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Reposted by Richard Partington

Zoë Billingham @zoebillingham.bsky.social · 12d

How do you grow the country in every corner? Join us this afternoon for our final event at Labour conference with @mayorofwy.bsky.social @miattafahnbulleh.bsky.social @rjpartington.bsky.social & our own Marcus Johns.📍15:45, Arena Room Dee, ACC.

Richard Partington @rjpartington.bsky.social · 15d

Last year Labour love-bombed business with a ‘Davos on the Mersey’ conference.

This year bosses are disappointed, to say the least:

‘We are being run by student union politicians’

My feature: ‘A serious disappointment’: Labour’s challenge to rebuild City ties:

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Reeves urged to take 2p off employee NI and add it to income tax in budget

Richard Partington @rjpartington.bsky.social · 20d

Reeves urged to take 2p off employee NI and add it to income tax in budget

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Resolution Foundation says move could raise additional £6bn a year and ‘level the playing field’ on income tax

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Richard Partington @rjpartington.bsky.social · 26d

He called for more devolution and investment in skills, housing and transport - as he launched a report for Labour’s East Midlands mayor Claire Ward on inclusive growth

“A sense of people progressing in their lives, of being invested in, is the absolute foundation stone of curbing disaffection”

Labour must rethink growth strategy to curb rise of far right, says top economist

Richard Partington @rjpartington.bsky.social · 26d

Exc: Labour must rethink its “arid” growth strategy to curb rise of far right, says Andy Haldane

The ex-BoE chief economist said populism was being fuelled by failure to raise living standards:

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Former Bank chief economist Andy Haldane says left-behind communities need investment to stem populist tide

UK inflation holds steady at 3.8% as fuel prices offset falling air fares

Richard Partington @rjpartington.bsky.social · 26d

UK inflation holds steady at 3.8% as fuel prices offset falling air fares

www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Annual August rate released as Bank of England considers holding interest rate at 4% to tackle rising prices

UK labour market cools as pay growth slows and job losses rise

Richard Partington @rjpartington.bsky.social · 27d

UK labour market cools as pay growth slows and job losses rise

www.theguardian.com/business/202...

ONS figures come as the government is under pressure to revive Britain’s economy before the budget

Bank of England urged to slow bond-selling plan to help cut record UK borrowing costs

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Richard Partington @rjpartington.bsky.social · 28d

Bank of England urged to slow bond-selling plan to help cut record UK borrowing costs.

Four ex-MPC members tell the Guardian that the BoE should scale back QT this Thursday amid febrile bond market conditions.

Doing so could have a benefit for Rachel Reeves

www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Ex-MPC members say ‘quantitative tightening’ should be scaled back or halted entirely, saving the Treasury up to £10bn a year

Labour urged to create ‘national occupational health service’

Richard Partington @rjpartington.bsky.social · 28d

Labour urged to create ‘national occupational health service’ - www.theguardian.com/money/2025/s...

Fabian Society argues service could keep more people in jobs and fix worklessness crisis driven by ill-health

Stagnant GDP shows scale of challenge for Rachel Reeves at autumn budget

Richard Partington @rjpartington.bsky.social · Sep 12

Stagnant GDP shows scale of challenge for Rachel Reeves at autumn budget. My analysis on today’s snapshot:

www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Chancellor calls economy ‘stuck, not broken’ but there are signs her policies have added to the UK’s economic headwinds

Starmer’s reshuffle and march of Reform dominate discussions at TUC conference

Richard Partington @rjpartington.bsky.social · Sep 10

'What the hell are Labour doing?': Starmer’s reshuffle and march of Nigel Farage's Reform dominate discussions at TUC Congress

My report back from this year's annual union gathering in Brighton:

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Suspicions rife about the workers’ rights bill being watered down after Angela Rayner’s resignation

CBI boss calls for Rachel Reeves to tear up Labour’s manifesto pledge on tax

Richard Partington @rjpartington.bsky.social · Sep 9

CBI boss calls for Rachel Reeves to tear up Labour’s manifesto pledge on tax - www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Rain Newton-Smith tells chancellor ‘the time for tinkering is over’ and revisit promise not to raise taxes on working people

Labour must do more to tackle populist right as party’s support leaks to Reform, say unions

Richard Partington @rjpartington.bsky.social · Sep 8

Labour must do more to tackle populist right as party’s support leaks to Reform, say unions

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak urged government to show working people ‘whose side you are on’

Unite’s Sharon Graham: ‘Labour has one year to get it right. Farage is on their tail’

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Richard Partington @rjpartington.bsky.social · Sep 8

TUC chief Paul Nowak pulls no punches in his Congress speech on Robert Jenrick:

"No amount of Tik Toks or Ozempic or expensive haircuts will ever hide the inner ugliness of Robert Jenrick"

Says he is a "xenophobe" whose rhetoric fuels environment for far-right thugs and hotel protests

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Reposted by Richard Partington

Sharon Graham @unitesharon.bsky.social · Sep 6

Labour need to avoid taxing workers to fill the gap in the public finances and start drawing up plans for a wealth tax.

