1 hour ago Rachel Reeves made us a promise last week, but we still don't know what it means

The Chancellor said the government will 'take forward' Northern Powerhouse Rail - but she's not set out exactly what that means

Politics

2 h. ago Rosebank and other North Sea oil and gas fields could be given green light under new guidelines

The oil and gas industry has welcomed the consent process being restarted by the UK government.

Politics

7 h. ago Reeves promised oil industry ‘quid pro quo’ over windfall tax in private meeting

Government accused of making ‘secret exchange deal’ with fossil fuel companies to compensate for tax hikeThe chancellor, Rachel Reeves, told a fossil fuel company the industry would receive a “quid pro quo” in return for higher taxes on its windfall profits, it can be revealed.In a meeting with the Norwegian state energy company Equinor on 27 August, Reeves suggested that the government’s carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) subsidies were a payoff for oil firms being hit with a higher tax rate. Continue reading...

Economics

31 h. ago Trump promised riches from ‘liquid gold’ in the US. Now fossil fuel donors are benefiting

How Kelcy Warren, one of Trump’s biggest industry backers, and his pipeline firm are likely to flourish in his second termKelcy Warren was among the top donors for Donald Trump’s 2024 White House bid, personally pouring at least $5m into the campaign and co-hosting a fundraiser for the then presidential hopeful in Houston.Trump’s win appears to already be benefiting Warren and Energy Transfer Partners, the pipeline and energy firm of which he is co-founder, executive chair and primary shareholder. Continue reading...

Politics

43 h. ago Tyler Perry accused of sexual assault by The Oval actor in $260 million lawsuit

Derek Dixon, who appeared in Perry’s political drama ‘The Oval’ and its spinoff ‘Ruthless,’ also accused the creator and producer of battery, quid pro quo and workplace sexual harassment

Economics

3 d. ago ‘This is the looting of America’: Trump and Co’s extraordinary conflicts of interest in his second term

Bitcoin, internet, EVs, private dinners for hire – the list of pay-for-play and quid quo pro goes on, and on and onThe South Lawn of the White House had never seen anything like it. The president of the United States was posing for the world’s media against a backdrop of five different models of Tesla, peddling the electric vehicles with the alacrity of a salesman on commission.“I love the product, it’s beautiful,” Donald Trump said as he sank into the driver’s seat of a scarlet Model Y. With the Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, beside him, he went on to enlighten the American people that some Tesla models retail for as little as $299 a month, “which is pretty low”. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Labour MP accuses families impacted by tax raid on private schools of 'crying to the courts' after they lost High Court bid to stop VAT on fees

Jonathan Hinder, a Labour MP, has accused families impacted by the private school tax raid of 'crying to the courts' after they lost a bid to stop the VAT on fees.

Economics

6 d. ago Chancellor Rachel Reeves promises to 'change the future' in Wales visit

Ms Reeves was visiting Wales in the wake of her decision to allocate Wales £445m for rail projects in her multi-year spending review this week

Politics

6 d. ago Kemi Badenoch calls for Windfall Tax on North Sea oil and gas to be scrapped as she tries to counter Reform surge in Scotland

Kemi Badenoch vowed to 'stand up' for the Scottish oil and gas industry - saying it might not exist in a few years unless the levy is removed.

Politics

6 d. ago Kemi Badenoch to call for end to energy windfall tax and oil licence ban

The Conservative leader will accuse Labour of “killing” the oil and gas industry

Politics

8 d. ago Everything Rachel Reeves promised in Spending Review, including new asylum rules

The Chancellor has set out how money will be spent on everything from energy and border security to education, housing and the NHS

Events

8 d. ago Reeves to promise investment in ‘renewal’ as she unveils spending plans

The spending review is expected to set out tough spending limits for departments other than health, defence and education.

