Overview
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, faces a momentous balancing act in the 2024 Spring Budget on 6 March. Conservatives are desperate for the Treasury to deliver tax cuts and other fiscal measures that will boost the economy and the party’s fortunes ahead of the general election later this year. However, the economic outlook remains poor. Inflation has slowed, but the economy has entered technical recession; people continue to struggle with the cost of living; the Bank of England’s main interest rate remains at a 16-year high; and, the tax burden is on track to reach record levels following emergency Covid and energy crisis spending.
Against that challenging backdrop, media reports have suggested the Chancellor could announce a further cut in National Insurance; scrap the planned rise in fuel duty; and, perhaps pay for cuts and steal Labour’s fire by changing the tax status for people who live in the UK but are taxed elsewhere, so-called non-domiciled people or non-doms. Hunt declined to comment on specific measures in the usual pre-Budget BBC interview on Sunday, but said there would be no gimmicks and he would not cut taxes in a way that would increase borrowing. “This will be a prudent and responsible budget for long-term growth, tackling inflation, more investment, more jobs, and that path to lower taxation as and when we can afford it,” he said. He claimed the government did not want to change its fiscal rules, but in order to square the circle of providing better public services and reducing the tax burden he insisted there was a need to restart the process of public service reform, initially begun before the pandemic. An unusual feature of this Budget when compared with past fiscal events is how little detail the Treasury has trailed in advance. It remains to be seen if this was a decision guided by presentational concerns or an approach that reflects the Chancellor’s fiscal room for maneuver.
The Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) assessment of the economy, delivered alongside the Budget, is expected to be a mixed bag for the Chancellor. Inflation was 4.0 percent in January 2024, down from 10.1 percent in January 2023. But although that meets Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s goal of halving inflation in 2023, the rate has barely dropped in the last three months and remains above the Bank of England’s target. Public sector borrowing is forecast to be £11bn less than expected in November 2023, but still £63bn more than expected in March 2022, at the start of the cost-of-living crisis. The most concerning news for the government is that the UK is in recession after experiencing contractions in the third and fourth quarters of 2023. That means the prime minister has failed one of his key pledges: to grow the economy. And while GDP per person has stagnated since 2019, tax as a share of GDP is on course to hit 1948 levels of 37.2 percent by 2027-28, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).
Economists agree the Chancellor has some room to deliver spending increases or tax cuts, but exactly how much is an open question. The headroom to cut taxes or increase public spending is calculated against the government’s main fiscal rule, that debt should be on course to fall between the fourth and fifth years of the forecast. A key talking point around this Budget has been the suitability of this rule as a tool for gauging spending decisions. However, these rules are not going anywhere yet, so with them in mind the IFS has argued there is only a weak economic case for another sizeable tax cut and the government will have to spell out how it will afford it. Data from the OBR has shown that, without any further spending commitments, pledges already made on the NHS, foreign aid, defence, and childcare will have to be paid for by a 2.3 percent real-term cut in spending on other services.
Dr Emily Evans, Political Consultant for the Economy and Financial Services @EmilyCEvans
Economy & Financial Services
Expectations & Announcements
The main rate of income tax might see a 1p cut, costing £7bn, or that number could be spent on unfreezing incomes tax thresholds, according to the BBC.
National Insurance could be cut by a further 1p, at a cost of £5bn, Sky News.
The Chancellor has been exploring the option of scrapping the tax situation of people who live in the UK but have their tax base elsewhere, known as non-domiciled people or so-called non-doms, according to multiple reports.
Inheritance tax could be abolished at a cost of £7bn, according to the BBC.
A vaping products levy might be introduced, the BBC reported.
The planned unfreezing of fuel duty could be scrapped at a cost of £2bn, according to the Guardian.
Plans for a 99 percent first-time mortgage scheme are being drawn up, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Michael Gove, has hinted.
Stamp duty could be abolished for those downsizing to help free up housing stock for younger people, the Telegraph reported.
The stamp duty tax relief could be made permanent, according to the Express.
The property price limit for the Lifetime ISA could be raised and penalty charges reduced, reported the Times.
The planned halving of the dividend and capital gains tax-free allowances could be halted, according to Money Week.
An extra £5,000 ISA allowance could be established through a Great British ISA, which would have to be invested into UK-listed companies, reported Money Week.
