Mentions
What was said, and which frame it usedEvery item the dashboard counts, newest first. The marked words are the phrases that made it count; the tags say whether it used an opposing frame, an MMT-consistent idea, or named MMT. These are keyword matches: whether an item endorses or attacks an idea is shown once our classifier's accuracy is published.
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‘Visible and engaged’: Burnham in listening mode with businesses at Labour party conference
…ay about the budget, despite striking a markedly different tone to Burnham’s “in hock” comment from a year earlier – insisting that he and the prime minister were “in lockstep” in their commitment to balance the books. “There is nothing progressive about losing control because it’s always working people who pay for it,” he said. Shevaun Haviland, the director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, said Healey’s speech was “significant” because the chancellor had acknowledged that private enterprise was vital for helping the UK economy to grow. However, she warned that companies still f…
- Opposing frame: Household budget
- Opposing frame: Taxpayers' money
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Shabana Mahmood says Labour party wants to create ‘fairness in our immigration system’ – as it happened
…he Labour MP Liam Byrne still gets criticised for the note he left in the Treasury after the 2010 election to his Tory successor saying “there is no money”. The note (often wrongly remember as saying there is no money left) was a joke, written when Byrne expected to be succeeded by a Tory with whom he had a friendly relationship, but the Lib Dem David Laws got the job instead. Laws gave it George Osborne and David Cameron and they spent years quoting it as alleged proof that Gordon Brown had bankrupted the country. In his speech today John Healey used a similar line. I did not quote it earli…
- MMT-consistent idea: Deficit myth
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Healey offers upbeat vision but sheds little light on how it will be paid for
…ll in some of his own personal story to those outside the hall less familiar with a man who, he said, had given his first Labour conference speech a full 40 years ago, in 1986. He spoke of his wife, Jackie, whom he became engaged with a fortnight after their first meeting at a Labour function, and his first job as a pot washer in a pub, which taught him the joys of a hand-pulled pint. Yet he threw little light on how he was approaching a budget now exactly a month away, other than to recommit to Reeves’s determination to balance the books, which will take more than optimism and a good story.
- Opposing frame: Household budget
- Opposing frame: How will you pay for it?
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Healey signals welfare reform push and new apprenticeships scheme
…rogressive to allow a bigger and bigger benefits bill and a system which offers an income but doesn’t offer a future. So, once again, as a Labour government it falls to us to act.” Insisting he would balance the books while fleshing out Andy Burnham’s plans to strengthen “growth in every postcode”, Healey said he and the prime minister were in lockstep in their commitment to balance the books. “That commitment is so important. There is nothing progressive about losing control because it’s always working people who pay for it,” he said. Against a backdrop of jitters in financial markets as th…
- Opposing frame: Household budget
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Andy Burnham to fight next election with plan for NHS-style care service
…acknowledged there was “real concern” in the financial markets about the state of the British economy, pointing to the “febrile” global backdrop. He said he was willing to cut government spending to balance the books, and he believed money could be saved by taking a more “productive” long-term approach to issues such as rough sleeping and youth unemployment. Amid concerns that the government could be hemmed in at the budget by the parlous state of the public finances, he said the chancellor, John Healey, would be “highly prudent” in running the economy. “I won’t do what the previous Tory go…
- Opposing frame: Household budget
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As it happened: Pat McFadden tells Labour activists they should not defend benefits system ‘status quo’ because it ‘writes off’ claimants
…d expessed doubts about the plan in the past. Again, Burnham gave a non-committal answer. Kuenssberg tried a final time and got the same reply. Q: Will you tell us something you are willing to cut to balance the books? Burnham said, if people wait unti his speech on Tuesday, they will see he is “prepared to take those type of decisions because I won’t do what the previous Conservative government did and take risks with the economy”. He said the fundamentals of the economy were moving in the right direction before the Iran war started. And he said John Healey, the chancellor, was clear about…
- Opposing frame: Household budget
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‘Rip the plaster off’: Andy Burnham sets out vision for universal free social care
…real concern” in the financial markets about the state of the British economy, pointing to the “febrile” state of global backdrop. The prime minister said he was willing to cut government spending to balance the books – but also that he believed money could be saved by taking a more “productive” long-term approach to issues such as rough sleeping and youth unemployment. Amid concerns that the government could be hemmed in at the budget by the parlous state of the public finances, he said that the chancellor, John Healey, would be “highly prudent” in running the economy. “I won’t do what the…
- Opposing frame: Household budget
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UK defence contractors to offer 40,000 apprenticeships, placements and jobs
…report on Neets. Milburn has underlined the importance of work experience in preparing young people for a job, and opening their eyes to potential careers. He said the defence pledge “shows what is possible when employers step up.” “Defence is one of our great industries – it has both the scale and the opportunity to give young people the experience, skills and confidence they need to build a career,” he added. Labour is already rolling out a Jobs Guarantee scheme for 18- to 24-year-olds who have been out of work for at least 18 months – with the promise of a taxpayer-funded work placement.
