NewsPage 2

Great British PAC
Policy

Benefits spending rises more than twice as fast as wages in 502 constituencies

Spending on six major benefits rose faster than median wages in 502 of 526 constituencies across England and Wales, according to TaxPayers' Alliance analysis. Every constituency recorded an increase, while separate official forecasts put Britain's wider benefits and state pension bill on course to exceed £400 billion annually by the end of the decade.

Vicky Richter · 8 October 2026
Opinion

NHS waits could remain nearly twice Labour's 18-week pledge by 2029, analysis suggests

New Health Foundation modelling suggests that, if recent trends continue, the waiting-time threshold for 92 per cent of incomplete NHS referral-to-treatment pathways in England could reach almost 35 weeks by 2029, against the 18-week standard. The findings raise questions about whether Andy Burnham's Government can deliver Labour's pledge.

Vicky Richter · 8 October 2026

Stories originally reported by our sister title, the Conservative Post. Join the PAC to get them first.