Thank you so much to everyone that came by and to colleagues at T&E UK and Serious People for all their hard work on this event.

Now to continue our work campaigning for the Large Vehicle Levy!

💰 Our Large Vehicle Levy would raise 2 billion by taxing oversized luxury SUVs while protecting typical family cars.

🛣️ This extra £2 billion could be spent on helping low income families access EVs, increased safety provisions, and fixing the potholes caused by large vehicles.

🚗 We showed how cars have got bigger over time - with sales now dominated by oversized SUVs. These cars are more dangerous to pedestrians, cause greater road wear, and are significantly more polluting than their smaller alternatives.

We urge the government to create a new opt-out sickness insurance for the self-employed, funded by workers and engagers, alongside other vital reforms.

Much more to come in the upcoming report from @thefabians.bsky.social !

This is my penultimate publication before moving on from the Fabians, so it’s amazing to see such strong engagement with the report.

Now onto my final publication on sick pay for the self-employed…

5. Mandate all 600 large food businesses to commit to the food waste reduction roadmap, rather than relying on voluntary commitments.

You can view the full report and its recommendations here:

fabians.org.uk/wp-content/u...

3. Abolish VAT for building refurbishments and repairs to level the playing field with new builds.

4. Ensure the National Wealth Fund invests in infrastructure for large scale critical mineral recycling, stimulating further private sector investment.

We suggest that the government should:

1. Introduce a target for England to reduce raw material use to under 8 tonnes per person by 2050.

2. Introduce a cap on repair prices to create a true ‘right to repair’ for consumers.

The report explores practical steps to cut waste and scale up the circular economy in England.

With the UK’s material footprint now at its highest level since 2008—and nearly three times what the UN deems sustainable—the forthcoming circular economy strategy is a vital chance to turn the tide.

You can read ‘Repair, Reuse, Recycle - Making The Circular Economy in England Work At Scale’ here ⬇️

fabians.org.uk/publication/...

🔁 Invest in infrastructure for large scale critical mineral recycling, stimulating further private sector investment

🥫Mandate all large businesses to sign up to the food waste roadmap, rather than relying on voluntary commitments

🔧 Introduce a cap on repair prices within ‘right to repair’ legislation 

 🏗️ Abolish VAT for building refurbishments and repairs to level the playing field with new build.

The report sets out several policies that would help turn the tide and should be included in the upcoming circular economy strategy.

The government could:

🎯 Introduce a target for England to reduce raw material use to under eight tonnes per person by 2050

But several factors have held back progression to a more circular economy, including a lack of political prioritisation by successive governments, a lack of clear targets, and a lack of financial incentives 💵

Developing a more circular economy, where waste is reduced and materials stay in circulation for longer, has numerous benefits - from increased resource security and reduced emissions, to benefits to the economy and consumers.

England produced 191m tonnes of waste in the last year data was recorded, and our material footprint has risen to 20.1 tonnes per capita in a year.

That's the same as the weight of 4 African elephants. 

🐘🐘🐘🐘