Peter Foster talks to politicians, policymakers and businesses about the UK’s search for growth, productivity and its place in a changing world.
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Also in this week’s newsletter, funding for new houses is not what it seems
Also in this week’s newsletter, growing fears of steel imports ‘flooding’ the country
Party faces familiar problem of finding large-scale savings while avoiding unpopular choices
Ministers should support flourishing industries through AI shifts, not let tech companies continue to suck up value
Also in this week’s newsletter, changes to ONS’s employment survey yield results
Also in this week’s newsletter, Budget restores spending on affordable housing
After five years as State of Britain newsletter writer Peter Foster reflects on the UK’s position in the world
Also in this week’s newsletter, UK steel production plunges
Plus, the Troubles cast a long shadow over education
Health experts predict redundancies across the health service will cost £1bn
Also in this week’s newsletter, regional disparities in the government’s ‘growth spending’
Also in this week’s newsletter, more Britons think France is more likely than America to come to UK’s military aid
Also in this week’s newsletter, financial sector fines fall to decade low
Also in this newsletter, why the number of hotels housing asylum seekers is creeping up
Also in this week’s newsletter, a glimmer of hope for the higher education sector
Also in this week’s newsletter, delivering the skills needed to power an infrastructure boom
Also in this week’s newsletter, exports down by a fifth on pre-pandemic levels
Plus, the ‘multiplier’ effect of the BBC’s move to Salford
Also in this newsletter, digital skills “passports” for the construction industry
Red lines hobble the chancellor’s ambitions
Also in this week’s newsletter: why exports are the drivers of economic expansion
Also in this week’s newsletter, the destabilising dynamics of Trump’s trade policies
Also in this newsletter: demand for special educational needs provision doubles
The spending review, an industrial strategy and housing present big challenges for the government
Also in this week’s newsletter, measuring the impact of Brexit on trade