Latest news with #InstituteOfEconomicAffairs
The Sun
13-07-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Angela Rayner's costly employment rights package is a ‘stealth tax on workers,' report finds
DEPUTY PM Angela Rayner's costly package of employment rights is a stealth tax on workers, a report has claimed. The measures, which could cost firms £5billion a year, will be passed on to staff through smaller pay rises and hidden taxes which reduce wages over time, the Institute of Economic Affairs said. Report author Professor JR Shackleton said: 'Politicians love to announce new employment 'rights ' because they think employers pay the bill – but that's an illusion. 'Every mandate, from parental leave to holiday entitlements, acts like a stealth tax that gets passed back to workers through smaller pay rises than they would otherwise receive. 'The only difference is that no money is raised for the Exchequer. ' The Employment Rights Bill will make this much worse, imposing billions in hidden costs that workers will ultimately bear themselves." Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith said: 'This socialist government doesn't understand business but must listen to those who do.' A Government spokesperson insisted: 'Too many workers are trapped in insecure, low paid work, with weak protections that are poorly enforced. 'Through our transformative Plan for Change, this Government will deliver the biggest upgrade to workers' rights in a generation, contributing to economic growth, and our measures have strong support from businesses and the public.' The legislation returns to Parliament today as Peers scrutinise the legislation at the report stage. Angela Rayner says lifting 2-child benefit cap not 'silver bullet' for ending poverty after demanding cuts for millions 1
The Independent
03-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Analysis: Will Labour's 10 year plan for the NHS succeed?
As Sir Keir Starmer unveiled his government's 10-year plan for the NHS to a room of journalists and health staff, the prime minister set out a hopeful vision for the future of the service. The NHS is going to be one of Labour 's biggest gambles and, as the second largest area of government spend, one of its most expensive bets. The prime minister, hot off a tumultuous 24 hours over his government's welfare bill, appeared confident this new plan to save the NHS would work and achieve the improvement last seen by his Labour predecessors in the 2000s. But experts were clear that there is little new in it - in terms of ideas - and warned it lacks much of the necessary detail to make any real judgement over its success. The respected Institute of Economic Affairs accurately described the plan as 'mostly a reaffirmation of long-running policy goals…things that their predecessors and their predecessors' predecessors would also have said.' Sarah Woolnough, chief executive for think tanks the King's Fund, told The Independent: 'I think the plan lacks some of the detail around the house, and for people to believe in it, I think there's a huge consensus. This is the right direction of urgently need more details on how and why it will be different this time?' Jacob Lant, chief executive for charity National Voices, pointed out that it isn't necessarily a bad thing that the plan rehashes past policies - if they are good ones. He pointed out that the focus on the patient's voice is a step change to what has come before: 'Some new proposals on deciding hospitals' funding levels based on patients' experience, good and bad, are rooted in the right idea.' But he too pointed out the plan does not spell out what outcomes will be measured. What will and won't work? The neighbourhood health centres proposed in the plan – there will be around 200 across the country – will require a number of components to work, including the investment and staffing to flow to them. The problem is that when winter or a crisis hits, the NHS has always struggled to divert these resources. Much of what the 10-year plan banks on in its bid to save the NHS is rooted in the use of technology, most prominently AI and an all-singing, all-dancing NHS app. Several promises on the NHS App include that by 2028, it will be a 'full front door to the entire NHS' and act as a 'doctor in my pocket' for patients. The app should also give people access to a single patient record, choose a preferred provider to have their treatment, manage medicines and manage appointments for children. The expanded use of AI features prominently, including 'Ambient AI' which can record patients and health professional appointments and put notes directly into care records. This is sold as a way to unburden clinicians. On tech, Ms Woolnagh said: 'They are clearly really going for it on tech and I do welcome that because the NHS app is getting better, but a pretty slow pace and it has to be the way one of the major ways that we drive for form you just think about how the NHS compared to every other sort of service we use in our life It's quite frankly embarrassing that is still paper but whether it stacks up I think the jury is out.' One issue in the expansion of health tech is health leaders being 'bombarded' by medical tech companies trying to sell them new devices – how do we know which are quality tools and which aren't? The single patient record is an issue that successful government policies have grappled with, one barrier being that those who hold the data have been reluctant to let it go. However, if the government were successfully able to fulfil this, it would be very important to patients and could drastically improve their experience. What is it missing? The plan has some very big omissions, the key ones being workforce numbers, costing, and, as usual, social care. The document appears to be thin on ambitions around mental health services – the two main points are mental health A&Es and the further rollout of mental