While this was true, we must remember that the Yes campaign strategy relied on this well-known fact from the start. We must also remember that Iceland is no longer a rural country. Some 70 percent of Icelanders live in Greater Reykjavik, and many more commute to urban jobs. This referendum was not unique; it was part of a broader phenomenon that progressives in Britain and across Europe should reflect on. 

Because the discussion was so controversial, the government decided not to ask Icelanders directly whether they supported joining the EU. Instead, they asked whether Icelanders wanted to resume the membership negotiations that had been on hold since 2013. This made the Yes campaign seem extremely unenthusiastic, as it argued that Icelanders could always walk away from the table if negotiations went poorly (embedding in the public’s mind that they would). 

To make matters worse, the Yes campaign lacked an identifiable figurehead, as most ministers remained uncharacteristically quiet. While Social Democratic Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir took the lead towards the end of the campaign, this came primarily in the form of hosting “listening meetings”, where she travelled around the country and met people to answer their questions. While this strategy had successfully built up the relatively small amount of Social Democratic support needed to be the largest party in the Althing (the Icelandic parliament), it proved less effective at building broader coalitions.

Become a friend of LabourList and join our community. Our friends support our vital non-factional work and get access to exclusive content and events. 

Meanwhile, the No campaign nominated former President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson. During his 20 years in office, Grimsson pushed presidential powers to their limits, using them to grant Icelanders a referendum on whether the Icelandic government should pay back the British for loans taken on by Icelandic banks before the 2008 financial crisis. The former president’s leadership was only one of the No campaign’s visibly patriotic actions, and their unapologetically patriotic character throughout reinforced how much more strident their campaign was by comparison.

Furthermore, after trailing in the polls for most of the campaign, the No campaign spent large sums of money to campaign aggressively and close the gap towards the end of the race. While part of this can be seen in long daily opinion pieces in right-wing newspapers, I would argue this money was spent most efficiently online.

On social media, the No campaign produced a variety of offerings, predominantly emotional and memorable short-form content, and most of it centred on sovereignty and nostalgia. A few short videos inspired by recent online trends epitomised this, as seen in their use of popular background songs such as Runaway and Bittersweet Symphony. This helped the No campaign find an unlikely group of supporters: young people.

In the final polls conducted days before the referendum, around 60 percent of those under 30 intended to vote No, making them the country’s most Eurosceptic age group. Given that at the start of the campaign these were the people most likely to vote in favour of resuming membership negotiations, this was the swing needed for the No campaign to win the referendum. 

Subscribe here to our daily newsletter roundup of Labour news, analysis and comment– and follow us on TikTok, Bluesky, WhatsApp, X and Facebook. You can also write to our editor to share your thoughts on our stories and share your own. The best letters are published every Sunday.

This referendum offers lessons applicable to UK and European politics. Firstly, we must note the importance of political communication. The right has consistently outperformed the left online. Nigel Farage has one million followers on Instagram, while Boris Johnson has 1.5 million and Rishi Sunak has 3.2 million. Meanwhile, both Keir Starmer and Andy Burnham hover around the 850k mark. While Burnham’s team seems to be taking this seriously, the urgency with which this must be addressed should not be understated. 

More importantly, progressives can no longer take the support of core voting blocs for granted. As factors such as gender and education gradually become the primary ideological dividing lines, traditional political coalitions built around demographic factors such as age and class become increasingly fragile. As right-wing voices become ever more prevalent in online spaces frequented by young men, there’s a risk of a conservative revival among this demographic. 

I would like to have all the answers, but I don’t. In my view, though, a vital first step would be for those on the left to do everything in their power to deny the right-wing a monopoly on online spaces, patriotism, and issues directly affecting young men. While not a complete solution, taking such action is vital if progressives are to retain any substantial influence, let alone persuade the public to rejoin the EU, without being forced into constant political battles on our home turf. 

• • SHARE: If you have anything to share that we should be looking into or publishing about this story – or any other topic involving Labour– contact us (strictly anonymously if you wish) at mail@labourlist.org.
  • SUBSCRIBE: Sign up to LabourList’s morning email here for the best briefing on everything Labour, every weekday morning.
  • BECOME A FRIEND: If you enjoyed this, why not consider becoming a Friend of LabourList? Help sustain our journalism, and of course Friends do get benefits…
  • PARTNER: If you or your organisation might be interested in partnering with us on sponsored events or projects, email mail@labourlist.org.
  • ADVERTISE: If your organisation would like to advertise or run sponsored pieces on LabourList‘s daily newsletter or website, contact our exclusive ad partners Total Politics at customer.service@totalpolitics.com.

The post ‘Why Iceland’s EU referendum matters to British progressives’ appeared first on LabourList.

As an adoptive parent, I know how profoundly the right family can change a child’s life. But ambitious promises mean little without meaningful investment, practical support and long-term commitment.

This announcement gives me reason to be hopeful.

Alongside its national recruitment campaign, the Government’s fostering action plan aims to create 10,000 new foster places. Crucially, it recognises that existing carers must also feel valued and supported.

The life-changing power of a family

Our son was given the opportunity of a new beginning after an incredibly difficult start in life. The family who helped shape his future was connected to him not by biology, but by love, care and commitment.

I will always be grateful to those who opened their home to a child who needed safety and stability.

Foster carers do far more than provide a spare bedroom. Children may arrive carrying trauma, loss and disrupted attachments. They need patient adults who understand the unmet needs beneath challenging behaviour.

Fostering is not simply about filling vacancies in the care system. It is about helping children recover, develop and thrive. Those providing this care deserve a system that genuinely supports them.

Recruitment must tackle real barriers

The Government reports that approved foster carer numbers have fallen by 12 percent since 2019, while the number of children needing care has increased.

