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The covid crisis proves that corporate welfare is the rule rather than the exception. We desperately need a new social contract*
Kevin Farnsworth *An edited version of this piece appears in Tribune: https://tribunemag.co.uk/2020/05/corporate-welfare-is-not-the-exception-its-the-rule Although the present Covid-19 crisis is one of the most serious health crises in living memory, it also threatens to create […]

Manifesto Watch: Content analysis of Conservative and Labour Manifestos, 1945-2019
There has been a great deal of interest in recent years in the direction of travel of the main political parties in the UK. The Conservative and Labour Parties have both been accused of harking […]

Revealed: global video games giants avoiding millions in UK tax
Source: Revealed: global video games giants avoiding millions in UK tax | Games | The Guardian

Airbus and the Corporate Welfare Gravy Plane!
We have written before on the way in which governments subsidise aircraft manufacturers. To build an aircraft requires huge investment and risk and both are beyond many companies. Governments also have an interest in continual […]

Outsourcing company Working Links ceases work
One of the UK’s biggest providers of probation services has collapsed. Working links, an employment and probation services company entered administration on 15 February. The outsourcing company had been severely criticised by inspectors. The Chief […]
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Rise in public sector contracts awarded to single bidder
Almost one quarter of public sector contracts awarded in 2018 went to sole bidders. The Financial Times reports that the number of contracts awarded without competitive tender rose to 23 per cent in 2018. In 2016, […]

Universities and the threat of bankruptcy within fake markets
Universities offer the opportunity to gain new knowledge, learn new skills, and to build the foundations for future careers. But these opportunities come at a cost – universities, perhaps often seeming like unflappable, unwavering institutions, […]

Amazon HQ subsidies exceed $4.6 billion
Amazon is set to receive around $4.6 billion in corporate welfare from the US taxpayer, reports Good Jobs First. These subsidies are used by states to entice Amazon to locate operations and investment within their […]

Tackling the negative effects of PFI: Conflicting reports on policy advice
The Centre for Health and the Public Interest (CHPI) has recently published a report on private finance initiatives (PFI). The report, intended for policy-makers, outlines five options for coping with PFI and its lasting effects, […]

FirstGroup reaps dividend despite rail franchise surrender
FirstGroup made a £40m dividend from Great Western Railway (GWR) last year, despite previously exiting its GWR contract to avoid paying £800m to the government. FirstGroup has run GWR since it was privatised in 2006. […]

Crossrail gets £350m government bailout
The UK government has announced a £350m bailout for the delayed Crossrail project. Crossrail, is a new east-west rail line running through London. The route, to be known as the Elizabeth Line was due to […]

Private finance initiative for elderly care in Northamtonshire: A good example of a bad PFI contract.
A recent BBC article has shed light on yet another failed PFI contract – this time, involving elderly care in Northamtonshire. Looking at the results of Northamptonshire’s Stabilisation Plan, the BBC report discussed how the 25-year contract […]

NHS expenditure on outsourced patient scans: Money that could be money better spent?
Highlighting findings from the Royal College of Radiologists, ‘Clinical Radiology UK Workforce Census 2017 Report’, a recent BMJ news article calls attention to the rising expenditure by the NHS on outsourced radiology patient scans. With […]

Virgin Rail Group profits rise despite franchise failure
Virgin Trains and Stagecoach shared a £51.2m payout from the West Coast Main Line franchise, it has emerged. Together, Virgin Trains and Stagecoach own the West Coast Main Line franchise operator – Virgin Rail Group. […]

Nearly a year on, the UK is still experiencing repercussions from Carillion’s collapse.
The rise of Carillion alongside the UK government’s promotion of private finance initiatives from the early 2000’s may have largely been heralded as a success until Carillion’s unprecedented demise early on this year. As Rebecca […]