The levelling up secretary relives his big night out, while the chancellor plays it safe“Here we are – bright lights, great atmosphere, enthusiastic young people. It reminds me of my last night out on the town Aberdeen. Dance like nobody’s watching the…
We cannot stand by as the Tories quietly erase all checks on power | Letters
Readers respond to Jonathan Freedland’s article on how Boris Johnson is rigging the system and trampling over democratic normsJonathan Freedland has probably written his most important opinion piece (In plain sight, Boris Johnson is rigging the system …
Sarah Everard’s murder puts policing and misogyny under the spotlight | Letters
David Taylor, who was a police officer for 30 years, offers an insight into the handling of ‘minor’ crimes, while Ann Kelly and Caroline Ley reflect on the language used by ministers and the media Having been a police officer for 30 years, serving as a…
Petrofac fined £70m over bribes to secure Middle East contracts
Firm led by Tory donor admitted failing to prevent corruption by executives between 2011 and 2017A multinational firm that was headed by a Tory party donor has been fined £70m after admitting it used “systemic” bribery to secure large contracts.The fin…
UK asylum seekers in hotels should have been given money for phone calls, judge rules
High court decision could cost Home Office millions in back-paymentsA Home Office decision not to give thousands of asylum seekers money to make calls to friends and family during the pandemic has been ruled unlawful by the high court.The government co…
The lesson of the fuel crisis? Hell hath no fury like a lorry driver scorned | Zoe Williams
Whether you consider the petrol blockades of 2000 or this year’s anger over shortages, it’s clear that farmers and hauliers are genius protestersI remember the last petrol crisis, in 2000, although when I say “remember” I mean I was there – I have very…
Rishi Sunak’s speech offers mood music but little economic meat
Analysis: chancellor reiterates what he believes in, including himself, during address at Tory conferenceAfter 18 months of opening the state’s chequebook to pay for the huge economic cost of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Conservative party finally got a …
Drivers clash with Insulate Britain activists blocking three London roads
Protesters stop traffic at Hanger Lane, the Blackwall tunnel and Wandsworth BridgeInsulate Britain activists have staged three morning roadblocks in central London, leading to dozens of arrests and confrontations with drivers stuck in heavy traffic at …
Andrew Yang Suggests Power May Affects Politicians’ Brain Neurons
Today tech entrepreneur-turned-politician Andrew Yang candidly reflected on the pitfalls of power that he’d learned about during his 2020 run for president. “In national politics, it turns out, you’re not as much the CEO as you are yourself the product…
The Tory ‘emergency fund’ is an admission that universal credit shouldn’t be cut | Tom Pollard
The government is plugging its £6bn cut with a £500m one-off bung. How many people will struggle for food and heating?Working in frontline NHS mental health services during the darkest days of the pandemic, I often encountered people in crisis who did …