Yesterday’s budget announcement was jam-packed with policies, which was surprising since the government had leaked so many of its plans in advance (all the better to prevent any nasty, Kwarteng-style surprises). Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s “budget for growth” overhauled pensions and childcare support in a bid to boost the UK workforce. It also covered business taxes, a fuel duty freeze and a much-needed – and expected – extension of the energy bills support scheme.
Our panel of academic experts were at the ready as Hunt started his announcement and have provided their thoughts on how the budget could affect the economy and your bills, as well as digging into the detail on issues such as energy sector investment, Hunt’s 12 new investment zones and the lack of attention paid to the NHS (aside from doctors’ pensions, that is). Keep an eye out for more from us in the coming days.
Labour leader Keir Starmer was also able to make his thoughts on the budget known straight away, providing an immediate response to parliament in which he called the plan a “sticking plaster”. We asked an historian from Newcastle University about what else a government-in-waiting should do at a time like this.
And if a government budget statement isn’t mind-boggling enough for you, try to wrap your head around the concept that we live in an Everything Everywhere-style multiverse – and for extra credit have a listen to part two of our Great Mysteries of Physics podcast series on how the multiverse theory explains why there is life.
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UK chancellor Jeremy Hunt outside 11 Downing Street in London before presenting the latest government budget to Parliament.
Tolga Akmen/EPA-EFE
Phil Tomlinson, University of Bath; Alan Shipman, The Open University; Andrew Burlinson, University of East Anglia; Catherine Waddams, University of East Anglia; Gavin Midgley, University of Surrey; Jim Watson, UCL; Karen Bloor, University of York; Karl Matikonis, Queen's University Belfast; Steven McCabe, Birmingham City University
Childcare, pensions and support for energy bills are among the main budget plans for the UK government.
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Alamy/Stefan Rousseau
Martin Farr, Newcastle University
He’s a man on five missions but he’ll need to learn from his predecessors to lead Labour back to power after over a decade out of it.
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Do universes pop up as bubbles from a multiverse?
arda savasciogullari/Shutterstock
Martin Rees, University of Cambridge
In the multiverse, a few universes should, statistically speaking, be life-friendly.
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Politics + Society
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Sarah Neill, University of Plymouth
Parents can feel judged for taking their child to a doctor too soon or too late.
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Stephen Hall, University of Bath
If the west had paid more attention to the Russian invasion of Crimea, it may have avoided a Ukraine war.
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Marek Bekerman, University of Salford
The crisis has highlighted unresolved questions about the role of journalism in the age of social media.
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Ashley S. Deeks, University of Virginia
International law states that states have to operate ‘due regard’ for the right of nations to fly drones above international waters. Washington claims Russia violated this standard in incident.
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David Turns, Cranfield University
‘False flag’ operations are as old as war itself – and are legal under the rules of war.
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Arts + Culture
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Kiki Tianqi Yu, Queen Mary University of London
Everything, Everywhere, All at Once invokes Daoism, the Chinese school of thought that pursues balance and harmony.
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Business + Economy
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Lucy Newton, University of Reading; Victoria Barnes, Brunel University London
New rules following a spate of bank failures in 19th century Britain could provide some lessons for today’s regulators.
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Environment
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Emmanuel Pothos, City, University of London; Lee White, City, University of London
The UK is next to last in Europe for heat pump sales – psychologists explain why take up is so low.
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Paul W Thomas, University of Stirling
Truffles are one of the world’s most expensive foods and climate crisis is changing the way they grow.
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Health
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Mark Horowitz, UCL; Joanna Moncrieff, UCL; Katharine Wallis, The University of Queensland
Antidepressants have been prescribed to millions of people with little thought about how those people will come off them.
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Podcasts
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Miriam Frankel, The Conversation
It seems we are pretty lucky to have gravity that is just right for life.
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