UK Politics Thread part II

[Jimbuna]

Whitehall spending spree makes higher taxes inevitable, warns IFS

Rising taxes are inevitable if the Government keeps spending heavily, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has warned.

Taxes are already on course to hit their highest share of GDP since 1948, according to official forecasts, although the IFS has warned recent policies could drive up levies further.

The prospect of a greater tax burden on households comes after a surge in Britain’s borrowing bill since Covid.

Martin Miklos, an economist at the IFS, said: “The increase in taxes, while historically and internationally large, has not matched the growth in spending.

“Hence, it has not been able to prevent debt from rising by more than in any other comparator country bar Japan.

“Countries can and do make very different choices about the size of their state – but choosing a higher level of spending without a commensurately higher level of taxation is not costless and is unlikely to be sustainable in the long term.”
The Government has recently cut some taxes, including the headline rate of National Insurance.

However, it has also embarked on a programme of stealth taxation by freezing thresholds, while it has already increased the corporation tax rate from 19pc to 25pc.

Decades of heavy spending have led to a significant increase in the size of the state since the turn of the century.

In 2001, government spending in Britain amounted to just under 35pc of GDP, around eight percentage points lower than the average across advanced economies.

That gap narrowed under various Labour and Conservative governments, peaking during the pandemic as it hit around half of GDP.

Following a recent fall, that figure is now expected to settle at around 43pc of GDP, which represents a permanent increase in the size of the state.

The IFS added: “Pressures on spending on areas such as health and social care are unlikely to abate any time soon.”

Rising spending requirements have coincided with a jump in Britain’s national debt bill, which has risen from a third of GDP in 2000 to more than 90pc today.

Forecasts from the International Monetary Fund show how Britain’s debt will account for almost 100pc of GDP by the end of the decade.

This comes at a time of higher interest rates and weak economic growth.

The IFS said: “The UK is now forecast to have the seventh-smallest cumulative growth among the 37 comparator countries in the period 2019–29.

“With low growth (and the era of very low interest rates seemingly having come to an end), much tighter fiscal policy is needed to get debt falling.”

A Treasury spokesman said: “Thanks to our responsible action with the public finances and our progress on the economy – with inflation falling and wages rising – we have been able to cut National Insurance by a third while sticking to our fiscal rules, with debt falling in the final year of the forecast with a larger buffer than last spring.

“The Chancellor has been clear that growing the economy and improving productivity is vital to improving public services, and that any further tax cuts will be delivered in a fiscally responsible way.”
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/othe...c7344a87&ei=53

[Moonlight]

There's nothing about the cost of the Migrant Invasion then?, thought not, swept it under the carpet as usual have you?, everyone will pay extra taxes to pay for those scroungers, except the Migrants of course, they'll not pay a penny as usual.

[Jimbuna]

One fact is beyond any and all reasonable doubt....whatever is currently wrong with this country, the Tories having been in power for the past fourteen years and can blame nobody but themselves.

[Moonlight]

Sick note squads to crack down on workshy Brits: Rishi warns 'spiralling' benefit bill is 'unsustainable' and 'life worries' are not a reason to shun work

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ring-2-8m.html

I remember the explosion of the sicknote culture after the miners strike, Thatcher couldn't sort it out in the 80s and these politicians wont sort it out now.
Sicknotes, PiP/DLA claims are all done in the same way I've been reliably informed, it goes right back to Thatcher and John Majors days in power, from the 80s and 90s they've tried to fix it and have failed every time. Some people will always try to get a slice of something for nothing, it's human nature, assessments were always a hit and miss affair, many claimants who needed DLA didn't get the financial aid it would have provided and a lot of claimants with nothing wrong with them did, it was a disaster.
The same thing is going wrong with the sicknote brigade, most of them are taking the piss as usual and something needs to be done about it, it can't be right that people in their prime of life are experiencing mental health issues, we old gits took our knocks on the chin and just moved on with life, these pillocks today can burn their toast on a morning and have to go to bed for a week to get over it, it's ****ing madness on steroids.

Governments have tried to sort these things out before, they've had some successes but overall they've failed miserably, Thatcher, Major, Blair and Cameron all failures. One thing I do know for definite and that is Sunak wiil soon be on that list of failures as well.

[Jimbuna]

Should be fun and games then.

[Jimbuna]

Only 100? Surely theirs room for two or three times that number.

100 MPs to stand down at the next general election

The number of MPs who have said they will leave Parliament at the next general election has reached 100.

