Chris Smyth
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Articles by Chris Smyth
‘Neets’ numbers dip below 1mn as Andy Burnham prepares fresh push on welfare reform
The number of young people not in education, employment or training in the UK has dipped below 1mn but remains at the second-highest...
Andy Burnham weighs allowing mayors to block ‘right to buy’ for council homes
Andy Burnham is looking at allowing English mayors to suspend Margaret Thatcher’s totemic “right to buy” policy for council homes, as the...
Andy Burnham compromises on council homes plan
Andy Burnham has watered down his most ambitious plans on council house building as he seeks to kick-start the government’s existing...
Andy Burnham launches pandemic-style drive to cut rough sleeping
Andy Burnham has set out a pandemic-style drive to get rough sleepers off the streets of England by Christmas, as he promised to find the...
European education group eyes takeovers of UK universities
Europe’s biggest for-profit higher education group has said it is eyeing financially distressed British universities as takeover targets,...
The one climate issue uniting Greens and Reform in Kent
Since they were reclaimed from the sea in the Middle Ages, the dyke-bound fields of Romney Marsh have been among England’s most...
Transcript: Burnham’s policy bonanza
This is an audio transcript of the Political Fix podcast episode: ‘Burnham’s policy bonanza’ [MUSIC PLAYING] Miranda Green Three things...
Andy Burnham to give English mayors share of income tax from 2028
English mayors will be handed a portion of income tax receipts from 2028 in place of central grants, under Andy Burnham’s push to spread...
Andy Burnham opens door to tax rises to pay for social care overhaul
Andy Burnham has signalled he is willing to raise taxes to pay for a better elderly care system, saying that England’s current set-up is...
Burnham bounce puts Greens and Reform on the back foot
Andy Burnham has given Labour a bounce in polls, leaving Reform UK and the Greens struggling to regain momentum after a series of...
Andy Burnham rejects northern Labour MPs’ call to abolish council tax
Andy Burnham has rejected calls to scrap council tax, defying a group of Labour MPs who argue that the system unfairly charges their...
Chips and drones to be at heart of Andy Burnham’s push to ‘reindustrialise’, AI minister says
Chip building and drones will be at the heart of Andy Burnham’s drive to “reindustrialise” Britain, the minister for AI has said,...
British state school to open overseas branches for the first time
Britain’s first state school to expand overseas says it can become a model for others, arguing there is “great potential” for...
Andy Burnham plans blitz of policy announcements on entering Number 10
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Andy Burnham will next week seek to hit the ground running as UK prime minister with early announcements on the cost of living, North Sea...
By George Parker Verified, Chris Smyth Verified, Jim Pickard Verified, Ashley Armstrong Verified, Jennifer Williams Verified
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Financial Times
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What will Andy Burnham do on immigration?
Andy Burnham has promised an asylum system that is “both compassionate and credible”, as he backed home secretary Shabana Mahmood’s...
Burnham urged to end freeze in salary threshold for student loan repayments
Andy Burnham is facing pressure to find cash for a costly government U-turn over the “unfair and broken” student loan system at his first...
Andy Burnham faces tricky electoral test as Starmer pushes through local government shake-up
Andy Burnham is set to face a tricky first electoral test next May as Sir Keir Starmer’s ministers plan to push through a major local...
Children’s minister calls for ‘moral outrage’ as he vows to end profit-driven care
Britain’s children’s minister has called for “moral outrage” over the plight of young people in unsuitable institutional homes, as he...
Labour MPs jostling for jobs under Andy Burnham discover fresh passion for devolution
Ambitious Labour ministers are displaying a sudden fascination with the idea of devolving power from London to the regions just as Andy...
UK’s culture secretary and department quit X citing concerns over democracy
UK culture secretary Lisa Nandy announced on Thursday that she and her department were quitting X, saying the social media site was not...
Labour can reform welfare without ‘high noon’ showdown, says Pat McFadden
Labour can press ahead with welfare reform without the need for a repeat of last year’s “high noon” showdown with backbench MPs,...
Andy Burnham vows to ‘rewire’ British state
Andy Burnham has promised more state intervention and more regional control as he laid out his political philosophy of “Manchesterism”...
Keir Starmer seeks to shore up legacy in final weeks in power
Sir Keir Starmer spent Thursday afternoon serving popcorn to children at a cinema in Milton Keynes.
Social housing plans cut back as UK delays funding
Housing associations are cutting building plans by a quarter over the next three years because the government has delayed key funding, in...
Transcript: Can anyone challenge Andy Burnham for PM?
