Labour
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt delivered his Autumn Statement today, which provides the government the opportunity to outline its proposed spending plans. He announced 110 measures to help grow the economy, and Spark has picked out five key points and what they mean. National Living Wage rises to £11.44 Mr Hunt announced a rise in the National […]
Footballer turned businessman Gary Neville has called for a “reset” in British politics following the Labour Party conference. The football pundit and Labour Party member spoke at an event at Sunderland Business Festival, where he questioned the Government’s handling of policies impacting the North East. “I’m just working on the theory that, you know, how […]
In a joint statement, Labour candidate for North East Mayor Kim McGuinness and northern union leaders have condemned Rishi Sunak’s announcement about the scrapping of HS2. McGuinness, the current Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, and union leaders have accused the government of prioritising the capital over the rest of the North. She said: “Today we […]

Ahead of the recent local elections, I ventured into University of Sunderland’s St Peter’s campus to gain an insight into what knowledge students had on the elections. Also, to ask their opinion on the new requirement that all voters in England must bring some form of photo ID with them to the polling station in […]
Bridget Phillipson took aim at the Government today, saying that the Conservatives have overseen “a decade of decline in skills and training opportunities”. This has happened at the start of National Apprenticeship Week, while apprenticeships were down 6.1% at the start of the 2022/23 academic year. Labour plan to hire over a thousand careers advisers […]
A partial highway collapse has led to the closure of Borough Road in Sunderland. Due to subduction, the Borough Road bus lane directly in front of the Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens was closed over the weekend. Four-way stop signs have been installed. Sunderland City Council’s highways engineer Richard Atkinson said: “It could be caused […]
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer made his keynote speech at his party conference calling in a new ambitious plan for a potential Labour Government – including the nationalisation of the clean-energy sector. Positioning himself as a Prime Minister in waiting, the Labour leader used his speech to make key policy commitments surrounding the NHS, business, […]
Up to a staggering 80% of people in Sunderland have no interest in voting in today’s local council elections, a SparkSunderland survey has shown. With the current cost of living crisis biting hard across the country, and the Government under more scrutiny than ever before amid the Covid “Partygate” revelations, voters are set to deliver […]