Research cited alongside the announcement found that 66 percent of people believed they could potentially be good foster carers if practical barriers were removed.

These include unsuitable housing, the cost of creating bedroom space, financial uncertainty and concerns about balancing fostering with work and family life.

The Room Makers initiative offers a practical response, with up to £25 million in capital funding over two years to expand placement capacity where it is most needed.

This is welcome, but extra bedrooms alone do not create the capacity to care. Investment must help suitable families overcome practical obstacles without compromising children’s needs or family wellbeing.

Recruitment must be about finding the right families for children, not simply increasing numbers on a spreadsheet.

Retaining carers is just as important

Finding foster carers is essential. Keeping them is equally important.

Data published in 2021 indicated that nearly 30 percent of foster carers left within their first two years. Although historical, this raises an important question: what would help carers continue?

Some report feeling excluded from decisions, undervalued or insufficiently supported. Accessing mental health services and appropriate support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) can also be difficult.

Fostering can be rewarding but exhausting. Carers need professionals who listen, timely support and a genuine voice in decisions affecting children.

The Government has announced £88 million in fostering reform funding, including £12.4 million for the Fostering Innovation Fund, exploring flexible approaches such as respite and weekend fostering.

The Mockingbird Family Model is another encouraging initiative. It connects foster families through networks led by experienced carers, reducing isolation and providing practical support and trusted relationships for children. The Government has announced £8.9 million to support more than 100 additional Mockingbird constellations.

These initiatives recognise an important truth: foster families should never be expected to manage alone.

Supporting the whole child means supporting the whole family

Children’s needs rarely fit neatly within individual services. Education, physical and mental health, housing and SEND support may all be involved, alongside the effects of trauma and early adversity.

When services fail to communicate, foster carers are left joining the dots themselves.

Local authorities, schools, health professionals and social workers must work together, involving carers in decisions and providing support before placements reach crisis point.

Prevention, early intervention and joined-up working are essential to keeping children safe and placements stable.

Turning hope into lasting change

Creating 10,000 new foster places is an important ambition, but numbers alone cannot measure success.

We must ask whether children find suitable, stable homes; whether siblings remain together where appropriate; whether carers feel supported enough to continue; and whether children receive the educational, emotional and health support they need.

As an adoptive parent, I know that a family offering love, patience and stability can change a child’s future. I also know that those providing care cannot do everything alone.

This announcement offers hope because it begins to address fostering’s wider challenges: practical barriers, carer retention, supportive relationships and access to services.

But the real test will be implementation. Will prospective carers find it easier to take the first step? Will existing carers feel valued? Will investment improve children’s lives?

For our son, a family willing to make space for him was life-changing. Many other children need that same opportunity.

They deserve families who offer safety, love and stability. Those families deserve a system that supports them.

The challenge now is to move beyond recruitment and build a fostering system in which children are safe, families are supported and every child has the opportunity to flourish.

Become a friend of LabourList and join our community. Our friends support our vital non-factional work and get access to exclusive content and events. 

Subscribe here to our daily newsletter roundup of Labour news, analysis and comment– and follow us on TikTok, Bluesky, WhatsApp, X and Facebook. You can also write to our editor to share your thoughts on our stories and share your own. The best letters are published every Sunday.

• • SHARE: If you have anything to share that we should be looking into or publishing about this story – or any other topic involving Labour– contact us (strictly anonymously if you wish) at mail@labourlist.org.
  • SUBSCRIBE: Sign up to LabourList’s morning email here for the best briefing on everything Labour, every weekday morning.
  • BECOME A FRIEND: If you enjoyed this, why not consider becoming a Friend of LabourList? Help sustain our journalism, and of course Friends do get benefits…
  • PARTNER: If you or your organisation might be interested in partnering with us on sponsored events or projects, email mail@labourlist.org.
  • ADVERTISE: If your organisation would like to advertise or run sponsored pieces on LabourList‘s daily newsletter or website, contact our exclusive ad partners Total Politics at customer.service@totalpolitics.com.

The post ‘Beyond recruitment: a new fostering plan that offers real hope’ appeared first on LabourList.

The language is shocking, but not surprising – especially if you’ve ever had an encounter with one of their most ardent supporters online. In just a few clips that have been previewed by ITV ahead of the broadcast, elected Reform councillors are caught saying Asian people should be rounded up and deported, that the King should be decapitated because he is secretly a Muslim, and making lewd comments about women. Senior party officials were filmed saying they have to “defend the indefensible”, while MP Sarah Pochin herself admitted to an undercover reporter that some of her Reform colleagues are “chauvinistic”.

Reform has claimed this was the result of a “handful of individuals” who slipped through its vetting process. And yet, few parties have faced such a persistent pattern of revelations about their candidates and representatives.

It is not as if Farage is dealing with this type of problem for the first time, either. Reform local election candidates last year were exposed for pushing far-right conspiracies, while councillors, MEPs and candidates during Farage’s time leading UKIP described gay sex as “disgusting”, illegal immigrants as “ragheads” and said Britain should not send aid to “bongo bongo land”.

At what point does one ‘rotten apple’ become a rotten bushel over several seasons?

Voting Reform does not make someone racist or misogynistic. People often support the party because they feel let down by the political establishment and want to see change. But that makes it all the more important to scrutinise the people seeking their votes – and to ask whether Reform’s candidates and leadership are worthy of the trust placed in them.

With the possibility of Nigel Farage entering Downing Street at the next election, his persistent problems with vetting are all the more troubling. Could we really expect a Reform-led government to be any different, with the prospect of MPs making offensive remarks while ripping up the Equality Act and withdrawing Britain from the ECHR?

