UK Politics Thread part II [Archive] - Page 8

Rockstar

10-04-24, 10:55 AM

Keir Starmer pays back more than £6,000 in gifts - including Taylor Swift tickets

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/breaking-keir-starmer-pays-back-33806271

The PM has paid back the cost of six Taylor Swift tickets, four to the races and a clothing rental agreement with a high-end designer favoured by his wife, Victoria

Keir Starmer has paid back more than £6,000 worth of gifts and hospitality he received after becoming Prime Minister.

The PM, who has been embroiled in a freebies row, is covering the cost of six Taylor Swift tickets, four to the races and a clothing rental agreement with a high-end designer favoured by his wife, Victoria.

Mr Starmer said it was "right" for him to repay the donations while new rules for ministers accepting gifts were drawn up. "We came in as a government of change,” he told a press conference in Brussels on Wednesday.

“ We are now going to bring forward principles for donations, because, until now, politicians have used their best individual judgement on a case-by-case basis. I think we need some principles of general application. So, I took the decision that until the principles are in place it was right for me to make those repayments."

The PM has now paid back all the gifts he received since entering No10, bar £1,920 for tickets and hospitality to two Arsenal matches. The gifts were received over August and September.

Mr Starmer has previously defended his decision to accept corporate hospitality, explaining that he cannot go in the stands at Arsenal for security reasons. The PM, who has an Arsenal season ticket holder for years, said: "The club have made arrangements for me to watch from elsewhere, it's as simple as that."

It comes after Mr Starmer and other Cabinet members - who vowed to "clean up" British politics - faced weeks of criticism for accepting tens of thousands of pounds worth of freebies from wealthy donors.

Gifts paid for by Mr Starmer include four Taylor Swift tickets from Universal Music Group totalling £2,800, two from the Football Association at a cost of £598, and four to Doncaster Races from Arena Racing Corporation at £1,936. An £839 clothing rental agreement with Edeline Lee, the designer recently worn by his wife to London Fashion Week, along with one hour of hair and makeup, was also covered by the Prime Minister.

https://i.ibb.co/1K0KJ5s/IMG-0757.webp

The PM has been dogged by criticism for accepting thousands of pounds worth of clothes and glasses for himself and his wife Victoria from Labour donor Lord Alli. MPs are required to declare gifts within 28 days but a late declaration was made regarding outfits for Lady Starmer after No10 sought new advice.

The latest register of MPs' interests, published on Wednesday, includes the late declaration of £6,134 donated for "clothing and personal support to spouse". This was received on June 1, before he became PM in July, and has not been paid back. Since the freebies row erupted, Mr Starmer has said he and senior government ministers will no longer take donations for clothes.

Jimbuna

10-04-24, 10:56 AM

Britain HITS BACK after Argentina's attempts to exploit Starmer's Chagos Islands decision to 'reclaim' Falklands

Downing Street has scrambled to defend the Falkland Islands after Argentina's attempts to leverage the Chagos Islands debacle for its own gain.

In light of yesterday's controversial move, Argentina renewed its vow to take full sovereignty of the Falklands, with its foreign minister threatening "concrete action" to hand the islands over to Buenos Aires.

But now, No10 has hit back.

A Downing Street spokesman told GB News: "To be very clear on the Falklands, Chagos does not change our policy or approach to other overseas territories."

The Chagos Islands - a British Overseas Territory (BOT) - will be handed over to China ally Mauritius alongside a "financial support" package in order to "address wrongs of the past", the Foreign Office said yesterday.

Britain will cede sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia - which plays host to a joint UK-US military base - but it will retain the facility on a 99-year lease, as the UK did with Hong Kong.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/britain-hits-back-after-argentina-s-attempts-to-exploit-starmer-s-chagos-islands-decision-to-reclaim-falklands/ar-AA1rHdTv?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=ee2c71bac2c44d5d87a481950383b8b4&ei=25

Rockstar

10-04-24, 11:15 AM

PM defends stay at donor's property during election

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn9d17ljlvro

[/QUOTE]Sir Keir Starmer has defended accepting accommodation from Labour donor Lord Waheed Alli during the general election, saying it was important his son had a peaceful place to study.
The prime minister told the BBC he had promised his 16-year-old son that he would be able to get to school and do his exams without being disturbed.
He declared Lord Alli had donated several weeks' accommodation, which is recorded as being worth more than £20,000, in the register of MPs' interests.
Sir Keir told BBC Radio 5 Live: "I had promised him faithfully that I would give him an environment in which he could calmly get on, his one chance to do his GCSEs, and therefore we relocated somewhere else - a gift which we then allocated a sum of money to."