Conservative Tim Loughton, who has represented East Worthing and Shoreham since 1997, became the 100th MP to announce he was leaving the Commons.

Most - 63 in all - are Tories, and they include former prime minister Theresa May.

That said, 56% of the 650 MPs (365) who won their seats in Boris Johnson's landslide general election victory in 2019 were Conservatives.

A total of 17 Labour MPs are also standing down, along with nine from the SNP, two from Sinn Fein, one from Plaid Cymru and one Green - the party's only MP, Caroline Lucas.

Other big names departing Westminster include former deputy PM Dominic Raab, COP26 president Sir Alok Sharma, and former deputy Labour leaders Dame Margaret Beckett and Harriet Harman. Dame Margaret also served as foreign secretary.

Another seven MPs who now sit as independents - five elected as Conservatives and two as Labour MPs - also won't be standing again.

With the next election not needing to be held until January 2025 - and the prime minister pointing to it happening some time in the autumn - the total figure may well grow substantially.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68839793

[Moonlight]

^The career politicians days are looking numbered it would seem, that gives me an idea, the same thing should happen to the Lords, two or three parliaments at maximum and start pulling their name out of a hat, thankyou for your service now **** off you currant.
A fitting end me thinks, they could even sell tickets and televise it all, who wouldn't want to make some money out of getting rid of a tosser who never deserved to be in the Lords in the first place.

[Jimbuna]

I can't believe just how way out of touch Rishi is with actual reality.

Not everyone has personal wealth in excess of £700 million.

Rishi Sunak facing Tory revolt over plan to criminalise rough sleeping

Rishi Sunak is facing a Tory revolt over plans to criminalise homelessness in a key crime bill this year.

The prime minister risks a backbench rebellion when MPs vote on the Criminal Justice Bill, which would give police the power to fine or move “nuisance” rough sleepers.

Dozens of MPs from the left and right of the Conservative Party are said to have warned Tory whips they will vote against measures in the bill.

Senior government sources told The Times they had “paused” the legislation while ministers negotiated with more than 40 expected rebels.

“The government is panicking about the scale of the rebellion because they know if it gets pushed to a vote they will lose,” one said.

The rebel added: “But we’re not backing down or giving way. The ball is in the government’s court. They need to listen or it will be desperate for them.”

A minister on Monday refused to say whether he would support the plans to criminalise rough sleeping.

Asked by Times Radio whether he would back the bill as it stands, business minister Kevin Hollinrake said: “Those things are not within my auspices. I will be interested to see the legislation as it goes through and what the prime minister has planned.”

Asked if it was right to arrest someone for so-called nuisance rough sleeping, Mr Hollinrake said: “What is the most important thing is we provide the resources to get people off the streets and there should be those places where people can go to.

“I don’t think that should be... that shouldn’t be optional for people, if there are places that people can go to off the streets then those people should be off the streets, they shouldn’t be lying on the streets. It is not fair to other people in our town and city centres.”

The plans as they stand would grant police and local authority workers new powers to order beggars to move on while encouraging them to make use of accommodation services and mental health support.

Another new offence will be created for criminal gangs organising begging networks, and a government release said people causing “nuisance on the street” would be moved on, pointing in particular at those “obstructing shop doorways and begging by cash points”.

Homelessness charities have warned the government measures intended to replace the 200-year-old Vagrancy Act which criminalised all rough sleeping will instead result in the “further criminalisation” of homeless people.

Polly Neate, chief executive of the charity Shelter, said: “Parliament must not enact this legislation. Instead of punishing people for being homeless, politicians should be trying to prevent them from ending up on the streets.

“Everyone at risk of sleeping rough should have a right to suitable emergency accommodation, and to end homelessness for good it must invest in genuinely affordable social homes – we need 90,000 a year.”

Fiona Colley, director of social change at Homeless Link, said she was “disappointed” by the plan.

“Homelessness is not a crime,” she said. “When the government committed to repealing the Vagrancy Act it was done with an understanding that people sleeping on our streets need to be supported, not criminalised.

“Therefore, we are extremely disappointed to see that this new plan will result in further criminalisation of vulnerable people, rather than offering the constructive solutions that work in helping people off the streets for good.”

The Liberal Democrats called on the government to back down on the plans to criminalise homelessness. MP Layla Moran, who led a cross-party campaign to scrap the Vagrancy Act, said: “The heartless proposals in the Criminal Justice Bill risk bringing back the Vacancy Act by the back door.

“The government should listen to their own backbenchers and take a compassionate approach to tackling homelessness, instead of stigmatising and criminalising rough sleepers.