Sunday’s broadcast could mark the moment that Reform’s mask truly slips. If Reform wants to govern Britain, it must answer for the people it puts forward to represent it, and the values they bring with them. For the sake of the inclusive democracy we all value, we cannot afford to look the other way.

Become a friend of LabourList and join our community. Our friends support our vital non-factional work and get access to exclusive content and events. 

Subscribe here to our daily newsletter roundup of Labour news, analysis and comment– and follow us on TikTok, Bluesky, WhatsApp, X and Facebook. You can also write to our editor to share your thoughts on our stories and share your own. The best letters are published every Sunday.

• • SHARE: If you have anything to share that we should be looking into or publishing about this story – or any other topic involving Labour– contact us (strictly anonymously if you wish) at mail@labourlist.org.
  • SUBSCRIBE: Sign up to LabourList’s morning email here for the best briefing on everything Labour, every weekday morning.
  • BECOME A FRIEND: If you enjoyed this, why not consider becoming a Friend of LabourList? Help sustain our journalism, and of course Friends do get benefits…
  • PARTNER: If you or your organisation might be interested in partnering with us on sponsored events or projects, email mail@labourlist.org.
  • ADVERTISE: If your organisation would like to advertise or run sponsored pieces on LabourList‘s daily newsletter or website, contact our exclusive ad partners Total Politics at customer.service@totalpolitics.com.

The post Reform’s rotten culture is exposed appeared first on LabourList.

DCMS has made some very lofty promises through their Youth Matters strategy and the Arts Everywhere fund, promising to not only more youth workers over the next ten years but also making arts and sports an integral part of the curriculum. This is very promising.

In Newham our youth strategy and cultural approach is all about collaborative working making the voices of young people and the cultural sector at the very centre of this conversation through a process of co-creation. Whilst the government’s cultural funding is promised to go into buildings and institutions via the Arts Council, we have seen in Newham that,  by prioritising people and access, we have had some great outcomes with more young people getting involved in events and choosing cultural apprenticeships. Newham has been a priority place of investment by the Arts Council which is giving a boost to capital heavy projects in the borough. The influx of East Bank partners (V & A East, Sadlers Wells and LCF to name just a few) has seen a new cultural quarter develop in what is considered one of London’s most deprived boroughs.

READ MORE:Read Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy’s conference speech in full

Academics have long argued that local youth culture programmes can deliver lasting benefits, from reducing violence to helping people connect across communities and find work. I think that’s right, and it’s why I take the national offer seriously. But looking at it alongside Newham, I see some gaps that need closing.

Take arts funding. More than 85% of Arts Everywhere goes to buildings and venues, and I understand why, but Newham shows the limits of that approach. We have major institutions arriving, yet participation sits just below the London average. Plenty of supply and weak take-up is exactly where a programme stream, alongside the capital money, would make the difference, so that the promise of arts funding reaches everyone and not only the places with the crumbling roofs.

The same goes for youth work. The government has pledged 1,000 youth workers, and Youth Matters commits £15 million to recruiting and training them. Those numbers are impressive. But in Newham, where 37% of the population is under 25, A share weighted to the number of young people would do far more good than spreading the money evenly. I’d like to see a manifesto promise that allocation would follow the share of under-25s in each local authority.

Become a friend of LabourList and join our community. Our friends support our vital non-factional work and get access to exclusive content and events. 

I’d go further and guarantee every child a minimum level of arts, music and heritage, funded and inspected, rather than leaving it to what a school or council can afford. Our own schools offer was redesigned partly on ‘value for money’ grounds, which tells you how exposed discretionary provision is. A national cultural passport could sit alongside that for those who need it most. Ours covers 11–18-year-olds and isnsupported by children’s services, and a national version could start with free school meal eligibility and care leavers, with a published route to wider coverage.

Then there are anchor institutions, which I think do something that is hard to put a number on but matters enormously. Our university partnership offers placements, mentorships and apprenticeships, and that’s where cultural investment turns into real jobs for people who live down the road. I’d like funders to attach published local hiring and training commitments to institutions that settle in young, deprived boroughs.

Based on the national picture and what we’ve learned in Newham, I think Labour’s next manifesto should put culture and young people at its centre, as the clearest expression of what has become the party’s tagline: hope. The next election is still a little way off, but working with local authorities such as ours and exchanging good practice can help shape a youth and cultural manifesto with national resonance. 

Subscribe here to our daily newsletter roundup of Labour news, analysis and comment– and follow us on TikTok, Bluesky, WhatsApp, X and Facebook. You can also write to our editor to share your thoughts on our stories and share your own. The best letters are published every Sunday.

• • SHARE: If you have anything to share that we should be looking into or publishing about this story – or any other topic involving Labour– contact us (strictly anonymously if you wish) at mail@labourlist.org.
  • SUBSCRIBE: Sign up to LabourList’s morning email here for the best briefing on everything Labour, every weekday morning.
  • BECOME A FRIEND: If you enjoyed this, why not consider becoming a Friend of LabourList? Help sustain our journalism, and of course Friends do get benefits…
  • PARTNER: If you or your organisation might be interested in partnering with us on sponsored events or projects, email mail@labourlist.org.
  • ADVERTISE: If your organisation would like to advertise or run sponsored pieces on LabourList‘s daily newsletter or website, contact our exclusive ad partners Total Politics at customer.service@totalpolitics.com.

The post ‘Arts for young people is key to hope’ appeared first on LabourList.

While Westminster was consumed by debates about Brexit, there was plenty of tangible progress across government departments.

Here are the seven most exciting breakthroughs and announcements this week that you can use, whether you’re on the doorstep, sparring on social media, or debating in the pub.

1. Fining freeholders for ignoring unsafe cladding

Labour is legislating to make freeholders repair dangerous external walls.