A cut in the rate of VAT on energy-saving materials and electricity for electric vehicles might be introduced, reported the Telegraph.
We could hear more about the creation of a lifetime pension or ‘pot for life’, which would allow employees to keep the same pension if they move jobs, Money Week reported.
Tax-free shopping for tourists could return, the Telegraph reported.
VAT could rise on the price of a ride with online Taxi services like Uber, according to the Telegraph.
Requests & Recommendations
Innovate Finance has called for a range of measures including support for UK challenger banks by simplifying their minimum requirement for funds and liabilities; increasing the bank levy threshold and increasing Financial Services Compensation Scheme limits; and the introduction of legislation to regulate cryptoassets, including stablecoin.
The Federation of Small Businesses has asked for a raise in the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £6,500; a raise in the £85,000 VAT threshold to £100,000; and the return of tax-free shopping for tourists.
The Confederation of British Industry has asked for steps to tackle labour shortages, including expanding non-taxable health support for employees and extra funded childcare; an extension of full expensing to cover leased and rented assets; and capping the business rate multiplier for another year.
The British Chambers of Commerce has asked for a government commitment to match their £3m funding programme to increase skills in Local Planning Authorities; and to reintroduce tax-free shopping for tourists.
The Institute of Directors has asked for tax credits for companies that train staff to meet national skills shortages; differential corporation tax rates for SME net zero transition; greater reputational pressure on slow invoice payers; and export targets based on volumes not values.
UK Finance has asked for the encouragement of UK business investment through a public campaign, the issuing of a new digital gilt, and replacing the Recovery Loan Scheme with a new Growth Loan Scheme; and amendment of the Lifetime ISA to increase the annual cap and remove the withdrawal penalty.
The Association of Accounting Technicians has asked for tax simplification, including a new arms-length body to oversee it and the end to delays to Making Tax Digital; and tax reform to support SMEs including clarification and greater promotion of tax relief.
The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales has asked for simplification of the tax system and better performance incentives for HMRC.
Dr Emily Evans, Political Consultant for the Economy and Financial Services @EmilyCEvans
Levelling Up & Housing
Expectations & Announcements
Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, has been pressing for measures on housing affordability to be in the Budget, including a cut to stamp duty, an extension of a discount scheme for first-time buyers, and possible relaunch of the Help to Buy scheme, according to multiple reports.
Government has announced it will set out further details in Budget on the provision of £500m of additional funding for councils who have responsibility for adults and children’s social care, which will be distributed through the Social Care Grant.
The Chancellor is drawing up plans for a government-backed 99 percent mortgage scheme, FT reported.
The Chancellor may overhaul rules for the Lifetime Individual Savings Account (LISA) which offer a government-funded bonus on savings for buying a first home. Penalty charges apply if the cash saved is not spent on buying property, or if the property purchased is above £450,000. Money-saving expert Martin Lewis has called for the limit to be increased and penalty charges reduced, Sky News reported.
Requests & Recommendations
The Chancellor should cut stamp duty by increasing the thresholds, lowering the rates, or scrapping it altogether of headroom allows, former Housing Minister Robert Jenrick writes in Telegraph. He also recommends encouraging a new market for 25- or 30-year mortgages, and bring back mortgage relief for smaller landlords.
The National Housing Federation has called for range of measures including boosting and ring-fencing funding for housing-related support to ensure spending at least matches the £1.6bn per year allocated to local authorities in England in 2010; reinstating the £300m Housing Transformation Fund; deliver more social homes by allocating funding for regeneration programmes over a longer period and ensure Local Planning Authorities have the necessary resources to enable timely granting of planning permission; and making a long-term commitment to decarbonising our housing stock by committing to release the remaining Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund in full.
Propertymark’s Budget representation includes allowing landlords to claim 100 percent of their mortgage interest when filing their tax returns, a 12-month suspension of the 3 percent stamp duty land tax premium for landlords purchasing buy-to-let properties, expanding the First Homes scheme, and abolishing stamp duty for buyers aged over 55.
Homecare Association’s Budget representation calls for the care sector to be zero-rated for VAT purposes, government to fund local authorities adequately to reduce reliance on zero-hour contracts and zero-hour employment of both UK and sponsored workers, and continue supporting care businesses to use digital and other technology solutions safely and affordably.
