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Ben Butcher

@benbutcher.bsky.social
299 followers 597 following 201 posts

Data Editor at the Telegraph. Pro-cats and pro-naps.

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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 10/05/2025
Gordon's piece looks at the excruciating politics behind it that leads to inaction, starting with the mad story of the £10 Christmas bonus received by all pensioners since the 1970s. A completely meaningless benefit - costing us £160m a year. bit.ly/3H0VgIw
bit.ly
How Britain’s £300 billion welfare bill became untouchable
The cost of benefits is out of control, but it will take guts and immense political skill to wean the UK off its addiction to hand-outs
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 10/05/2025
But voters are right that something has to happen in the working-age side. This isn't a media frenzy. The claimant count jumped over covid and simply won't go down - it's one million higher. One in 13 people are so sick they get benefits. Something has to give...
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 10/05/2025
And that means pensions - I cannot see a way the state can support 1 in 4 people with £12k+ a year. That's the reality in 30 years as the pop greys. I do not think I will get the state pension (or not in its current format) - but who will be the one to make the change?
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 10/05/2025
The masses were vehemently opposed to the cuts. Reform voters are interesting on this: benefits should be cut they believe, just not the benefits they like. But the benefits they like are - I think - where the savings will ultimately have to come one day.
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 10/05/2025
The point is that, despite the drastic political fallout over it, the savings were pittances. Before the cuts, Winter Fuel was just 0.8pc of the entire welfare budget. Any major savings would have to go after one of the big ones: pensions, UC or Pip.
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 10/05/2025
📊 A few interesting charts I made to help visualise Gordon Rayner's weekend essay on the country's untouchable £300bn welfare bill. By 2029, the Winter Fuel Payment will save £1.7bn a year. In the same period, the pensions bill will go up 10x that figure.
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 09/05/2025
...but universities likely feel slightly forced to seek these foreign students in light of an incredibly difficult financial situation. Yesterday, we reported that 61 (43pc) universities had posted a deficit last year. This was a record high. bit.ly/4kaSBdL
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 09/05/2025
Global politics feels increasingly uncertain - and unis have been warned that "a changing geopolitical environment which could cause an immediate and significant impact on income" In relation to China, some unis really are incredibly reliant on this one crop of students
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 09/05/2025
🧑‍🎓🇨🇳 In 2023, the Office for Students warned a number of universities about the risk of over-relying on Chinese students. My and @poppywood.bsky.social's analysis shows that up to an estimated 55pc of all fees income is from Chinese students at some unis bit.ly/44qith6
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
⛪️ Quickly read this article before it's entirely irrelevant - a run through of the makeup of the papabilli with some nifty analysis. Tldr - perception of liberalism after Francis overstated, Vatican represents a very diverse base
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
These deficits come with the grimmer reality that universities are laying off more and more staff - easily the biggest expense of universities. The reports highlight 10k+ redundancies last year, costing university hundreds of millions of pounds.
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
🧑‍🎓 We've been through the annual reports and the numbers are shocking - 61 universities recorded a deficit last year - 43pc of ttotal. That's 43pc. Read mine and Poppy Wood's analysis, and see the unis which are now entering their sixth year in the red bit.ly/4kaSBdL
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
These deficits come with the grimmer reality that universities are laying off more and more staff - easily the biggest expense of universities. The reports highlight 10k+ redundancies last year, costing university hundreds of millions of pounds.
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
🧑‍🎓 We've been through the annual reports and the numbers are shocking - 61 universities recorded a deficit last year - 43pc of ttotal. That's 43pc. Read mine and Poppy Wood's analysis, and see the unis which are now entering their sixth year in the red bit.ly/4kaSBdL
bit.ly
Record number of universities in deficit
Worsening cash crisis presents a ‘grave risk’ to the future of some institutions and courses, say MPs
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
🇵🇰🇮🇳 The context before the clash, as provided by @meikeeijsberg.bsky.social Violent events across the border regions of Pakistan and India had been increasing significantly in the build up to last nights event. April saw four times more deaths than the previous month.
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
Finally, this is a chart of top Commonwealth/colonial countries and the jobs they're most likely to go into by average pay. Not part of the narrative, just interesting.