Sir Keir told the BBC Today programme: "Somebody then offered me accommodation where we could do that, and I took it up. And it was the right thing to do. It didn't cost the taxpayer a penny."
He said he felt passionately about the issue, admitting that for his daughter, who is 13, and his son, the situation was difficult.
"Sometimes what sits behind these are human explanations," he told BBC 5 Live, particularly in the "hurly burly" of an election campaign - but things had changed now Labour was in government.
The prime minister has faced criticism after it emerged he had received more than £16,000 for work clothing and spectacles for him, and further donations for his wife, from Lord Alli.
He has since declared he would no longer accept donations for clothing, alongside Deputy PM Angela Rayner and Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
He told Today's Nick Robinson that he'd accepted the donation for clothing in opposition, during a "busy election campaign".
"I won't be making declarations in relation to clothing again, understood," he said.
The prime minister has also faced down criticism after he decided to accept hospitality from Arsenal football club, arguing he can no longer use his normal seats as prime minister, because of the security he needs.
"As a result of security I can't go in the stand any more," he said.
Rows over donations and freebies overshadowed the start of Labour conference - Sir Keir is far from the only MP to have received freebies over the past year.
Many current MPs from across the House of Commons listing free tickets to sporting and cultural events in their registers of interests.
Asked about whether politicians should pay their own way, Sir Keir said it was a question of exercising judgement.
"A culture secretary, for example, will be invited to events quite often, the support of a politician being somewhere is important for a particular event or sport, but it's a question of judgment, and it's got to be clear, it's got to be declared."[/QUOTE]

Jimbuna

10-04-24, 11:24 AM

I think I need to come out of retirement and become a crooked politician.

All the gifts declared by Sir Keir Starmer in the past year
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/all-the-gifts-declared-by-sir-keir-starmer-in-the-past-year/ar-AA1rElv6?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=c8f3b46010af44158491ddd89ddd0d24&ei=22

I wonder what isn't on the list :hmmm:

Jimbuna

10-05-24, 06:34 AM

Do you trust Keir Starmer not to surrender Gibraltar and the Falklands?

Downing Street has denied that Starmer will surrender other overseas British Territories after returning the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

No10 today has scrambled to defend the Falkland Islands after Argentina attempted to reassert its claim over the territory.

In light of yesterday's controversial move, Argentina renewed its vow to take full sovereignty of the Falklands, with its Foreign Minister threatening “concrete action” to hand the islands over to Buenos Aires.

However, No10 has hit back with a Downing Street spokesman telling GB News: “To be very clear on the Falklands, Chagos does not change our policy or approach to other overseas territories.”

The move prompted uproar - as well as finger-pointing at Labour and ex-Foreign Secretary James Cleverly - but also provoked fears over the sovereignty of fellow BOTs the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar.

Argentina's foreign minister Diana Mondino welcomed the Chagos decision - which she touted as an example of ending “outdated practices”.

In a post on social media, using the Spanish-language name for the Falklands, the "Islas Malvinas", she said: "Following the path we have already taken, with concrete actions and not empty rhetoric, we will recover full sovereignty over our Falkland Islands.

"The Falklands were, are and will always be Argentine," she claimed.

Similar assurances to Downing Street's were issued from the Falklands on Thursday.

The Islands' Governor, Alison Blake, said: "I am aware that there may be concerns, either amongst the Falkland Islands community or others, of potential read across to the Falkland Islands.

"I would like to reassure you that the legal and historical contexts of the Chagos Archipelago and the Falkland Islands are very different.

"UK ministers have been very clear throughout the process that the UK will not agree to anything that runs the risk of jeopardising sovereignty in other Overseas Territories.

