There’s a wider thing. Taxes are up since pre-pandemic levels. Why? The Tories will claim its welfare (which did rise as % gdp on their watch but is basically flat under us).

This is a reasonable compromise that ends the threat of risk averse employers making fewer hires. With full rights after 6 months and a huge advance in employment protections UK labour law is joining the European mainstream on.ft.com/49JKkvw Labour retreats on ‘day one’ rights for workers

Another very large decline in net migration in today's ONS figures, with immigration falling and emigration rising. I'm sure this will get just as much media and political coverage as the earlier sharp rises, right? www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopula...

Most of the public think net migration increased last year, when in fact numbers halved. New findings from the Ipsos/British Future Immigration Attitudes Tracker show that 56% of the public thinks immigration increased last year. Just 1 in 6 realise it was down www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Today's package wasn't perfect but it was a responsible centre-left plan for tough economic times cradle2grave.substack.com/p/in-defence...

Almost all the tax rises in this Budget are years’ away But the politics has been so mishandled, that voters and businesses will think they’re being hit now (including blaming Labour for Sunak’s threshold freezes) on.ft.com/48cCRCz

This is obviously not a comprehensive list and no doubt some people here will know many of the answers. But at the moment it feels like we are being fed folk tales in the place of facts.

Question on Monday Is it now your principle that every Ukranian refugee in Britain should leave, must leave once it is safe + that they will all be made to leave?

So very sad to hear. Rachel was one of the sharpest, funniest, most empathetic and eloquent people I’ve ever known observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

🔉What dangers does X pose to our democracy? And should the government stop using it? Good to hear yesterday from @sundersays.bsky.social and @petergeoghegan.bsky.social on the immense risk of X as it ignores legal obligations and its owner tries to influence UK politics. @commonswec.parliament.uk

Good piece by David Aaronovitch on the Prescott dossier: observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

My purist view on pension salary sacrifice is it should either be UNIVERSAL or BANNED. It is a very generous tax break that mainly benefits above average earners (employers cant use it if it will take pay below the minimum wage, so it’s a faff in low pay sectors).

1/ The US Government has quietly removed a memorial to Black soldiers who died in World War II from the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten, South Limburg. The move follows a complaint from the right-wing Heritage Foundation to the American Battle Monuments Commission. ⬇️

NEW: Reported plans to double tax rates on the top two council tax bands would cause huge distortions and unequal treatment between owners of expensive homes across England One area where homes cost £500k would barely be touched By me, for Politics Home www.politicshome.com/news/article...

I missed this last week. The new English index of income deprivation includes UC working households who are on low-incomes AFTER HOUSING COSTS. This is a big deal technically & means we now have a hyper local measure of LIVING STANDARDS not just incomes. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Pretty extraordinary story here www-bbc-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.bbc....

The minimum wage is pegged to median earnings. It is only rising to keep up with higher pay and prices across the economy. It sounds like recruiters need to do that too, rather than blame the wage floor? on.ft.com/4hBPdIK City bosses warn on pay as minimum wage closes in on graduate salaries

Out today - including my chapter on the case for pension tax reform

16% is a bit misleading. Probably something roughly like 65% of 200k+ members and 5-9% of 800k affiliated orgs/mainly unions, where people didnt choose to join. They split the turnout by category every other time

Labour should grasp the nettle on pension tax reform - my chapter in a great new @thefabians.bsky.social report Taxing Questions fabians.org.uk/publication/...

Wait, I know this one. Is must be by cutting a third off National Insurance when there’s a huge deficit…?

Reading these lame defences makes me wonder why this hasn’t happened years’ ago? Very rich lawyers and accountants should be taxed as much as very rich bankers! on.ft.com/3KViuSD Lawyers and accountants warn Reeves against tax raid on partnerships

The dirty dozen open.substack.com/pub/cradle2g... by @andrewharrop.bsky.social Andrew is out of the Fabians and at PF, substacking away, and this is a concise humdinger, if that is a thing

12 fair and pro-growth tax rises that Rachel Reeves should consider My post for @labourlist.bsky.social 1. Freeze all income tax and national insurance thresholds until the end of the parliament (though it would be fairer to just raise income tax rates) 🧵 labourlist.org/2025/10/bude...

It's not about the OBR: me in the FT www.ft.com/content/a06d...