This is an audio transcript of the Political Fix podcast episode: ‘Can anyone challenge Andy Burnham for PM?’ [MUSIC PLAYING] Lucy Fisher...
Wes Streeting seen as frontrunner to become UK’s next chancellor
Andy Burnham has only been at Westminster for a matter of hours and already the jostling has begun for seats in his prospective cabinet —...
How Keir Starmer was undone by caution and no clear plan
Sir Keir Starmer was never a politician by career or instinct.
Keir Starmer could announce exit next week, some ministers believe
Sir Keir Starmer could announce he is quitting Downing Street as early as next week, some ministers believe, as the UK prime minister...
Top civil servant apologises for breaking lobbying rules over Palantir partner
The top civil servant at the Department for Health has apologised for breaching lobbying rules over her consultancy contracts, including...
Can anyone stop Andy Burnham from becoming Labour leader?
After months of speculation about who could replace Sir Keir Starmer as Labour leader, the odds have shifted decisively.
Sulla pelle dei più indifesi
Macie aveva 14 anni quando è stata mandata in una casa famiglia. Al suo arrivo, il personale le ha detto che poteva uscire fuori solo quindici minuti al giorno. Il tempo sarebbe aumentato se avesse svolto alcune faccende domestiche, come le pulizie. “Già il primo giorno ho capito che sarebbe stato il periodo più difficile della mia vita”, racconta oggi, a 18 anni. Macie voleva iscriversi a scuola per prendere il diploma, ma è stata scoraggiata.
Where next for Wes Streeting?
In 2018, some MPs were asked who they thought would be prime minister in 10 years’ time.
UK officials explore swapping some sickness benefits for jobs coaching
UK government officials are exploring allowing people on sickness benefits to swap cash payments for job coaching or mental health...
Keir Starmer vows to fight for his job if leadership challenge launched
Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he will fight for his job if he is challenged for the Labour leadership, as Reform UK and Labour insiders...
How will the UK’s social media ban work?
Sir Keir Starmer has argued that a “full ban is the right choice” as he announced sweeping restrictions on social media for children.
UK ban on TikTok and YouTube will make children ‘happier’, says Keir Starmer
Sir Keir Starmer has unveiled a ban on under-16s using social media platforms including Snapchat, YouTube and TikTok, insisting that it...
Transcript: The Nowak murder — when tragedy meets politics
This is an audio transcript of the Political Fix podcast episode: ‘The Nowak murder — when tragedy meets politics’ [MUSIC PLAYING] Lucy...
UK ministers consider lowering university fees for EU students
British ministers are mulling a cut to university fees for European students as part of a grand bargain with Brussels, as they explore a...
Labour backbench MPs say Pat McFadden’s messages have not derailed welfare reform
Labour MPs have said private messages by Pat McFadden complaining about them wanting to raise taxes in order to pay more benefits have...
‘Bonkers’: the audacious plan for a 1mn-person city near Cambridge
In a deserted field 20 miles east of Cambridge, Shiv Malik describes a vision of timber skyscrapers and “monumental architecture” that he...
Not using AI in public services would mean ‘choosing decline’, UK minister warns
Failing to accelerate the deployment of AI in public services would mean the UK is choosing “decline”, a top Treasury minister has...
Ministers must make fresh push for welfare reform says UK government adviser
Cabinet ministers have a fresh “appetite” for welfare reform, a key government adviser has said after the number of young people who are...
NHS to trial alternatives to GP-issued ‘sick notes’
GPs in England will no longer issue “sick notes” as part of NHS trials designed to reduce the number of people signed off work because of...
UK housebuilders scale back as Iran war and interest rates mute demand
UK housebuilders are cutting profit forecasts and abandoning land purchases as they try to weather muted demand and an uncertain...
English councils to trial Google AI tool to speed up planning decisions
Planning decisions in England will for the first time be made with the help of Google-built AI starting this month, in a pilot ministers...
Ministers explore High Court shake-up in efficiency drive
Ministers are examining plans to overhaul the High Court through the biggest shake-up of the historic Chancery Division in decades, in a...
Reeves defends record as chancellor as cabinet reshuffle rumours grow
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has shrugged off Conservative claims that she will be “toast” in a cabinet reshuffle, convening a Treasury...
Transcript: The Mandelson-Starmer saga stumbles on
This is an audio transcript of the Political Fix podcast episode: ‘The Mandelson-Starmer saga stumbles on’ Miranda Green It seems to have...
‘It’s a democratic issue’: assisted dying legislation runs out of time
The House of Lords was meant to spend Friday poring over the detail of assisted dying.
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