6 d. ago Welfare cuts have fuelled rise of far right and populism, top UN expert says

Exclusive: Special rapporteur for poverty cites mainstream parties’ ‘extremely dangerous’ them-or-us dialogue Decades of efforts by mainstream politicians to roll back welfare programmes have given rise to an “extremely dangerous” discourse that has helped fuel the rise of the far right and rightwing populists in countries around the world, a top UN expert has told the Guardian.From London to Lisbon, politicians from centre-right and centre-left parties alike have steadily eroded social programmes, fostering a sense of scarcity and creating fertile ground for the stirring up of anti-migrant sentiment, said Olivier De Schutter, the UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Changes to Motability Scheme and welfare cuts could be announced at Budget next month

Chancellor Rachel Reeves will make her statement in Parliament on November 26.

Economics

9 d. ago Unions warn Reeves they could abandon Labour if she ‘panders to the Right’ with more welfare cuts

Exclusive: FBU general secretary Steve Wright has warned that there is growing pressure on unions to disaffiliate from Labour ending political donations

Events

1 week ago Jim Bolger, former New Zealand prime minister who drove reconciliation with Māori, dies at 90

Tributes flow from across political spectrum for man known for high ideals but also remembered for controversially slashing welfare and health spendingFormer New Zealand prime minister Jim Bolger, whose political legacy was defined by his deep commitment to reconciliation with Māori as well as his brutal cuts to welfare and deregulation of the labour market, has died aged 90.Bolger died peacefully surrounded by his wife, Joan, nine children and 18 grandchildren, his family said in a statement on Wednesday. Bolger suffered kidney failure last year and had been undergoing dialysis. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Suspended Labour MP says her 'stomach churned' when she saw colleagues wave English flags

Rachael Maskell was elected to serve the York Central constituency but had the whip removed this year after rebelling against Sir Keir Starmer's welfare cuts.

Politics

2 w. ago I saw desperation at the Tory conference – but all traditional parties may be in this position soon | Andy Beckett

The feeling of crisis in Manchester also afflicts Labour and the Lib Dems. It leaves voters facing a dangerously unstable political orderMuch of democratic politics is about getting people’s attention. That’s a particular problem for struggling, less-than-compelling leaders. The further your party falls in the polls, the larger the temptation to launch dramatic, supposedly transformational policies. It’s like speaking more and more loudly to someone who has stopped listening.Thus this week’s Conservative conference in Manchester, with the party at historic lows in the polls, featured a frenzy of policy announcements, on once-successful Tory themes such as tax cuts, law and order, welfare and immigration, that were often made to half-empty rooms. Expanses of blue carpet had been installed in the huge, barn-like convention centre – as if to reassure delegates that the party still had an identity – yet much of the time they were eerily deserted. The Conservatives, famed and feared for ...

Politics

2 w. ago Kemi Badenoch emphatically sees off Tory leadership rivals with stunning 'big bazooka' promise to abolish stamp duty and 'save Britain' from Starmer's doom loop

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch electrified her party's annual conference in Manchester by announcing plans for an audacious £9 billion tax cut funded by a crackdown on welfare and waste.

Politics

2 w. ago Kemi Badenoch sets out £23bn cuts to Britain's welfare bill as she vows tougher rules on Motability vehicles and benefits for UK citizens only

In her keynote speech to the Conservative conference in Manchester, Mrs Badenoch said her party would restrict access to handouts.

Economics

3 w. ago Top Tory says Reform 'marching to the left' as he plots draconian welfare cuts

Shadow Chancellor Sir Mel Stride has said foreign workers who unexpectedly lose their jobs may have to go back to their homelands as he announced sweeping welfare proposals

Politics

3 w. ago Tory party conference 2025: Mel Stride pledges £5,000 national insurance rebate for young homebuyers

Shadow chancellor will use his Tory conference speech to set plans to cut welfare spending, foreign aid and the Civil Service if his party wins the next election

Economics

3 w. ago Tories pledge to make £47bn of cuts to public spending with welfare bill slashed

Shadow chancellor set to announce raft of cuts across welfare and foreign aid

Economics

3 w. ago Foreigners will be BANNED from claiming benefits under Tory plans to save £50billion

Shadow Chancellor Sir Mel Stride will unveil plans for cutting welfare, foreign aid and the size of the civil service to put the public finances on a more stable footing and pave the way for tax cuts.

Economics

3 w. ago Tories pledge to make £47bn of savings with major cut to welfare

Shadow chancellor set to announce raft of cuts across welfare and foreign aid

Economics

4 w. ago Jobless youngsters face having benefits STOPPED if they don’t take up new government offer of paid work

JOBLESS youngsters face having benefits stopped if they do not take up a new government offer of paid work. Rachel Reeves wants to cut the welfare bill with a Youth Guarantee scheme to stop them going onto a life on the dole. Every young adult who has been on Universal Credit for 18 months without...

Politics