- Opposing frame: Taxpayers' money
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England’s mayors should face greater scrutiny as powers expand, thinktank says
IPPR North says one bad decision could derail devolution agenda as regions gain control of billions in funding England’s mayors should face much greater official scrutiny to avoid Andy Burnham’s devolution agenda being “derailed by one bad decision”, a thinktank has said. Ministers will set out plans next month to give regional leaders control over potentially billions of pounds of additional funding under a “transformational” shift of power outside Whitehall. From 2028, mayors will be able to keep a share of income tax generated in their areas – giving them greater scope to borrow for major…
- Opposing frame: Taxpayers' money
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UK politics: Trump says he has a better UK relationship with Burnham as PM – as it happened
…d the decision. He repeatedly said that he did not know the reasons behind the decision, but eventually he said it was “perfectly reasonable for a local council to decide that they don’t want to give taxpayers money to an organisation”. In a statement, the charity said: In our experience, the people of Sunderland have traditionally demonstrated a welcoming, inclusive and anti-racist attitude, and believe it is important that voters see this decision as further evidence that the council are unsupportive of equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives. Jenrick was giving an interview to promo…
- Opposing frame: Taxpayers' money
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Oil falls below $100 a barrel; UK government borrowing paints ‘dismal picture’ as bond vigilantes assemble – as it happened
…me to our rolling coverage of business, the financial markets and the world economy. Britain’s national debt is rising faster than expected after the government borrowed more than expected, again, to balance the books. The latest public finances data, just released, shows that the UK borrowed £18.3bn in August, which is £2.9bn more than in August 2025, as spending rose faster than government income. This is higher than the £15.6bn forecast by the City. But more importantly, it’s £3.5bn above the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR)‘s forecast for August. And it means that so far this finan…
- Opposing frame: Household budget
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Burnham urged by opposition parties to follow Macron and act with more urgency on Russian threat – as it happened
…y suggested she was particularly opposed to foreign-based private equity companies making huge profits from the UK care sector. She said: I’m a great believer in not letting other people take British taxpayers money, whoever they are. And I think if we could provide those services and those resources here, then we should do it … If there’s a private provider that’s taking 12 or 15% profit out of running care services for people, is that a good use of how we would plan for the next decade, when actually lots of FTSE 100 companies are very happy to take 5% profit? So these are the things we ne…
- Opposing frame: Taxpayers' money
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Health secretary says plans for cot cams in baby wards being developed ‘urgently’ after Letby inquiry report – as it happened
…previously that the recommendations made in the Thirlwall inquiry report will be “significantly undermined” when his client is “found innocent of all crimes” and has criticised the process a waste of taxpayers money. The overall cost of the inquiry – from its commencement in September 2023 to the end of March 2026 – is at least £18,718,000, according to an answer to a parliamentary question. Two experts withdrew from Letby’s defence team on Monday. They said that although they stood by their assessment that it was “very unlikely” two of the babies were poisoned, some of the arguments being p…
- Opposing frame: Taxpayers' money
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Top civil servant sacked by Starmer received record £860,000 payout
Special approval needed for amount that surpassed what Chris Wormald was ‘contractually entitled to’ The former head of the civil service Chris Wormald received a record payout of almost £860,000 when he was forced out of the top job in Whitehall by Keir Starmer. Cabinet Office accounts have revealed that the former cabinet secretary, who was sacked earlier this year, was paid £859,496 upon departure. The figure is an unprecedented amount, which required civil servants to seek a special direction from ministers to approve it because it was “greater than what Sir Chris Wormald would be contrac…
