Richard Partington
@rjpartington.bsky.social
đ€ 7094
đ„ 764
đ 295
Guardian Senior Economics Correspondent
Youâd be ashamed to bring someone hereâ: The struggling billionaire-owned high street that shows Reformâs road to No 10 Read
@joshhalliday.bsky.social
âs incredible interactive tale of Newton Aycliffe. From postwar New Jerusalem to boarded-up shopping desert:
www.theguardian.com/society/ng-i...
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âYouâd be ashamed to bring someone hereâ: The struggling billionaire-owned high street that shows Reformâs road to No 10
Newton Aycliffe was meant to be a model town for a fairer postwar Britain. But unaffordable rents on a high street amounting to 0.12% of its property tycoon ownerâs holdings have made it a symbol of d...
https://www.theguardian.com/society/ng-interactive/2026/jan/28/newton-aycliffe-county-durham-high-street-decline?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
26 days ago
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âItâs soul destroying watching your local area turning to shitâ Doom loop of decline: how struggling high streets fuel far-right sympathies in UK - my analysis for the series -
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
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Doom loop of decline: how struggling high streets fuel far-right sympathies in UK
Retail accounts for 5% of the UK economy â but its visibility gives it an outsize influence on public perception
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jan/29/doom-loop-of-decline-how-struggling-high-streets-fuel-far-right-sympathies-in-uk?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
26 days ago
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Exc: Farage attack on high street Turkish barber shops is dog-whistle racism, minister says As part of our series on high street decline and the rise of the right: Miatta Fahnbulleh speaks on the Labour response -
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
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Farage attack on high street Turkish barber shops is dog-whistle racism, minister says
Miatta Fahnbulleh accuses Reform leader of âpolitics of grievanceâ while having no plan to fix UK high streets
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jan/29/farages-attack-on-turkish-barber-shops-is-dog-whistle-racism-minister-says?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
26 days ago
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reposted by
Richard Partington
Kien Tan
29 days ago
đĄ This is an excellent profile of Warrington by
@rjpartington.bsky.social
. As
@centreforcities.bsky.social
says âitâs about taking tough decisions⊠expansion of business parks⊠taking chunks out of green belt to build homesâ Want to fix the high street? First grow the economy and disposable incomes!
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âA southern economy in the northâ: how Warrington has adapted to change
Good transport links and the quietly booming nuclear sector are helping the Cheshire town to thrive
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jan/26/warrington-southern-economy-north-adapted-to-change
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reposted by
Richard Partington
Charlotte Nichols MP
29 days ago
You might call it... The Nation's Most Central Location
@warringtonruncorn.com
đ
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reposted by
Richard Partington
Charlotte Nichols MP
29 days ago
Warrington is in fact very sexy đđ And we have the highest total economic growth of any city or large town since 2013 (and faster growth in living standards and disposable incomes too), as a model for how the rest of the country can be as sexy as us!
add a skeleton here at some point
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Another reference in an earlier draft, which I sadly couldnât include! Thanks for the intro to it, Charlotte. Love it - Ballardian stuff.
add a skeleton here at some point
29 days ago
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reposted by
Richard Partington
David Higham
29 days ago
It's all about location and land. Warrington has benefitted from both from the legacy of the New Town Development Corporation (fun fact: the embryonic NWDA was housed in their old HQ) and OMEGA being the largest brownfield site in the country.
