21st Century Challenges

Gordon Brown to warn Barack Obama on dangers of protectionism

Mr Brown will urge the rejection of "beggar-thy-neighbour protectionism that has been a feature in transforming past crises into deep recessions".

G20 urged to reject protectionism

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has urged leaders of the G20 developed and emerging economies to resist calls for protectionism.

Mandelson warns on protectionism

Business Secretary Lord Mandelson has said protectionism would be a "huge mistake" ahead of talks to end strikes over employing foreign workers.

Meet the Capitalism panel

Read the biographies of Vince Cable MP,
Shadow Chancellor, Liberal Democrats,
John Micklethwait, Editor-in-Chief of
The Economist and BBC broadcaster Evan Davis.

Protectionism on the Rise in Europe?

Now is the time for a revolution in economic thought

Anatole Kaletsky outlines some of the unorthodox approaches to economics which conventional economists have ignored and which might have helped to avert the present crisis

What is protectionism?

A guide to protectionism, also known as economic nationalism // Are we seeing a return to these practices?

Trade gap narrows as demand for foreign goods slumps

The slumping pound did little to help British exports in December, but imports dropped sharply as the cost of foreign-made goods spiralled and demand slumped, resulting in the narrowest trade gap for one and half years and offering a sliver of hope for the economy.

EU moves to prevent protectionism

Fears of increasing protectionism in Europe are overshadowing a meeting of EU finance ministers.

David Cameron urges faith in Capitalism

Conservative leader David Cameron has said people's "faith in capitalism and free enterprise" must be restored despite the global downturn

High-skilled foreign migrants entering Britain to halve, Jacqui Smith says

Tens of thousands of skilled immigrants from outside the EU are to be barred from entering the country to tackle public concern that British workers are losing out to foreigners in the recession.

Migrant impact on UK jobs and wages not harmful, says study

Claims that migrants "take our jobs" and "cut our pay" are misplaced and wrong, according to research published today by the Institute for Public Policy Research.

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.

EU migration is working

Instead of sending out mixed messages, the government needs to take the courage to say that migrants have helped us

Opinions shift towards longer working hours

A majority of Britons now favour longer working lives if it means a more generous pension in retirement, a significant shift of opinion in the few years since the subject was raised by the Pensions Commission report in 2005

Is trade, not aid, the answer for Africa?

Donors are now focusing less on charity and more on the continent's small entrepreneurs

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.

The Briton’s who can’t afford to become old

The UK population is getting older and faces deep financial, emotional and health issues - a generation face working into their seventies - or living out their old age in penury.

George Magnus: Britain is growing old and we’re not ready

Baby-boomers pose an economic threat, George Magnus says. Will the Government take heed?

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.

Ageing Britain: number of 85-year-olds will more than double

Official population projections show the number of people aged 85 will rise from 1.3 million last year to 3.3 million by 2033. The Office for National Statistics figures also show that that on current trends, there will be soon be fewer than three people of working age to each pensioner.