Residents stuck waiting for repairs would get a safety net, because Homes England or councils could step in and do the work if owners keep failing.

Anyone who obstructs repairs could face criminal penalties, and owners who ignore a remediation order could be fined up to £500,000. The bill is expected to speed up repairs for around 12,000 residents.

2. Expanded police protection for public servants

Labour is extending dedicated police support to more political figures.

It will now cover peers, former MPs, party spokespeople, and leaders of parties who aren’t MPs, following the murder of Ann Widdecombe.

Separately, an independent review of protective security will test whether arrangements for ministers, MPs, and local representatives are fit for purpose.

3. £48 million for dementia research

Labour is launching a partnership to tackle one of the biggest barriers to dementia research.

The BARBARA Alliance will help to recruit more people into clinical studies to test promising new treatments. It’s a single platform that links health data, research, and trial capabilities, making it easier for people with dementia to join studies and for researchers to find them.

The programme will help speed up clinical trials and bring promising new treatments to patients faster.

£33 million comes from the government, with the rest from GSK, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Gates Ventures.

4. Protecting heating oil customers

Labour is moving to regulate suppliers for the first time.

Households that rely on heating oil should get clearer standards from their suppliers, and routes to compensation when things go wrong.

It follows a price spike earlier this year, when some suppliers cancelled orders and forced customers to re-order at a higher cost, leaving 1,700 households owed compensation. Industry practices that make some customers buy at least 500 litres will also be reviewed.

5. Freedom for migrants to leave abusive employers

Labour has changed the rules so recognised modern slavery victims who are migrants can leave exploitative jobs without losing their visa.

They’ll be able to take any other lawful job instead. Until now, victims who left an abusive sponsor risked losing both their immigration status and their income, because Skilled Worker visa holders can’t claim public funds.

The change covers care workers among others and is in force from 9 October. More than 6,600 sponsors have also lost their licence to hire overseas workers since Labour took office.

6. Faster brain cancer treatments

Labour is speeding up a review of the rules on medicines for rare conditions.

It’ll now happen within two years, rather than three as planned. Proposed rule changes as a result could mean patients get quicker access to promising new drugs.

It’s one of four steps announced after the PM met campaigner Archie Goodburn, who has inoperable brain cancer. The others include an expert review within three months, a national action plan, and a new national clinical lead.

7. £41 million to restore historic buildings

Labour is saving local landmarks from leaking roofs and crumbling stonework.

The first round of recipients of the funding has been announced. It’ll pay for repairs at 74 sites, from churches and synagogues to town halls and castles, including Birmingham Cathedral, Dover Castle, and Osborne on the Isle of Wight. 

Areas in greatest need are prioritised, where fundraising is hardest.

Become a friend of LabourList and join our community. Our friends support our vital non-factional work and get access to exclusive content and events. 

Subscribe here to our daily newsletter roundup of Labour news, analysis and comment– and follow us on TikTok, Bluesky, WhatsApp, X and Facebook. You can also write to our editor to share your thoughts on our stories and share your own. The best letters are published every Sunday.

• • SHARE: If you have anything to share that we should be looking into or publishing about this story – or any other topic involving Labour– contact us (strictly anonymously if you wish) at mail@labourlist.org.
  • SUBSCRIBE: Sign up to LabourList’s morning email here for the best briefing on everything Labour, every weekday morning.
  • BECOME A FRIEND: If you enjoyed this, why not consider becoming a Friend of LabourList? Help sustain our journalism, and of course Friends do get benefits…
  • PARTNER: If you or your organisation might be interested in partnering with us on sponsored events or projects, email mail@labourlist.org.
  • ADVERTISE: If your organisation would like to advertise or run sponsored pieces on LabourList‘s daily newsletter or website, contact our exclusive ad partners Total Politics at customer.service@totalpolitics.com.

The post Delivering in Government: your weekly round up of good news Labour stories appeared first on LabourList.

That experience is why I am supporting More than numbers, the campaign launched this month by the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT). It goes to the heart of a question this government has rightly put at the centre of its agenda: whether opportunity in this country depends on talent and effort, or on background and postcode.

Accountancy is about so much more than adding numbers together, It is problem solving, collaboration and advising some of the country’s most exciting businesses, large and small. It is a diverse, hands-on and engaging profession. And crucially you don’t need a degree, the bank of mum and dad or to be based in London to have a successful and rewarding career in it.

There is a disconnect, though. Financial and professional services are one of the UK’s greatest economic strengths, employing people from Wrexham to Edinburgh and everywhere in between. Yet new research from AAT finds that 41 percent of UK adults don’t know you can become an accountant without a university degree, and six in ten (59 percent) left school feeling only slightly or not very well informed about what they could do next.

The same research exposes a striking gap between what we prize and what we know works. Over half of people (53 percent) regard university as very prestigious or respected, compared with 11 percent for apprenticeships. Yet practical skills (35 percent) and work experience (32 percent) are each more than three times as likely as a degree (10 percent) to be seen as factors in career success.

People clearly recognise that skills and experience matter most once you’re in work, yet the advice young people get at school still points most of them in one direction.

For a government focused on growth, that should ring alarm bells. Key industries are crying out for skills, and nearly a million young people are not in education, employment or training. We cannot afford for potential talent to discount entire sectors simply because nobody has shown them the way in. Every young person who never hears about a route that would have suited them is a loss to them, to their community and to the economy.

The evidence that these routes deliver is strong. Separate analysis by Public First found that 19 to 24-year-olds in the AAT community earn, on average, 11 percent more than their peers nationally. These are good jobs with good wages, and they are available in places like Wrexham, where young people want to build careers without having to leave home to do it. Because so many study while they work, they reach the workplace with experience employers value from day one.

