21st Century Challenges

Africa in the 21st Century

November 2007

The 21st Century Challenges series was launched in 2007 with Sir Bob Geldof & Kofi Annan discussing the major challenges facing Africa in the 21st century

Watch the talks

Immigration is top issue for both Labour and Tory voters, YouGov poll shows

42 per cent of Labour voters and 62 per cent of Conservative backers agree that immigration should be reduced

Nationalising British jobs

Migration restrictions are a bad way to fight unemployment in times of crisis. There is no evidence less immigration means less unemployment in the UK or anywhere else

Anger after government halts solar energy grant programme

The government ran into a storm of criticism yesterday after quietly closing its grant programme for solar energy last week, which campaigners said made a mockery of its commitment to build a low-carbon economy.

Eco-towns plan undermined by official report

Gordon Brown’s plans for a generation of 10 new “eco-towns” have been further undermined after their financial prospects were questioned for the first time by the government’s own advisers.

Migrant rule change was unfair on skilled workers

Thousands of highly skilled migrants may receive compensation after the High Court ruled that changes to the rules under which they originally entered Britain were unfair

Eco-towns cannot go ahead without support of local community say townhalls

Eco-towns could be illegal because of a failure to consult properly, according to legal advice given to town halls.

Drop in migrant workers threatens economic recovery,

A drop in the number of migrant workers in Britain is threatening to create skill shortages and delay the country's recovery from recession, the Ernst & Young Item Club economic forecasters have warned.

Polish ‘exodus’ grinds to halt

It is five years since EU enlargement brought a wave of Poles and other eastern European migrant workers to a Britain that was booming. But the recession has not resulted in a mass exodus.

Four sites to become ‘eco towns’

The locations of four new "eco-towns" have been announced as part of scaled-down government plans. They are Rackheath, Norfolk; north west Bicester, Oxfordshire; Whitehill Bordon, East Hants; and the China Clay Community near St Austell, Cornwall.