Fishburn Hedges

Our take on today’s statement

The Chancellor just gave us a lot of bad news, especially about the New Year. As expected, the Office for Budget Responsibility has delivered a much weaker outlook for next year and beyond. Osborne has responded with a volley of growth measures, but with the eurozone on the edge, things could get even worse before they get better. Click here to read our briefing

What does Cameron need to do?The Prime Minister heads to Manchester, with the economy uppermost on his mind. The euro crisis, continued job losses and weak growth are all raising questions about the Coalition’s aggressive deficit reduction plan. Cameron needs to reassure his party and the public that austerity is working, and that growth will return. By contrast, he will be less worried by Ed Mi...

What does Miliband need to do? Above all, he needs to persuade the country that his Labour Party can make a credible next Government, and that he would be a convincing Prime Minister – latest Party rumours are that he’s got a year to do this. Conference will find it easy to criticise the Government’s record on economic growth and jobs, but Labour is finding it harder to set out a credible al...

What does Clegg need to do?A hard stance on free schools, raising the income tax threshold and a momentous agreement on banking reform. Significant losses in local elections and a devastating defeat on AV. Which Nick Clegg goes to Birmingham? The embattled Deputy Prime Minister used as the whipping boy for every coalition decision or the party leader attempting to re-establish the Lib Dems as a se...

Our version of 'back to school cards' for the three party leaders

MPs return to Westminster today, after a summer break interrupted by the riots. The three party leaders each face their own challenges. Cameron is under pressure to get his reform agenda back on track, after a series of U-turns. Clegg is aiming to mark out a more separate and distinctive path for the Lib Dems. And Miliband needs to build on his Hackgate success, by imposing his authority and profi...

Our guide to Number Ten

As Parliament rises for the summer break, here’s the current line-up inside Number Ten – including all the key advisers around Cameron and Clegg. Ed Llewellyn, Jeremy Heywood, Gus O’Donnell are all in there - plus the newly-arrived bunch of advisers in the beefed-up Policy Unit. Click here to see our guide.

Usually the last day of Parliament’s summer term is pretty uneventful. Most MPs will already be packing their bucket and spade as they head off in search of sunshine. However, for ten MPs Tuesday will be their day in the spotlight. As the Culture, Media and Sports Committee prepares to grill the three most high-profile witnesses it’s seen in years, we profile who the Murdoch clan should fear ...

Our take on the NHS reforms

It is an understatement to say that NHS reform is in a state of confusion. This is certainly not the first time the NHS has been used as a political football - and it’s unlikely to be the last. But following last week’s local election the Health and Social Care Bill has taken on a new significance. It has become a symbol of the Liberal Democrats’ reclamation of their voice within the Coalit...

What does the AV referendum mean for UK politics?

This week sees three separate votes – the UK-wide referendum on the Alternative Vote, local elections across most of England, and elections to the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly. In between a royal wedding, ongoing turmoil in the Middle East, and the death of Osama Bin Laden, none of these votes have really grabbed the public’s attention. But in the political world, they matter. The A...