Benefits payments up by 6.7% today, but still nowhere near enough to live on and, in real terms, £35 per month lower than when the Tories got into power in 2010.

The uprating today basically just brings the standard benefits payment back to where it was in 2021.

LPC recommends moving towards extending the higher National Minimum Wage rate to 18-20 year olds.

Last week, TUC analysis found that extending the higher rate to 18-20 year olds would benefit 730k workers. On average, they'd be £2,438 a year better off.

For those suggesting that proposals for action on zero hours contracts are 'rushed' - here's the Low Pay Commission's recommendations, signed off by business from six years ago. Would be useful if those wading in did some basic research gov.uk/government/pub…

Become obsessed with something that bores everyone I have mentioned it to in person. Barely any big public clock works. Even if they do, they're rarely the right time. Noticed it when my phone died the other day and now notice it everywhere. The era of big clock is over.

If you wonder why people keep making comments like this about Diane Abbott, it's because the political and media class have normalised her abuse.

Even way this article is written shows that.

1/3
theguardian.com/politics/2024/…

1/ 🧵 Today we published our report analysing the cases of 150 migrant care workers who have come to Citizens Advice for help. The results are stark - people on the Health and Care Worker visa can’t safely stand up for their rights, leave a bad job, or even report their employer.

A big day: today's new labour market statistics confirm we're officially into the sixteenth year of the pay crisis.

Real average weekly earnings were still lower in Jan 2024 than they were at their pre-financial crisis peak in Jan 2008 (down by £7, or 1.2%).

Important thread from my colleague on the need for proper leave for parents experiencing stillbirth or miscarriage🪽

These models in effect assume private spending will be ‘crowded in’–i.e. will expand when public spending is cut. Our earlier analysis shows this is unambiguously false. In 32/32 countries where government spending growth was cut, GDP growth was reduced (1999-07 vs 10-18). (4/15)

My hot #Budget2024 take: Investing, not cutting, is the key to boosting public sector productivity.

Chancellor is using technology to justify budget cuts. Technology can be a valuable tool, but it's no substitute for skilled and experienced workers.

A short, quick thread on today's budget and the OBR forecast:

▪️This is the worst government for living standards since records began in 1955
▪️They've overseen the worst pay squeeze in living memory
▪️Household debt is set to rocket in the next few years

Happy to announce that I'm the person that wrote all the jokes for the chancellor's budget speech. Just logging in now to see how they're landing.

Chancellor acknowledges that unemployed people take out loans to help them get into work. His offer is to increase their repayment period from 12-24 months – a sticking plaster – using individual indebtedness to plug holes in our social safety net is unsustainable
#Budget2024