Opponents have questioned the Budget's lack of detail on welfare reform, with the prime minister not outlining a timetable for any reductions.
Burnham says he wants to cut welfare bill 'as soon as we possibly can'
Source: BBC Politics
Original reporting
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BBC Politics
DUP blocks Michelle O'Neill's engagements over Drumcree
The DUP leader Gavin Robinson also confirms that Emma Little-Pengelly will not participate in joint engagements with O'Neill.
The Guardian
Eight of England’s nine water companies still failing on environment, report finds
Angela Eagle tells industry ‘people are sick of excuses’ as pollution levels remain high despite billions in investment Angela Eagle, the environment secretary, has summoned water industry bosses to Whitehall after a report found that the environmental performance of the big companies has worsened despite investment. “People are sick of excuses,” Dame Angela said, after the Environment Agency joined the Drinking Water Inspectorate, Natural Resources Wales and Ofwat for a joint report that rated eight of the nine water companies in England as “poor” or “requiring improvement”. Continue reading...
The Guardian
Burnham denies preventing ministers from speaking about plans for closer relationship with EU – UK politics live
Prime minister wrote to ministers saying he did not want them to ‘advocate for specific options or opine on the likely outcome of the process’ Selling nicotine-free vapes to children under the age of 18 has become illegal from today, the government has said. Children were already banned from buying vapes containing nicotine. But, under the Tobacco and Vapes Act, shops across the UK will now be banned from selling nicotine-free vapes, and nicotine pouches, to children. Vaping can be a way to help established adult smokers who are already addicted to nicotine from tobacco to swap to a less dangerous product. Vaping is considered safer than smoking, but that is a low bar. Vapes should therefore never be used by children or non-smokers. Some children have already come to harm from bad reactions to vapes. The long-term health harms of vaping in today’s children will only become clear over tim
The Guardian3 outlets
The ‘breathing space budget’ – breathing space for the government, that is | John Crace
John Healey aced the morning-after media round because his Martin Lewis measures left nothing to challenge him on Maybe it had been one of the greatest acts of political genius after all. The day after the budget is usually the moment when things start to fall apart. When clued-up journalists and economists have had a chance to go through all the fine points the chancellor would rather everyone had missed. The forecasts that suggest everything is predicated on a wing and a prayer. The hidden unfunded tax cuts. The greater-than-expected spending commitments. But on Thursday morning Andy Burnham and John Healey could afford themselves a sigh of relief. All had gone about as well as they could have hoped. It turns out that when you don’t make any massive tax or spending commitments , there isn’t a great deal to unravel. All there had been was a raft of small-scale interventions designed to
BBC Politics
Further delays for major council overhaul in nine of 14 proposed areas
Proposals to merge smaller councils to form larger unitary authorities were put on hold last month.
BBC Politics
MP apologises over bullying and harassment
Tony Vaughan is found to have been "overbearing and belittling" towards a female staff member.