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When the chancellor delivered her spring statement on Wednesday, she couldn’t have been clearer that no matter how bitter the pill (bigger-than-expected cuts to benefits) her focus was on fiscal responsibility. For Rachel Reeves, this means sticking to some very rigid constraints about spending and borrowing. But these so-called fiscal rules now have Reeves in a bit of a bind – and since she imposed them on herself she could technically change them.
That’s exactly what former home secretary Lord Blunkett, now chair of politics in practice at the University of Sheffield, argues in a piece for The Conversation. He believes the fiscal rules are Reeves’ answer to the spectre of former PM Liz Truss and her disastrous mini budget in 2022. By setting out her ground rules and sticking to them, the chancellor feels she’s offering assurances about what she’s all about. But, Blunkett writes, given the rules predate
Trump, tariffs and other recent hits to the UK economy, maybe they’re no longer fit for purpose. And maybe sticking to the rules isn’t worth the sacrifices that the country is going to have to make.
Also today, how the discovery of an iron-age wagon among the remarkable collection of objects in the Melsonby hoard from Yorkshire has transformed our understanding of ancient Britons’ connection to Europe. And we hear that while Russia has the most to gain from the naval ceasefire agreed this week, Ukraine may benefit far more than many have warned.
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Sarah Reid
Senior Business Editor
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EPA-EFE/ANDY RAIN
David Blunkett, University of Sheffield
The chancellor makes the rules herself – changing them could leave the country with more money to spend.
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Bent iron tyres and a cauldron at the excavation site.
Durham University
Duncan Garrow, University of Reading
Among the over 800 Iron Age metal artefacts are finds that prove Iron Age Brits had conact with Europe.
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Cargo ships heading across the Black Sea towards Ukrainian ports.
EPA-EFE/Igor Trachenko
Basil Germond, Lancaster University
Ukraine has had the uppoer hand in the Black Sea. But conceding to to this US-brokered deal will win Kyiv important credit from the Trump administration.
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World
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Jonathan Este, The Conversation
Depending on what you think of Donald Trump, his administration could fit either of the following two descriptions. Chaotic, vindictive and accident-prone, marked by mendacity, driven by impulse and bent…
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Anne Richardson Oakes, Birmingham City University
If the US Supreme Court rules any of Donald Trump’s executive orders unconstitutional then the scene is set for a confrontation.
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Politics + Society
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Becky Alexis-Martin, University of Bradford
Has the UK’s dependence on the US become a Faustian pact?
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Amanda Dylina Morse, Queen's University Belfast
Youth workers can provide a positive example of masculinity.
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Arts + Culture
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David Pearson, Anglia Ruskin University
Author Margaret Hefferman argues that applying an artist’s mindset of curiosity and flexibility is essential to flourish in general.
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Matthew Duncombe, University of Nottingham
The End tells the story of a wealthy family who survived the collapse of the climate and civilisation in a bunker inside an abandoned mine.
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Stephan Blum, University of Tübingen
Based on organic residues – imperceptible to the naked eye and detectable only at a molecular level – bronze age wine consumption must be fundamentally reconsidered.
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Business + Economy
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Elaine Robinson, Loughborough University
Benefits and pensions are increasing at much lower rates, hitting low-income households hardest.
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Robbie Millar, Sheffield Hallam University; Dan Plumley, Sheffield Hallam University
The sport has struggled financially for some time.
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Environment
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Tamsin Dobson, Plymouth Marine Laboratory; Molly James, Plymouth Marine Laboratory
The more corroded marine structures in an area, the more potential new homes for the marine larvae to attach to and grow on.
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Health
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Dipa Kamdar, Kingston University
A BBC investigation questioned the accuracy of rapid PSA home tests for prostate health.
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Craig Gwynne, Cardiff Metropolitan University
Smart insoles and socks equipped with sensors and AI are transforming foot health.
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Dipa Kamdar, Kingston University
Enemas are medical procedures, not a form of self-care.
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Podcasts
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Gemma Ware, The Conversation
From sails, to route optimisation and alternative fules, Daniel Precioso and Alice Larkin talk to The Conversation Weekly podcast about strategies to reduce emissions from global shipping.
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