Excellent article by @chrisgiles.ft.com riffing off recent posts from @benbgeiger.bsky.social No need for a moral panic about the welfare system on.ft.com/4ooDEqx

Post on DHSC's plans for the social care Fair Pay Agreement - The proposals are robust - April 2028 launch sensible - The £500m budget for the FPA is enough to start bargaining (esp as it only covers publicly-paid care) But more will be needed >2029 1/2 cradle2grave.substack.com/p/paying-for...

Keir’s goal of an end to child poverty and childhood hunger is HUGE. It requires a reordering of labour markets, housing markets, public services and social security. Now we need a plan to make it happen.

Fabian general secretaries, 2003-25 @sundersays.bsky.social 2003-11 with @andrewharrop.bsky.social 2011-24 & @joedromey.bsky.social 2025-onwards

“Not taking a penny in benefits” Seriously? Child benefit Universal credit while working State pension based on contribution PIP with severe disability?

A good day to join the Fabians… fabians.org.uk/membership/j...

There is sound logic to a ‘tax switch’ from employee NICs to income tax, not least for the slice of NI that goes to the NHS. But LAB doesn’t have political headroom to raise taxes on mid income pensioners now. ➡️Reeves should do this switch only with the higher/additional rate on.ft.com/3KhcUtu

Excellent to see proposals on workplace health published by @thefabians.bsky.social concluding a project we were setting up as I left. A serious plan for large employers to fund quality occupational health & government to help SMEs on.ft.com/3Inh1U4

It’s hard to argue that pay is out of control when it’s only a whisker over inflation.

Bike crashes requiring ambulance attendance were up 44% Which means cycling in London during the strike was even safer than usual… rider numbers were well over double www.thetimes.com/article/fca8...

🚨 How bad is UK fiscal vs G7 peers? on.ft.com/462WKLd

As with Trump, it’s never just about ‘illegal’ immigration

Life’s getting a bit more crap here if you are a person from an ethnic minority 🧵

NEW POST - National Care Service: A Quiet First Step The government has taken a big step towards creating the National Care Service without telling anyone! ...all in one paragraph of this summer's Fair Funding proposals for local government finance cradle2grave.substack.com/p/national-c...

1. New data shows employers investing 36% less in training per employee than in 2005 in real terms. This is both a cause and consequence of low economic growth & policy instability. It comes alongside a £1bn (20%) real terms cut in Government investment in adult skills in England compared to 2010.

New substack post: The pensions commission resurrected - Incomes for private pensions are set to plunge in the next 2 decades - Almost half of working age adults aren’t saving Will the new review find answers? 1/3 cradle2grave.substack.com/p/the-pensio...

The government’s Pensions Commission, launched on monday, presents an important opportunity to address these challenges. To find out more about how to help end pensioner poverty, read ‘Mature decisions’ & 'When I'm 64' 👇 fabians.org.uk/publication/... fabians.org.uk/publication/...

Higher income Gen-Xers are in for a HUGE shock re their (our!) retirement incomes. DWP stats show a high-earner retiring in 2043 will have 13% LESS income than their 2027 peer. With policy change ruled out until 2030, ministers are leaving 40/50s to sort for themselves www.gov.uk/government/s...

Immediate thoughts on the Pensions Commission terms of reference: (1) exclusively about future pensioners (are there no issues facing current cohorts?) (2) to focus on lowest income / risk of poverty AND biggest under-savers (these are mainly not the same people) 1/2 www.gov.uk/government/p...

Today I'm feeling nostalgic for this 2020 joint report from @thefabians.bsky.social & @brightblueuk.bsky.social on the case for a new PENSIONS COMMISSION. Only 5 years too soon... with lots of ideas on how to make the commission work re remit, operation & impact fabians.org.uk/publication/...

Great thread on tax patterns from Matt, showing rich(-ish) are earning more and paying more of the national pie, and middle are earning less and paying less

The 'work disincentive' argument implied here is completely disingenuous because people would keep PIP (& a decent chunk of their UC) if they moved into work The vast majority of people in this position would rather be working if their health allowed 2/2 www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/202...

The @csjthinktank.bsky.social don’t seem to understand the benefit system they and their patron designed! PIP and UC rightly make disabled people much better off if they work on the minimum wage than if they don’t www.thetimes.com/article/d6ed...

Wow - how not to do ageing, work and retirement Assumptions, untruths & prejudices here we defeated 20+ years ago in the UK (though always more to do) www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...