This week's guest blog by Andrew Attfield, Associate Director for Public Health at Barts Health NHS Trust.

Since the invasion of Ukraine over a year ago, there has been an increased focus on defence capabilities and defence spending.

The first three months of the year are all about hitting the ground running. At the Purpose Coalition, we’ve been working hard with our existing and new partners in business, universities, local authorities and the NHS on setting an agenda that will drive social mobility in every part of the country.

Guy Opperman MP, Member of Parliament for Hexham officially launched the first Levelling Up Impact Report for the UK hospitality sector.

In a year of sobering economic news, last week saw a particularly bleak statistic. A new study revealed that life expectancy rates in the United Kingdom over the last seven decades are worse than any other country in the G7, apart from those in the United States. France, Japan, Germany and Italy all now have better life expectancy rates.

As scientists issue a final warning on the climate crisis, every country and every sector has been urged to fast-track efforts to tackle it before it is too late.

Guest blog by Rob Powell, Strategic Director of Resources at Warwickshire County Council

Over the years, HM Treasury has been a department fermenting the decisions that shape our country. I saw that directly with my own first Ministerial role, as Economic Secretary to the Treasury in 2010.

Today’s Budget saw the Government pledge to introduce 30 hours free childcare as well as an end to additional payments for those using prepayment energy, both key recommendations in the Purpose Coalition’s recent Cost-of-Living Action Plan.

Co-op will be working with Barnardo’s, the UK’s largest children’s charity, to support 750,000 young people aged 10-25 years old to help improve their mental wellbeing, confidence and self-esteem, as well as helping young people and their families to meet basic needs.

Many now believe that the five-day working week pattern is no longer fit for purpose and that a more flexible approach is needed.

The Purpose Coalition has renewed its call to the Chancellor to include childcare reform in next week’s budget as a key element in tackling the cost-of-living crisis and building financial resilience.

Former Education and Skills Ministers call on Chancellor for an ‘Apprenticeship Levy 2.0’ to Level Up Britain

As we celebrate International Women’s Day, and all that’s undoubtedly been achieved so far, it is still truly shocking to hear that a young woman starting work today at 18 years old will not see pay equality in her working lifetime, if progress towards gender equality at work continues at its historical rate.

The cost-of-living crisis, alongside daily tales of missed meals and cold homes, has exposed a further harsh reality. Many people have little or no savings to fall back on when times get tough.

Employers should automatically enrol workers into a government-backed ‘rainy-day’ savings scheme to protect against future cost-of-living shocks, a report from a leading group of progressive businesses will recommend today.

Themes, slogans and pledges can come and go for any political opposition, but what Sir Keir Starmer did in setting out his five missions for Britain today was different.

Bob Dylan wasn’t primarily known for being a political pundit but he was closer than he realised when he said ‘the times they are a changing’ and “you better start swimming, or you sink like a stone”. It’s great advice for any political party. Especially today’s Conservative Party.

Like most other health indicators, the issue of obesity impacts disadvantaged communities the most. Poor life expectancy, a higher incidence of serious diseases, poor neonatal health and maternal outcomes are just some of the other ways in which health inequality impedes access to opportunity for those who live there.

With perfect timing, coinciding with National Apprenticeship Week, the Government has announced the creation of four new government departments, recalibrating its commitment to a programme of growth and technological advance, driven by innovation and research.