A groundbreaking report which assesses students’ basic needs was launched today at an event hosted by Staffordshire University and the Purpose Coalition on the first day of the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt, has today met with Clive Higgins of Leonardo UK - a leading Purpose Coalition Member - alongside former Education Secretary Rt Hon Justine Greening, and former Skills Minister Rt Hon Anne Milton to discuss and explore reform to the apprenticeship levy.

If you are born in a position of disadvantage, it will be harder now than at any point over the last half century to move up the social ladder.

Sir Keir Starmer may have pulled one or two punches by leaving all the biggest jobs in his Shadow Cabinet

unchanged, but the significance of the changes he has made to several mid-level roles should not be underestimated.

An estimated 340,000 people died whilst on a waiting list in 2022, compared to 240,000 in 2017 - a 42 per cent rise, which represents more than 60 per cent of all deaths in England. 

We all have a stake in fixing the regional and class-driven disadvantage that the exam results expose

While we see daily reports of the challenges that many people are continuing to face as they struggle with the cost of living, a slew of headlines is fast approaching on the huge profits that many of the UK’s biggest businesses are set about to announce.

The Shadow Secretary of State for Climate Change and Net-Zero made the visit to Doncaster – where low-carbon solutions company SMS employ 100 people – as part of an awareness event organised by The Purpose Coalition

Whilst many expected this week’s trio of by-elections to result in wipeout for Rishi Sunak and the Conservative Party, the results gave the leaders of each of England’s three main party leaders cause for hope ahead of the next general election.

Where exactly is the Conservative Party going? After this week’s by-election results, the flippant answer could be “into Opposition after the next General Election”. But in reality it feels like a much more fundamental question for the governing party.

Amidst the beauty of places like Devon and Cornwall, a pressing issue affects the people who form the backbone of these local economies.

It’s clear this proposal will disproportionately impact more disadvantaged people from more disadvantaged communities.

Justine Greening interviews Sean Haley, CEO of Sodexo UK & Ireland.

The urgent need to level up the most disadvantaged areas of the country, particularly targeting women experiencing inequality, was highlighted by new research which shows that in 2021, a woman in the North East of England was 1.7 times more likely to die early as a result of suicide, addiction or murder by a partner or family member than the rest of England and Wales, an increase of 15 per cent since 2018.

The NHS is 75 years old this week and we should take a moment to think of all those who have worked in it in the past, and those that still work there today.

New research published this week has thrown the impact of the skills shortage in the UK into sharp relief.

With student loans expected to feature as a key issue in next year’s general election, figures from the Student Loans Company have revealed that outstanding student loans in England have surpassed £200bn for the first time. Individual debt has also risen again, with an average cost of just under £45,000.

There are many complex reasons for people becoming homeless. A lack of affordable housing, poverty, unemployment or a life event such as divorce or mental health issues can all result in someone losing their home.

The consequences of another interest rate rise are bleak. On Thursday, new analysis from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research found that by the end of 2023, more than a million households will run out of savings because of higher mortgage repayments, taking the proportion of insolvent households to nearly 30%, with the largest impact in Wales and the North East.

Shadow Minister for Business and Industry, Bill Esterson MP, has officially launched the Purpose Coalition’s latest report, Entrepreneurial Revolution, in partnership with SME for Labour.