“Sleeping rough is not a lifestyle choice. Ministers should focus on tackling the root causes of this crisis, not scapegoating the victims of it.”

A government spokesperson said: “We are determined to end rough sleeping and prevent people from ending up on the streets in the first place. That is why last year we published our strategy to end rough sleeping for good, backed by an unprecedented £2bn commitment.

“No one should be criminalised for simply having nowhere to live, which is why we committed to repealing the outdated Vagrancy Act, which was passed in 1824.

“These provisions provide a civil route to engage with rough sleepers to help them to take up offers of support and only criminalise any non-compliance with a lawfully made direction, notice or order.”
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-b2521481.html

[Jimbuna]

'Get Humza OUT!' Pro-Union demonstrators rally against SNP as Scottish nationalists demand new referendum

Scottish unionists have hit back at pro-independence demonstrators in Glasgow, as thousands of people gathered in the city centre.

Campaign group Believe in Scotland took to the streets of the city on Saturday as the event saw First Minister Humza Yousaf and Scottish Greens MSP Ross Greer in attendance as speakers.

The rally was stormed by unionists who believe the protesters are "still going on about" the referendum vote in 2014, and "can't accept" the result.

Speaking to GB News, protesters at the independence march shared their frustrations with the Believe in Scotland rally.

Revealing why they decided to ambush the independence march in Glasgow, one unionist told GB News: "I'm here to object against the independence march still going ahead, because they haven't accepted our vote in 2014.
"In actual fact, one day after the vote and saying they would accept it, they started objecting to it and they are still going on about it."

Another unionist said she wants Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf to "get out" of power, as he attended the rally alongside the pro-independence protesters.

One other protester in favour of Scotland remaining as a union with the UK said the independence rally was "ridiculous", and that she was in attendance against the march "on behalf of my nana".

Many unionists waved Union Flags in the city centre, flooding the event's prominent blue sea of Saint Andrew's Cross flags.

Speaking to pro-independence protesters at the event, two Scottish residents were furious with their country still being a part of the union.

One lady told GB News: "Well it's our country, we want it back, thank you very much! We've been a colony for over 300 years, we get nothing back.

"Everything gets taken from us and goes to the south. And they give us pocket money back, I don't think that's very fair."

She continued: "As a country, we are one of the richest countries in the world, so why can't we control our own money and our own destiny?"

Another protester in favour of Scotland's independence raged: "Scotland is not British. The union was never a voluntary arrangement.

"It was bought and paid for by a handful of Scottish nobles. And the ordinary people absolutely never wanted the Union."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/other...f591bf6b&ei=13

[Jimbuna]

Fury as Rishi Sunak 'makes keeping kids poor his political priority' with two-child benefit cap

Rishi Sunak has been accused of making children poor his "political priority" after he pledged to keep a "nasty" benefit cap.

The Prime Minister said the Tory manifesto will include a vow to keep the controversial two-child benefit cap in place. Campaigners argue that lifting it would pull a quarter of a million children out of poverty, with pressure mounting on Keir Starmer to scrap it if he gets into Downing Street.

The policy, introduced by the Conservatives in 2017, limits the benefits that parents on Universal Credit are entitled to - costing families upwards of £3,200 a year. Alison Garnham, chief executive of the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) said: “With child poverty at a record high, the prime minister has now clearly decided that making kids poor is his political priority.
"After Covid and the cost of living crisis, struggling families need a helping hand not another kick in the teeth. The two-child limit makes life harder for kids, punishing them for having brothers and sisters.

"It’s time to scrap this nasty policy.” Writing in the Sun on Sunday the PM said: “Working families do not see their incomes rise when they have more children. Families on benefits should be asked to make the same financial decisions as those supporting themselves solely through work.”

Research by the End Child Poverty Coalition (ECPC) found that single parents with very young children and families with at least one disabled child are among the worst hit. Last year Mr Starmer said Labour will not be changing the policy if it wins the election. That position is understood to be unchanged.

That is despite deputy leader Angela Rayner having described the cap as "obscene and inhumane". In a statement campaign group the Children's Prosperity Plan called on Labour to reverse its position if the Tories refuse. It said: "The Prime Minister’s pledge to retain the two-child benefit cap underscores a continuation of a policy that unfairly limits crucial support for many families across the UK.

"This position, which could prevent 250,000 children from escaping poverty, highlights the urgent need for opposition parties, particularly Labour, to commit to abolishing this cap." It went on: "Political leaders must prioritise actions that put children first."

