An Early Days Motion tabled by Green Party MP Caroline Lucas has called on the UK government to establish a national system of rent controls to address the increasingly huge costs of renting in England.  Eight MPs have signed the motion so far which calls on the government to set up a Living Rent Commission, tasked with consultation on and designing a national rent control system with local flexibility and to provide powers to local councils to control rents in high rent areas. The motion highlights how tenants in private accommodation in England are forced to pay out more for housing tha ..read more

The Labour Party leads the Conservatives on every major policy area, including the NHS, economy, immigration, defence, climate change and crime, according to an exclusive poll carried out for Left Foot Forward. The poll, which was conducted by Savanta, shows that the Labour Party has a lead on major political issues that voters are concerned about, in what will be a general election year. Our poll, based on 2,227 voters, asked respondents which political party they trusted on major policy issues, found that twice the number of voters (48%), trust the Labour Party on the NHS than they trusted t ..read more

The UK’s largest trade union has won a case against the government over a legal loophole that meant workers weren’t protected from being punished by their employer for exercising their right to strike.  Judges in the UK Supreme Court ruled that bosses should no longer be able to discipline their staff for taking part in legal strike action, serving the UK government a “crushing defeat” in the courts, leader of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) Paul Nowak said. Nowak hailed it as a “monumental victory” for Unison and the union movement as a whole, while Unison leader Christina McAnea said it ..read more

As members of the UK vaping community and advocates for responsible vaping, Our Vape Advocacy acknowledges this week’s reading of the Tobacco & Vapes Bill in Parliament. The Government’s move to ban disposable vapes is a crucial step in addressing the surge of underage vaping and the environmental impact of these products. We fully support this ban, as it aligns with our commitment to safeguard public health and uphold industry standards. However, further legislative action must address our industry’s persistent issues. Building on the positive steps already taken, it is imperative to iden ..read more

The Defence Secretary faced a grilling about Tory sleaze this morning on the broadcast rounds following allegations against Tory MP Mark Menzies.  Another Tory MP has lost the whip after he was accused of demanding campaign cash from a Tory member to pay off “bad people” in the middle of the night, with the Tory Party accused of taking no action having been aware of the allegations for three months. The Times broke the story about the MP for Fylde Mark Menzies yesterday, with broadcasters inevitably leading their interviews with Grant Shapps this morning with the sleaze story, much to the ..read more

The Tories are facing an existential threat, as younger voters desert the party in huge numbers, according to a new poll. The poll, carried out by Savanta for ITV’s youth tracker, found that the Conservatives have suffered  ‘a devastating loss of support among young people in recent years that is significantly worse than during the party’s 1997 landslide defeat’. The Tories are trailing Labour by a massive 47 points among 18 to 25-year-olds, with only 14% saying they intend to vote Conservative in the next general election. The Labour Party has increased its lead by 6 points since Savanta ..read more

The Treasury Minister was called out by interviewers this morning after claiming that food prices are coming down, despite this not being the case.  Speaking on Good Morning Breakfast about the news that UK inflation has fallen to 3.2%, Laura Trott said it was “great news for people at home” as it meant prices were falling. Trott told the presenters: “Crucially we saw food prices coming down and this hasn’t happened by accident, this has been a result of the government working very hard with the bank and policy committee to make sure we got these inflation rates coming down steadily now ..read more

Voters still support the Labour Party’s plan to end the VAT exemption on private school fees, despite the right-wing press launching a moral panic over the issue. In recent weeks and months, the right-wing press has attacked Labour’s plans, but voters are still backing the policy, according to the findings of an exclusive poll carried out by Savanta for Left Foot Forward. The poll, which asked voters if they supported or opposed a plan to end the VAT exemption on private school fees, found that 42% of those asked were in favour of ending the VAT exemption on private school fees, while 23% oppo ..read more

Rishi Sunak was left humiliated at Prime Minister’s Questions this afternoon, after trying to attack Labour’s Deputy leader Angela Rayner over her tax affairs, with Keir Starmer accusing the billionaire Prime Minister of ‘smearing a working class woman’. During a heated exchange, Sunak tried to use the police investigation into Rayner’s tax affairs as a deflection strategy. Greater Manchester Police is looking into claims Rayner may have broken electoral law in the early 2010s. The MP for Ashton-Under-Lyne was registered on the electoral roll at her Stockport council house from 2007 until 2015 ..read more

Last year the Liberal Democrats celebrated local council victories after making gains in traditional Tory areas in England and taking control of 12 councils.  In the upcoming May local elections the Lib Dems are looking to defend about 400 seats and continue to make progress in Tory ‘Blue Wall’ areas ahead of the next general election. So what would success look like in 2024 for the Lib Dems? In 2023 the party made a 3% gain in council seats on the previous year, so will be hoping to maintain a similar trend this year. Ed Davey said the party hopes to pick up voters who feel fed up by the ..read more