health teams in schools. The main nod to the workforce, outside of 1,400 GPs, is an admission that there will be fewer staff than projected in the long term, as the workforce plan published in 2023 under the former government. The King's Fund chief pointed out the omission of the number of staff needed to deliver the plan was, in one sense, welcome honesty from the government over the lack of money to pay for the workforce. However, she warned, 'Too often the workforce follows the main plan, but who is going to deliver this plan?' she said. Without workforce details, the plan requires the government's 'bets to come off', such as those around technology freeing up staff time. Experts speaking with The Independent also said it is short on detail about prevention ambitions, which touch on tabacco, junk food and a 'moonshot' on weight-loss. Ms Woolnagh said: 'I think that the measures they have talked about are welcome and I think, for example, it's easy to dismiss because tobacco and vapes don't feel terribly new. It's easy not to give it the kind of due it should have, but it's a big step.'It's a big deal, so they are welcome. I think taken together, this doesn't represent the radical mission that we were promised, and if you think the headline ambition in the government's manifesto was half the gap in healthy life expectancy between the wealthiest and most deprived.' Overall, much of the verdict on this plan rests on the additional detail needed, and so the jury is out on whether this will be Labour's shining achievement and finally deliver reform for the
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Over-60s free travel costs taxpayers three times as much as fare dodgers
Providing free transport for over-60s in London is costing taxpayers £500m a year, prompting calls for the benefit to be scrapped. A rapidly ageing population means more than 1.5 million people now travel for free across London's buses, Tubes, trains and trams. They do so via the 60+ Oyster Card, for those aged between 60 and 65, and the Freedom Pass, available to those aged 66 and older. Telegraph analysis shows the 60+ Oyster Card alone will cost Transport for London (TfL) £135m this year, up from £60m in 2016. By 2027, costs are expected to reach £185m. The Freedom Pass, which now has more than 900,000 users, costs £350m a year – a bill that is forecast to reach £498m by the end of the decade. By comparison, traditional fare dodgers – such as those recently exposed by Tory MP Robert Jenrick for skipping barriers at Underground stations – cost the organisation £130m a year. According to TfL, the majority of 60+ Oyster card holders (60pc) are still in paid employment, and one in five use the free travel to get to and from work. This is despite the fact that those aged 60 and 64 earn an average salary of £42,000, double that of those aged between 20 and 24 at £24,000. Reem Ibrahim, of the Institute of Economic Affairs, said: 'It is difficult to justify a system where the wealthiest age group in the country is having their travel funded by taxpayers. 'The 60+ Oyster card and Freedom Pass schemes are financially unsustainable, and are not targeted to those genuinely in need of support. We urgently need a more targeted approach, rather than entrenching an unfair and costly system.' Liz Emerson, chief executive of the Intergenerational Foundation, a research charity, said: 'At the very least, the Freedom Pass should be aligned with the state pension age. 'It's a perfect example of intergenerational unfairness at work with younger workers having to subsidise their older colleagues free travel to work.' The 60+ Oyster Card was first introduced by then Mayor of London, Boris Johnson in 2012. It is funded by Sir Sadiq Khan's mayoral precept in council tax bills and the congestion charge – the daily fee for driving into central London. Once Londoners reach the age of 66, they continue to receive free travel in the form of a Freedom Pass, which is also provided to eligible disabled people regardless of age. This £350m bill is shouldered on to London's 33 boroughs – 28 of which increased council tax by the legal maximum of 5pc in April. The body that runs the scheme on behalf of the boroughs, has warned it will cost taxpayers £498m by 2029-30, a figure it described as 'unsustainable'. Sir Sadiq, 54, who is five years away from qualifying for free travel himself, banned the use of 60+ Oyster cards and the Freedom Pass before 9am during the pandemic. The move generated an extra £15m in fares. However, he rejected plans to increase the qualifying age for the 60+ Oyster card by six months a year for the next 12 years, allowing for it to be slowly phased out until it matched the qualifying age of the Freedom Pass. A spokesman for Transport for London said: 'Both the Mayor and TfL are committed to making public transport in London as accessible, convenient, and affordable as possible. 'We regularly review our range of concessions to ensure that they continue to benefit Londoners, while also remaining affordable for TfL to operate.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
11-06-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Over-60s free travel costs taxpayers three times as much as fare dodgers