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âDeeply unsexy, but really very well-connectedâ đ€Ł
add a skeleton here at some point
29 days ago
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This one was close to home for me, literally. A feature trip to where I grew up: Warrington is a model town, the
@centreforcities.bsky.social
says today. If its economic performance was replicated nationwide, the avg UK urban resident would be ÂŁ3,200 better off:
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
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âA southern economy in the northâ: how Warrington has adapted to change
Good transport links and the quietly booming nuclear sector are helping the Cheshire town to thrive
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jan/26/warrington-southern-economy-north-adapted-to-change?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
29 days ago
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New: Labour watering down its sweeping changes to employment rights is expected to slash the cost of the plan for UK businesses by billions of pounds - our story here:
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
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Labour workersâ rights concessions to cut cost to business by billions, analysis shows
Updated government assessment says measures will now entail âno more than a modest increaseâ for employers
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jan/07/labour-workers-rights-concessions-cut-cost-business
about 2 months ago
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A productivity boom, but for who? My column in todayâs
@theguardian.com
on falling employment in low-paying sectors, investment in automation and AI, and Engelâs Pause. Labour must learn lessons from history as automation hits jobs market:
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
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Labour must learn lessons from history as automation hits jobs market | Richard Partington
Productivity is up in retail and other low-paying sectors as tech replaces relatively expensive humans
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/dec/28/labour-must-learn-lessons-from-history-as-automation-hits-jobs-market?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
about 2 months ago
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How many more times will the Bank of England rescue Rachel Reeves? My column in today's
@theguardian.com
-
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
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How many more times will the Bank of England rescue Rachel Reeves? | Richard Partington
The City expects a cut in interest rates on Thursday but economic prospects for 2026 complicate the picture
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/dec/14/how-many-more-times-will-the-bank-of-england-rescue-rachel-reeves
2 months ago
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reposted by
Richard Partington
The Guardian
2 months ago
Lines are open đ Phone in to our 2025 telethon and speak to your favourite journalists from the Guardian on 0203 353 4368. We'll be accepting donations by credit or debit card. You can also support the 2025 charity appeal at theguardian.com/charityappeal25bsk
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Our phone lines are open! Call in to this yearâs Guardian charity telethon: 020 3353 4368 Weâre raising money to support grassroots community charities this year to help tackle the rise of division in society. Do call in đ
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
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Guardian charity appeal donations top ÂŁ200,000 before annual telethon
Milestone reached as journalists including Polly Toynbee and John Crace prepare for fundraising event on Saturday
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/dec/12/guardian-charity-appeal-donations-top-200000-before-annual-telethon?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
2 months ago
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âThe Evening Standard (a newspaper then popular with the cityâs commuters)â Spotted in the notes of the Gilbert & George exhibition at the Hayward Gallery⊠Makes me feel both ancient and depressed at the same time.
3 months ago
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âThe City canât be taken for grantedâ: how banks won over Rachel Reeves
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
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âThe City canât be taken for grantedâ: how banks won over Rachel Reeves
JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs to expand UK presence after sector was spared from higher taxes in budget
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/nov/28/city-cant-banks-rachel-reeves-jp-morgan-jp-morgan-goldman-sachs-budget?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
3 months ago
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A stunning U-turn and Labour manifesto breach - opening a schism in the union movement between those wanting a breakthrough and others seeing betrayal - Government to ditch day-one unfair dismissal policy from workersâ rights bill, w
@jessicaelgot.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/law/2025/nov...
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Government to ditch day-one unfair dismissal policy from workersâ rights bill
Flagship Labour plan to be replaced with six-month threshold after Peter Kyle vows to not let businesses âloseâ under new law
https://www.theguardian.com/law/2025/nov/27/government-to-ditch-day-one-unfair-dismissal-policy-from-workers-rights-bill?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
3 months ago
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reposted by
Richard Partington
Jessica Elgot
3 months ago
NEW - the government poised to water down flagship workers rights bill, ditching day one rights to unfair dismissal but reducing qualifying period from two years to six months. But in concession to unions, government will remove provisions for up to nine months probation.
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Rachel Reeves has positioned Labour to fight the next general election with tax increases and spending cuts that resemble a work of âfiscal fictionâ, the IFS warns -
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
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Budget tax rises may be âfiscal fictionâ as pain delayed for election year, IFS warns
Thinktank predicts backloading may force Labour to abandon tax rises or spending cuts
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/nov/27/budget-tax-rises-ifs-fiscal-fiction-warning
3 months ago
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reposted by
Richard Partington
Heather Stewart
3 months ago
Richard Hughes tells Res Foundation he will go, if leak inquiry means Reeves + Meg Hillier think he should: "If they both conclude...they no longer have confidence in me then of course I will resign, which is what you do when you're the chair of something called the Office of Budget Responsibility".
