandating that internet-connected smart devices meet minimum-security standards by law. World-first laws protecting UK consumers and businesses from hacking and cyber-attacks take effect today (29 april 2024).
The Big Issue magazine has outlined its view of the affects of the UK governments proposed changes for claimants. Forecasts show that the DWP's disability benefit cuts will not have the intended results of pushing people into work.
The Institute for Government has set out the legal position regarding the Vote of No Confidence and likelihood of an election. The Scottish government has been plunged into crisis by the dissolution of the cooperation agreement between the SNP and Scottish Greens following disputes over climate and gender policy.
Secretary of State for Wales-led Transition Board agrees broad support plan for those affected by Tata's move to greener steel. On Thursday 25th April 2024 the Tata Steel / Port Talbot Transition Board met to agree the way forward to release funds to help the thousands affected by Tata's decision to move to greener steel-making at its Port Talbot plant.
From the tax year 2018 to 2019, the Scottish Government introduced 2 new Income Tax bands, as well as increasing the rates for 2 of the existing bands. As a result, Scottish taxpayers on higher incomes experienced an increase in the proportion of income which is paid in tax, whilst taxpayers on lower incomes experienced a decrease in the proportion of income which is paid in tax.
Almost 100,000 workplace training places have been delivered in the past year for jobseekers, smashing the Government's 80,000 annual target, new data has revealed. Record number of workplace training places have been delivered this year helping boost jobseeker skills and the economy.
Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Cardigan Bay will support the US military as it builds a new temporary pier to deliver aid directly into Gaza. Royal Navy support ship RFA Cardigan Bay is sailing from Cyprus to provide support to an international effort to build a temporary pier to allow delivery of humanitarian aid directly from the sea.
The RAF are continuing to take the fight to Daesh in Iraq and Syria. Sunday 21 April 2024 - RAF Typhoons struck a rocket launcher in northwest Iraq.
The NHS is front and centre of a general election campaign. Rishi Sunak has placed the NHS at the heart of the five pledges he wants to voters to judge him on, while Keir Starmer has made NHS reform one of the five missions which he says would drive a Labour government.
Labour says it is going to nationalise Brtain's railways Its plans make sense - as far as they go. But, like so much that it does, this plan does not go far enough.
The UK's farming landscape has changed dramatically since Brexit. Agricultural policy has been adjusted, and EU subsidies, which funded UK farming for decades, are no more.
