Explainer: Keir Starmer picks housing as his trump card May 17, 2023 Today Keir Starmer was on a mission to steal the spotlight from Michael Gove’s new laws on renters’ rights. As the Levelling Up Secretary was bringing his much-delayed Bill to Parliament, the leader of the Opposition was on a broadcast marathon to outline his plan for housing. “We’re gonna back the builders, not the blockers”, [...]
The biggest challenge for the Conservatives? Getting their story straight July 30, 2024 Whoever becomes the next Conservative leader must get their story on what the Tories did wrong – and right – straight, writes Henry Newman Does it matter who the next leader of the Conservative Party is? A large slice of Britain won’t be paying much attention to the Tories, or to politics more broadly, until [...]
Docklands to Thamesmead, a new Overground and Crossrail 2: TfL planning more than just the Bakerloo extension February 24, 2024 But, newly-released filings this week show what else is in the pipelines for the capital, with the elaborate system of trains connecting all parts set to become just that little bit more... connected.
Private school VAT furore shows just how much help our state schools need June 27, 2024 VAT on private schools has been slated as a "tax on aspiration" - but why don't we focus on making state education aspirational?
Redefining what green belt means could solve the housing crisis in London September 6, 2023 Everyone wants to build on brownfield land, and no one seems to be wanting to build on the green belt. But one can't go without the other, writes Joshua Bond
Build, Baby, Build: Will Labour be radical enough? June 20, 2024 Labour stands to win a whole host of rural and suburban seats and Starmer could face a battle with his own MPs to meet his housing targets. Yet the muddled thinking on display in his manifesto does not offer much reassurance that he’s prepared for the fight, says Will Cooling It is striking that as [...]
What does Starmer’s Labour reshuffle signify? September 5, 2023 Keir Starmer’s reshuffle, on the same day Sue Gray joins him as Labour’s chief of staff, tells us a fair bit about how he would plan to govern.
Labour’s ‘everything bagel’ approach to housing leaves a sour taste June 11, 2024 If Labour isn’t offering a serious overhaul of planning regulations to force through new housing it has no business touting images of beautiful townscapes that are illegal to build, says Henry Hill Last week, Labour launched its big offer on housing. As is now becoming the norm, it was accompanied by lots of pretty pictures. [...]
RICS regulatory board quits en masse amid ongoing dispute with the government June 28, 2023 The building sector has been left in a state of confusion after all of the nine-member regulatory board of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) suddenly resigned en masse late yesterday. The RICS Standards and Regulation Board is responsible for reviewing and investigating surveyors who aren’t following industry standards, and it has been one [...]
COP out: Government pushes back coal mine decision until after climate summit November 2, 2022 The Government has pushed back a decision on whether to go ahead with a new coal mine Cumbria for the third time this year.