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Teachers May Be Given Four-Day Weeks

24 October 2026 at 17:00

Teachers could be allowed to work four-day weeks under Government proposals to relax rules on the number of days a year that full-time teachers must be available.

The post Teachers May Be Given Four-Day Weeks appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Labour Finally Approves New North Sea Drilling

21 October 2026 at 11:00

Labour has finally approved new drilling for gas in the North Sea, despite the project already receiving the go ahead over two years ago under the Tories, after energy prices hit a four-year high.

The post Labour Finally Approves New North Sea Drilling appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

EU ministers seek balance between workplace rights and competitiveness in 21st century jobs act

19 October 2026 at 19:04

EU ministers have discussed how to make labour standards compatible with modern technological conditions and workplace culture, such as telework and AI-led staff oversight, without losing competitiveness.

The law in question, called the Quality Jobs Act, covers a wide range of work protection measures, such as common standards for being able to ‘go home’ and disconnect from remote work, and limits to AI role in recruitment or its scrutiny of workers’ performance.

Technological innovation should “benefit both workers and businesses,” said Portuguese labour minister Maria do Rosário Palma Ramalho, addressing the ministers’ council on Monday (19 October) in Luxembourg.

Human oversight is essential, especially where AI systems decide on recruitment or workers’ assessment, she said.

Next to innovation, labour rules needed to ensure “fair and transparent practices, respect for human workers’ rights … and effective social dialog,” said Roxana Mînzatu, the EU commissioner for employment.

“This revolutionary technology has to be regulated” so that it “delivers for all,” Isabelle Schömann, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) deputy general secretary had also said during a conference organised by the centre-left S&D group in the European Parliament on 14 October, commenting on the need for the Quality Jobs Act to curb AI.

The draft Quality Jobs Act that the European Commission plans to present in December aims to update the long out of date 1989 and 1990 health and safety workplace rules.

It would also protect subcontractors and create standards for working in heatwaves, becoming more frequent with climate change.

EU legislators need to ensure minimum standards so that “neither jobs nor businesses are jeopardised” with extreme weather, Yolanda Díaz Pérez, the Spanish labour minister, said ahead of Monday’s debate.

This article continues, but the full version is available only to EUobserver.com subscribers. Visit account.euobserver.com/membership

Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh Attacks Mahmood’s Migrant Crackdown

19 October 2026 at 17:00

Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh has attacked Shabana Mahmood's migrant crackdown, saying making foreign nationals wait threatens "integration", deepening the split within Andy Burnham’s Cabinet about border controls.

The post Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh Attacks Mahmood’s Migrant Crackdown appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Andy Burnham Will Never Cut Welfare

19 October 2026 at 15:00

Andy Burnham has announced "big changes" to welfare to get one million NEETs back into work – but only once he's "rebuilt the education system". Sounds expensive, says Mary Gilleece. It’s clearly never going to happen.

The post Andy Burnham Will Never Cut Welfare appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Britain cannot deal effectively with geopolitical crises without rejoining EU, says thinktank

19 October 2026 at 05:00

‘Sovereignty without the ability to act on it is not autonomy,’ paper by Institute for Public Policy Research says

Britain cannot deal effectively with geopolitical crises such as Russian aggression and political turmoil in the US without rejoining the EU, according to an influential thinktank.

The Institute for Public Policy Research has become the latest organisation close to the Labour party to call for the UK to re-enter the bloc, after Andy Burnham said he wanted to examine all possible options.

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© Photograph: Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

Burnham Declares £500 Million War on Tory Councils

17 October 2026 at 13:00

Andy Burnham's Government has been accused of waging a £500 million "class war" on wealthy councils, slashing funding from rural Tory and Lib Dem areas to bankroll urban Labour Party strongholds.

The post Burnham Declares £500 Million War on Tory Councils appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

This Shouldn’t Be Normal

15 October 2026 at 08:10

Endless illegal immigration, unaffordable energy, draconian speech policing – we're being conditioned to accept outrageous things as normal, says Nick Rendell. Now add to that economic crashes.

The post This Shouldn’t Be Normal appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Low pay and stress forcing Europe’s care workers to quit jobs, unions warn

13 October 2026 at 17:59

Almost half of workers helping families care for children, older people, and people with disabilities, who provide vital domestic support in Europe, have considered quitting due to low pay and bad working conditions, a labour-union report found on Tuesday (13 October).

The 2026 personal and household services (PHS) employment monitor drew on more than 8,000 responses from workers, service users, and employers in 36 countries.

Around one in four respondents worked between 35 and 40 hours per week.

Meanwhile, six in 10 workers reported work-related musculoskeletal disorders, including back pain and tendon inflammation.

One in four also said they had experienced or witnessed verbal abuse, while nearly 15 percent had experienced either sexual harassment, physical, and/or sexual violence.

Care poviders’ mental health is impacted, with around six out of 10 reporting sleeping issues.

But these same workers play “an essential role in providing a dignified life for everybody in our ageing European societies,” Oliver Roethig, regional secretary of UNI Europa said in a statement. 

This article continues, but the full version is available only to EUobserver.com subscribers. Visit account.euobserver.com/membership

Who Will the Next Party Leaders Be?

13 October 2026 at 13:00

Amid renewed speculation about an early General Election, now is the time to look at whom to put money on as the next party leaders, says Mark Littlewood in his latest Political Betting column for the Daily Sceptic.

The post Who Will the Next Party Leaders Be? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Burnham’s “Common Good” is Reheated Fabian Socialism

8 October 2026 at 07:00

Andy Burnham's vision of the "common good" – with Net Zero at its heart – is just reheated Fabian socialism, says Dr Tilak Doshi – and the fingerprints of Left-wing economist Mariana Mazzucato are all over it.

The post Burnham’s “Common Good” is Reheated Fabian Socialism appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Betting Against Burnham

5 October 2026 at 15:43

Labour may be enjoying a Burnham bounce, but Mark Littlewood still thinks the smart option is to bet against the Prime Minister winning the next General Election. He explains why in the Daily Sceptic.

The post Betting Against Burnham appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Labour is Becoming an Army of Power-Mad Killjoys

4 October 2026 at 09:00

The recent comments from a Government Minister dismissing pubs and black Labradors as "far Right" only confirm that Labour is fast becoming an army of power-mad killjoys, says Alexander McKibbin.

The post Labour is Becoming an Army of Power-Mad Killjoys appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

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