Boris’s backward steps for London on pollution and traffic congestion
Boris’s lifting of the Western Extension Zone of the London congestion charge has led to more traffic and pollution
Green Politics
Top City journalist: Osborne needs to move on from cuts and restore growth
Leading City journalist Anthony Hilton has said the government needs to “move on from tough talk about cuts”, and concentrate on restoring economic growth.
Emissions hit all time high: how will the “greenest government ever” respond?
Following the International Energy Agency’s announcement carbon emissions have hit an all-time high, the Fabian Society’s Natan Doron looks at the government’s record.
Report suggests cost of current public sector pension schemes is affordable
Naomi Cooke, GMB National Pensions Officer, reports on the publication yesterday of the public accounts committee’s report on public sector pensions.
It’s time to deliver what half a million marched for: Plan B
A report to “produce a feasible set of reforms that deal with the economic crisis in an alternative way” is being drawn up by a group of progressive think tanks.
New Labour taxed and spent much less than Thatcher
Until the recession New Labour spent less as a proportion of GDP than Thatcher – any deficit was a result of taxing at a much lower rate than Thatcher did.
ONS reveals impact of immigration on low-paid jobs and wages; how should Labour react?
New figures show the importance of Labour winning the argument about the impact of immigration on lower-paid jobs and wages, writes ippr’s Matt Cavanagh.
OECD chief economist tells Osborne: “Slow down the pace of spending cuts”
The deputy secretary general and chief economist of the OECD, Pier Carlo Padoan, tells UK chancellor George Osborne to “slow down the pace of spending cuts”.
OECD comes round to the view Osborne’s cuts are too fast and too deep
The OECD is starting to come round to Labour’s view of Chancellor Osborne’s cuts: they are too fast and too deep; Matthew Pitt reports from Parliament.
Obama/Cameron love-in comes unstuck over cuts
The splits between President Obama and David Cameron over the scale of their respective deficit reduction plans were exposed at the joint press conference today.