Bridging Britain’s prosperity gap
Welfare cuts risk widening the longstanding north-south divide. The government should focus on regeneration of areas hit hardest
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UK government spending
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With government expenditure soon to account for almost half the UK economy and one in five Britons working in the public sector, politicians are reconsidering the size and boundaries of the state
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Tfl fears 15% spending reduction in chancellor’s June review
Boris Johnson has warned that threatened cuts to London’s transport budget in the June spending review pose an “insane” risk to the capital’s economy
Local councils warn of services ‘meltdown’
Local authorities say they are running out of ways to save money and call for an end to the ringfence around the health and education budgets
Expenses watchdog sues Tory MP
Stewart Jackson MP vows to fight legal action, accusing the watchdog of being ‘heavy-handed and disproportionate’ after he refuses to pay back £54,000
Grayling offers £500m probation contracts
Justice secretary has described the payment-by-results plan as ‘more for less’ at a time of austerity, but professionals have voiced anger
Hammond moves to minimise defence cuts
Defence secretary seeks to reshape boundaries by arguing that cash for health and education of the military should not come from him
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UK spending database
The FT has cleaned up government spending data and created a searchable database for details on over 5,000 private sector suppliers to central government departments
The state of Britain
A consensus exists on the need to shrink the state but there is little detail on how to effect this, reflecting a lack of understanding of what the modern British state does
Comment & Analysis
Cutting welfare is not the same as reforming it
Most of the coalition’s changes we are seeing are austerity measures repacked as welfare reform to make them more palatable, writes Declan Gaffney
The retreat of the welfare state
The fence around the NHS and foreign aid always seemed like a political gesture. Its continued existence is increasingly hard to defend
History is leaving UK welfare state behind
British parties that continue to take comfort in tired and dated attitudes will be dumped by the country’s electorate, writes Janan Ganesh
Political divide on spending is narrowing
It is far better for Britain to be a state that prevents and invests rather than one that remedies and compensates, writes Matthew Taylor
Lifting industry
The government should be applauded for setting out a vision of where UK industry is heading and backing sectors with a sound track record
Osborne is too timid, not too austere
The view that the UK government’s austerity programme is condemning the country to more stagnation lacks evidence, writes Chris Giles
Helicopter money and supply-siders
Lord Turner’s macro lesson questions whether such policies would really help Britain and suggest’s that the country’s challenges lie elsewhere
More stories
Police ‘should open up in supermarkets’, says report
Report suggests new public means of contact
Revolution comes to town with universal credit pilot
Ashton-under-Lyne is pilot for welfare changes
UK government asks wealthy pensioners to pay back benefits
Ministers search for £11.5bn of savings
Treasury attacked for Equitable Life rescue
About 235,000 will never receive compensation
Cable rejects science spending target
Universities seek higher percentage of GDP
IMF deals blow to Osborne’s plan A
Economic outlook says UK should think of easing austerity
Austerity behind award-winning website
Design of the Year goes to gov.uk
FT Austerity Audit: Welfare cuts widen UK prosperity gap
Northern towns hit hardest, finds FT research
Osborne’s dilemma over pension benefits
Elderly are ‘big driver’ behind welfare spending
MPs question UK aid to Pakistan
Donor-backed projects ‘hampered by corruption’
Unions split over call for general strike
Unite seeks ‘political’ attack on coalition
Town hall bonus for new homes under fire
Auditors say policy’s impact is negligible
Osborne to attack welfare-reform critics
Opponents to be branded as ‘vested interests’
Browne attacks management of big projects
Claim billions could be saved by best practice
Benefit changes threaten low-income families
More households in the capital will be caught
Teachers urge UK government to U-turn on performance pay
Teaching body warns Britain’s government
Survey shows local service cuts to come
Councils will lose a third of their budgets
Ministers announce £20m for nuclear R&D
Strategy to support sectors with potential
Spending on public services set to plunge
Lowest level in more than 10 years by 2018
Osborne to announce £2.5bn for infrastructure
Chancellor to reveal funding for new projects