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OBR chair âmortifiedâ by budget leak as ex-cybersecurity chief called in to investigate
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
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OBR chair âmortifiedâ by budget leak as ex-cybersecurity chief called in to investigate
Richard Hughes, head of Office for Budget Responsibility, says he has apologised to chancellor for âletting people downâ
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/nov/27/obr-budget-leak-cybersecurity-investigate
3 months ago
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How Rachel Reevesâs budget was leaked 40 minutes early - âby someone⊠no doubt in the middle of the worst day of their working life.â
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
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How Rachel Reevesâs budget was leaked 40 minutes early
By the time the chancellor reached the dispatch box, the OBR had accidentally published its verdict in full online
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/nov/26/how-rachel-reeves-budget-was-leaked-40-minutes-early?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
3 months ago
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Rachel Reeves says budget will cut living costs after shock OBR leak
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
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Rachel Reeves says budget will cut living costs after shock OBR leak
Chancellor unveils action on energy bills, rail fares and two-child benefit cap as she reveals ÂŁ26bn tax rises
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/nov/26/rachel-reeves-poised-to-unveil-tax-rises-worth-26bn-in-budget-figures-reveal?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
3 months ago
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Madness! Budget 2025 live: OBR forecasts leaked before budget and say GDP to grow by 1.5%
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/live...
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Budget 2025 live: OBR forecasts leaked before budget and say GDP to grow by 1.5%
Forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility appear to have leaked before Rachel Reeves gives her statement
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/live/2025/nov/26/budget-2025-rachel-reeves-tax-cash-isa-minimum-wage-latest-news-updates?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
3 months ago
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Rachel Reevesâs high-stakes autumn budget in five key charts
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
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Rachel Reevesâs high-stakes autumn budget in five key charts
Chancellor to set out tax and spending plans shaped by weak productivity, high borrowing costs and cost of living crisis
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/nov/26/five-key-charts-2025-budget-statement-rachel-reeves
3 months ago
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Labour will listen to bossesâ concerns on workersâ rights, says business secretary Peter Kyle opens the door to businesses at the CBI's annual conference pushing to soften the employment rights bill -
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
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Labour will listen to bossesâ concerns on workersâ rights, says business secretary
Peter Kyle tells CBI conference he will ensure firms do not lose as a result of overhaul
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/nov/24/labour-workers-rights-peter-kyle-cbi-conference
3 months ago
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âIt really does intimidate people. Nothing moves the government quicker than the bond market" - Bond market power: why Rachel Reeves is keen to keep the ÂŁ2.7tn âbeastâ onside:
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
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Bond market power: why Rachel Reeves is keen to keep the ÂŁ2.7tn âbeastâ onside
Hugely influential traders will be hanging on the chancellorâs every word when she announces her budget
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/nov/24/bond-market-power-rachel-reeves-budget
3 months ago
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Hereditary peers - including the Duke of Wellington, landed aristocrats and millionaire business chiefs â have been criticised for voting against workersâ rights Story here:
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
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âOut of touchâ hereditary peers criticised for voting against workersâ rights
Trade union leaders and senior Labour figures say the Lords looks âundemocratic and firmly against the interest of working peopleâ
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/nov/18/out-of-touch-peers-criticised-for-voting-against-workers-rights?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
3 months ago
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UK budget watchdog in danger of strangling economic growth, says TUC boss Paul Nowak says OBR should be modernised to ditch âhardwiredâ support for austerity economics
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
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UK budget watchdog in danger of strangling economic growth, says TUC boss
Paul Nowak says OBR should be modernised to ditch âhardwiredâ support for austerity economics
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/nov/16/uk-budget-watchdog-in-danger-of-strangling-economic-growth-says-tuc-boss?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
3 months ago
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AI, Covid and taxes: what is behind steep rise in youth unemployment? Last yearâs employer NICs increase and a weak economy are adding to tricky conditions for young people
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
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AI, Covid and taxes: what is behind steep rise in youth unemployment?