Homeless Link has called for the Treasury to carry out a range of measures including releasing funding to safeguard non-statutory homelessness support services; using the Final Local Government Finance Settlement to provide additional funding to ensure councils can meet the increasing demand for all statutory services including homelessness; and uplifting the temporary accommodation subsidy from the 2011 rates.
London Councils has called for measures including the continuation of the Household Support Fund (HSF), which is due to end in March; housing and homelessness funding; and reforming the local government finance system, so funding better reflects local need.
G15 are calling for a range of measures including a 10-year, index linked, rent settlement and the reintroduction of rent convergence; an updated Decent Homes Standard with funding to deliver; awarding the remainder of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund; and doubling the duration of the Affordable Homes Programme for greater funding predictability.
Fionnuala Quinn – Political Consultant for Local Government, Housing, and Levelling Up @Fionnuala_Q
Energy, Utilities, Climate & Rural Affairs
Requests & Recommendations
Energy UK’s Spring Budget 2024 Submission calls to increase the revenue income for HMT by linking the UK and EU Emissions Trading Schemes; announce a long-term strategy for UK green manufacturing; and bring in VAT relief to a wider list of low-carbon technologies in buildings.
E3G called for A UK Spring Budget for green growth with measures including removing the “heat pump” tax by exempting homes from levies on electricity used for heating; incentivising landlords to upgrade homes in the private rented sector; and making sufficient funding available for the renewable energy Contracts for Difference auction.
The NFU called for various measures including ensure the Environment Agency is funded to prioritise essential maintenance of flood defences and watercourses; extending the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF) to include the poultry sector; and introducing enhanced capital allowances to incentivise investment in a range of low-carbon capital investments.
Menzies called for fiscal and financial incentives for investment in renewable and energy-efficient projects, such as the extension of full expensing of capital allowances beyond March 2026.
The British Veterinary Association has called for increased funding for veterinary education to help address workforce shortages; increased funding for local government to aid enforcement around Dangerous Dogs in light of the XL Bully ban; and funding for import to help each the current veterinary related issues.
The Tenant Farmers Association called for various measures including offering landlords prepared to let land for 10 years or more the ability to declare their income as if it was trading income for taxation purposes; clamping down on those landowners who, through schemes promoted by agents and accountants, are using share farming, contract farming, share partnerships and grazing licences as veneers of trading activity and as vehicles for aggressive tax avoidance.
Countryside Alliance have called for Chancellor to reduce the VAT rate on domestic heating oil to zero; a cut in the VAT payable by rural businesses that use the fuel; and to finance the capital investment needed to achieve ambitions for delivering quality broadband infrastructure that is essential for rural businesses and homes.
Offshore Energies UK has called for ensuring the UK tax regime is internationally competitive to attract and retain businesses in the UK for the long term and excludes one-off targeted taxes for one-off events; building a political consensus to allow for a rational cross-party debate on the future of the ring-fence tax burden; and that full expensing of capital should be maintained with long-term certainty on allowances which are designed to ensure a competitive regime.
The British Plastics Federation called for recognising the UK Plastics Industry as a Foundation Industry that is strategically important for national and economic security; acknowledging the role the UK Plastics Industry can play in enabling the UK to become Net Zero by 2050; and accelerating the reform of the waste collection and packaging legislation.
Dr Joshua Wells Political Consultant for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs @Dr_jrwells and Jack Green-Morgan, Political Consultant for Energy, Utilities, and Net Zero.
Science, Innovation and Technology
Requests & Recommendations
Royal Society of Chemistry representations to the Budget called for a range of measures including that the UK should lead the G7 on R&D investment as a percentage of GDP; ensure any underspend from the 2023-24 Horizon Europe budget and previous years is ringfenced for RDI; attract the best researchers and innovators through an internationally competitive visa scheme; and, ensure the UK workforce is equipped for skills that are fit-for-purpose.
TechUK have expressed what they would hope to see in the Budget, including further detail on the workplan for the Digital Adoption Taskforce; investment in AI Research Hubs; improvements to the process by which tax credits are claimed; and improvements to the regulatory system, including regular reviews.
PwC’s Budget preview suggested the Chancellor should address the challenges UK businesses face when scaling up, with regard to the funding requirements for capital expenditure required for R&D and to develop manufacturing facilities. It said the Chancellor could approach this through similar relief to the R&D expenditure credit (RDEC) for R&D scale up capital expenditure, or these costs may be included within RDEC. The Chancellor could also improve the patent box, potentially through widening this to more IP to include software protected by copyright.