Katie Schmuecker, Principal Policy Adviser at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said: "Committing to keeping the two child limit is committing to pushing more children into poverty. Children shouldn’t be punished for having siblings and the two child limit is a driver of rising poverty rates for larger families.

"All parties need to instead commit to addressing the adequacy of our social security system. It’s not right that in a country like ours children are growing up in families that can't afford enough food or basic toiletries. At the very least our social security system should cover the essentials.”

Analysis by the ECPC earlier this month found 422,000 households which claim benefits lost out as a result of the cap. An estimated 1.5million kids - one in 10 children - live in a home affected by the policy, it found.

Economists believe it would cost less than £2billion to remove the cap. Doing so would lift 300,000 children out of poverty and dramatically improve things for 800,000 more, the ECPC said.

Research by think-tank the Resolution Foundation found affected families lose up to around £3,200 a year in benefit support for their third and each subsequent child.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknew...4e6f3708&ei=59

[Moonlight]

READY FOR TAKEOFF Rishi says ‘nothing will stand in the way’ of getting Rwanda flights off the ground after ‘landmark’ bill passes

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/274809...f-rwanda-bill/

This Bill has been a complete waste of time and money, for every one hundred migrants sent to Rwanda there'll be at least a thousand migrants still crossing the channel every week.
Its been one of Sunak's prime policies to stop the boats, even I can see that it wont have an effect on stopping them, but hey, this is our politicians we're talking about, the same political class who've consistently ****ed up every thing they've ever touched.

They wont be singing "Rule Britannia" in 20 years time they'll be singing "Allah Rules The Waves" instead, Politicians, what a bleeding useless set of Currants they are.

Political Rating 0.5\10

[Jimbuna]

And still it won't deter them.

[Moonlight]

Ah, but the benefits are a tremendous draw to the scroungers.

[Jimbuna]

Tis the children I mainly feel sorry for.

[Jimbuna]

Well he would say that wouldn't he.

Rwanda policy ‘unworkable and morally repugnant’ – Yousaf

Scotland’s First Minister has described the UK Government’s newly-passed Rwanda Bill as “unworkable and morally repugnant” after five people died just hours after its passage.

Following a late sitting of Parliament and a wrangle between the Commons and the House of Lords, the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration Bill) was passed into law, deeming the African country an appropriate place to send some asylum seekers.

The Prime Minister said this week charter planes are expected to leave in 10-12 weeks, with “multiple flights a month” due to depart the UK.

Humza Yousaf told journalists he would “hope to resist” attempts for planes to take off from Scottish airfields, though it is not clear if this is likely.
Speaking at the opening of a new JP Morgan office in Glasgow, Mr Yousaf hit out at the policy.

“It’s unworkable and it’s morally repugnant,” he said.

“It’s a further demonstration of how the values of Westminster are not Scotland’s values.”

Mr Yousaf went on to say the deaths of three men, a woman and a girl during a crossing of the Channel on Tuesday shows “what we need is not unworkable legislation like the Rwanda Bill”.

He added: “What you need to do is to create safe, legal routes for migration and that hopefully deters the illegal migration that none of us, of any political party. want to see.”

Asked how he would react to the use of airstrips north of the border to take asylum seekers to Rwanda, the First Minister said: “I would hope to resist that, if it was possible to do so.

“We should be a country, as we have been for not just years but for decades, that ensures that we give sanctuary to those that are fleeing persecution, war, extreme poverty.”

He added the UK has “benefited from migration for many, many years”.

This Government is doing everything we can to end this trade, stop the boats and ultimately break the business model of the evil people smuggling gangs

James Cleverley, Home Secretary
Speaking to journalists as he made his way to Poland, Rishi Sunak said the tragedy in the Channel on Tuesday morning shows the need for a deterrent to stop people attempting the treacherous crossings.

He said: “We want to prevent people making these very dangerous crossings. If you look at what’s happening, criminal gangs are exploiting vulnerable people. They are packing more and more people into these unseaworthy dinghies.

“We’ve seen an enormous increase in the numbers per boat over the past few years.

“This is what tragically happens when they push people out to sea and that’s why, for matters of compassion more than anything else, we must actually break this business model and end this unfairness of people coming to our country illegally.”

Meanwhile, Home Secretary James Cleverley posted on X, formerly Twitter, that “these tragedies have to stop”.

He added: “I will not accept a status quo which costs so many lives.

“This Government is doing everything we can to end this trade, stop the boats and ultimately break the business model of the evil people smuggling gangs, so they no longer put lives at risk.”
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknew...d2690099&ei=10