"The UK Government remains committed to defending the Falkland Islanders' right of self-determination, and the UK's unwavering commitment to defend UK sovereignty remains undiminished."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/poll-of-the-day-do-you-trust-keir-starmer-not-to-surrender-gibraltar-and-the-falklands-vote-now/ar-AA1rJeVW?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=d23eef5bd6a5404d9e6e31f97e525710&ei=22

Jimbuna

10-05-24, 07:05 AM

‘Blue plaque’ at Walthamstow Tesco honours lettuce that outlasted Liz Truss

Afake blue plaque has been erected outside a Tesco in Walthamstow to commemorate the fact that the lettuce that famously outlasted Liz Truss’s premiership was bought there.

At the death of her 49 days as prime minister a wilting 60p iceberg lettuce from Tesco in a blond wig was declared the winner of a race to last longest as she lost her grip on power after her disastrous mini-budget, which led to her sacking the then chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng.

As it looked like her time in Downing Street was up, the Daily Star set up a webcam on the lettuce to see if it would have a longer shelf-life than the prime minister. After seven days it duly did.

In a further twist, the blue plaque added to the Tesco in east London was next to a huge promotional Tesco image for British cheese. Truss famously declared at a Conservative party conference in 2014 that it was a “disgrace” that the UK imported two-thirds of its cheese.

It is unlikely that the former MP, who lost her seat at the general election in July, will see the funny side. In August she abruptly left an event, saying it was “not funny” when a banner placed by campaign group Led by Donkeys descended behind her during an event to promote her book which had a picture of a lettuce and the slogan “I crashed the economy”.

It is not known if the Tesco store in Walthamstow stocks the Norfolk Peer, which Truss once said was her favourite potato.

Truss has been contacted for comment.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/blue-plaque-at-walthamstow-tesco-honours-lettuce-that-outlasted-liz-truss/ar-AA1rIj8P?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=d23eef5bd6a5404d9e6e31f97e525710&ei=54

Jimbuna

10-06-24, 06:26 AM

https://i.postimg.cc/mkyBGyV1/461411877-2003743393388940-6585683528775149802-n.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Jimbuna

10-06-24, 08:27 AM

And not before time!

Government backs police action against shows of support for Hezbollah

The Government has backed police to take action against protesters who show support for Hezbollah after one man was arrested for allegedly shouting support for the banned organisation during a march in Central London.

Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through London on Saturday, meeting counter-protests at several points on their route.

The Metropolitan Police arrested two people on suspicion of supporting a proscribed organisation, with one man held after allegedly shouting support for Hezbollah near a pro-Israel counter-demonstration, according to the force.

Another man was arrested on suspicion of wearing or displaying an article indicating support for Hamas, which is also a proscribed organisation after he was allegedly spotted wearing a parachute, the Met said.

Proscription is the banning of an organisation based on an assessment that it commits or participates in, prepares for, promotes or encourages, or is otherwise concerned in terrorism, according to the Home Office.

It is a crime in the UK to belong to, express support, invite support for or arrange a meeting to back any proscribed organisation.

Images of protesters holding placards that read “I love Hezbollah” have circulated online, and police said they are working to identify those involved.

Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said the police have “our full support” should they take action against people carrying signs suggesting support for Hezbollah.

Speaking to the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme, he said: “Yesterday in the protests there was a lot of peaceful protest but there were people who were carrying signs as the one that you have just described.

“That is a criminal act, supporting a proscribed terrorist organisation such as Hezbollah is a criminal act.”

He added: “The Home Secretary, the Prime Minister said very clearly yesterday that the police have our full support should they take action against people carrying signs like that.”

On Saturday, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper posted to X: “Hezbollah is a proscribed terrorist organisation. Promoting it in Britain is a criminal offence.

“Extremism has no place on Britain’s streets. The police have our support in pursuing those breaking the law today.”

Police made 17 arrests in total around the demonstrations in London on Saturday, as part of a “significant” policing operation in place across the capital in response to planned protest and memorial events marking the anniversary of the October 7 attacks in Israel.

There were eight arrests on suspicion of public order offences, four of which were allegedly racially aggravated.

Three people were arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker, three arrested on suspicion of common assault and one person was arrested on suspicion of breaching a Public Order Act condition.

Tess Yasser, of the Palestinian Youth Movement, told the PA news agency on Saturday: “We’re here today as part of the international day of action that the Palestinian people have called for to demand a full arms embargo.

“We’re commemorating one year of genocide, one year of resistance. We’ve seen that the genocide has been a form of collective punishment on the people of Gaza who dare to resist a 17-year siege on them which has been inflicted by Israel.

