The UK is gripped by a housing crisis. According to the Department for Communities and Local Government there was a 118,760 housing shortage in 2014. This, in part, has driven huge house price increases: 12% in London and 11% in Bristol last year. Homes are becoming less affordable. The most commonly proposed solution is an […]
Many of us woke up on Friday to a government we did not ask for. Social workers in particular will know the Conservative pledge on further cuts to welfare and public spending will mean difficult times ahead. Now, more than ever, social workers must remain energised. Our raison d’être is to deal with difficult times. […]
London was the one bright spot in a dark night for Labour last week. The party gained seven seats in the capital, increasing their share of the vote from 37% in 2010 to 44% in 2015. But was Labour’s performance as good as it appears? That’s the question two of Labour’s leading prospective candidates to […]
Politics.co.uk’s five most-read articles this week, for your reading pleasure. 5. Why is Stella Creasy running for deputy leader? She should have the top job Is anyone not running for Labour leader? Actually yes, as it turns out. Not only has frontrunner Chuka Umunna dropped out today, but rising star Stella Creasy has also ruled […]
After elections, the losers get a surge in membership. It seems ironic, but emotionally it makes perfect sense. In despondency, people need hope. So the Lib Dems have enjoyed a spike in membership sign-ups and many are talking about joining Labour. But Labour is not ready for people’s support. It remains a profoundly undemocratic party […]
Plans to drastically reduce immigration to the UK will do serious long-term damage to the economy, new research has found. Conservative plans to reduce immigration to the “tens of thousands” would shrink the economy, reduce wages and lead to higher income taxes, according to the study by independent think tank the National Institute of Economic […]
Ken Clarke says Britain is a “long way” from having an economy with “sustainable levels of growth and all that”. The demob-happy ex-minister, who left the government in last week’s reshuffle, used his first big interview since quitting to send a warning sign to his former Cabinet colleagues. Clarke told the Observer newspaper: “It’s not […]
Ukip today descended into meltdown, after an extroardinary bout of public infighting between Nigel Farage and several senior figures in the party. The day began with a personal attack on Farage from Ukip’s economics spokesperson Patrick O’Flynn. O’Flynn told the Times that Farage was a “snarling, thin-skinned, aggressive man” who had surrounded himself with an […]
One of the frontrunners to become Labour’s new leader has shocked his party after pulling out of the contest just a few days after launching his bid. Chuka Umunna released a statement today claiming that the “pressure” and “impact on those close to me” had forced him to withdraw. “I thought I understood the scrutiny […]
The battle over Ukip’s soul continued today after an influential figure in the party suggested it needed to moderate its language if it was to achieve greater electoral success. Speaking in the wake of a bruising week for Nigel Farage, deputy chairman Suzanne Evans said it was right that two of his advisors had left […]