Government in court over Abingdon Health Covid contracts scandal
“Once again, it’s taken legal action to shine a light on dodgy procurement, wasted millions and preferential treatment for the politically-connected.”
Public Services
Sunak accused of blocking plans to raise energy ‘discount’
The chancellor is facing further pressure amid claims that suggested strategies to help the poorest households were vetoed by the Treasury.
‘Spring slaughter’: Exhausted NHS staff respond to Sunak’s statement
‘My hospital is full of Covid patients. I’m tired of being a nurse. My cupboards only have foodbank food. I have no petrol. I’m frightened to put the heating on.’
People before profit: Manchester’s public control of its buses sees £2 cap on fares
As calls are made for scandal-hit P&O Ferries to be nationalised, Manchester is celebrating taking control of its public transport with the era of £4 single bus fares coming to an end.
Calls for chancellor to make “huge judgement call” ahead of Spring Statement
With the conflict in Ukraine intensifying already eye-watering cost of living rises, Rishi Sunak is under pressure to produce more than a new set of economic and fiscal forecasts.
Bedding banks appear alongside food banks as fuel poverty kicks in
‘This is poverty at its demeaning and degrading worst.’
Student finance overhaul extensively condemned for punishing poorer and marginalised students
‘This government parrots the language of levelling up, but these proposals are classist, ableist and racist: they target those from marginalised communities, and seek to gatekeep education.’
Poverty pay and exhaustion: Burnout NHS workers are threatening to quit
As the long-awaited NHS backlog plan is delayed, a series of recent studies reveal the extent of the stress and exhaustion the National Health Service workforce is enduring.
Sajid Javid denies being at loggerheads with the chancellor over NHS backlog
As today’s NHS backlog plan announcement is delayed, the health secretary refutes suggestions that the hold up is because of a funding dispute with Rishi Sunak.
Rishi Sunak’s energy crisis ‘bailout’ derided as ‘hopelessly inadequate’
The chancellor’s support to the ‘Black Thursday’ energy rise has been met with contempt, with unions warning the increase is a cost-of-living ‘catastrophe’ for ordinary workers.