The political will is there. Over the summer, the Prime Minister committed to valuing the hard hat as much as the graduation cap. Alan Milburn’s interim review found that current careers guidance lacks value, particularly for young people exploring vocational pathways. That finding should trouble all of us, because it means the very people we most want to reach are the least well served.

The Milburn Review is an opportunity to build the genuine alternative to the A-levels-to-university conveyor belt I have been calling for. Getting there will take more than new qualifications or funding streams. Young people need to understand the routes available to them, and so do the schools, colleges and careers advisers who guide them.

Become a friend of LabourList and join our community. Our friends support our vital non-factional work and get access to exclusive content and events. 

That is why I support AAT’s call for the government’s skills reforms to make the full breadth of vocational pathways visible and accessible. Campaigns like More than numbers, which offers free tools and practical support to young people throughout October and November and puts the spotlight on students, members and employers from every kind of background, show what good engagement can look like. Government should be learning from that work and building it into the system, so it reaches every young person as standard and doesn’t depend on a campaign happening to land in their school.

Labour has always been the party of aspiration for working people. Too often, aspiration has been defined narrowly, as a path through university that suits some and leaves many others feeling they have failed before they have started. If we are serious about breaking down barriers to opportunity, we need every young person to leave school knowing the full range of routes open to them, and confident that each of them is respected.

I came to accountancy after working as a hotel general manager, so I know it is a profession people can move into from very different starting points. More young people should know that from the start, and our skills reforms are the chance to make sure they do.

Subscribe here to our daily newsletter roundup of Labour news, analysis and comment– and follow us on TikTok, Bluesky, WhatsApp, X and Facebook. You can also write to our editor to share your thoughts on our stories and share your own. The best letters are published every Sunday.

• • SHARE: If you have anything to share that we should be looking into or publishing about this story – or any other topic involving Labour– contact us (strictly anonymously if you wish) at mail@labourlist.org.
  • SUBSCRIBE: Sign up to LabourList’s morning email here for the best briefing on everything Labour, every weekday morning.
  • BECOME A FRIEND: If you enjoyed this, why not consider becoming a Friend of LabourList? Help sustain our journalism, and of course Friends do get benefits…
  • PARTNER: If you or your organisation might be interested in partnering with us on sponsored events or projects, email mail@labourlist.org.
  • ADVERTISE: If your organisation would like to advertise or run sponsored pieces on LabourList‘s daily newsletter or website, contact our exclusive ad partners Total Politics at customer.service@totalpolitics.com.

The post ‘It’s time to end the university-first approach to opportunity’ appeared first on LabourList.

The current system has two key problems. First, the system will soon begin to haemorrhage money, putting funding for vital public services at risk. The Treasury is set to lose £50 billion in fuel duty and £8 billion in 1st-year VED by 2035. While the new eVED policy will make up a small amount of the shortfall, it is not nearly enough to compensate for these losses.

Such a significant decline in income to the Treasury could also create a shortfall in funding for critical public services such as hospitals, schools, and policing, as vehicle taxation also funds broader government expenditure. This is a huge risk when these services are already struggling with significant funding backlogs and deficits.

Second, the current system doesn’t create sufficient incentives for consumers to go electric, risking the progress of the transition. In two years, following the introduction of the new eVED scheme, a private buyer choosing a new petrol car will pay around £1,000 less in upfront taxes over 10 years than someone buying a comparable electric vehicle. This creates perverse incentives for consumers to choose polluting cars over zero-emissions vehicles – working against the government’s own ZEV targets.

READ MORE: Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander addresses party conference – her speech in full

An alternative is possible. In T&E’s recent report ‘Era of electrification: A Vehicle Taxation Roadmap’, we set out a plan for the government to raise an additional £64 billion by 2035 – an increase of 40 percent on expected revenues under a business-as-usual scenario. This would entirely offset the expected shortfall in vehicle tax revenues, while also raising an additional £6 billion that could be used to support lower-income households to access affordable clean transport. 

The policies set out in the roadmap would fill unjust loopholes in the current system, while introducing new measures to fairly tax vehicles for pollution and impacts on safety and public space.

First, ministers should reform first-year VED by 2027 so that plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) are taxed according to their real-world emissions. Currently, PHEVs benefit from an unfair loophole, where they are charged according to their test emissions, which underestimate PHEV emissions by almost six times. In the real world, a popular PHEV such as the Toyota C-HR has emissions that are only slightly lower than those of a comparable petrol car.

Further, under the planned 2028 eVED rates, PHEVs would receive yet another unfair tax break, paying just 1.5p per mile, compared with 3p for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) – another discount that could persuade consumers to purchase PHEVs over truly zero-emission vehicles. eVED should be reformed so that PHEVs pay more than BEVs, while small, made-in-UK BEVs get a discount, supporting British industry and ordinary families.

Ministers should also introduce a Large Vehicle Levy in 1st year VED from 2027, ensuring that oversized SUVs make a fairer contribution to the costs they impose on roads and society. A charge of £10 per kilogram for vehicle weight above 1,600kg, with a 400kg allowance for electric batteries, could raise around £2 billion a year.

Become a friend of LabourList and join our community. Our friends support our vital non-factional work and get access to exclusive content and events. 

The Government should then introduce a 10 percent first-year VED escalator from 2028. This would strengthen the tax advantage for battery electric vehicles over petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid models. The Government should also reverse the 5p fuel duty cut in 2027 and introduce a five percent fuel duty escalator from 2028, raising an additional £44 billion by 2035.

The taxation increases from these policies will predominantly fall on the wealthiest, who are most able to absorb higher transport costs. Simultaneously, the funding generated could be put towards schemes to cut the cost of living and reduce pollution, such as an EV social leasing scheme or public and active travel schemes.

