Ed Balls could consider increasing the top rate of tax to 55p or even 60p if he became Chancellor, former Trade minister Digby Jones claimed today.

Shadow Chancellor would shift the burden of the deficit to the rich, raising £10bn in three years

Shadow Chancellor: ‘We will have to govern with less money ... we will have to make cuts too.’

Once the voice of the more civilised wing of the party, the think-tank is now firmly in the Let’s Get Nasty Again tendency

He took on bigots dressed in drag  as Lily Savage in the 1980s. Now the comedian is speaking up for the plight of people on benefits

Outlook Raise a glass to Greene King. The pub and restaurant group reported a sparkling 5 per cent increase in sales over Christmas. But fill it with Cava rather than Champagne.

Strong criticism echoes campaign by Miliband for an end to the political consensus on the economy since the Thatcher era

The number of clubs has dropped from nearly 600 in 2005 to fewer than 400 today

The new year is starting with a bang with the number of experts expecting prices will continue rising at a 14-year high

PM hints that wealthy retirees could lose benefits if Tories win next election, as he sets out key policies for manifesto

More than three million low-income families risk missing out on the economic recovery even if wages start to keep pace with inflation, according to an analysis for The Independent.

More than 1,600 posts are due to go at the Environment Agency by October

The Conservatives are being urged to trump Labour by promising to build 300,000 new homes a year, in an attempt to shed their “party of the rich” image.

The bad news contained within the good is that our recovery is déjà vu all over again

End-of-term poll makes mixed reading for the leaders, but the Prime Minister tops the guest list