7 h. ago Covid conman lied about £1m company to get his hands on £50K government cash

A probe found Jamie Rowatt abused the Covid bounce back loan scheme aimed to help businesses through the pandemic.

Economics

30 h. ago Overblown infrastructure projects damage lives and imperil democracy. Why is Britain addicted to them? | George Monbiot

The Lower Thames Crossing proves the point. It’s a white elephant plan, sucking money from local projects that could actually improve livesThere appear to be two main determinants of what infrastructure gets built. The first is whether it provides large and lucrative contracts for powerful corporations. The second is whether ministers can pose beside it in hard hats and yellow jackets. Otherwise, it is hard to explain the decisions made.Both determinants favour large and spectacular schemes. Big corporations don’t want to dabble in minor improvements: real money comes from prestige projects over which governments cannot afford to lose face, ensuring that they keep throwing cash, however high the budget spirals. And few ministers want to pose beside a new bus stop: a grand ego demands a grand setting.George Monbiot is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Government spends nearly £30m of taxpayers' cash on fringe research projects including gay porn studies and recording Syrian harvesting songs

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has been given the eye-catching amount of funding for overseas projects, which appear to have no clear benefit to British taxpayers.

Economics

1 week ago Civil service job cuts, AI and flogging off Government property at heart of Rachel Reeves' bid to find £14billion a year in Whitehall savings

The Office for Value for Money, established by Rachel Reeves last October, has worked with each Government department to find where they can save cash.

Economics

3 w. ago Families, pensioners and disabled people due between £59 and £305 in one

Thousands of households will receive additional cash support from the Scottish Government.

Economics

3 w. ago All the Greater Manchester schools and colleges getting Government cash for urgent repairs

More than 40 have qualified for funding - and there's a pot of £470 million

Politics