“They will continue to resist until the genocide is over and they see the full liberation of their lands and their people.”

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators also took to the streets in Edinburgh and Dublin on Saturday.

On Sunday afternoon, a memorial event will be held in London’s Hyde Park, organised by the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Jewish Leadership Council and other groups.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/government-backs-police-action-against-shows-of-support-for-hezbollah/ar-AA1rMbxB?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=b8898b06d4a547e08a579c8997f73c58&ei=20

Jimbuna

10-07-24, 10:23 AM

Revolts and resignations: a timeline of Starmer’s first three months in power

Keir Starmer’s premiership so far has been marred by scandals, resignations and rebellions.

From Freebiegate to political infighting, here is a timeline of the leader’s first three tumultuous months in Downing Street – and the five issues that have dogged him.

23 July

Seven MPs suspended for supporting amendment to scrap the two-child benefit limit

In a move that sent shock waves through the party, Starmer suspended seven MPs in an unprecedented response to a rebellion supporting an amendment to scrap the two-child benefit limit.

Those who lost the whip for six months included the former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, Apsana Begum and Zarah Sultana, prompting significant anger from backbench MPs. The Nottingham East MP, Nadia Whittome, said the decision was “appalling” and the party should be able to “tolerate disagreement without making threats and employing the most severe punishments”.

17 September

The freebie scandal takes hold

The long-running row over freebies accepted by Starmer and other Labour figures reached its peak in September when it was revealed the prime minister had declared more free tickets and gifts than other major party leaders in recent times.

He was found to have taken more than £100,000 of freebies in the form of tickets, clothes and accommodation, including £4,000 in Taylor Swift tickets and £20,000 of accommodation from the Labour donor Waheed Alli. Lord Alli also gave Starmer £2,435 worth of glasses and £16,200 worth of work clothing, as well as clothes for his wife, Victoria, that were not initially declared.

It was later announced that Labour figures would stop accepting clothes as free gifts, and Starmer repaid £6,000 worth of gifts and hospitality he had received since taking office.

25 September

Backlash over removing pensioners’ winter fuel allowance

At the party’s conference in September, the leadership lost a highly anticipated motion that called on ministers to reverse the cuts to winter fuel payments.

The vote was carried – albeit narrowly – to loud cheers in the conference hall, after Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite, had criticised Starmer for removing the allowance while “leaving the super-rich untouched”.

It came two weeks after a controversial Commons vote when dozens of Labour MPs refused to back the plan to cut the winter fuel allowance after a tense debate in the chamber. Party sources said those who missed the vote were stripped of potential privileges and warned about their future conduct.

28 September

Rosie Duffield resigns with scathing attack on Starmer

In what was thought to be the fastest an MP has given up their party’s whip after an election in modern times, the Canterbury MP, Rosie Duffield, resigned from the party in a furious letter to Starmer denouncing his “cruel and unnecessary” policies.

Although Duffield has long been critical of the party’s leader, her comments to him about the freebie scandal – that it had made her “so ashamed of what you and your inner circle have done to tarnish and humiliate our once proud party” – will have come as a blow to Downing Street.

6 October

Sue Gray’s resignation as Starmer’s chief of staff

After months of government in-fighting involving Sue Gray, Starmer’s chief of staff accused by some of “control freakery” and holding up policy decisions in Downing Street, she announced she was stepping down.

She was blamed by some Labour figures for the party’s inability to avoid the controversy over freebies, and her £170,000 salary – higher than the prime minister’s – prompted fury among the party. She has now resigned, saying the “intense commentary around my position risked becoming a distraction to the government’s vital work of change”. She is to take up a new government role as the prime minister’s envoy for the regions and nations.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/revolts-and-resignations-a-timeline-of-starmer-s-first-three-months-in-power/ar-AA1rNq4P?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=3b40aaafdb4c406182e0d2111ea684fc&ei=68

Jimbuna

10-07-24, 11:05 AM

Slimmed-down winter fuel payments will ‘add insult to injury’, MPs hear

Slimming down the winter fuel payment will “add insult to injury”, an MP has warned, while another asked the Government to put a figure on how many pensioner deaths “will occur” as a result of the changes.

Liberal Democrat work and pensions spokesman Steve Darling branded the Labour Government’s winter fuel payments changes a “regressive approach”.

