Transport - New strategy slammed [print version]
The government’s new bus strategy for England, announced on 15 March, has been met with a lukewarm response, to say the least.
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Ukraine garners US support as it talks about invading Crimea
In the wake of Joe Biden’s renewal of US commitment to NATO, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has signed what is essentially a declaration of war against Russia.
New national bus strategy slammed
16 March 2021
The government’s new bus strategy for England, announced on 15 March, has been met with a lukewarm response, to say the least.
Double funding for hospice care, says new report
16 March 2021
The government needs to almost double its funding for the hospice care sector by 2030, says a new report – or face the prospect of having to provide all end-of-life care itself through the NHS.
Bus strikes solid as drivers fight attacks on pay and conditions
15 March 2021
Strike action by drivers at Go North West in Manchester has been solid – and well supported in the wider labour movement.
Applications flood in for medical schools
Applications to UK medical schools have increased by over 20 per cent, according to figures published by the Medical Schools Council.
Manchester bus drivers strike to defend jobs, conditions [updated]
1 March 2021
Bus drivers working for Go North West have begun an all-out strike against company plans to fire and rehire workers on worse pay and conditions.
Health: Breast screening returns [print version]
Breast screening has restarted. But almost a million women have missed mammograms due to the pandemic.
Buses: Manchester strike plan [print version]
Manchester bus drivers working for Go North West have voted overwhelmingly to take strike action against the company.
Uni fat cats purring again
After hollow gestures of solidarity with staff by offering pay cuts in a time of financial crisis, senior Scottish university administrators on obscene salaries have quietly returned to their old ways.
Swiss face EU battle again
Once more, the EU is squaring up for a fight with Switzerland over how far European law should reach.
Newlyn sets out new plans
Whatever the short-term issues with the EU blocking British fish and shellfish exports, Newlyn in Cornwall is planning for the long term.
Seafood: New names from Cornwall
In the face of EU obstruction of British seafood exports, the Cornish Fish Producers Association is working to encourage more fish consumption in the home market.
Eurostar: Unions campaign
Rail unions RMT and Aslef are calling on the government to provide urgent support for Eurostar after the company said it was on the brink of bankruptcy.
Gig economy: Defeat for Uber
The GMB union is claiming a “historic win” after the Supreme Court ruled that Uber drivers are not self-employed but are workers.
The return of breast screening units
20 February 2021
Most breast screening programmes in Britain were paused in March 2020 because of Covid-19. Screening has since restarted, but there’s much to be done as almost a million women have missed mammograms.
Government to ditch disastrous NHS ‘reforms’
11 February 2021
The government is to reverse the central thrust of the 2012 NHS reforms. Central planning is back on the agenda, finally.
A bad week for Project Fear
9 February 2021
It’s been a lousy few days for the doomsday merchants, the ones who said that companies would flee Britain once Brexit bit.
Steep cost of separatism revealed
9 February 2021
A new analysis of the prospects for Scotland should the SNP succeed in detaching it from the rest of Britain makes grim reading for the separatists.
Chocolate’s coming home
9 February 2021
International food giant Mondelez is shifting the bulk of its Cadbury’s Dairy Milk production back to Britain. This reverses much of the outsourcing that took place in 2017.
Covid-19: Russian lessons for British schools
7 February 2021
Russia’s main opposition party is campaigning for the “natural right” of children to go to school in the face of widespread closures.
Thousands write to contest universities pensions valuation
2 February 2021
Universities staff have had enough of being forced to pay exorbitant pensions contributions solely because their scheme is making unrealistic assumptions about the future.
Long-term commitment to Barnoldswick site confirmed
24 January 2021
Rolls-Royce has confirmed its commitment to the long-term future of the Barnoldswick site by guaranteeing that it will remain as a manufacturing facility for the next ten years.
SNP in bid to stop test case for unilateral referendum
23 January 2021
Scotland’s Attorney General told its highest court on Friday 21 January that the pro-separatist campaigner seeking a ruling that the Scottish parliament can lawfully hold a second “independence” referendum unilaterally lacks the legal standing to bring his case.
Deep mining again in Cumbria
17 January 2021
The first new deep coalmine in Britain for over 30 years will go ahead in Cumbria. It will supplying coking coal for steelmaking.
PPE: local firms step up
17 January 2021
A Yorkshire company has developed new production facilities for personal protective equipment, one of many innovations from British firms in the face of the pandemic.
British Gas: no to fire and rehire
12 January 2021
British Gas engineers were on strike for 5 days in defence of their pay and conditions. More action will follow unless the company withdraws the threat of firing and rehiring workers on worse conditions.
Brexit dividend as government consults on gene editing
10 January 2021
Taking advantage of Brexit, the government has launched a consultation on whether to change the law on genetically modified organisms to allow companies and researchers to use gene editing more freely.
Call to double medical school places
10 January 2021
The Royal College of Physicians has set out plans to double the number of medical school places, planning for Britain’s needs for the next ten years and beyond.
Barnoldswick strike yields 'landmark deal'
10 January 2021
Nine weeks of strike action at the Rolls-Royce factory in Barnoldswick have been suspended as the workforce considered what their union calls a “landmark deal” to secure the future of the site.