Last yearâs employer NICs increase and a weak economy are adding to tricky conditions for young people
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/nov/15/ai-covid-and-taxes-what-is-behind-steep-rise-in-youth-unemployment?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
3 months ago
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Half of all UK jobs shed since Labour came to power are among under-25s Exclusive: David Blunkett warns Keir Starmer Britainâs youth are in danger of becoming âlost generationâ on his watch
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
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Half of all UK jobs shed since Labour came to power are among under-25s
Exclusive: David Blunkett warns Keir Starmer Britainâs youth are in danger of becoming âlost generationâ on his watch
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/nov/15/half-of-all-uk-jobs-shed-since-labour-came-to-power-are-among-under-25s?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
3 months ago
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Amid disappointing UK growth, how can Rachel Reeves escape the doom loop?
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
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Amid disappointing UK growth, how can Rachel Reeves escape the doom loop?
Stronger public finances require stronger economy, but large tax rises and spending cuts could squeeze activity further
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/nov/13/amid-disappointing-uk-growth-how-can-rachel-reeves-escape-the-doom-loop
3 months ago
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reposted by
Richard Partington
Heather Stewart
3 months ago
Bit of analysis from me - a key upside from busting the manifesto pledges is meant to come in cheaper borrowing, as bond markets buy into the budget. Wesgate makes that much harder, by amplifying fears about whether Reeves/PM can stick around to implement it:
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
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Labour infighting puts chancellorâs budget plan to reassure bond markets at risk
It was hoped manifesto-breaking tax rises might bring down borrowing costs â but party turbulence is likely to spook investors
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/nov/12/labour-infighting-rachel-reeves-budget-government-bond-markets?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
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UK unemployment rises to highest level in four years before budget
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
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UK unemployment rises to highest level in four years before budget
ONS finds worsening slowdown in the jobs market, as HMRC reports falling number of workers on firmsâ payrolls
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/nov/11/uk-unemployment-rises-budget-ons-jobs-hmrc?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
3 months ago
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The bond market is wrong. Reeves should not cut welfare to placate the City - my comment in today's
@theguardian.com
:
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
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The bond market is wrong. Reeves should not cut welfare to placate the City | Richard Partington
Keeping the markets on side is the chancellorâs priority but itâs not an easy task given their simplistic, misplaced views on welfare cuts
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/nov/09/obr-2025-budget-verdict-important-but-bond-market-key-rachel-reeves
4 months ago
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âA job is like finding a needle in a haystackâ: how Dudley became centre of UKâs youth jobs crisis - My feature from the Black Country in todayâs
@theguardian.com
on how Rachel Reevesâs Budget must tackle rising youth unemployment
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
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âA job is like finding a needle in a haystackâ: how Dudley became centre of UKâs youth jobs crisis
Almost one in five school-leavers in West Midlands town are not in education, employment or training and chancellor is under pressure to deliver promised âyouth guaranteeâ
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/nov/07/dudley-uk-epicentre-youth-jobs-crisis-unemployment?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
4 months ago
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reposted by
Richard Partington
William Wright
4 months ago
Late to this but I really enjoyed talking with my old colleague Richard on how Brexit and the City has contributed to the UK's productivity problem:
add a skeleton here at some point
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Bank of England holds interest rates at 4% ahead of make-or-break budget
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
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Bank of England holds interest rates at 4% ahead of make-or-break budget
Borrowing costs kept unchanged for second meeting in a row, with inflation at nearly twice official target
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/nov/06/bank-of-england-holds-interest-rates-rachel-reeves-budget
4 months ago
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Fixing Britainâs health-driven worklessness crisis will require employers to increase spending on workplace health to ÂŁ6bn a year - landmark Mayfield review recommends:
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
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Fixing Britainâs worklessness crisis will cost employers ÂŁ6bn a year, report says
The Keep Britain Working review, created to tackle the rising tide of ill health pushing millions out of work, reported its findings ahead of this monthâs budget
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/nov/05/fixing-britains-worklessness-crisis-will-cost-employers-6bn-a-year-report-says?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
4 months ago