Most of the policies set out tax the purchase of new vehicles, which are generally only bought by the wealthiest, making up less than one fifth of car purchases compared to four fifths for used cars. Similarly, the greatest impact of fuel duty increases will actually fall on the wealthiest, as they tend to drive longer distances and larger cars with higher fuel consumption.

This makes fuel duty a very poorly targeted measure to cut the cost of living. While cutting fuel duty by a further 10p (as recently suggested by Ed Davey) would only benefit the median driver by £26 per month, an EV social leasing scheme could save eligible drivers almost five times as much (up to £124 per month).

Meanwhile, the income generated from reversing the 5p cut could fund social leasing for 1.4 million households by 2035, while introducing a five percent annual escalator on top could fund social leasing for 4.6 million households by 2035, significantly cutting the cost of living for lower-income households.

Implementing this tax roadmap would ensure that vehicles are fairly taxed for their impact on CO2 emissions, air pollution, and other negative impacts. It would also support the rapid electrification of the UK economy, save the Treasury billions of pounds, and prepare the UK for a new era of electrification.

Subscribe here to our daily newsletter roundup of Labour news, analysis and comment– and follow us on TikTok, Bluesky, WhatsApp, X and Facebook. You can also write to our editor to share your thoughts on our stories and share your own. The best letters are published every Sunday.

• • SHARE: If you have anything to share that we should be looking into or publishing about this story – or any other topic involving Labour– contact us (strictly anonymously if you wish) at mail@labourlist.org.
  • SUBSCRIBE: Sign up to LabourList’s morning email here for the best briefing on everything Labour, every weekday morning.
  • BECOME A FRIEND: If you enjoyed this, why not consider becoming a Friend of LabourList? Help sustain our journalism, and of course Friends do get benefits…
  • PARTNER: If you or your organisation might be interested in partnering with us on sponsored events or projects, email mail@labourlist.org.
  • ADVERTISE: If your organisation would like to advertise or run sponsored pieces on LabourList‘s daily newsletter or website, contact our exclusive ad partners Total Politics at customer.service@totalpolitics.com.

The post ‘The government must reform vehicle taxation in the next budget – or risk losing out on more than £60 billion’ appeared first on LabourList.

While much of the media and political commentary has focused on the future of oil and gas licences in the North Sea, a just-as-important policy debate and test of the government’s climate credentials has largely sailed under the radar: the zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate.

The ZEV mandate is the UK’s primary policy mechanism to increase the sales of electric vehicles by setting gradually increasing annual targets for automotive manufacturers to hit. Critically, the ZEV mandate is the UK’s single biggest carbon saving measure to date and one of our most effective measures to cut air pollution in urban areas. 

The policy sets a target for the percentage of EVs sold, compelling manufacturers to bring down the upfront costs of EVs and widen the number of models available. 

The good news is that the policy is working. EVs passed the tipping point of becoming cheaper to buy than petrol cars for the first time earlier this year. Combined with the significantly lower running costs, a more accessible EV transition is a massive win for consumers. 

In addition, EVs have made up over a quarter of new car sales so far this year, up by 30% from the same time last year, putting EVs ahead of conventional petrol cars in terms of market share. In fact, September recorded the highest number of EVs sold in a single month to date. Despite commentary from sections of the media and industry, EV sales are ahead of what is needed to meet targets this year – just as they were in 2024 and 2025 – due to flexibilities provided that rewards for selling more efficient combustion cars, such as hybrids and plug-in hybrids.

Become a friend of LabourList and join our community. Our friends support our vital non-factional work and get access to exclusive content and events. 

Yet, the government has been under sustained pressure from the car industry to water down the ZEV mandate, leading to the acceleration of a government review of the policy. For any environmental policy it’s important for the government to find a balance between ambition and achievability, and it’s understandable for the government to be responsive to industry and union concerns. But there is a false dichotomy forming. We are no longer at the point where it’s true to just say the future of the automotive industry lies with electrification; the present does too. If this government is serious about reindustrialising the country, then it cannot afford to fall into the trap of sticking with declining technologies being rapidly consigned to the history books. 

There are undoubtedly ways the government can provide more breathing room and support for the British automotive industry on their transition to electric vehicles, but the UK cannot afford to retreat from the overall ambition of the policy. Doing so would be at odds with the UK’s position as a leader on climate action, Labour’s commitments to strengthen our energy security and bring down living costs and put billions of pounds of investment at risk that has already been made or committed into the EV transition in the UK. 

With the impacts of climate change being increasingly felt in the UK, not only is there a moral imperative for this Labour government to continue leading the way in tackling climate change, but a political one too. Anyone in the party who thinks voters will thank, or even be indifferent to, the rowing back on climate policy is kidding themselves. Ambition on climate change is one of the key policy areas that will be vital for holding together Labour’s fragile electoral coalition. 

While the ZEV mandate will not move progressive voters on its own, there is a serious risk that it contributes to a perception that Labour’s green credentials are not strong enough seen against the backdrop of the summer of climate chaos we have experienced and a supercharged El Nino due to be experienced in the months and year to come. 

Instead, Labour needs to prove to voters that the party is the home of climate leadership and environmentalism. While it is a tragedy that the political consensus on climate action has crumbled, with Reform in hock to fossil fuel donors and Kemi Badenoch abandoning the climate record her own party (which ironically includes the ZEV mandate), it’s more important now than ever that this Labour government leads the way. The ZEV mandate is a key test of this.

Subscribe here to our daily newsletter roundup of Labour news, analysis and comment– and follow us on TikTok, Bluesky, WhatsApp, X and Facebook. You can also write to our editor to share your thoughts on our stories and share your own. The best letters are published every Sunday.

