Ministers plan to require all employers to give staff Whitehall‑drafted guidance encouraging union membership under the Employment Rights Bill. It would set out benefits and contact routes, seek to curb anti‑union practices and be shaped by consultation on implementation and enforcement.
Baroness Falkner, former EHRC chair, says Labour has let women down, abandoning feminism and failing to protect single‑sex spaces after a Supreme Court ruling. She accuses ministers of delaying guidance and being slow to tackle grooming gangs, blaming internal pressures.
Household bills are set to rise as Ofgem introduces levies to fund grid and pipeline upgrades. The charges, supporting a £58bn networks programme and wider expansion, will climb over the decade, offsetting the Chancellor’s £159-a-year bill cut and reaching about £116 annually by 2030.
The health secretary has ordered an independent review into rising ADHD diagnoses and associated benefit claims. It will scrutinise assessment standards, private clinics and medication, and pressures on services. The aim is to tighten rules while protecting support for genuine need.
Plans for a per‑mile levy on electric driving could leave millions of plug‑in hybrid owners paying twice, with a 15p‑a‑mile charge from 2028 on top of fuel duty and existing taxes. Industry groups warn this may deter buyers and slow the shift to cleaner cars, urging ministers to clarify how charges will apply.
Richard Hughes resigned as OBR chair after an inquiry blamed procedural failings for the watchdog’s early release of Budget analysis. Dubbed its worst failure, the leak drew rebukes from the PM and Chancellor. The OBR will tighten data protocols while a successor is found.
Ministers allege Reeves and the PM overstated a gap in the public finances to pave the way for tax rises, withholding final OBR forecasts and key productivity data from cabinet. Reeves rejects the charge, saying tough choices were needed to tackle borrowing, inflation and weak growth.
Critics warn the Budget imposes a “stealth tax” on hospitality, with rates bills rising as reliefs end and thresholds stay frozen. Pubs and restaurants face higher costs. Ministers say reforms fund services and modernise the system, while opponents claim the public were misled about the finances.
Ministers have abandoned the pledge to give workers a day-one right to claim unfair dismissal, keeping a qualifying period. Aimed at appeasing business, the move has triggered a backlash from Labour MPs and unions, leaving the PM accused of watering down promised workplace protections.
Reeves’s Budget sets out £30bn in tax rises and record welfare spending. Income tax thresholds stay frozen, pushing about one in four workers into the 40% band. A new annual surcharge will apply to homes over £2m from 2028, and extra revenue is sought from pension contributions. OBR flags stagnant pay.