In my view

In my view

Why I'm backing the ban Boxing Day used to be the centre of the fox hunting calendar, and this year’s is the fifth since the Bill to ban hunting with dogs was introduced. The... Imagine what would have happened if we'd had a Conservative Government... Imagine going to withdraw money from your bank account and finding none there; your salary not being paid; your debit card not working at the supermarket. All of this could... Dividing lines In tough times, the public deserve honesty from politicians about the choices they face in the next General Election. With the close of conference season, and the gearing up of... Future jobs Labour’s Budget for Jobs included a new £1bn Future Jobs Fund that aims to create 150,000 jobs for people at risk of long term unemployment. The Future Jobs Fund is... Supporting Southampton Last week I visited the North East, the North West, the Midlands and London. I talked to people who were leading their regions and looking to the way out of... Swimming - good for all ages I’m sure we all congratulate swimmer Rebecca Adlington on her two splendid Olympic golds. There were also excellent performances by her colleagues in Team GB. Everyone connected to the British... Tax changes show government is willing to listen In the budget last year, the Government introduced a major simplification of the tax system. The basic rate was cut from 22p to 20p-the lowest rate in 75 years. Allowances... The truth about Conservative council cuts It is clearly a tactic of the City’s ruling Conservative Councillors to blame their proposed cuts on central government. Councillor Royston Smith’s recent “In My View” was the latest example.... Meeting Southampton People's Aspirations The public spending and tax plans set out last week by my colleague Alistair Darling, Chancellor of the Exchequer, show that Labour understands the aspirations of people and will... Higher education matters This is my first In My View since becoming Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills and I’d like to talk about education. We have just seen record breaking...