Our analysis and reactions on current affairs and political news.
Once again, a hard Brexiter has let the mask slip on workers’ rights. Speaking to the BBC yesterday, Lord Harris – a multi-millionaire, retail tycoon and Tory peer – claimed that Brexit would ‘give younger people more opportunity’ because they could work longer hours in his shops. “We can only keep our staff on for 35 hours…
The Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that the government’s sky-high tribunal fees are unlawful, accepting UNISON’s argument that the fees are restricting working people’s access to justice. What’s more, the government will have to refund any fees paid since 2013 — at a cost of about £27m. It’s a massive win for working people, and we congratulate UNISON for doggedly pursuing…
This election was about bread and butter issues – what needs to change for ordinary working people. And no wonder: if current trends continue, in five years’ time 3.5 million people will be in insecure work, as gig working, self-employment, agency work and zero hours contracts rise and rise. People everywhere are feeling the pinch…
If you’re under 25, this election matters because it is about securing your future. A massive 2.4m young people are currently missing from the voter register, more than enough votes to swing the election outcome drastically in any direction they chose. We know that turnout for 18-24 year olds has tumbled in recent elections from 60%…
As expected, Andy Burnham has been elected as the new Mayor for Greater Manchester. Whilst the result may not be a great surprise, it is nonetheless important. With a population of 2.7million, Greater Manchester has the biggest set of devolved responsibilities in England (outside of London), and the new Mayor’s set of powers are likely…
You wait for years for the needs of working people to become the focus of political attention and then suddenly everybody’s interested. The onset of the General Election campaign has coincided with the beginning of Brexit negotiations and the long overdue dawning of understanding at the highest reaches of the European Union that working people are disillusioned…
The rubber has hardly hit the road on the June General Election. But important elections are also happening closer to home. Local and metro mayoral elections are happening on 4 May, and there are some big opportunities for parts of the country to make their voices heard. The mayoral elections stem from devolution deals that…
In three weeks’ time, six regions across the UK will be electing their new Metro Mayors. Devolution has the potential to radically empower local communities. But several quarters have voiced the same message that on its current track devolution will only serve to further entrench power in the hands of an elected few: the male,…
Today and Wednesday, the Article 50 Brexit bill – known formally as the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill 2016-17 – will get its committee stage in the House of Lords. This is the stage where most of the voting will take place on specific amendments (although there may be more votes to come in…
I’ve been speaking at the Party of European Socialists’ Road To Brexit conference today. PES is the European political grouping that includes the UK’s Labour Party and their counterparts from around Europe. This has been a particularly important event as Brexit will be a process with real dangers for workers across Europe as well as here in…