Media Round-Up: October 2024

This month, the Labour Government’s first Budget was presented by Chancellor Rachel Reeves – with the much of our media coverage focusing on its impact on women.

• Our deputy director and head of Research and Policy Dr Sara Reis wrote an opinion piece for OpenDemocracy, asking Will Labour’s new budget finally deliver for women?
• We published new analysis on the gender housing affordability gap, urging the Chancellor to permanently re-link the Local Housing Allowance with actual rents, which was picked up by Labour Hub and Glamour.
• Our director Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson was quoted in an article for yahoo news: What does a Labour budget mean for your tax bill? What the experts think
• and she also appeared on Times Radio to talk about the budget.

On Budget day,

• Our director was interviewed for LBC News to give our immediate response to the Chancellor’s announcements.

Our Budget response was picked up by

• Byline Times which featured our response to the announcements made on transport: Anger from Green Groups and Transport Campaigners as Rachel Reeves Freezes Fuel Duty While Bus Fares Surge
• Metro: Rachel Reeves needs to tackle one major issue, according to women in finance
• The I news paper, quoting us on child benefit in two articles: Why child benefit rules are ‘unfair’ to single parents and the case for reform and Child benefit reforms to end unfairness to single parents scrapped by Reeves
• LabourHub: Left Perspectives on Labour’s First Budget
• The Guardian: Housing, social care and universities: who lost out in the UK budget?
• The National Scotland: Rachel Reeves is no feminist hero
• Glamour: I expected more for women from Labour’s first budget in 14 years – especially from a female chancellor
• Birmingham Mail: Five groups who ‘lost out’ in Budget with one left absolutely ‘furious’
• GB News: Working women could be ‘significantly disadvantaged’ by Reeves’ budget, experts warn
• And our director wrote a comment piece for LSE’s policy blog: Did Rachel Reeves deliver a Budget for women?

We also had a few more appearances on radio

• Our deputy director Dr Sara Reis was on Woman’s Hour the morning after the budget to discuss its impacts on women alongside the Times’ economics editor Mehreen Khan and Jo, a participant of the Talking Realities Project (listen back to it here);
• and we were on LBC News on both Saturday and Sunday after the Budget.

Also noteworthy this month,

• WBG’s Angie Barca wrote a piece for Labour Hub on Labour’s 5 Missions: Gender equality is central to Labour’s Missions – and policymakers can’t afford to overlook it
• and WBG’s Amy Brooker wrote a comment piece on Labour’s Employment Rights Bill for Progressive Britain: The Employment Rights Bill: A Bold Step Toward Building a Feminist Future of Work