Republicans don’t have a clear boogeyman for this year’s midterms

Tories pledge to scrap £100,000 childcare 'cliff edge'. Party leader Kemi Badenoch tells the BBC that she wants to see "people who work harder" not getting punished for doing so.

Tories plan to expand free childcare to high earners to end ‘cliff edge’. Kemi Badenoch says those earning more than £100,000 should not be discouraged from working more The Conservatives have unveiled a proposed £700m childcare giveaway for high earners ahead of their annual conference, saying they would end the “cliff edge” where free entitlement ends at salaries above £100,000. The plan, set out the day before the event begins in Birmingham, follows the earlier proposal by Kemi Badenoch’s party to abolish most stamp duty , another change to taxation that would disproportionately benefit wealthier people. Continue reading...

Ted Cruz blasts JD Vance as ‘insecure,’ says he’s focused on helping GOP win midterms. A clash between two potential candidates for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination spilled into public this week.

Greens would offer two-year jobs to unemployed under-24s. Co-deputy leader Mothin Ali tells the party's conference many young people are "bored, desperate and lost".

Burnham must remember: more regulation is not the best way to improve public services | Phillip Inman. In the NHS as in the private sector, the measure of success should be customer satisfaction and not just box-ticking Andy Burnham said he wanted to “rewire” the economy. Then he seemed to slam on the brakes, kicking most reforms into the 2030s. Local government reorganisation is on hold, along with an overhaul of the much-maligned water industry. Social care and significant welfare reform are matters to be resolved by the next government. Continue reading...

Tories plan to extend cuts beyond £47bn previously pledged, leak reveals. Exclusive: Shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith told party members last year he had discussed making further savings if they win next election The Conservatives are planning to make sweeping cuts beyond the £47bn announced last year if they win the next election, according to leaked comments by the shadow chancellor. Speaking last year when he was shadow business secretary, Andrew Griffith told Conservative members he and fellow shadow cabinet ministers had discussed making further cuts in “every part of government”. Continue reading...