Conservative shadow work and pensions secretary Mel Stride pointed to Labour research from 2017, when his party mooted a means-tested winter fuel payment system in its manifesto, which suggested almost 4,000 pensioners would die as a result of the policy.

The Government has ended the previously universal scheme and will instead issue packages of up to £300 to pensioners who receive some means-tested benefits, including Pension Credit and Universal Credit.

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall told the Commons on Monday the change was “not a decision that we wanted or expected to make”, hours after Unite the union led a protest in Westminster calling on her department to reinstate the universal payment.

Mr Darling said: “There are 2.7 million pensioners who are over the age of 80 and would be benefiting from the £300 winter fuel allowance. These are amongst the most vulnerable in our society and you’re quite right how the previous government let them down.

“But let us not add insult to injury and the new Government let them down.”

The Liberal Democrat politician added: “Can you reassure us that you will reverse from this regressive approach that you have taken with the winter fuel allowance and not hit the most vulnerable who are over 80?”

Ms Kendall replied: “He will know that this was not a decision that we wanted or expected to make.

“The reason we have done it is that we have to deal with the £22 billion blackhole in the public finances left by members opposite, but in doing so we will, as a progressive party, always prioritise the very poorest pensioners and that is why we are so determined to end a situation where up to 880,000 miss out on winter fuel because they are not getting Pension Credit, and we are determined to put that right.”

Mr Stride had earlier asked: “In 2017, her own party produced an analysis suggesting that around 4,000 pensioners would die prematurely, were this policy to be brought into effect.

“Does (Ms Kendall) stand by that figure of around 4,000, if not, how many premature deaths does she believe will occur as a result of this policy?”

The Cabinet minister replied: “In 2017 his party’s manifesto promised to means-test winter fuel payments.

“So I would just say to (Mr Stride) until party members opposite know that they have to apologise to the British people for the 200,000 extra pensioners in poverty over the last 14 years, and for a £22 billion black hole in the public finances, which we are now putting right, which has put the public finances at risk, they will remain on those seats and we will remain on these.”

Ms Kendall said she would be “happy to put those figures in the public debate” which highlight an extra 200,000 pensioners in poverty.

Mr Stride later said the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and The Treasury published impact assessments into the policy change on September 13, responses to Freedom of Information requests, just three days after a Commons debate on the winter fuel payment.

The DWP found 83% of pensioners aged over 80 would lose out on the payments.

“We published an equality analysis,” Ms Kendall told MPs.

“This Government will be open and transparent, and that’s what we’re already doing.”
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/slimmed-down-winter-fuel-payments-will-add-insult-to-injury-mps-hear/ar-AA1rPU4Z?ocid=msedgntp&pc=ENTPSP&cvid=8cb802cc20054bb9b42f07cb1ee64daf&ei=19

Gorpet

10-08-24, 09:27 PM

Slimmed-down winter fuel payments will ‘add insult to injury’, MPs hear

I like, Stammer, he's bought and paid for. And you have to love his, Dick in your face.response against his own people.Look the majority did want his.Dick in their face. Well,look the war in Ukraine yes we are going into the winter months, and Fu;;k the people.Starmer came to the United States, early why ? I will tell you this. He was told the war must go on.The King doesn't matter.Starmer took take a dick in the mouth. And accepted war Because when the Americans and the British elite come together across the Atlantic.Listen to Americans why. ? Nukes It's all they have. They have no culture left, But their own And they have nothing , in the future they are the threat to this planet.

Jimbuna

10-09-24, 09:35 AM

If only it were so easy at Westminster.

Scottish Labour stunned by rebellion that sees Holyrood vote to REVERSE winter fuel cut

Scottish Labour Anas Sarwar was caught off-guard when two of his MSPs rebelled in a vote urging the UK Government to reverse the winter fuel payment cut.

Labour MSPs largely stood by UK Labour’s decision to press ahead with the adversely affect hundreds of thousands of pensioners this winter.

The non-binding motion from First Minister John Swinney was passed by 99 votes to 14, with members of all other parties voting with the SNP Government.

Former Labour leader Richard Leonard and Alex Rowley broke away from the party line to back the government motion.

Prior to the final vote, a Labour amendment to remove language calling on the U-turn was rejected by the parliament.

