The recent heatwaves revealed how ill-prepared Britain remains for a hotter future – and how unequal the ability to cope with it has become, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
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Battles won and battles still to fight in the south-west
South West TUC secretary NIGEL COSTLEY reports on the progress of workers' rights 20 years on from winning the National Minimum Wage
TUC South West secretary Nigel Costley campaigning in the Fair Pay for Cornwall (Gerber tek rak Kernow) campaign of 1999
Extreme heat is now one of the defining public health challenges of a warming world, explains Prof IAN WILLIAMS
The US-Israeli conflict with Iran has had far-reaching consequences, including a boost to Pakistan’s regional standing, argues ROGER McKENZIE
19.01.1930-23.04.2026
Kate Clark pays tribute to Ricardo, whose life spanned the hopes of Allende’s Chile, the horrors of military dictatorship and decades of campaigning for justice in exile
Keir Starmer's early political life suggests a very different future from the one he ultimately embraced, says KEITH FLETT
After the dismissal of union representatives and years of precarious working conditions, Kimpton Clocktower workers are drawing a line, writes THOMAS BELL
IT IS 20 years since the National Minimum Wage was introduced – an achievement the labour movement can be rightly proud of. At the time, I spent a week travelling around Cornwall in an old T&G battle bus giving people advice about the new law.
Labour had been spooked in the face of a massive onslaught from employers and the Tories who claimed jobs would be lost. So the initial rate was modest. But for many workers in places like Cornwall it meant a significant pay rise – especially women workers.
Our little campaign, Fair Pay for Cornwall (Gerber tek rak Kernow), was well received but we met employers stating they planned to fire workers once they reached the age of the higher rate or boasting how they could fiddle it.
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