Economics

8 d. ago Chancellor Rachel Reeves set to promise Wales nearly half a billion pounds for rail

An initial funding settlement of £445m for new rail projects in Wales will be confirmed by the Chancellor Rachel Reeves in the Comprehensive Spending Review

Politics

1 week ago As Rachel Reeves prepares to splurge billions on NHS and tech... will she stick to her promise NOT to raise taxes?

Rachel Reeves was last night urged to keep her promise not to hike taxes again amid fears more raids are on the way.

Economics

2 w. ago The Guardian view on Labour’s investment plans: sugaring the bitter pill of austerity | Editorial

The chancellor is right to be planning for the long term, but voters won’t be patient if change isn’t felt soonInequality between British regions is not a new problem and Rachel Reeves is not the first chancellor to want to close the gap. In 2014, George Osborne promised a “northern powerhouse” to rival the dominance of London and the south-east. He pledged devolution and investment in infrastructure to connect northern cities, to unlock productivity and growth.Since then, Britain’s economy has suffered multiple shocks, some external (the pandemic, inflation stoked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine), others self-inflicted (Brexit, Liz Truss’s mini-budget). Each time, the damage was more severe in places already falling behind. Boris Johnson claimed levelling up as his defining purpose. Rishi Sunak let the ambition slide. Now it is being revived by a Labour chancellor. In a speech announcing transport investments on Wednesday, Ms Reeves promised a “renewal of Britain”, with prosperity ...

Politics

2 w. ago Rachel Reeves' key promises as she announces £15bn transport deal in Rochdale

The Chancellor Rachel Reeves was in Greater Manchester today to reveal a package of investment for public transport in the North and Midlands

Economics

2 w. ago New Mexico appeals court rejects lawsuit against oil and gas regulators

A New Mexico appeals court has rejected a lawsuit alleging that the nation’s No. 2 oil state failed to meet constitutional provisions for protecting against oil and gas industry pollution

Society

2 w. ago Oil industry could see job cuts like Grangemouth every fortnight, report warns

Striking The Balance by Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen looked at the prospects for the North Sea sector in different scenarios.

Events

2 w. ago Brazil’s environmental movement is under threat – and Lula is siding with oil industry

Politicians reviled environmental minister Marina Silva in the senate this week, but new legislation is fuelling the firePolitical bullying is rarely as brutal as it was in Brazil this week when the environment minister Marina Silva was ambushed in a senate meeting. Her thuggish tormentors – all white male politicians on the infrastructure committee – took turns to publicly belittle the 67-year-old black woman, who has done more than anyone to protect the natural wealth of the country – the Amazon rainforest, Pantanal wetlands, Cerrado savannah and other biomes – from rapacious abuse.One by one, they lined up to attack her for these globally important efforts. Decorum gave way to name-calling and sneering: “Know your place,” roared the committee head, Marcos Rogério, a Bolsonarist who cut Silva’s microphone as she tried to respond. The leader of the centre-rightPSDB, Plínio Valério, told her she did not deserve respect as a minister. The Amazonas senator Omar Aziz – from the Centrão...

Events

2 w. ago Brazil’s environmental governance is under threat – and Lula is siding with oil industry

Politicians reviled environmental minister Marina Silva in the senate this week, but new legislation is fuelling the firePolitical bullying is rarely as brutal as it was in Brazil this week when the environment minister Marina Silva was ambushed in a senate meeting. Her thuggish tormentors – all white male politicians on the infrastructure committee – took turns to publicly belittle the 67-year-old black woman, who has done more than anyone to protect the natural wealth of the country – the Amazon rainforest, Pantanal wetlands, Cerrado savannah and other biomes – from rapacious abuse.One by one, they lined up to attack her for these globally important efforts. Decorum gave way to name-calling and sneering: “Know your place,” roared the committee head, Marcos Rogério, a Bolsonarist who cut Silva’s microphone as she tried to respond. The leader of the centre-rightPSDB, Plínio Valério, told her she did not deserve respect as a minister. The Amazonas senator Omar Aziz – from the Centrão...

Events