Fownhope’s Heart of Oak Society traces its roots to the age of friendly societies, when communities provided their own safety net. Its anniversary celebrations reveal a tradition still very much alive, says MARK SEDDON
AFTER 12 months with Jeremy Corbyn as leader, Labour is now a party firmly united behind opposition to the cuts.
United in our opposition, we’ve delivered solid results for working people. Labour has pushed the Tory government into U-turns on tax credits and Personal Independence Payments.
The fight continues, with further cuts to universal credit and departmental spending still scheduled. But the Tories’ so-called “long-term economic plan” is in ruins.
While politicians fixate on defence budgets, the real answers lie in peace-building and economic justice, says ALAN SIMPSON
The 2025 Budget shores up the PM’s political position with headline-grabbing welfare U-turns, but with no improvements on offer to declining public services or living standards, writes MICHAEL BURKE
We cannot refuse to abolish the unjustifiable two-child benefit cap that pushes children into poverty while finding billions of pounds for defence spending — the membership and the public expect better from Labour, writes JON TRICKETT MP
Under current policy, welfare cuts are just a small downpayment on future austerity, argues MICHAEL BURKE


