Merkel left office five years ago to huge acclaim. Why? She ripped off Nato, cultivated gas dependency on Putin, cosied up to China and opened the door to a million migrants in 2015 alone. She, not the populist right, was the true extremist of our age

Exclusive from @benclatworthy Labour is considering plans to extend the mansion tax to properties worth more than £1.5 million in the Budget in a move that would hit nearly 300,000 homes The government originally announced an extra levy worth between £2,500 and £7,500 a year on properties worth more than £2 million at the budget last November. It was expected to hit about 134,000 homes John Healey, the chancellor, is now considering extending the levy to properties worth more than £1.5 million, which would mean the number of properties caught by the tax would more than double to 271,000 homes based on current values Two government sources told The Times that lowering the threshold was a “live discussion” in the Treasury as Healey tries to find about £10 billion to balance the books in the budget on October 28. Experts have suggested that the proposal could raise £800 million a year A Whitehall source said it would signal a more “aggressive” approach to taxing wealth in a move that would appeal to backbenchers while raising additional revenues “This is seen as the most viable option because the Valuation Office is already doing the work to identify the homes worth more than £2 million, so it isn’t a massive change to capture those over £1.5 million,” they said A second government source confirmed the discussions but said there were concerns that the change would hit more modest properties in London and affect people who are not wealthy. They emphasised that no decisions have been taken The government will not push ahead with plans to overhaul stamp duty and council tax that were championed by Andy Burnham because they would take years to implement and involve a huge revaluation exercise

A happy day for our tunneling efforts as South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard gives us his endorsement. And given how many people in and around Sheffield have been in touch about our plans, he's definitely on to something.

So, to recap: - Productivity estimates were woefully off - Immigration estimates too - Inflation/GDP stats not great - Private rent data was wrong - Labour Force Survey is broken - Population estimates, employment statistics, business population statistics all broken too (1/2)

The Re:View is out! This week, @jo3hill looks at the unexpected problem complicating the abolition of NHS England and what it reveals about the way Whitehall manages the State. Read more 👇

Standing outside Vauxhall station and someone approaches me whilst I'm on my phone, walks up uncomfortably close to my face, when I indicate I don't want to talk to him, he stands a couple of inches from my face, for around 10 seconds just staring. He eventually goes. Charity worker demanding money so I guess we're meant to think that's okay...?

Ministers trying to scrap NHS England have found no alternative to setting up an entirely new quango to employ highly-paid regional staff Other than delaying abolition yet again Health chiefs now urging ministers to set up the new quango because delay is harming patient care

🚨NEW 'RE:IMAGINING WELFARE' REPORT – 'Benefitting from abroad: international lessons for reforming sickness and disability benefits'🚨 Britain’s welfare system is failing working-age adults with a disability or health condition, and it is not working for those who fund it.

NEW: Former BofE economist, Andy Haldane, who advised Andy Burnham earlier this year, tells @AndrewMarr9 "the market now suspects that this is a traditional tax-and-spend socialist government with better TikTok videos". Argues against tax rises in next month's budget. @LBC

Machinery of government changes rarely make headlines, but they shape how policy actually gets made. Our Director of Policy & Research @stkaye appeared in front of MPs today to talk about what the recent restructure actually means for technology policy and digital government.

Ever wondered why your high street is struggling? It’s not just Amazon. Every government promises to “save” the high street. But what if decades of tax hikes, short-term reliefs and administrative chaos have actually made things worse? Here’s how 35 years of “help” turned into a high-street disaster, and why Amazon isn’t the only one to blame.