Mr Sarwar told MSPs that the UK Government doesn’t want to cut the winter fuel payment and are “not responsible for the chaos and damage inherited from the Tories.”

He said: “Why the SNP of all people want to minimise the damage the Tories have done is for them to explain.

“So I repeat, the decision of the winter fuel payment is not a decision that the Chancellor wanted to make.”

He added: “Instead of focusing on what it can’t do rather than what it can do, the Scottish Government could work with Scottish Labour to make sure this package is delivered to support Scots.”
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/scottish-labour-stunned-by-rebellion-that-sees-holyrood-vote-to-reverse-winter-fuel-cut/ar-AA1rXvmV?ocid=msedgntp&pc=ENTPSP&cvid=2a7efa2801184e1686ebd85f42e56dc8&ei=26

Jimbuna

10-09-24, 09:41 AM

Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick are the final two candidates to become the new Conservative Party leader, with James Cleverly eliminated from the contest

Badenoch got 42 votes from MPs; Jenrick 41, and Cleverly 37

The winner will be decided in a vote among Conservative Party members this month, with a final result released on 2 November

Following yesterday's elimination of Tom Tugendhat, Cleverly took the lead with 39 votes - but he's now out

Moonlight

10-09-24, 03:29 PM

Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick are both a pair of Muppets, Badenoch thinks there’s too much maternity pay and that 10% of civil servants should be in prison, versus Jenrick. who alleges that UK special forces are killing suspects rather than arresting them and who promises to withdraw from the European human rights system as a priority.

I'm going to get my tap and bucket at the ready just in case it's needed. :D

Jimbuna

10-10-24, 07:13 AM

Wouldn't surprise me if Miss Thieves stopped the state pension.

Reeves 'must find billions more' in time for Budget

Chancellor Rachel Reeves will need to come up with billions of pounds more to meet the government’s pre-election promises, according to calculations by influential think tank the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).

The government has promised no return to “austerity” for public services and a boost to government investment, designed to kickstart growth.

But to honour those commitments the chancellor will need to “grasp the nettle” and come up with £16bn more on top of £9bn tax rises set out in the Labour manifesto, the IFS said.

The chancellor is finalising details of her first Budget, to be announced on 30 October.

Reeves will set out how she plans to meet a raft of manifesto promises against a tangle of self-imposed restrictions on borrowing, spending and debt.

It will be the government’s first big set-piece, an opportunity to set out its priorities and values, and to reset the political tone after a backlash over clothing and hospitality donations.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq64j4rdrqno

Moonlight

10-10-24, 08:20 AM

She could always ask the Unions to give their exorbitant pay rise back, or even stop giving Billions of £££s away in Foreign Aid, or how about scrapping the House of Lords?, thought not you twat, and I thought Starmer was the massive Currant of the Labour Party. :D

Jimbuna

10-11-24, 05:25 AM

Labour’s support slides under 30% as angry older voters turn to Farage and the Tories - poll

Labour’s vote share since winning power has continued its dramatic slide to less than 30 per cent after voters aged 55 and over abandoned Keir Starmer’s party, new polling has revealed.

The Techne UK weekly tracker poll for The Independent has registered support for Labour falling to 29 per cent down five points from the election and two points below last week.

But with the Tories still undecided on a new leader, they failed to capitalise on Labour’s loss of popularity with a gain of just one point from last week to 24 per cent. Meanwhile Nigel Farage’s Reform UK were also up one to 19 per cent.

The Lib Dems stayed the same on 12 per cent while the Greens were unchanged on 7 per cent.

Labour’s losses came after another chaotic week which saw Keir Starmer sack his chief of staff Sue Gray and replace her with the controversial Morgan McSweeney. His government though has still been dogged by rows over freebies and now concerns are rising over dramatic tax rises with reports capital gains tax could be hiked to 39 per cent.

But Labour’s biggest problem appears to be with older voters with anger continuing to increase over the decision to cancel winter fuel payments for 10 million pensioners as the days get colder.

For the first time since the election Labour trails the Tories in both the 55 to 64 age group category and the 65 and over category. In an even more concerning development Starmer’s party also trails Reform UK in both categories.

Excluding undecideds Labour has 23 per cent 55 to 64 compared to the Tories’ 26 per cent and Reform’s 25 per cent. Among 65-and-overs, Labour has just 22 per cent to the Tories’ 29 per cent and Reform’s 24 per cent.

