I have lost count of the number of times politicians have declared that PFI is “dead”. It has been blamed for everything from collapsing NHS finances to dirty hospital wards and dodgy light fittings. In reality, PFI was never a policy as such. It was a capital-sourcing mechanism — a way of bringing private investment … Read more
What happened in the budget? Last week Rachel Reeves delivered the Government’s latest budget. It arrived amid a fog of leaks — some accidental, others clearly not — and a week of breathless speculation about market panic. In reality, there was a modest increase in the interest rate the Government pays on its borrowing. But … Read more
At 4pm on the 17th of December 1992, Jonathan Zito was stabbed to death by a stranger at a London Underground station. This wasn’t an isolated tragedy. From the 1980s onwards, Conservative governments emptied Britain’s mental hospitals and moved thousands of patients into “the community” — but without providing the support or services they needed. … Read more
Is This an Austerity Government? No. Rachel Reeves will deliver her Spring Statement today. While not a full budget, this statement will outline the framework for the government’s spending review. Government departments will find out if they have more or less to spend—most will find the answer is less. This follows a Green Paper consultation … Read more
Remploy was started by the Attlee Government to provide sheltered employment to people with disabilities. It opened it’s first factory in 1946 making violins. Only 15 years ago it operated 83 factories across the UK. The sheltered employment model became less popular as years went by and the emphasis changed to supporting disabled people into … Read more
I make no apologies for returning to the on going disaster that is Universal Credits. I have covered this ongoing public policy catastrophe previously: Universal Credits continues to blight the lives of millions of people. Most of the criticism of UC stems from 3 problems: George Osborne used the introduction of UC to push through … Read more