Everything government, Parliament, the statistical agencies and the major policy institutes published — read, summarised and ranked so you can skim the day in a minute.
1,049 articles · 38 live sources · updated Just now
Argues for cutting duties on tobacco and alcohol, claiming seven tobacco duty rises since 2020 left rolling tobacco duty 115% higher while tobacco duty revenue fell from £10.4bn to £7.9bn and legal cigarette sales dropped 46% (2021–25).
Argues that Whitehall incrementally narrows personal choice through small regulatory moves, citing the Department for Transport’s dislike of private cars and scooters and the Segway ban as an example of rule‑making that excludes novel devices.
Two longstanding institutions — pubs and independent prep schools — are shrinking: 161 pub closures in Q1 2026 (up 26% year‑on‑year) and prep schools squeezed by a 20% VAT on fees from January 2025 and lost charitable rates relief.
With wildfires becoming more frequent, the National Fire Chiefs Council reported 11 major incidents simultaneously and 43 wildfires in 24 hours, leaving services stretched and prompting calls for increased equipment and staffing.
Brief argues synthetic natural gas could be a viable, dispatchable low‑carbon option, noting Rivan claims production at below £10/MWh and urging market‑driven solutions such as carbon pricing to deliver diverse climate technologies.
Contends that calls for Andy Burnham to prosecute firms over widespread bogus self‑employment are ironic, while noting a Fabian Society and Joseph Rowntree Foundation report warning that millions—including four million gig workers—miss out on statutory employment rights.
Thirteen water firms have been allowed to raise bills to fund extra projects, prompting political anger and debate that cleaner, greener water systems will require higher charges or public funding regardless of ownership model.
Contends that global inequality has fallen and continues to decline, questioning the need for a new international inequality body; notes an open letter urging Andy Burnham’s government to join an International Panel on Inequality.
Argues against central planning and reflects on a 2004 NEF survey finding that UK high streets became 'clone towns' dominated by uniform chain stores, reducing local distinctiveness.
The piece urges governments to fund research into ocean iron fertilisation, arguing it merits continued scientific support despite recent US funding cuts that halted multiyear grants for the field.
The commentary argues the state should stop charging for landfill, suggesting fees drive illegal dumping and then require taxpayer-funded clean‑ups, criticising the current cycle of charging, non‑payment and government remediation.
The piece criticises an AFL‑CIO claim that workers’ share of US national income is at a post‑war low, arguing the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates of wages and output — and resulting labour share calculations — are contestable.
Contends that the NHS’s claimed need for a 4% real annual budget increase to ‘stand still’ is commonly attributed to Baumol’s cost disease, and discusses how rising wages and productivity differences affect healthcare costs.
A polemical piece argues the UK could become poorer by policy choices—citing food import dependence (around 40% of Britain’s food) and climate risks to supply—as a warning against measures that would reduce domestic production or trade.
A short commentary on Thomas Piketty’s Global Justice Report proposing a fully quantified global transition combining redistribution, international financial reform, energy-system transformation and consumption shifts, placing inequality and sufficiency at the centre of climate and development scenarios.
Argues the Strategic Defence Initiative succeeded not by deployment but by persuasive imagery: glossy concept art of orbital weapons made the US vision seem plausible and undermined Soviet calculations despite no deployable SDI systems existing.
An opinion piece argues that the absence of capitalism can cause catastrophic outcomes, citing an artisanal goldmine collapse in the Central African Republic that reportedly killed more than 100 people after tunnels collapsed.
Argues against surprise at long queues for below‑market social housing, noting the loss of 1.5 million council homes and a similar-sized social housing waiting list, and reflecting on historical patterns of mass housebuilding and demand for subsidised rents.
An Adam Smith Institute commentary disputes a Guardian claim that renewables are cheaper, arguing instead that evidence does not show renewables are uniformly lower‑cost—drawing on international examples including India's energy strategy.
Critiques nationalisation as a fiscal and efficiency problem, citing British Steel’s audited physical assets being deemed largely worthless and warning state ownership can act as a money sink rather than deliver long‑term investment or value.
Hotel prices have surged in parts of Europe ahead of a total eclipse, with Reykjavík seeing average room rates for the key night rise to $793 (£587), a 98% increase versus the same day last year, per travel data.