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
Similarly, the care system is increasingly reliant. The care visa saw almost 150k care workers arrive between 2021 and 2024. This is a minimum wage profession which is already totally unaffordable and unfunded. Can it survive without migrants?
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
It is a point made often, but immigration props up the NHS. Just since 2020, the migrant workforce has jumped from 14pc of workers to 18pc It is a question many politicians fail to explain - how do we maintain an NHS in an ageing pop without migration and without raising tax
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
🌎 Accountants from South Africa, care workers from Zimbabwe, horticulturalists from Kyrgyzstan. Each immigrant to the UK comes for a different reason, but data lets us spot the trends in the specialisms they bring... - with @emily_retter bit.ly/4kbN1b9
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 03/05/2025
There is no way around it - this was the Tories worst election results in modern history. After 15 years in power, any promises to be tougher on immigration, crime etc. will surely fall on deaf ears? Reform are the beneficiaries of that failure www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/202...
telegraph.co.uk
Local elections 2025: live results
Track every vote in 24 council areas and six mayoral regions, alongside Runcorn and Helsby parliamentary by-election
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 03/05/2025
For both parties, it is clear who they need to win over: white working-class voters. This chart shows the ward share vote in Northumberland. In more white working-class areas (over 30pc), Reform gained twice the vote. This should scare Labour and the Tories
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 03/05/2025
I'm not entirely convinced of the argument that this is an SDP/Ukip moment. The organisation of Reform is mad. Almost all elections contested. This chart shows their performance against Ukip. In 2013, Ukip won 6.3pc of seats. This year, Reform one other 40%.
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 03/05/2025
These were Tory councils - rural counties, many of which had been in Conservative hands for decades: ✖️ Kent since 1997: -51 Tories ✖️ Leicestershire since 2005: -25 ✖️ Staffordshire since 2009: -43 Reform were the main beneficiaries of this
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 03/05/2025
The Tories had a projected vote share of 15%. The previous record low for the party was just 25% in 1993. The two-party system stopped existing last night with Labour and Tories combined gaining just 35% of the vote - only five points clear of Reform on 30%
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 03/05/2025
🗳️ Now all the results are in, our piece takes a step back and its puts in context how catastrophic last night was for the Tories. 5 years ago, they controlled over half of councillors in contested elections. Today less than 20%. Reform have 40% 🧵 - @the-one-and-ollie.bsky.social bit.ly/42YaFAR
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
But the UK might leave `liberation day` slightly less bruised than many other western allies with a base tariff of 10pc. That's compared to rates over 20pc for Japan, EU and S. Korea.
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
The car industry is UK's biggest loser in terms of value. In 2024, over a quarter of cars (in value) went to the United States, making it more exposed than many of our European neighbours
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
The UK benefits from some of those exemptions, including on pharmaceuticals, organic chemicals and some precious metals. But it's top two trading elements are being hit by tariffs of up to 25pc for cars.
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
It's worth noting that those facing the fiercest tariffs are in the lower value of the USA's imports. 58pc of trade value partners are in the 20pc bracket or below. China makes up a very large part of the countries above 20pc. And thats before removing notable exemptions...
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
No corner of the world has been been spared with Asia and southern Africa particularly hit by tariffs hitting north of 40pc. Vietnam exports 30pc of goods to the USA - it is now going to pay tariffs of 46pc on most goods.
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
🚨🤝 Trump's liberation day has pushed average tariffs to their highest point in over 100 years, redefining global trade policy that has existed since the second world war. Last year, avg. tariffs were just 2.5pc/after yesterday's announcements, they have soared to ~22pc.
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
2⃣ The weather. There have been more 3x as many "favourable" days for crossings in 2025 compared to 2024. Starmer has seen a similar number crossing on clear days as Sunak - but the problem is there have been more clear days
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
Since taking office in July, the PM has likely seen 30,000 cross the Channel, some 10k more than Sunak saw in same period Two things haven't helped: 1⃣ Boats are getting bigger and fitting far more people in. The average number per boat is six times higher than in 2019.
