New Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show that bungling Chancellor George Osborne has overshot borrowing targets for 2015/2016 by £2.7bn and is on course to miss them again this year….Read more…
One-trick Osborne
Chancellor George Osborne has been accused by Unite today (March 16) of having only one-trick in his armoury – cuts – as he misses yet more targets, irresponsibly fails manufacturing and…Read more…
Northern poorhouse
Last summer, chancellor George Osborne pledged that his government would create a “higher wage, lower tax, lower welfare” country; that the vaunted ‘Northern Powerhouse’ would, over the next few…Read more…
“Robin’s alive!” European Financial Transactions Tax almost complete
On Tuesday, Finance Ministers from 10 countries around Europe negotiating the introduction of a Robin Hood Tax reached a landmark decision. It’s not the end of the process, but it is at least the end of the beginning or the beginning of the end: agreement to implement a broad-based tax, using…Read more…
Public sector workers in the firing line (again)
George Osborne has certainly got his work cut out with the Spending Review next week. On the one hand, the Chancellor has pledged to find a further £20bn of departmental cuts in order to meet his spending targets. On the other, he has a fresh commitment to find £4bn for cyber-security and military…Read more…
OBR wrong to continue absolving Osborne’s polices for a deficit now 3x larger than planned
TUC has argued that the economy and public finances were derailed over the coalition years because government spending cuts had a larger-than-expected impact on the wider economy (see e.g. blog, paper). Earlier this week the Office for Budget Responsib…Read more…
Don’t tell George
Chancellor George Osborne spoke today (October 5) at the Tory Party Conference, just hours after it was announced that the government will continue with its sell-off of its remaining 12 per cent…Read more…
One per cent in wages ‘howl’
When the National Minimum Wage (NMW) was first introduced in 1999, many in the business community claimed the sky was falling – unemployment would skyrocket, profits would fall, and the very people…Read more…
Shrinking the state
Unite has described the government’s spending cuts as “ideologically driven nonsense” after George Osborne’s plans were roundly criticised by a former head of the civil service. At a…Read more…
Get grip on manufacturing
Unite has made it clear ministers have still not ‘got to grips’ over formulating a coherent manufacturing strategy as figures showed a sharp dip in industrial output in July. The union said…Read more…
Living Wage not all it seems
Welcome news for workers – a pay rise is on the way via the new National Living Wage. Sadly though all is not quite what is seems. New research from the Resolution Foundation of George…Read more…
Osborne Voodoonomics
The Chinese stock market bubble has burst and China has had its own “Black Monday” (on 23 August). Its economic growth is slowing down and the after effects of the turmoil in its stock market and…Read more…
RBS sell off: ‘It’s a disgrace’
Unite national officer for finance, Rob MacGregor summed up the union’s reaction to Osborne’s RBS sell off by saying, “It’s a disgrace.” His comments came in an…Read more…
The madness of sell-off king George
They say that the definition of insanity is to repeat the same action and expect a different result. If that’s true then George Osborne’s Mansion House speech presented a particularly…Read more…
Reckless Osborne will cost us all
Tory plans to sell off nearly £2bn Royal Bank of Scotland shares could cost the taxpayer millions and be a bonus for share speculators. The shares were bought for 502 pence each to bail out…Read more…
Too old to be paid more
Following chancellor George Osborne announcing a so-called statutory “National Living Wage”, it has now been revealed that apprentices who are 25 and over may lose out on his promised wage hike…Read more…
Unions are partners in productivity
Unite general secretary Len McCluskey today (July 3) urged the Chancellor to change gear in order to work with the UK’s unions and their six million plus members to renew the country’s…Read more…
George’s economic mind-bender
If the Tories were not already planning new laws to prohibit mind bending legal highs then Osborne’s speech to the London banker’s dinner last night would force their hand. It seems as if more…Read more…
Tip of the iceberg
The newly elected Tory government has wasted no time in implementing its latest dose of austerity, with chancellor George Osborne putting forward £3bn in spending cuts yesterday (June 4), which are…Read more…
No to Royal Mail ‘fire sale’
Unite today (June 4) has warned against another Royal Mail ‘fire sale’ which would short-change taxpayers and deprive the Treasury of a steady stream of income over the long-term. The warning…Read more…