Please find below the latest reports from IKEA.
An Exploration of Privacy - Life at Home - November 2019 Each year, we get a little bit closer to understanding what people need from their home. In 2018, something caught our eye. Privacy is one of the most important needs for creating the feeling of home, but one in four people, globally, find other places better able to fulfill this need than their own home. So this year we dived into privacy, to explore its importance in providing a better everyday life at home. Read the full report here.
Dawn Butler has announced that she will run to succeed Tom Watson as deputy leader of the Labour party.
The shadow equalities minister became the first of the party's top brass to bid for the post, following Mr Watson's shock resignation. He made the shock announcement, in which he also revealed his is quitting Parliament, on Wednesday night. Brent Central MP Ms Butler, a close ally of Jeremy Corbyn, told Bloomberg on Thursday that she would enter the contest when nominations open after the election. “I’ve thought very carefully about who should replace Tom and after giving it some thought I will be throwing my hat in the ring," she said. She added that she had a “track record of being very supportive to our leader Jeremy Corbyn”. The comments come hours after John McDonnell signalled his support for a...
Sajid Javid has ditched the Government's rules for keeping borrowing low as he pledged to spend an extra £20bn a year on public services if the Conservatives win the election.
The Chancellor made the promise at the same time as he attacked Labour for promising to dramatically increase spending. Under the current fiscal rules established by Mr Javid's predecessor, Philip Hammond, the Government aims to keep borrowing below 2% of national income. But Mr Javid said that he wanted to take advantage of low interest rates to increase that figure to to 3%, freeing up billions more to spend on infrastructure projects like new hospitals, schools, roads and railways. At the same time, he insisted that the current budget - which covers day-to-day spending - would be balanced within three years. He said: "I’m announcing new fiscal rules that if elected will allow us to take advantage of the opportunity to invest in our future and our public services but without squandering the hard work of the British people. "Like anyone who budgets whether it’s a household or small business or large business, I know that we must keep track of what we’re spending, and what we bring in...The British Safety Council have commented on new Financial Times research which measured the air quality in the carriages of the London Underground, terming the findings "alarming".
Earlier this year, Hubbub launched its Air We Share campaign which included monitoring air pollution exposure of people working and living in London. Most were users of the tube and their monitors had shown that they were regularly breathing in high levels of pollution. The deeper lines of the London Underground are much more polluted than those closer to the surface, with overground lines being ten times cleaner. High concentration of particulates, often referred to as ‘tube dust’ consisted mostly of iron oxide which comes from the wear of tracks, wheel and breaks. This is a result of the age of the underground system and the fact that large parts of the network are located in the deep, poorly ventilated tunnels. The Financial Times investigation measuring the air quality in the carriages of the London Underground have added further evidence of this alarming state of affairs. In fact, it showed that the Tube is the most polluted part of the capital, with Central, Victoria and...
The Conservatives have selected an MP candidate who said women should "keep their knickers on" to avoid being raped.
Nick Conrad was chosen by the party to contest the Broadland constituency in the upcoming 12 December poll despite making a series of incendiary remarks during a radio debate about rape. Mr Conrad, who stepped down as a presenter on BBC Norfolk last week, will take over as Conservative candidate from retiring MP Keith Simpson, who has comfortably held the seat for the party since it was created in 2010. But the selection has provoked fury after a series of on-air remarks made during a discussion about footballer Ched Evans, who was convicted and later cleared of a rape charge, came to light. Speaking during the debate, Mr Conrad said: “It’s the old adage about if you yank a dog’s tale then don’t be surprised when it bites you.” “I think women need to be more aware of a man’s sexual desire; that when you’re in that position that you are about to engage in sexual activity, there’s a huge amount of energy in the male body, there’s a huge amount of will and intent, and it’s very...
John McDonnell has accused Ian Austin of “speaking on behalf of the Tories” after the former Labour MP branded Jeremy Corbyn "completely unfit" to be Prime Minister.
In a stinging blast, Mr Austin said Labour was “broken” by Jeremy Corbyn's failure to rid its ranks of anti-semitism and said the public should vote to keep Boris Johnson as Prime Minister. It came as he confirmed that he would not seek re-election to his Dudley seat, which he has represented as an independent since February following his resignation from Labour. But the Shadow Chancellor later hit back at his ex-colleague, who he said was “employed by the Tories”, in a swipe at his appointment as a trade envoy to Israel by former PM Theresa May in July. Following a speech in Liverpool, Mr McDonnell responded: "He’s now employed by the Tories." "What else do you expect him to do in an election campaign when employed by the Tories? You speak on behalf of the Tories. That’s what this was about this morning." Mr Austin told BBC Radio Four's Today programme on Thursday that he could not tell voters in his constituency to back Mr Corbyn as Prime Minister. He said: "I joined...
