Author: Miles Donavan

The Motability scheme has long been a target of the right. Helen Whately, shadow work and pensions minister, has come under fire after making remarks at the Conservative Party Conference on October 6, where she claimed:  “Millions are getting benefits for anxiety and ADHD, along with a free Motability car.” Whately, the Conservative MP for Faversham and Mid Kent, has been accused of spreading misinformation and fuelling prejudice against people with mental health conditions and neurodevelopmental disorders. Critics say her statement misrepresents both the eligibility criteria for disability benefits and the number of claimants actually receiving support through the Motability…

Truss tanked the UK economy and was out in 49 days. Milei may still be standing, but he’s executing an even extremer version of Trussonomics than Liz Truss executed. “Javier Milei is the template,” Kemi Badenoch told the Financial Times in July. When asked whether Britain needed its own version of the Argentine president, known for brandishing a chainsaw at rallies and pledging to slash government spending to the bone, and whether she saw herself in that role, she responded: “Yes and yes.” The Conservative Party leader has quoted Milei at length, praising his belief that state tools such as printing money, subsidies,…

“We remembered people with love, care and compassion.” On October 9, the Museum of Homelessness (MoH) held a national vigil on the steps of St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, to honour the lives of those who died while homeless in 2024. During the ceremony, the names of all those who had passed away were read aloud. According to new research from the MoH’s Dying Homeless Project, 1,611 people died while homeless in the UK in 2024, an increase of 9 percent from the previous year. This equates to an average of four deaths per day. The report highlights a rise in ‘deaths…

When Nobel Committee chair Jørgen Watne Frydnes was asked why Trump wasn’t given the award, he suggested Trump wasn’t worthy. The head of the Nobel Peace Prize has justified not giving the award to President Trump, suggesting the commander-in-chief was not worthy of the illustrious award. It comes after Trump made no secret of his desire to be awarded the world’s most prestigious award, boasting that he has solved seven wars, which in recent days has included a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Palestine as well as previous conflicts such as the wars between India and Pakistan as well as…

Sunak has earned more than half a million pounds from ‘second jobs’ since the 2024 general election Former prime minister Rishi Sunak has accepted a further two paid adviser roles, this time at Microsoft and AI firm Anthrophic.  The post-ministerial jobs watchdog Acoba, which has now been axed, warns Sunak’s time as prime minister could offer the firms ‘unfair access and influence’ in the UK government.  Acoba issued its standard guidance, advising that for two years after leaving office, Sunak should not personally lobby the government on behalf of these companies. Prime minister Keir Starmer abolished the watchdog in July,…

Phillipson is pushing for the cap to be lifted in full, the Guardian reports. Education secretary and Labour Party deputy leadership contender Bridget Phillipson is pushing the Prime Minister and chancellor to abolish the two-child benefit cap in full, ahead of the budget next month. The two-child benefit cap was introduced by George Osborne as Conservative chancellor. It bars families from claiming the £292.81-a-month child element of universal credit for third and subsequent children born after April 6, 2017. According to the Child Poverty Action Group, every day 109 more children are pulled into poverty by the policy. If the…

“So were you lying or was Nigel Farage lying?” Reform’s Zia Yusuf was grilled on Question Time last night over an ex-Reform politician charged with accepting bribes from pro-Russian interests. Green Party leader Zack Polanski challenged Yusuf over the party’s claims that Nigel Farage and Reform “didn’t know” who ex-Brexit Party MEP Nathan Gill was. Gill was leader of Reform UK Wales from March to May 2021 and has been pictured with Farage and Reform deputy leader Richard Tice several times. He was also leader of UKIP Wales between 2014 and 2016, when Farage was leader. On 26 September, Gill…

The polling also shows that Brexit is also much more likely to be considered a failure (38%) than a success (24%) by GE2024 Tory voters. In what marks a significant shift in opinion on Brexit among Conservative Party voters, a new poll has found that even Tory voters say Brexit has failed and damaged the UK economy. The poll, carried out by YouGov for campaign group Best for Britain, found that people who say they intend to vote Conservative at the next general election are now more than twice as likely to consider Brexit a failure for the UK (46%)…

Before the local elections, Reform circulated a leaflet attacking the CEO’s salary and comparing it to the PM’s pay Reform-led Derbyshire County Council has defended raising the salary of the council’s chief executive to over £200,000. Despite having previously criticised the ‘highly expensive’ post before the local elections, the council’s Reform leader, Alan Graves, has said he will keep the chief executive role following the current council boss’ resignation. Once appointed, the new chief executive will earn £181,018 per year as before, but will now also be able to earn a £20,000 annual performance related-bonus. In September 2021, then Conservative-led…

The ceasefire deal is being celebrated, but there are also concerns Israel could backtrack, and that it won’t end the decades-long occupation The news of a ceasfire deal in Gaza have been welcomed, but groups fear Israel could renege on the agreement and warn it won’t end the occupation of Palestine. After 734 days of Israel’s war in Palestine, it has been announced that a ceasefire will begin in Gaza within 24 hours after this evening’s Israeli cabinet meeting. This comes after Donald Trump’s announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a ceasefire deal. Israel confirmed that…