Steve Hoyles

Changes to the welfare system mean that anyone working for less than 18 hours a week will be expected to seek more work if they want to keep receiving Universal Credit.  Increase in Hours For Claimants Before these changes, people claiming Universal credit only had to work for 15 hours a week. The changes have … Read more

At a speech delivered by the Policy Exchange think tank in central London, Rishi Sunak told the country that we were about to enter some of the most “dangerous” but “transformational” years we’d ever known.  Sunak Claims Only Tories Are Thinking About the Future The speech was clearly framed as a pre-election appeal to voters … Read more

Keir Starmer has pledged to rip up the government’s Rwanda scheme and instead use the money to form a specialist force. The new unit will be given powers similar to those of the counter-terror police.  Plans to Divert Funds The Labour party wants to use £75m of the government’s allocation to the Rwanda scheme to … Read more

Now that the local elections are over, the debriefs will be underway. Campaign managers will decide their tactics for the upcoming elections. The question is for the Tories: With their record in government being so poor, what are they actually going to campaign on? Tory Record on the Economy Since 2010, economic growth has largely … Read more

In a strange move, former Conservative MP Natalie Elphicke crossed the House of Commons, defecting to Labour. While it looks like a massive win for Labour, it’s not the coup some would claim.  Defections From Tories Mounting  Elphicke isn’t the first Tory to leave. Dan Poulter recently crossed the divide and joined Labour. In March, … Read more

A new bill aimed at reducing homelessness in the UK has been criticized for being cruel and heartless. Elements of the Criminal Justice Bill have come under fire from various angles, including MPs and charities. Bill First Introduced by Suella Braverman The Criminal Justice Bill was introduced to Parliament by former home secretary, Suella Braverman. … Read more

The most recent YouGov poll is showing that the Tories could suffer their heaviest ever defeat in a general election. A poll of over 18,000 voters has given Rishi Sunak yet more bad news. Voters Tired of Chaotic Tories After a reasonable start to life under a coalition, then Tory government, things went downhill fast … Read more

The Office for National Statistics figures show that the UK economy is officially out of recession. Data shows the economy grew by 0.6% between January and March. Latest Figures Better Than Expected There was an air of caution about today’s figures. Some economists had warned that sticky inflation and a high Bank of England base … Read more

On Monday, the state pension rose to 8.5%, a very welcome income boost for pensioners who have struggled to keep up with rising prices. How Much Is the State Pension Currently Worth? Prior to Monday 8th, the state pension was £203.85 a week for the full, new flat-rate state pension, or £156.20 a week for … Read more

There have been 18 rounds of talks over how Gibraltar sits within the UK/EU relationship, with no clear resolution. These comments aren’t set to help get a deal over the line any time soon. Comments Made After Further Rounds of Talks The exclamation was made by Margaritis Schinas after he was asked about progression of … Read more