Red Ed has just overruled his officials and demanded that no new licences by granted to oil and gas companies, including those that are already in approval stage.
Apparently there are 115 live bids which companies will have spent millions on preparing - Ed’s first decision is likely to cost the govt a lot of money in legal fees and compensation
In pretty every bid for goods and services I’ve ever been included in there is a clause saying that the request for proposals can be withdrawn at any time and any costs incurred in constructing a response are the responsibility of the bidder.
Seems odd if there is a legal clause in the RFP documents saying the bidders can go full Tonto for their costs.
I suspect given the enormous costs involved that is unlikely - but like the MoD contracts - we couldn’t get out of those aircraft carriers
This is also civil service procurement we are dealing with - they are fuckwitts
I have experience of this. Simple things get unnecessarily complicated because they’re trying to put political decisions into practice and none of them know their arses from their elbows
Difference between a fully executed contract and invitation to bid on potential exploration sites. As Cobs says, any cost incurred in preparing a bid is unlikely to be reimbursed
Forget Labour for the moment, I’m more interested in seeing how this plays out.
Notice that all the new ministers are all saying the situation is much much worse that they had anticipated?
Nice bit of groundwork for Kiers first major U turn as he puts taxes up (I bet it will include income tax and VAT)
To be fair, even Joe Public can see the Tories have left a complete and utter financial mess.
Personally I have no beef if Labour have to raise taxes to fix said mess, as long as everyone pays…
Not sure why people still worship at the Tory alter given their wrecking of the economy/ nation is there front and centre for all to see. Bizarre. 
They could start making some savings here first - right on their doorstep
The bars maybe, the thing with the catering is often they have to be there late into the night, and be present on site for votes etc
Maybe they should address the working hours of Parliament, quite why they have to carryon until midnight is beyond me
If they started at 8 instead of early afternoon
Everyone won’t pay
The low paid will be exempt due to personal allowances and the rich will work around it and the mega rich (that are still here) will go
So it will those in the middle getting dumped on again
This is also who the VAT on private school will hurt . The super rich will still send there kids to Eton and Harrow but those parent who make financial choices to send their kids to say KES will struggle to justify the cost, and a lot will go straight into the state system. The only winners will be the estate agents around high performing schools
This is not so much about how much worse it was than Labour expected, it’s probably more about the fact that there headline tax raises in the election just won’t generate the levels of cash they promised
It’s probably because they were up until midnight voting and then getting shit faced on cheap booze
Reckon I would struggle to get up for 8
Well, they’re not charities, despite the status, so they should pay VAT and business rates. And this will be the same KES whose income exceeded expenditure by £1.30m last year, £1.60m the year before and £1.13m the year before that. As well as having almost £47m of assets on the balance sheet as of 2023. Maybe they should appraise their fee structure to assist the notional few who will be affected by the change in status. I doubt it very much though.
My firm works with a number of independent schools.
Some are genuinely struggling but a lot have plenty of money banked but plead poverty when it comes to paying our fees….
A reason for putting a cap on the max age in the Lords and similar for the HoC?
Most of the olds in the Lords will be tucked up in bed early doors anyway under the firm hand of “nursey” (gender of choice)
Some positives
Young Adult #2 joins the civil service fast track in Oct - having spoken to his assigned buddy/mentor I believe he’s quietly pleased about the change of regime, so things can hopefully start to get done - My personal opinion & No reflection on his personal politics obviously
Oh dear, them darned Reds under the bed
The Tory haters who infest the BBC HYS comments will be apoplectic 
Cor, so many Tory’s must be frothing at the mouth with this new life under Labour