The Liberal Democrats, Greens and Plaid Cymru have agreed to a tactical voting pact which will them standing aside for each other in 60 seats in a bid to boost the chances of pro-Remain candidates.
The alliance will see a single pro-Remain candidate standing in 49 seats in England and a further 11 in Wales. The agreement was struck under the 'Unite to Remain' banner, led by outgoing Liberal Democrat MP Heidi Allen. The deal will see Jo Swinson's Liberal Democrats given a chance at 43 constituencies, including Bermondsey and Old Southwark, Wimbledon, Twickenham and Richmond Park in England as well as Cardiff Central and Montgomeryshire in Wales. Meanwhile, the Greens will get a shot at nine seats in England and one in Wales. Plaid Cymru will get a boost in seven seats as a result of the Unite to Remain plan. Former Tory MPs Dominic Grieve and Anna Soubry, as well as former Labour MP Gavin Shuker, will also get a clear run at their seats as independent candidates in a bid to return a pro-Remain majority to parliament. Announcing the pact on Thursday, Ms Swinson said: “I am delighted that this arrangement will help elect more pro-Remain MPs in the next Parliament. “In the 43 seats...The NASUWT fully supports the new charter from the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, especially as it complements the NASUWT’s campaign on verbal and physical abuse in the workplace.
The NASUWT has today, on National Personal Safety Day, pledged its support for the Suzy Lamplugh Trust’s ‘Suzy’s Charter for Workplace Safety’. The charter is to help employers and employees to make workplaces safer for everyone. Commenting on the charter and its importance for the teaching profession, Ms Chris Keates, Acting General Secretary of the NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union, said: “The evidence laid out by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust on violence in the workplace very much reflects the experiences of teachers, shown through extensive research carried out by the NASUWT. “Too many people, including teachers and headteachers , are going to work each day with an expectation that they will be verbally or physically abused. “All workers are entitled to a safe working environment, free from violence and abuse. Verbal and physical abuse is unacceptable and must be faced with zero tolerance. “The NASUWT fully...
Former Labour MP Ian Austin has called on voters to back Boris Johnson at the general election.
He said Jeremy Corbyn was "completely unfit to lead our country" as he also confirmed that he is quitting Parliament after 14 years. Mr Austin, who has been the independent MP for Dudley since quitting the Labour party in February, claiming it had been "broken" by Jeremy Corbyn's inability to stamp out anti-semitism in its ranks. Speaking on Radio Four's Today programme, the former Labour minister said he could not tell voters in his constituency to back Mr Corbyn as Prime Minister. He said: "I only ever wanted to be a Labour MP, and I only ever wanted to be the Labour MP for Dudley, and it's been such a huge privilege to do this job. "But I've got to be honest with people and I'm not going to run at this election. The country faces a big choice. There's only two people who can be Prime Minister on 13 December - Jeremy Corbyn or Boris Johnson. And I think Jeremy Corbyn is completely unfit to lead our country, and completely unfit to lead the Labour party. "I joined the Labour party as...
The League Against Cruel Sports is urging all parties to adopt meaningful animal welfare policies as part of their manifestos, a common passion that can both entice and unite voters, writes Chief Executive, Andy Knott MBE.
Gone are the days when voters cast their ballot purely on social class or long-standing party allegiance. As the last three years in particular have proved, it’s what people and parties stand for that counts most. People are also looking for somewhere to place their trust, be it in people, parliament or the law. The remain/leave Brexit debate continues to blur previously clear lines in the political spectrum. Recently, both a YouGov poll and research from the British Election Study found that voters are more promiscuous than ever. So how does a party woo promiscuous voters and turn them monogamous? Shortly before the 2017 general election, fox hunting was dismissed by the Countryside Alliance as an ‘irrelevant’ issue. A few months later Theresa May was forced to drop plans to hold a free vote to repeal the Hunting Act after being sent, in her words, ‘a clear message’ from the voters at the ballot box. This was a lesson relearned in the recent Conservative party leadership contest...