The UK's Leading Centre-Right Think Tank
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Joined September 2017
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Onward retweeted
I want to be a Mayor who does the big, difficult stuff that makes a difference. Nothing is bigger than housing.
I relish making the positive economic and social case for more people having their own home.
Let’s revive our towns, nurture our villages, and create communities
Onward retweeted
No. Businesses must stand and fall according to whether or not they are commercially viable.
That is really hard for employees affected to hear. They work hard and will need and deserve support to find new jobs. But it is a recipe for absolute disaster for the Government to seek to keep companies alive that aren’t able to trade profitably. The high street must reflect what people want and need, and change according to their choices. Otherwise no new businesses would ever come into being.
The only potential exceptions are industries of unique strategic national importance, and Poundland doesn’t fall into category.
Onward retweeted
This Government cannot reduce the welfare bill - in fact it’s soaring out of control.
For context, health and disability welfare is set to hit almost £100 billion/year by 2030, up from £66 billion in 2023.
Uh oh… after John Healey clearly promised on @BBCr4today that the benefits bill will be cut before the next election, @ChrisMasonBBC tells listeners the Treasury have since been on the phone disputing he said this and that he wasn’t putting a timeline on welfare reductions.
Onward retweeted
Election 2027 may well be coming.
But so too is much more pain for the UK economy, because today’s Budget did nothing to tackle the fundamental problems our country faces.
£3 trillion debt
Record taxation
No action on welfare spending
*Another* delay on funding defence
Onward retweeted
A missed opportunity to make hard choices.
nitter.cf/ukonward/status/211543…
Onward's response to Healey's budget:
Responding to John Healey’s Budget 2026, Simon Clarke, director of Onward said:
“This Budget was a missed opportunity that means the choices the country faces will be even harder in the future. Britain is drowning in three trillion pounds of debt, while the Chancellor shuffled costs from one pocket to the next.
“Businesses and households should not enter into an unlucky draw every time the Budget comes around. Scrapping standing charges on gas bills only to load the cost onto gas usage is not relief. Raising the minimum and living wage in a way that prices young people out of work is not relief. Cutting business rates for the high street while hiking them for small firms trading online is not relief.
“The Chancellor needs to tackle the causes of our problems instead of trying to manage the symptoms. Britain is over-borrowed and over-taxed, but instead Labour keeps doubling down on trying to spend their way out of trouble.”
The Budget is done, and in the spirit of staying positive in the face of tax rises (or, more accurately, tax shuffles), here are the team’s favourite announcements from Healey.
@EllieCraven__ , @JackPeters_W, @CarolineElsom, @marchong_joanna, @angusls1
"The reality is this was a NOTHING burger budget"
@SirSimonClarke gives us a few post Budget thoughts...
Onward's response to Healey's budget:
Responding to John Healey’s Budget 2026, Simon Clarke, director of Onward said:
“This Budget was a missed opportunity that means the choices the country faces will be even harder in the future. Britain is drowning in three trillion pounds of debt, while the Chancellor shuffled costs from one pocket to the next.
“Businesses and households should not enter into an unlucky draw every time the Budget comes around. Scrapping standing charges on gas bills only to load the cost onto gas usage is not relief. Raising the minimum and living wage in a way that prices young people out of work is not relief. Cutting business rates for the high street while hiking them for small firms trading online is not relief.
“The Chancellor needs to tackle the causes of our problems instead of trying to manage the symptoms. Britain is over-borrowed and over-taxed, but instead Labour keeps doubling down on trying to spend their way out of trouble.”
Onward retweeted
🎃 A Halloween Horror Show?
It’s Budget Day tomorrow, and @ukonward will be there to provide detailed analysis.
Let’s hope the Government has the courage to take long term decisions in the national interest - not a Budget that defers hard choices and makes them worse.
The Budget lands tomorrow!
No doubt there will be spooky surprises...
Here's what @SirSimonClarke is looking out for on behalf of Onward 👇
Onward retweeted
Retail figures are out for September, and as we all could have guessed it doesn’t bode well for Healey
As I reported in the Spectator, they are down across the board 👇
Jackdaw being approved is the right call but it's four years late.
Burnham says it’s about security not bills.
Fine. But now he has to do the bit that does cut bills: firm power.
45GW gas + 20GW nuclear = £320bn saved by 2050.
Also approve Rosebank. 100+ North Sea projects are watching.
📄 Firm Foundations + Up and Atom ⬇️
Check out the research below:
ukonward.com/reports/firm-fo…
Onward retweeted
Conference season is over, and a highly significant Budget lies ahead.
For @ukonward, the work doesn’t stop!
👀 Read our 3️⃣ October reports so far here
💡Up and Atom ukonward.com/reports/up-and-…
🏠 Through the Roof ukonward.com/reports/through…
🧑🧑🧒🧒 Modelling Inheritance Tax Reform with @OxfordEconomics ukonward.com/reports/assessi…