- Opposing frame: Taxpayers' money
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‘A completely unique opportunity’: the secretive process that will decide the BBC’s future
…changing technology and changing habits. Year on year, fewer and fewer people are using the BBC, and fewer and fewer people are paying for it. Hundreds of millions of pounds in cuts are under way to balance the books. This charter renewal is its only chance to turn back those tides. And yet in my interviews with 30 experts and BBC and government insiders over the past year, most struggled to tell me exactly what the charter is. One former director general told me simply: “The charter is … the charter.” Part of the difficulty of comprehending the charter lies in the difficulty of grasping th…
- Opposing frame: Household budget
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UK government pays highest interest rate on 30-year bond since 1998
…rate since the Debt Management Office, which is responsible for financing government borrowing, was established in 1998. Healey used a speech in Coventry on Monday to stress that he was determined to balance the books. Markets have been spooked by fears of a fresh rise in inflation after the resumption of the Middle East conflict increased oil prices, and investors fretting about the risks of rising public debt. When the Office for Budget Responsibility does its latest forecast before the budget on 28 October, higher interest rates on government borrowing are expected to wipe out at least ha…
- Opposing frame: Household budget
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Councils pay more than £125m a year placing vulnerable children in illegal care homes in England
Exclusive: Booming industry of businesses profit from shortage of beds for most at-risk children Councils are paying more than £125m a year of taxpayers’ money to place vulnerable children in illegal care homes across England, an investigation has found. The Guardian and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) have uncovered a booming industry of businesses profiting from a shortage of beds for the most at-risk children in Ofsted-inspected homes. Local authority payment records show that more than 480 private companies have been paid £250m for 1,800 unlawful placements of children over…
- Opposing frame: Taxpayers' money
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Another Australian found safe after Nepal-Tibet floods – as it happened
…or governments to be able to deliver commitments. Independent MP Kate Chaney says reporting of an “invite-only” community infrastructure grants program by Labor shows “governments from both sides use taxpayer-funded grants to buy votes”. The ABC has reported the Major and Local Community Infrastructure Program committed tens of thousands of dollars to key seats, but 45 seats around the county (almost a third) were not invited to apply for this fund. Chaney says: This is pork barrelling, and we’ve seen it before. The Coalition had Sports Rorts, and now Labor is ‘park’ barrelling – money for p…
- Opposing frame: Taxpayers' money
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John Healey backs growth but says Labour must be honest on spending
…eceipts by 2029-30. With the public finances under pressure from soaring long-term bond yields, which hit an 18-year high last week, Healey argued that stronger growth was the most sustainable way to balance the books. However, he also signalled that his budget would require Labour “being honest about the need to control government spending”. Economists have warned the chancellor could be forced to increase taxes or cut spending in response to rising spending pressures and the economic fallout from the war in Iran triggering turmoil in global bond markets. The UK’s 10-year borrowing costs ro…
- Opposing frame: Fiscal black hole
- Opposing frame: Household budget
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No bailouts for Jaguar Land Rover amid reports of thousands of job cuts, says minister
Carmaker, which is battling Trump tariffs and Chinese competitors, faces talks with union leaders and government The government has signalled that it will not invest taxpayers’ money to limit job losses at Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), after it emerged that the UK’s biggest carmaker is planning up to 4,000 redundancies. Before crunch talks on Tuesday between JLR, union leaders and government officials, the business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, said it was not his job to “intervene and run businesses”. JLR, owned by the Indian conglomerate Tata Motors, told staff on Friday to expect a voluntary re…
- Opposing frame: Taxpayers' money