In less than 100 days Labour has also lost more than a quarter of its vote from the last election with 27 per cent of those who said they voted for Starmer’s party in July now saying they would not do it again.

Techne UK’s chief executive Michela Morizzo said that the only reason that Labour would hang on in this scenario is because the vote on the right of politics is still split between the Tories and Reform.

She said: “Things continue to go badly for the Labour government. Sir Keir Starmer’s party drop a further two points in national vote share this week, recording now just 29 per cent. This sub 30 per cent vote share for Labour is the lowest share we have recorded for the Labour Party since February 2022.

“If the right was united - which of course it is not - they would poll together in excess of 40 per cent of national vote share, far exceeding Labour. It will be very interesting to see how the consensus willl shift once the new Conservative leader is elected and the party starts to move on with a new vision looking to the next general election.”
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/labour-s-support-slides-under-30-as-angry-older-voters-turn-to-farage-and-the-tories-poll/ar-AA1s4qrn?ocid=msedgntp&pc=ENTPSP&cvid=a565e777ea094f65a64881811eadca40&ei=16

Moonlight

10-11-24, 08:51 AM

Short prison sentences could be completely scrapped by Labour with time behind bars replaced by community orders in new bid to ease jail overcrowding

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13948795/Short-prison-sentences-completely-scrapped-Labour-time-bars-replaced-community-orders-new-bid-ease-jail-overcrowding.html

These pillocks have no idea how to solve anything, send them my way you useless gits and I'll empty those prisons faster than you can say "Far Right", my speciality is "Left Wing Wankers" just like you are Starmer, I'll do the rest of your mob free of charge, just send me that Rayner bitch and that Reeves woman in the first batch :O:

Jimbuna

10-11-24, 11:54 AM

https://i.postimg.cc/W1BxgkB5/Untitled.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Gorpet

10-12-24, 12:12 AM

Labour’s support slides under 30% as angry older voters turn to Farage and the Tories - poll

The, American government will make sure Starmer wins your election.They can't have it any other way.Starmer was selected he is in power and there is nothing your citizens and your society can do .
All policeman in America are ex combat vets.Ya baby you just left one battlefield It's join us and we will give you a Brooch to put on your uniform a nice pistol ,And a automatic rifle And you must defend Democracy !! And since the ruling party is paying you ! Your either with us or against us. Yi pi Ki ya.

Kier Stammer, will survive and he will win,The fate of the UK and it's people will be decided,in a bar in Washington DC.

Moonlight

10-12-24, 06:00 AM

Britain's small boat crisis! More than 13,0000 migrants have crossed the English Channel during Labour's first 100 days in power

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13951729/Britains-small-boat-crisis-English-Channel-Labours-power.html

13,000 Illegal Migrants in 100 days tells me that their Migrant policy is not worth a damn, I'm surprised Starmer isn't marching up and down a beach somewhere waving his "Illegal Migrants Welcome Here" placard while announcing more cuts here and more taxes there.

Dargo

10-12-24, 06:44 AM

https://i.postimg.cc/Sxmz2d79/133601265-channel-boat-crossings-non-optimo08oct-nc-png.webp

In 2023 as a whole, 29,437 people came to the UK in small boats. The 2022 total of 45,755 was the highest since figures were first collected in 2018.

Jimbuna

10-12-24, 10:35 AM

Suffice to say, whatever the figure it is far too high.

Jimbuna

10-12-24, 12:09 PM

Alex Salmond, one of the most important figures in SNP history, has died at the age of 69.

The former SNP leader, who was the First Minister between 2007 and 2014, passed away after giving a speech in Macedonia on Saturday.

A spokesman for Alba, the pro-independence party he led after leaving the SNP, confirmed his death.

Jimbuna

10-13-24, 12:15 PM

Sir Keir Starmer Pledges Budget to Raise Living Standards and Rebuild Britain

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/sir-keir-starmer-pledges-budget-to-raise-living-standards-and-rebuild-britain/ar-AA1sa7fQ?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=9af51fd3ab0f44de935abb1d0b59e01e&ei=34

Jimbuna

10-14-24, 09:43 AM

Keir Starmer signs UK up for eight more years of migrant crossings with £521m contract

Keir Starmer has been accused of signing Britain up to at least eight more years of the small boats crisis and "betraying" voters.