If this keeps happening, the feeling that workers always pay, but they’re leaving the super-rich totally untouched – I think they won’t recover from it. 👇

As workers feel the pressure and more people tune in to Reform, Starmer risks losing union members’ support, Graham says

Unite’s Sharon Graham: ‘Labour has one year to get it right. Farage is on their tail’

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Richard Partington @rjpartington.bsky.social · Sep 6

Exc: Unite’s Sharon Graham: ‘Labour has one year to get it right. Farage is on their tail’

Unite boss warns Labour could leave voters feeling ‘duped’ after watering down its workers’ rights reforms

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

As workers feel the pressure and more people tune in to Reform, Starmer risks losing union members’ support, Graham says

‘They’re toxic but popular’: businesses wary as they head to Reform’s party conference

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Richard Partington @rjpartington.bsky.social · Sep 5

Fags, booze, hunting and crypto - it’s an eclectic mix at Reform… I am in Birmingham today to report back:

‘They’re toxic but popular’: businesses wary as they head to Reform’s party conference

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Nigel Farage will be wooing corporate guests at the NEC in Birmingham as his party aims to build on recent successes

Rachel Reeves’s autumn budget will take place on 26 November

Richard Partington @rjpartington.bsky.social · Sep 3

Rachel Reeves’s autumn budget will take place on 26 November www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Treasury reveals date as speculation rises over potential tax increases to plug deficit in public finances of up to £40bn

Crackdown on international students could hurt struggling UK cities, thinktank warns

Richard Partington @rjpartington.bsky.social · Sep 3

Crackdown on international students could hurt struggling UK cities, thinktank warns www.theguardian.com/education/20...

University sector, which is reliant on overseas students for a quarter of income, key to economic activity in cities like Leicester and Hull

‘Just hysteria’: UK faces a crisis but the Denis Healey comparison is overblown

Richard Partington @rjpartington.bsky.social · Aug 29

‘Just hysteria’: UK faces a crisis but the IMF bailout talk is overblown

“You can quote me as saying that is complete nonsense…,” says a former Bank of England policymaker on the prospect of a UK IMF bailout.

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Despite sluggish growth and rising borrowing costs, most economists agree that Rachel Reeves doesn’t face a repeat of 1976 crisis

With tax speculation festering, Rachel Reeves needs to show her hand | Richard Partington

Richard Partington @rjpartington.bsky.social · Aug 25

With tax speculation festering, Rachel Reeves needs to show her hand.

My column in today’s @theguardian.com on the fog of uncertainty shrouding the UK’s current economic data, the mess of the ONS, and how it’s making budget speculation worse…

www.theguardian.com/business/202...

The chancellor seems to be waiting for a clearer economic picture to emerge but that is not how government works

Fears grow over impact of ONS data reliability on Rachel Reeves’s budget

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Richard Partington @rjpartington.bsky.social · Aug 22

Economists warn data quality problems increase the danger of tax and spending "missteps" -- including raising taxes by more than required.

"The ONS is a bit of shower at the moment,” says one top economist.

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Richard Partington @rjpartington.bsky.social · Aug 22

New: Fears grow over impact of ONS data reliability on Rachel Reeves’s budget (scoop w/ @annaisaac.bsky.social)

Deep troubles at the statistics body mean staff at the Treasury and the OBR are struggling to get a clear picture of the economy - our story: www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Troubles at UK statistics body are muddying economic picture for Treasury and spending watchdog, sources warn

‘Mountain to climb’: how Labour is facing a crisis in youth unemployment

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Richard Partington @rjpartington.bsky.social · Aug 21

New: Liz Kendall tells me Labour will extend its youth 'trailblazer' job and training scheme by a year with additional funding of £45m -

‘Mountain to climb’: how Labour is facing a crisis in youth unemployment - as number of Neet young adults hits almost 1m: www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

The government is adding an extra year, and an extra £45m, to its scheme in England to help people find work