Daniella Bennett Remington, Political Consultant for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport @danibenrem
Retail, Employment and Trade
Expectations & Announcements
Reintroduce duty-free shopping for international tourists, according to multiple reports.
Ban on mid-contract broadband and mobile price rises, The Times reported.
New levy on vaping and a one-off increase in tobacco duty, The Times reported.
Requests & Recommendations
Recruitment and Employment Confederation has called for government to unlock labour supply with welfare-to-work programmes and skills reform.
The Association of Convenience Stores has called for a range of measures including extending the retail, hospitality and leisure relief; maintaining the two-thirds target for the National Living Wage for the “foreseeable future”; and, raising the threshold for employer National Insurance contributions.
The Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW) has called for ‘A Plan for the Future of Retail’, to allow high streets to recover and “compete effectively” with online retail, and a ‘New Deal for Workers’, “to make work pay” and end “insecure employment”.
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Budget submission includes calls to tackle acute labour shortages; create a more attractive and competitive business environment; and crowd in investment in high growth industries.
The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry has called for the reintroduction of VAT-free shopping for international visitors; securing a long-term funding solution for Transport for London; apprenticeship levy reform; and, to combat rising energy costs for businesses.
The Federation of Small Businesses has called for increasing the Employment Allowance to £6500; raising the VAT threshold to £100000 from £85000; extending the Business Energy Advice Service Pilo; and, extending the Recovery Loan Scheme.
The British Chambers of Commerce has called for restoring tax-free shopping for tourists.
Menzies has called for the reintroduction of tax-free shopping for international visitors; and extending the VAT relief on product donations to charities for onward sale to direct donations to individuals and households.
The British Retail Consortium Budget submission includes calls for reinstating tax-free shopping for international visitors; lowering or removing the rate of VAT on reused, repaired and refurbished goods and services; and, expanding the Apprenticeship Levy into a wider Skills Levy.
The Global Infrastructure Investor Association (GIIA) has called for various measures including implementing proposals in the government’s response regarding the expansion of the Growth Duty to Ofwat, Ofcom, and Ofgem; capitalising on the UK’s upcoming Contracts for Difference (CfD) allocation rounds; and, expediating the review process to offer investors clarity on the anticipated reforms within the energy sector.
Daniella Bennett Remington, Political Consultant for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport @danibenrem, Emily Evans, Political Consultant for Economy and Financial Services @EmilyCEvans_ , Joshua Opeaye, Political Consultant for Health and Trade @joshuaopeaye.
Transport & Infrastructure
Expectations & Announcements
Freeze fuel duty and maintain 5p cut to petrol taxes, according to multiple reports.
The Chancellor announced a multimillion pound financial package to support R&D and manufacturing projects on the Sunday before the Budget including to expand facilities to manufacture life-saving medicines and diagnostics products, investment in zero-carbon aircraft technology to develop a more sustainable aviation sector, and electric vehicle technology.
Requests & Recommendations
Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) Budget submission includes calls for a review of how the UK’s regulatory, taxation, and business support frameworks can be aligned to help the industry’s transition to net zero and ensure the UK is best placed to maximise associated job creation and economic opportunities; business rates support for retail businesses continues to be important; and new Youth Mobility Scheme arrangements with EU countries, to help meet challenges for the sector arising from post-Brexit restrictions on labour mobility.
The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) has called for range of measures including reinstating the super-deduction (130% first-year capital allowance for qualifying plant and machinery assets; and 50% first-year allowance for qualifying special rate assets) as well as reducing rates to help motor businesses invest in equipment and skills for new technologies; increased funding for apprenticeships and support for apprentices, including free bus travel and a review of how apprentices who are also caregivers can benefit from Universal Credit.
Petrol Retailers Association has called for a freeze in fuel duty.
National Franchised Dealers Association has called for prioritising investment in the UK automotive sector; addressing the skills shortages in the industry by reforming the apprenticeship levy; and incentivising transition to electric through price incentives and improving electric charging infrastructure.
Independent Garages Association has called for government action to address underfunding of automotive apprenticeship training.
British Ports Association has called for further funding to support maritime decarbonisation.