• • SHARE: If you have anything to share that we should be looking into or publishing about this story – or any other topic involving Labour– contact us (strictly anonymously if you wish) at mail@labourlist.org.
  • SUBSCRIBE: Sign up to LabourList’s morning email here for the best briefing on everything Labour, every weekday morning.
  • BECOME A FRIEND: If you enjoyed this, why not consider becoming a Friend of LabourList? Help sustain our journalism, and of course Friends do get benefits…
  • PARTNER: If you or your organisation might be interested in partnering with us on sponsored events or projects, email mail@labourlist.org.
  • ADVERTISE: If your organisation would like to advertise or run sponsored pieces on LabourList‘s daily newsletter or website, contact our exclusive ad partners Total Politics at customer.service@totalpolitics.com.

The post ‘The zero-emission vehicle mandate is a major climate test for Burnham’ appeared first on LabourList.

The Prime Minister Andy Burnham has firmly challenged the first account. At the Party conference he argued that Brexit had done “more harm than good” and that Britain needed to determine its long-term relationship with its largest market, however, on many indicators we have performed better than France and Germany, outside the EU. Some within the Labour family are nervous about opening that debate again. Lucy Powell expressed concern that going beyond Keir Starmer’s reset plans was not “possible or desirable” and the Business Secretary has warned that renegotiating would lead to significant uncertainty for businesses.

Those arguments deserve serious consideration. But there is another question Labour should examine equally seriously: What would Britain lose by rejoining?

The freedoms acquired outside the EU are no longer theoretical. Labour is exercising them. Britain now operates an independent trade policy. The government has agreements with 74 countries. We have the best trading relationship with the EU of any non-member state. Britain has joined the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, while Labour concluded the UK-India agreement negotiated in 2025. The Government estimates the latter could eventually increase trade by £25.5 billion annually and UK GDP by £4.8 billion. These are enormous achievements and have only happened because we are outside the EU.

The CPTPP is particularly significant. It gives British businesses preferential access across an 11-country partnership whose economies, including Britain, were worth almost £13 trillion in 2025 and growing fast. These agreements do not compensate automatically for barriers to Britain’s largest neighbouring market. Geography matters in trade, about 46 percent of UK trade is with the EU. But UK trade with non-EU countries now accounts between 54 percent and 59 percent of our exports. Our trade with non-EU countries is growing. This cannot simply be ignored.

There is similar freedom over industrial policy. EU membership did not prohibit our having an industrial strategy, and several EU countries demonstrate that. Britain nevertheless now operates its own subsidy-control system rather than the EU state-aid regime. It allows public authorities to provide subsidies subject to domestic principles and Britain’s international commitments. The government has established streamlined routes covering areas including local growth, research and development, housing and energy use. That matters as Andy Burnhams government seeks to reindustrialise Britain. A recent example is the excellent decision to determine that defence contracts will only be awarded to British firms and ports for naval procurement. Security, defence and growing the economy all in one.

The government is changing public procurement. Around £400 billion passes through government contracting annually, and ministers are developing procurement policy to strengthen strategically important industries including steel, shipbuilding, energy infrastructure and AI while improving access for smaller businesses. Leaving the EU does not magically produce good industrial policy. It simply changes where decisions can be made and British governments can determine policy that best suits our needs.

Regulation provides another example. Recent economic growth in the UK has largely been underpinned by huge innovations and investment in tech, AI, and professional services. The UK’s light regulatory framework has resulted in the UK leading in Europe in this field. Meanwhile, the EU has been rigid and top down, compared to the UK’s sector specific guidance. Returning to the EU would result in these crucial areas for future economic growth being constrained and the excessive regulation could deter investment.

Britain also possesses greater autonomy over tariffs. Since leaving the EU, businesses have been able to request UK-specific tariff suspensions on imported inputs, with more than 300 implemented following previous application round. We have also been able to escape some of the tougher sanctions placed on the EU by the US. Our agility in this area is crucial. Businesses have adapted to the new norm and are taking advantage of the best trading relationship with the EU, with customs checks completed online, minimising any border friction.

Sometimes common rules are preferable. A manufacturer selling into European markets may value one regulatory standard more than Britain’s theoretical freedom to devise another. Labour’s developing approach implicitly recognises this: align where alignment brings worthwhile economic benefits, retain autonomy where divergence serves a strategic purpose. This does not require us to rejoin the EU or tear up our trade deals by entering a customs union, or to lose control of our borders by accepting free movement in the Single Market. This third way is a more sophisticated stance than, “diverge from Brussels everywhere” or “follow Brussels everywhere”. Its British pragmatic.

Instead of seeking to re-open the Brexit debate, which was the most divisive and polarising period in British politics lets focus on being the best of allies, in cooperation but without membership. Labour’s 2024 manifesto offered precisely that settlement and provided business with the confidence that we would not return to the uncertainty of Brexit arguments. Our manifesto promised that Britain would stay outside the EU, Single Market and customs union while seeking to reduce unnecessary trade barriers and strengthen European security cooperation.

Brexit did not guarantee prosperity and progress. Nor does EU membership. Across Europe, the far right is on the march and economies are struggling. The AfD in Germany, Le Pen in France, Wilders in Holland and the populist parties of Eastern and Central Europe. If we were to rejoin, we would not be joining a progressive trading bloc, but one dominated by the hard right.

We have been outside the EU formally just six years. Before reopening the enormous constitutional question of membership, this Labour government should at least establish whether we can make a success of it as a serious nation, rather than create uncertainty, division and polarisation by re-opening a debate largely settled in the country.

Become a friend of LabourList and join our community. Our friends support our vital non-factional work and get access to exclusive content and events. 

