Great to catch up with so many people at IPPR North’s 20th anniversary celebrations. Both it and @IPPR continue to lead the way on progressive policy. IPPR North are also currently recruiting, so if you’re interested in progressive policy, check it out:

ippr.org/jobs/senior-re…

The answer is energy. Look at how much energy intensive industries pay for electricity in the UK and compare that with other European nations. Not having a coherent energy policy has resulted in a failing industrial policy.

One of the better explainers of what the £28bn investment proposed by Labour would look like.

That such modest investment is being used as a political fault line tells you everything you need to know about the state of UK. Without investment, the alternative is managed decline.

(4) Important to say that both your and Labour's fiscal rules are a bit flawed in that there are also significant benefits from high-quality public investment beyond the 5-year horizon (see eg IEA, CCC and academic studies). Both parties' rules do not allow accounting for these.

Thank you for your response, Jeremy. I'd highlight five points in return.

(1) Given you didn’t repeat your claim that borrowing to invest would be hugely inflationary, are you no longer making this claim?

Why do so many news outlets completely misconstrue the truth when it comes to the housing market? No one is “saving” any money. Most people up for remortgage will be going from sub-2% rates to well over 4%. That could cost them thousands more per month.

“There’s no London bias in policymaking”.

It’s almost as if having the powers of government hoarded in Whitehall might in fact result in a geographic bias when it comes to infrastructure investment..

‘A Network North project’ 😐

Can you imagine the price leap between apartments in these two buildings? I mean i’m sure even the old ones were unaffordable - this may look pretty but i’m not sure it’s progress.

This tells you everything you need to know about UCU’s leadership. A completely failure to deliver improved working conditions for its members while actively lining their own pockets at the expense of UCU employees.

“Heat pumps will never work in the UK in the depths of winter.”

My house is sparsely insulated at best and I can heat my house for less than gas central heating.

Heat pumps work and every house should have one.

The days of low interest mortgages are over.

The Guardian. I despair. The week we reveal big housebuilders have made 49bn in profits since 2005, and returned 16bn to shareholders in dividends, this is the housing story you go with?

Barratt warns of ‘uncertain’ year as buyers struggle with mortgages theguardian.com/business/2023/…

Excellent piece of research on value extraction in house building from CRESR SHU Dr Tom Archer

'Averaged out, the total amount of dividend paid by large housebuilders in 2022 for each new home built was over £22,000.' 😫

exc i newspaper

Public backs Labour's plan to put VAT on private school fees, BMG Research poll finds

49% in favour and 18% against - even Tory voters back it

Story:
inews.co.uk/news/politics/…