16th March, 2010, 8:19 am Cabinet contenders: departmental debates confirmed – 8 in the morning, March 16th Alex Smith Share this article: By Alex Smith / @alexsmith1982 * Peter Mandelson will debate Ken Clarke on business, and other cabinet ministers will also discuss policy on live TV debates with Andrew Neil in the weeks before the election. * The number of ministers should be cut by a third, reports parliament’s public administration committee. * The European Commission has warned that the UK is not on course to cut its deficit in line with EU rules by a deadline of 2015. * Last minute talks between Unite and BA are unlikely to have led to the strike being called off. * Ladbroke’s outgoing boss has tipped Labour to have most seats in parliament after the general election. * “Politician, scholar, football fan, reader, writer, storyteller, husband, stepfather and loyal friend”: Michael foot is laid to rest in London. * Liberal Conspiracy says the “splintering of Stoke’s working class eventually found expression in its politics” and reports on Labour’s collapse there. * The Guardian asks: Why isn’t every company like John Lewis? Alex Smith Alex is the founder and CEO of The Cares Family. He was editor and first director of LabourList in 2009-2010, during which time he established the site as the number one Labour blog, and later an aide to Ed Miliband. @alexsmith1982 View all articles by Alex Smith Subscribe to our daily email More from LabourList News Paul Nowak column: ‘Let celebrate this historic step on child poverty – and follow it with work and childcare reforms’ Amid the storm of post-budget fallout and blame games, it’s important not to lose sight of the huge… Paul Nowak 4th December, 2025, 6:00 am Comment ‘School readiness is rising – but so is the gap between poorer kids and their peers’ This government has made opportunity and social mobility a major focus, aiming to “break down barriers to opportunity”… Rebecca Montacute 4th December, 2025, 6:00 am News 2026 mayoral elections to be postponed for two years – reports Four inaugural mayoral elections that had been due to take place next May are set to be postponed… Daniel Green 3rd December, 2025, 11:37 pm
Alex Smith Alex is the founder and CEO of The Cares Family. He was editor and first director of LabourList in 2009-2010, during which time he established the site as the number one Labour blog, and later an aide to Ed Miliband. @alexsmith1982 View all articles by Alex Smith
News Paul Nowak column: ‘Let celebrate this historic step on child poverty – and follow it with work and childcare reforms’ Amid the storm of post-budget fallout and blame games, it’s important not to lose sight of the huge… Paul Nowak 4th December, 2025, 6:00 am
Comment ‘School readiness is rising – but so is the gap between poorer kids and their peers’ This government has made opportunity and social mobility a major focus, aiming to “break down barriers to opportunity”… Rebecca Montacute 4th December, 2025, 6:00 am
News 2026 mayoral elections to be postponed for two years – reports Four inaugural mayoral elections that had been due to take place next May are set to be postponed… Daniel Green 3rd December, 2025, 11:37 pm
More from LabourList
Paul Nowak column: ‘Let celebrate this historic step on child poverty – and follow it with work and childcare reforms’
‘School readiness is rising – but so is the gap between poorer kids and their peers’
2026 mayoral elections to be postponed for two years – reports