Urban Transport Group Budget submission includes greater use of long-term, consolidated and devolved models of transport funding, such as the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS); a devolved single pot, long-term funding settlement for the bus, that includes funding certainty on revenue for the bus after 2025; and an end to competition funding, which drains the limited resources of transport authorities, and offers no guarantee of a successful outcome.
Manchester Airports Group has called for legislation to introduce duty-free stores on arrival at all international airports and train stations; and instant – zero-rated tax-free airside sales to all departing international passengers on presentation of their boarding pass, regardless of their residency.
RHA Spring Budget submission includes a freeze on fuel duty and maintain the 5p cut; a temporary suspension of Vehicle Excise Duty on HGVs and the HGV Levy; and an emissions-linked rebate on fuel duty on alternative fuels.
The Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) has called for funding for L-Category sector and motorcycle sector funding.
Countryside Alliance has called for maintaining the current level of fuel duty, with the 5 pence cut intact.
Construction Plant-hire Association has called for Treasury to commit to extending the now permanent Full Expensing Allowance, to every aspect of the construction plant-hire industry; extend the 2022 cut in fuel duty for two years; and temporarily reintroduce the rebate for HVO to the construction industry for at least the next two years.
Jack Williamson, Political Consultant for Transport and Infrastructure
Health & Social Care
Expectations & Announcements
The government is expected to increase dental service spending in a bid to stop ‘dental deserts’ becoming an election issue, The Telegraph reported.
The government is expected to introduce a new levy on vaping and a one-off increase in tobacco duty.
The Chancellor announced a multimillion pound financial package to support R&D and manufacturing projects on the Sunday before the Budget including to expand facilities to manufacture life-saving medicines and diagnostics products, investment in zero-carbon aircraft technology to develop a more sustainable aviation sector, and electric vehicle technology.
Requests & Recommendations
The Royal College of Nursing has asked for a pay increase for general practice nursing staff.
In a letter to the Chancellor, the Heads of the Royal College of Physicians, the Royal College of Anaesthetists, the Royal College of Midwives and the Royal Society for Public Health, have called for the Government to decisively tackle crises like obesity, alcohol, smoking and mouldy homes.
The Royal Society of Chemistry has called for a UK Chemicals Strategy for health, innovation and environment.
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has called for public investment in the power of innovative medicines and a new Life Sciences Investment Programme delivered effectively.
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has called for a ‘new deal’ that considers estates costs, training time and does not force pharmacies to dispense at a loss.
The Samaritans has called for local funding for suicide prevention to be renewed. The organisation has said that whilst it was good news that that the National Suicide Prevention Strategy had an ambition to reduce suicides over the next five years, the government’s promise to reduce deaths by suicide in England in the coming years could not be met without proper funding. They are calling for the £38m spent on local suicide prevention to be continued and increased in line with inflation, for the lifetime of the new five-year suicide prevention strategy for England. They estimate that this would cost around £77.1m, an equivalent of £1.40 per capita.
The Carers Trust has called for various measures including a Short Breaks Fund to increase the provision of breaks to carers living in England and take steps to ensure that Local Authorities are enabling service providers to cover the cost increases to costs outside of their control; the Household Support Fund should be refunded for another year, and a review should be conducted to explore if it should be made permanent; and financial support for carers through the social security system must be urgently reviewed to ensure it reflects the value that carers provide and does not risk carers falling into poverty.
Care England has asked the Chancellor to consider a zero-rate for welfare services or introduce an annual fee uplift deadline of 31 March. In terms of its vision for social care, it has called for a government-funded £15 minimum wage for care staff.
Dean Sabri, Head of Dods UK Political Intelligence and Political Consultant for Health and Social Care @Dean_Sabri, Joshua Opeaye, Political Consultant for Health and Social Care.
Welfare
Expectations & Announcements
The government is considering an increase in the Child Benefit Threshold, Money Week reported.
Requests & Recommendations
The SNP has called on the government to introduce an “essentials guarantee” for Universal Credit, scrap the bedroom tax and the two-child benefit cap, and roll out the Scottish Child Payment across the UK.
Gingerbread, the campaign group for single parent families, has called on the Chancellor to revise the High-Income Child Benefit Charge, extend the Household Support Fund and deliver on commitments to increase free childcare places.
Dean Sabri, Head of Dods UK Political Intelligence and Political Consultant for Health and Social Care @Dean_Sabri, Joshua Opeaye, Political Consultant for Health and Social Care.