Providing free transport for over-60s in London is costing taxpayers £500m a year, prompting calls for the benefit to be scrapped. A rapidly ageing population means more than 1.5 million people now travel for free across London's buses, Tubes, trains and trams. They do so via the 60+ Oyster Card, for those aged between 60 and 65, and the Freedom Pass, available to those aged 66 and older. Telegraph analysis shows the 60+ Oyster Card alone will cost Transport for London (TfL) £135m this year, up from £60m in 2016. By 2027, costs are expected to reach £185m. The Freedom Pass, which now has more than 900,000 users, costs £350m a year – a bill that is forecast to reach £498m by the end of the decade. By comparison, traditional fare dodgers – such as those recently exposed by Tory MP Robert Jenrick for skipping barriers at Underground stations – cost the organisation £130m a year. According to TfL, the majority of 60+ Oyster card holders (60pc) are still in paid employment, and one in five use the free travel to get to and from work. This is despite the fact that those aged 60 and 64 earn an average salary of £42,000, double that of those aged between 20 and 24 at £24,000. Reem Ibrahim, of the Institute of Economic Affairs, said: 'It is difficult to justify a system where the wealthiest age group in the country is having their travel funded by taxpayers. 'The 60+ Oyster card and Freedom Pass schemes are financially unsustainable, and are not targeted to those genuinely in need of support. We urgently need a more targeted approach, rather than entrenching an unfair and costly system.' Liz Emerson, chief executive of the Intergenerational Foundation, a research charity, said: 'At the very least, the Freedom Pass should be aligned with the state pension age. 'It's a perfect example of intergenerational unfairness at work with younger workers having to subsidise their older colleagues free travel to work.' The 60+ Oyster Card was first introduced by then Mayor of London, Boris Johnson in 2012. It is funded by Sir Sadiq Khan's mayoral precept in council tax bills and the congestion charge – the daily fee for driving into central London. Once Londoners reach the age of 66, they continue to receive free travel in the form of a Freedom Pass, which is also provided to eligible disabled people regardless of age. This £350m bill is shouldered on to London's 33 boroughs – 28 of which increased council tax by the legal maximum of 5pc in April. The body that runs the scheme on behalf of the boroughs, has warned it will cost taxpayers £498m by 2029-30, a figure it described as 'unsustainable'. Sir Sadiq, 54, who is five years away from qualifying for free travel himself, banned the use of 60+ Oyster cards and the Freedom Pass before 9am during the pandemic. The move generated an extra £15m in fares. However, he rejected plans to increase the qualifying age for the 60+ Oyster card by six months a year for the next 12 years, allowing for it to be slowly phased out until it matched the qualifying age of the Freedom Pass. A spokesman for Transport for London said: 'Both the Mayor and TfL are committed to making public transport in London as accessible, convenient, and affordable as possible. 'We regularly review our range of concessions to ensure that they continue to benefit Londoners, while also remaining affordable for TfL to operate.'
Telegraph
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Parents swap plastic toys for compost kits in eco-conscious party bags
Parents are swapping plastic toys for compost kits and bird feeders in eco-conscious party bags. Climate concerns mean they are ditching traditional goodie bags that have been the staple of children's parties for years, turning to plastic-free alternatives such as books, bird feeders, seed kits and candles. One party bag includes a pine cone, bird-friendly peanut glue, a compostable bag and instructions to build a bird feeder. Another features a garden activity book, sustainable information card and a cornflower seed bomb. Others contain compost, 'save our planet' stickers and beeswax candles. Advocates of the party bags say they are important to reduce plastic, but critics have accused parents being 'miserablists'. Christopher Snowdon, an author and head of lifestyle and economics at the Institute of Economic Affairs, asked where children's opinions came in regarding the decline in traditional party gifts. He said: 'Has anyone asked the kids if they are happy getting a handmade present or no present at all from their friends? This is miserablism masquerading as prudence. 'Young children do not require expensive gifts on their birthdays. Most of them would be happy with a packet of sweets. What they don't want is parents conspiring behind their backs to deprive them of a bit of fun.' In 2012, McDonald's scrapped plastic Happy Meal toys to try and reduce their environmental impact. However, it said last month that it wanted to reintroduce the toys to create 'that familiar feeling of excitement when kids open the box'. A non-traditional approach to party bags has also been championed by the Duchess of Sussex, who revealed in With Love, Meghan, her Netflix series, that she fills her children's party bags with gardening tools, seeds, basil and sugar snap peas. She faced criticism from parents on Mumsnet, who claimed she 'clearly doesn't know what kids like at all'. However, retail figures show the Duchess's approach is on the rise. The Curious Caterpillar Partyware company reported that eco-friendly products, such as plastic-free party bags and wooden or paper toys, had been a key driver of sales and said 50 per cent of its party bag sales was coming from eco-friendly options, such as cotton or paper bags. High street chains such as John Lewis are also seeing a rise in party bag sales, but only recyclable paper ones, with 75 per cent more sold this May than last year. The shift comes as a survey by the Kids Party Pact showed parents were growing increasingly concerned over the environmental impact of party bags, with over 75 per cent worried about excessive plastic toys. Parents are beginning to embrace different approaches, with 22 per cent saying they already included gift guidelines on party invitations. Alongside eco-friendly ideas, parents are opting for second-hand gifts, books or requesting no gifts at all. Elaine Halligan, a parenting coach, author and speaker, said: 'Thank goodness the days of party bags filled with plastic fantastic, and sugary sweeties complete with E-numbers are a thing of the past. The reality is party bags rarely illicit a huge sense of gratitude from children.'
