Mark Ferguson

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk * Treasury estimates suggest that 1.3 million jobs will be lost over the next 5 years as a result of the "austerity budget". * "Think 1980s. Think Boys from the Black Stuff. Think a new lost generation."…

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk Ahead of hustings tonight in Oxford, most of the candidates have been relatively quiet. However, one candidate gave a keynote speech that sought to frame the debate of the race from here on in, whilst the…

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk Ed Miliband gave a speech this afternoon in which he sought to explain the way he thinks the party, and then the country, need to change. He also took the opportunity to reach out to Lib Dem voters and…

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk Frank Field, who is (just barely) still able to call himself a Labour MP, has - for a change - talked a hateful load of old twaddle about welfare and benefits. As the Guardian reported this morning, Field…

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk * "The British people have again elected a centrist government." Blair says Tories should learn from Labour's mistakes. * Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman says, "slashing spending in the midst of…

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk Today the candidates were in a combative and campaigning mood and refreshingly the campaign felt like a five headed assault on the government rather than an internal party contest. Campaigns were launched…

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk Update: Andy Burnham has attacked Jeremy Hunt for his "casual ignorance" over Hillsborough. Speaking to BBC News, Burnham said: "It is very depressing to hear a cabinet minister makes this remark, it shows…

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk Speaking to the BBC this morning, Shadow Work and Pensions secretary Yvette Cooper attacked Tory plans as "simply benefit cuts". "What they're actually going is they're in fact, if you look at the other…

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk * Trimdon Labour Club - a venue synonymous with Tony Blair - is set to close next month. * "Public sector pensions must be fair and affordable" says John Hutton in the FT. * "Ken did things well when he…

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk As has been the case every Saturday throughout the leadership campaign, hustings dominated today's timetable. As today's hustings were held in Newcastle and Middlesborough, issues relating to the North…

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk Writing today on his blog during a visit to the North East, Ed Balls attacked steel manufacturer Corus, saying: "Corus need to get their skates on and do the right thing. They clearly do not intent to…

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk David Miliband has written an open letter to General David Petraeus, the new commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan, in which he lays out plans for a future peace deal in the troubled Central Asian…