Justice & Home Affairs
Requests & Recommendations
Advance has called for ringfenced funding for community-based domestic abuse support and specialist community rehabilitation services for people on probation and increased local authority spending.
Refuge has urged the government to provide £427m annually for specialist domestic abuse services in England, including £238m for community-based services and £189m for accommodation-based services; and a separate, national ‘by and for’ funding pot to provide investment for specialist services for D/deaf and disabled, LGBTQ+, black, minoritised, and migrant women, including those with no recourse to public funds.
Mia Terra St. Hill, Political Consultant for Justice, Home Affairs, and Equalities @MTStHill
Children, Education and Skills
Expectations and announcements
The chancellor is reported to be considering raising the £50,000 High Income Child Benefit Charge threshold at which claimants begin to lose their child benefit, The Times reports.
It is expected that there will be an increase in student maintenance loans which have not risen in line with inflation since 2020-21, leaving a shortfall of £1,500 a year, according to the Russell Group.
Requests and recommendations
National Education Union (NEU) called for free School meals and additional funding for school staff so that an above-inflation pay rise may be achieved.
The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has called for various measures including increased funding for teacher-training; increases in schools’ budgets for more extra-curricular activities; and more funding from the Treasury to rectify the RAAC issue.
The Association of Colleges (AOC) has called for the Advanced British Standard to be backed by funding including with a plan to close the pay gap between college lecturers and school teachers; a tax cut for colleges ; and extending funding for tuition support at the cost of around £100m per year.
The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) is calling on the Chancellor to commit to providing sufficient funding to totally eradicate RAAC from the school and college estate, including delivering the shortfall of £4.4 billion that currently exists in the annual schools capital budget.
The Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) called for various measures including closing the gap between the DfE’s apprenticeship programme budget and the apprenticeship levy take; focusing on the value of an all-age apprenticeship system; and removing barriers to support for SMEs.
The Royal Society of Chemistry is calling for the government to enable the UK to lead the G7 on RDI investment and aim to be among the top science nations globally; ensure any underspend from the Horizon Europe budget in 2023-24 and previous years is ringfenced for RDI and provide clarity and certainty on longer-term RDI investment plans.
Russell Group has asked the government to use the Budget to deliver on its existing commitment to invest £20bn in R&D by 2024/25.
The Sixth Form Colleges Association (SFCA) published a report saying that sixth-form colleges require more funding and that the colleges will require an additional £710 of funding per student in 2025 to keep pace with rising costs and ensure that every young person receives the education and support they need.
The Institution of Engineering and Technology recommends changes to the Apprenticeship Levy that makes it more flexible for employers by allowing unused monies to be utilised in establishing an agile skills funding pot, which is accessible for upskilling in areas of technological skill deficit.
The Workers Educational Association (WEA) would like to see the Spring Budget set out a direction of travel which, among other things, returns the adult education budget (across devolved and non-devolved areas) to at least 2010 levels by 2029; and enables funding for Tailored Learning (previously known as Community Learning) as an equal part of the AEB alongside skills for work programmes, in recognition of the health and community benefits of such learning.
Young Enterprise are calling for a full review of the curriculum, ensuring preparation for adulthood, transferable skills and applied learning are embedded across all subjects. They would like to see increased investment into initial teacher training and CPD, and investment into the long-term research into the educational, social and economic impacts of enabling young people to access opportunities to apply their learning and build transferable skills during education.
Barnardo’s have called for a range of measures including committing to an ambitious cross-government strategy and outcomes framework to drive improvements for babies, children and young people; make free school meals available to all primary school children and ending the two-child limit, or ‘sibling penalty’ on benefits; and creating a family centre in every community.
Beatrice Travis, Political Consultant for Children, Education and Skills @bea_education
Foreign Affairs, Defence, and International Development
Expectations & Announcements
Bolster defence spending to boost capabilities in the Red Sea, the I reported.
Requests & Recommendations
Northrop Grumman are looking for the government to boost spending on technological innovation, particularly where that is defence related, and action on VAT and the apprenticeship levy.
Malaria No More UK has called for work with global allies to ensure that major multilateral organisations like the Global Fund are fully funded, and provide long-term certainty to vital Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) in the form of multi-year settlements to ensure they can invest in research and development, including at British scientific institutions.
Harry Banton, Deputy Head of Dods UK Political Intelligence and Political Consultant for Defence and Foreign Affairs.