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âThe money machine is misfiringâ: City blames Brexit for UKâs ÂŁ20bn productivity headache How Brexit hit the London and UK finance exports - landing Rachel Reeves with her bigger-than-forecast budget spending gap
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
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âThe money machine is misfiringâ: City blames Brexit for UKâs ÂŁ20bn productivity headache
Poor output since the leave vote has landed Rachel Reeves with a bigger-than-forecast budget spending gap
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/oct/31/city-brexit-uk-productivity-eu-rachel-reeves-budget
4 months ago
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Right to buy in reverse: how Brighton is tackling its social housing crisis - my column in today's
@theguardian.com
on how the seaside council aims to turn the tide:
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
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Right to buy in reverse: how Brighton is tackling its social housing crisis | Richard Partington
The council is rolling back Thatcherâs flagship policy by buying stock from private landlords. Other local authorities should take note
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/oct/26/right-to-buy-reverse-brighton-tackling-social-housing-crisis
4 months ago
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Rachel Reeves should consider welfare cuts in budget, IFS says
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
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Rachel Reeves should consider welfare cuts in budget, IFS says
Thinktank urges chancellor to take âboldâ action on benefits and pensions to placate jittery financial markets
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/oct/16/rachel-reeves-should-consider-welfare-cuts-in-budget-ifs-says?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
4 months ago
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reposted by
Richard Partington
Heather Stewart
4 months ago
Just had a chat with Rachel Reeves in Washington. She: - says taxes on wealthy will feature in budget - wants UK bond yields back in line with rest of G7 - says OBR should have revised forecasts earlier - promises continued investment, no return to austerity
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
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Rachel Reeves says higher taxes on wealthy âpart of the storyâ for November budget
Chancellor hints at rises and calls out past âscaremongeringâ over VAT on private schools and changes to non-doms
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/oct/15/rachel-reeves-says-higher-taxes-on-wealthy-part-of-the-story-for-november-budget?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
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Exclusive: Labour considering charging workers for employment tribunal claims, sources say - a potential big concession as businesses lobby to water down the employment rights bill âThe unions will go bananas"
www.theguardian.com/money/2025/o...
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Labour considering charging workers for employment tribunal claims, sources say
Exclusive: Reintroducing tribunal fees would be âa gift for bad bossesâ, says TUC chief Paul Nowak
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2025/oct/01/labour-considering-charging-workers-for-employment-tribunal-claims-sources-say
5 months ago
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reposted by
Richard Partington
Zoë Billingham
5 months ago
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.đ15:45, Arena Room Dee, ACC.
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Last year Labour love-bombed business with a âDavos on the Merseyâ conference. This year bosses are disappointed, to say the least: âWe are being run by student union politiciansâ My feature: âA serious disappointmentâ: Labourâs challenge to rebuild City ties:
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
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https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/sep/28/a-serious-disappointment-labour-has-to-regain-business-sectors-confidence-at-conference?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
5 months ago
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Reeves urged to take 2p off employee NI and add it to income tax in budget
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
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Reeves urged to take 2p off employee NI and add it to income tax in budget
Resolution Foundation says move could raise additional ÂŁ6bn a year and âlevel the playing fieldâ on income tax
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/23/reeves-urged-to-take-2p-off-employee-ni-and-add-it-to-income-tax-in-budget?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
5 months ago
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Exc: Labour must rethink its âaridâ 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...
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Labour must rethink growth strategy to curb rise of far right, says top economist
Former Bank chief economist Andy Haldane says left-behind communities need investment to stem populist tide
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/sep/17/labour-growth-far-right-economy-andy-haldane?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
5 months ago
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UK inflation holds steady at 3.8% as fuel prices offset falling air fares
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
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UK inflation holds steady at 3.8% as fuel prices offset falling air fares
Annual August rate released as Bank of England considers holding interest rate at 4% to tackle rising prices
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/sep/17/uk-inflation-remained-at-38-in-august-official-figures-show?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
5 months ago
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