Subscribe here to our daily newsletter roundup of Labour news, analysis and comment– and follow us on TikTok, Bluesky, WhatsApp, X and Facebook. You can also write to our editor to share your thoughts on our stories and share your own. The best letters are published every Sunday.

• • SHARE: If you have anything to share that we should be looking into or publishing about this story – or any other topic involving Labour– contact us (strictly anonymously if you wish) at mail@labourlist.org.
  • SUBSCRIBE: Sign up to LabourList’s morning email here for the best briefing on everything Labour, every weekday morning.
  • BECOME A FRIEND: If you enjoyed this, why not consider becoming a Friend of LabourList? Help sustain our journalism, and of course Friends do get benefits…
  • PARTNER: If you or your organisation might be interested in partnering with us on sponsored events or projects, email mail@labourlist.org.
  • ADVERTISE: If your organisation would like to advertise or run sponsored pieces on LabourList‘s daily newsletter or website, contact our exclusive ad partners Total Politics at customer.service@totalpolitics.com.

The post ‘Reopening the Brexit debate would be a mistake’ appeared first on LabourList.

As MPs up and down the country will tell you, it is one of the topics that concerns our constituents the most.

Education professionals, parents and MPs from across the country made the same fundamental point in different ways: the current system is broken, reform is essential, and that reform will only succeed if it genuinely reflects the lived experience and widely held concerns of the people who know it best.

I hear the same message in Smethwick and across the West Midlands that many colleagues reported from their own constituencies, with parents describing long waits for assessments, repeated battles for basic provision and a pervasive sense that the system treats them as adversaries rather than partners. Meanwhile teachers and school leaders spoke of stretched resources and the impossible position of trying to meet complex needs without the right specialist support or funding, and MPs continue to hear these stories week after week in their surgeries. Conference simply brought that reality into sharper focus and demonstrated that there is genuine public appetite for change rooted in those concerns rather than imposed from above.

READ MORE: ‘SEND Matters: We need reform, but families must have a voice’

The government is right to recognise that the status quo cannot continue, yet reform must begin from the clear principle that a child’s needs come first, recognising that children with SEND are not a homogeneous group and that there is no single model that works for every child. Improving inclusion and support in mainstream schools will transform outcomes for many, while for others with more complex or multiple needs, specialist settings are not an optional extra but the environment in which those children can learn, feel safe and thrive, so we should reject any false choice between mainstream and specialist provision. True inclusion means every child receiving the right support in the right place rather than forcing every child into the same setting regardless of what they need.

That approach requires getting the funding architecture right. Llocal authorities are under intense pressure and health partners are not always held properly to account for the elements they should fund. Rigid models relying on arbitrary bands or tiers risk treating children with intensive requirements for specialist staff, therapies and facilities as if their costs are interchangeable with those of other pupils.

A strengths-and needs-based approach – developed and tested with parents, specialist providers and people with lived experience – is essential if the new system is to reflect reality rather than spreadsheet convenience.

We must also protect the legal rights families currently rely on. The fact that the overwhelming majority of SEND Tribunal appeals are upheld in favour of parents should give us pause as it is evidence that families are often forced to fight because the system has already failed their child rather than because they are being unreasonable. Reform that weakens enforceable rights or makes challenges harder will deepen distrust and leave the most vulnerable without a meaningful route to justice. So clear information, enforceable entitlements and a fair appeals process are not obstacles to reform, but the foundation of a system people can trust.

Become a friend of LabourList and join our community. Our friends support our vital non-factional work and get access to exclusive content and events. 

Speed matters because families have already waited too long, yet urgency cannot become a justification for rushing changes before the workforce, specialist capacity and facilities are in place. Poorly sequenced reform risks unintended harm, including children placed in settings that cannot meet their needs, increased distress, disrupted learning for classmates and further erosion of confidence among parents and professionals. The message from conference and from communities is not that reform should stop but that we must get it right.

That means designing the next stage with families and practitioners rather than simply consulting them after the key decisions have already been taken. National Inclusion Standards and specialist provision packages will only work if they are shaped by the people who will live with the consequences, and the same principle applies to any new funding model. Lived experience is not an optional extra in this process but the difference between a reform that looks coherent on paper and one that improves children’s lives.

Our Labour Government has a real opportunity here to deliver meaningful change that restores confidence in the system and puts children’s needs ahead of bureaucracy or short-term financial structures.

Conference showed that the appetite for the right reform exists among education professionals, among parents and among MPs who hear these issues constantly. The test now is whether we turn that appetite into a system built with families rather than done to them. Children and their families cannot afford another round of reform that fails in practice, and we have a duty to do better.

Subscribe here to our daily newsletter roundup of Labour news, analysis and comment– and follow us on TikTok, Bluesky, WhatsApp, X and Facebook. You can also write to our editor to share your thoughts on our stories and share your own. The best letters are published every Sunday.

• • SHARE: If you have anything to share that we should be looking into or publishing about this story – or any other topic involving Labour– contact us (strictly anonymously if you wish) at mail@labourlist.org.
  • SUBSCRIBE: Sign up to LabourList’s morning email here for the best briefing on everything Labour, every weekday morning.
  • BECOME A FRIEND: If you enjoyed this, why not consider becoming a Friend of LabourList? Help sustain our journalism, and of course Friends do get benefits…
  • PARTNER: If you or your organisation might be interested in partnering with us on sponsored events or projects, email mail@labourlist.org.
  • ADVERTISE: If your organisation would like to advertise or run sponsored pieces on LabourList‘s daily newsletter or website, contact our exclusive ad partners Total Politics at customer.service@totalpolitics.com.

The post ‘The message from Labour Conference is clear: we must get SEND reform right’ appeared first on LabourList.