Aid Spending
Aid Target Slips Below Even the Downgraded Floor
The UK will miss its 0.3 percent aid target by hundreds of millions due to inflation and unchanged allocations, extending a record of scaled-back promises unmet.
The Decliner — evidence-led UK commentary
cocaine
Cocaine Market Expands to £9.8 Billion as Deaths and Treatment Needs Climb
England's cocaine consumption hit 123,000 kg valued at £9.8 billion in 2024-25, with treatment admissions rising 57 percent and deaths at record levels amid stable user numbers and policy gaps.
insolvency
Director Extracts Millions Before Repeated Company Collapses
Andrew Woosnam removed substantial funds from recruitment firms prior to their failures, shifting losses to taxpayers through standard phoenix mechanisms.
apprenticeship levy
Levy Adjustment Redirects Funds from Older to Younger Apprentices
Plans to increase costs for over-25 apprenticeships by 25 percent seek to steer employers toward younger hires following a decade of declining youth starts.
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Zack Polanski
Polanski Defends Green Motion Equating Zionism With Racism
Green Party leader Zack Polanski backs a motion linking Zionism to racism, citing international law and Palestinian casualties while facing internal criticism and no regrets over resulting divisions.
drought
Southern England's Reservoirs Dwindle Amid Prolonged Drought and Regulatory Inaction
Reservoirs in southern England operate at 16-19% capacity after the driest April-September in over a century, with severe drought in six regions but no approved business water bans.
armed forces
Assault Reports Reach Ten Training Sites
Sexual assault allegations at military training facilities expose gaps between Ministry of Defence standards claims and actual conduct enforcement.
energy policy
Equinor Links UK Investment to North Sea Approvals
Equinor’s warning highlights policy inconsistency between manifesto pledges and ongoing energy needs.
Reports & investigations
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A Decliner investigation
The Lost Decade-and-a-Half
Britain's post-2008 economic stagnation, examined through GDP per head, productivity, wages and investment.
Read the investigationThe publication
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We track what politicians promise against what they deliver. Verifiable data, measurable outcomes, and a record that lasts beyond the news cycle.
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