How the government’s 2012 growth forecasts have slumped disastrously

The Tories don’t have any solutions to London’s cost of living problems

By Sadiq Khan

London needs a plan for growth. By 2022 a city the size of Birmingham will be added to London’s population. No city can afford to expand so quickly and do it in a haphazard fashion. It demands careful consideration and investment to avoid an unplanned mess. But in planning for growth we need to take all Londoners with us. This is a once in a lifetime chance to deliver an inclusive city. In which we hardwire tackling inequality into everything […]

Are Burnham and council leaders at loggerheads over NHS devolution deal?

Last night we reported that Andy Burnham, Shadow Health Secretary and MP for Leith, was opposed to plans to devolve the £6bn NHS budget to Greater Manchester. It has now been reported that local politicians didn’t consult him prior to agreeing this with the government. The Manchester Evening News have reported that Burnham was “furious” with local leaders –  particularly Burnham’s local town hall chief Lord Peter Smith – who had not informed him of the devolution deal. However, other sources told the paper […]

New figures show rough sleeping has risen by 55% since Labour left office

The number of homeless people sleeping on the streets has risen by almost a thousand since David Cameron became Prime Minister. Latest figures show that there were 2,744 people rough sleeping in Autumn of last year, compared to 1,768 in 2010. Shadow Housing Minister Emma Reynolds said the rise recorded in these figures was “shocking” and condemned the policies that has led to the worsening situation. “Rising housing costs and low pay have made it more and more difficult for […]

Labour candidate launches new website to highlight Tory opponent’s record

It’s no longer unusual to see political parties set up websites to highlight weaknesses in their opponents: we first saw it at the last election, most famously with the Tories’ expensive ‘Cash Gordon’ mistake. Until now however, we have not before seen it on a localised scale. But today sees the launch of #reesmoggrecord, a new website from Todd Foreman, Labour’s candidate in North East Somerset. Rather than attacking sitting MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, Foreman’s innovative website simply collects some of […]

The triumph of the pink bus

By Sally Gimson

“Labour women will have the last laugh,” Harriet Harman declares as we ride the pink bus from Bedford to Cambridge. The bus has been mocked as patronising in the national media and even described in this way LabourList. But Harman is undaunted. “When we did the women’s conference in Manchester the media took no notice,” she says. “We talked about issues like childcare, domestic violence, jobs, equal pay but there was no discussion nationally. The pink bus is making people come […]