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
🚨 If Keir Starmer wanted to prove that a new approach to small boats would pay dividends, the first few months of 2025 have not helped. So far, there have been 6,642 crossings - far higher than this time last year. @the-one-and-ollie.bsky.social + @charleshymas bit.ly/3DNj1CY
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
I enjoy this one a lot - the way Mariana built it makes it easy to compare practices. The metrics are actually helpful. It feels like a tool that can easily help people make good informed decisions about their GP practice!
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
🚨🧑‍⚕️ Another week, another incredibly helpful tool. We wanted to reflect the metrics people actually care about with GPs: waiting times, ease of reaching them and confidence in staff. We then weight it to help you find the best surgery in your area bit.ly/3Y9WVkI
bit.ly
Are you waiting too long for a GP appointment? Use our tool to find out
Demand for GP appointments has increased considerably in recent years. Find out how your postcode compares to the rest of the country
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
🚨🧑‍🎓 There has been a 40pc increase in children expelled or suspended for violent behaviour in a single year, our analysis shows Some 25k pupils were excluded in Autumn '23 our analysis shows, including some as young as five - with @poppywood.bsky.social www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/03...
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
And a larger civil service is ... massively underproductive. Across the public sector, average annual productivity has fallen by 1.9 per cent each year since 2020. In contrast, it rose by 0.7 per cent each year between 2010 and 2024
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
Covid and Brexit are the likely suspects with linked departments soaring. Since Jan '20, it has grown on average by 5k every quarter. All the efficiencies made by Osborne have been over-riden. The Tories became the largest net adders to civil service in modern history.
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
🚨✂️ A cut of 10k civil servants sounds like a lot - but that only takes us back to levels seen in...December 2023. Civil service headcount has exploded since the pandemic - it is now at its highest since 2006. www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/202...
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
I respect the transparency of releasing info over £500, but I think the struggle getting basic explanations as to why one department spent £1,700 on "Project Charisma" is frustrating.
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
🚨💳 We looked at three-months of departmental procurement card spending. It's not all ice cream trucks (£500), personality test apps (£859) and Belgian Adventure Parks (£2k), but it is certainly a bit of it... - with Eleanor Steafel www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/03...
telegraph.co.uk
£1,700 for ‘Project Charisma’ and £500 on ice cream: The secrets of government credit cards
A Telegraph investigation itemises the astonishing bills racked up by civil servants at the taxpayers’ expense
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
I think the most obvious thing is that to live in these nice(r) areas you need to have loads more money - which means working longer or having to have two incomes. But the country is greying - and we need to ask who will look after and pay for future gens hitting retirement
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
On average, 40pc of babies are born to geriatric mothers in the wealthiest areas in E&W, compared to just 22 per cent in the most deprived. This matters. As the average age for a child increases, so the fertility rate drops. The latter has fallen 20pc in the past decade.
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
👶 What does St Margarets in Richmond-upon-Thames tell us about the looming fertility crisis? Some 75pc of babies are born to geriatric mothers - as middle-class mothers push back motherhood due to costs, careers and lifestyle - with Melissa Lawford bit.ly/4206AM3
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
Across five sections, I looked at and visualise the crisis that lockdowns began which after half a decade we are no way nearer to fixing. It is chockabloc with stats and charts so worth a read or a scroll
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
It involves 11 different analyses looking at the covid impacts on everything from school attainment and attendance to court backlogs to real-wage growth broken down at a constituency or council level.
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
🚨🤒 This time five years ago, the country woke up to world of social distancing, face-masks and WFH. It was a moment that saved lives - but began 5 years of pain. Now, at a local level we tell you at how lockdowns ruined your area - fives years on... www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/03...
telegraph.co.uk
How Covid lockdowns ruined your constituency (and the country)
From long-term sickness to stunted productivity, most of the UK remains heavily impacted by lockdown measures. See how your area compares
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 21/03/2025
🧮 Council tax levels day is probably his favourite of the year, so he also did a calculator so you too can enjoy it and find out how much your tax is going up by www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/202...
telegraph.co.uk
How Labour councils are increasing tax more than Tory ones
Analysis finds that areas with Labour councils will raise bills by average of 5 per cent
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Ben Butcher @benbutcher.bsky.social · 21/03/2025
💰 In a separate story, he reveals that the number of properties paying council tax over £5k is about to quadruple. The number paying over £2k is set to be roughly half of all houses www.telegraph.co.uk/money/tax/nu...
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