Ideas, enterprise and public service

Writing in Progress: time for an alternative to business rates

Progress · 14 November 2017 In a piece for Progress, I warned that small and medium-sized businesses were facing a difficult mix of rising prices, slowing investment and...

Lambeth Life: A New Voice for a Unique London Borough

The London borough of Lambeth has seen rapid change in recent years with a series of redevelopments that have transformed the borough, cementing it as one of the...

Ten years on from the crisis, it’s time to turn RBS into the people’s lender

Ibrahim Dogus This week marks the anniversary of the failure of Northern Rock, sparking the credit crunch and then full blown financial crisis from which the economy has yet to...

Writing in Progress: an end to “constructive ambiguity” on Brexit

Progress · 14 September 2017 In September 2017 Keir Starmer, then shadow Brexit secretary, set out Labour’s plan for a transition period inside the single market after March...

Writing in LabourList: the Tories claim economic success, but workers’ pay tells another story

LabourList · 1 September 2017 When record-low unemployment figures were published in 2017, the government presented them as proof that its economic plan was working. In a piece...

Writing in Progress: the great British takeaway challenge

Progress · 23 August 2017 In a piece for Progress, I described how the British takeaway has become one of the most innovative parts of our economy, with...

Class Is At The Heart Of The Gambling Menace – So Labour Must Tighten The Law

With chancellor Philip Hammond apparently having scrapped the review into fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs), now is the time for a serious and co-ordinated campaign in the Labour Party...

Why this year can be a year of hope for the world's Kurds

The Kurdish New Year, or ‘Newroz’, falls on 21 March every year and thousands in the UK as well as millions across the world  celebrated it. The date...

Communities can mend the torn fabric of society – but they need funds to do so

In many ways, Britain has never been so divided. It’s not just the vote on Brexit that has split the nation. There are other more deep-rooted problems.  Unable...

A quiet optimism for Britain

Relieving tensions in our society means more than just anti-terrorism strategy – it means a government ready to make real reforms across the country. The appalling terrorist attacks...

Tory energy price promises are just hot air

On Tuesday, British Gas announced they would be raising electricity prices by 12.5 per cent from 15th September, adding £76 on average to the annual standard dual fuel...

Acid attacks underline the folly of Tories imposing austerity on the police

Last week saw a spree of robberies in which five people were attacked with acid in less than 90 minutes.  The barbaric nature of the incidents, in which...

Writing in The Guardian: takeaways, healthy choices and local jobs

The Guardian · 28 July 2017 In July 2017 The Guardian published a selection of readers’ letters on fast food, poverty and hunger in Britain. As chair of...

The Taylor review doesn’t do enough for those at the bitter end of the gig economy

Matthews Taylor’s report into employment practices was publisheded as Theresa May seeks to relaunch her premiership but it will have done little to satisfy workers or employers. While...

After Isis is defeated, the battle for Mosul really begins

In the early hours of Monday morning, the first steps were taken in the assault to recapture Iraq’s Mosul from Isis. The operation is likely to last at least...

Local democracy is where politics becomes personal

Opportunity, enterprise and optimism

Turning the tide: a new beginning for Britain

Once costs rise, they rarely come down

Sudan’s forgotten war

Makerfield’s message

The three smalls that will decide Britain’s future

Stop the Noise: a national campaign for quieter communities

SME4Labour backs Lucy Powell for deputy leader