During the election, the Prime Minister pledged to "smash the people smuggling gangs" and make it a priority to end illegal migrant crossings of the English Channel.

Today, however, the Home Office published new contracts to run migrant processing centres in Kent with expiry dates set to 2032.

The contract, worth a whopping £521 million, requires a firm to manage the Manston and Kent migrant processing centres, including staffing, security and healthcare.

The winning company will be handed the contract for an initial term of six years, beginning in 2026, but there is also the option to extend the contract for up to four years - raising the possibility that Britain will still be processing illegal migrants in 12 years' time.

The news led to accusations that the Government is now anticipating the small boats crisis to last for at least another eight years, and sparked fury among those demanding an urgent end to the crossings.

Writing in the Express today, former immigration minister and Tory leadership candidate Robert Jenrick accused Sir Keir of a "total betrayal of the British public".

With over 13,000 illegal arrivals since Labour took power, Mr Jenrick blasted: "It was never going to hold up for long. But - I suspect - even Labour are surprised that after just 100 days their pledge to 'smash the gangs' lies in tatters."

The hardliner, who wants Britain to leave the European Convention on Human Rights in order to tackle the small boat crossings, said Keir Starmer has signed Britain up to eight more years of uncontrolled immigration, putting Britain's social cohesion and national security at risk.

He was joined by former Home Secretary Dame Priti Patel, who described Labour's handling of the migrant crisis as "scandalous" and laid aim at a "weak" Prime Minister.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/travel/news/keir-starmer-signs-uk-up-for-eight-more-years-of-migrant-crossings-with-521m-contract/ar-AA1sc9x8?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=7a464263961c4792aa3b5d3eaa571192&ei=24

Jimbuna

10-15-24, 12:09 PM

Alex Salmond died as he opened bottle of ketchup, witness claims

Former first minister of Scotland Alex Salmond died as he opened a bottle of ketchup, a witness has claimed.

The Alba Party leader died suddenly in North Macedonia on Saturday aged 69.

He had made a speech at the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy Forum in the city of Ohrid before collapsing at lunch in a crowded room.

A post-mortem examination confirmed Mr Salmond’s cause of death as a heart attack, the Alba Party said on Monday.

Eyewitness Mark Donfried, director of the Academy for Cultural Diplomacy, has explained what he saw in the moments before Mr Salmond’s death.

Mr Donfried told Times Radio: “He came together with Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, also from the Alba Party in Scotland, and they were eating.

“Later on Tasmina told me she was having trouble opening the ketchup and she reached over and said, ‘Hey, can you give me a hand?’.

“And he was helping her with that when literally he fell back in his chair, totally out of the blue, without warning.

“Next to him was the former chief executive of the stock exchange of Cyprus and he basically took him in his arms. He was convinced – he told me later – that immediately he was unconscious.

“So we don’t think Alex actually suffered any pain, thank God. He felt his heart and he couldn’t feel the heart rate then.”

Paramedics tried to resuscitate Mr Salmond for half an hour before pronouncing him dead, according to Mr Donfried.

“Really time stopped,” he said. “The entire hotel, the entire conference was in shock.”

The Scottish and UK governments are working together to repatriate the ex-SNP leader’s body.

Conservative MP David Davis, who was a friend of Mr Salmond, called for the RAF to bring Mr Salmond’s body back to the UK.

The Alba Party, which Mr Salmond founded in 2021 after leaving the SNP, said it expected an update on his return on Monday evening.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/alex-salmond-died-as-he-opened-bottle-of-ketchup-witness-claims/ar-AA1siYVQ?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=e31d0f96a2e24700bd18a993ff074c08&ei=72

Jimbuna

10-16-24, 09:39 AM

So much for the party that said it wouldn't increase taxes.

Rachel Reeves plots 'unprecedented' £40bn tax rises as Budget looms

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is looking into implementing up to £40billion in tax rises and spending cuts in the upcoming Budget, as the Government aims to avoid a return to austerity.

The Treasury has identified a larger funding gap than previously reported, surpassing the £22billion "black hole" frequently cited by Reeves.

This revelation came to light during a Cabinet meeting on Monday, where the Chancellor informed ministers that addressing the initially reported deficit would only maintain current public services.

The expanded £40billion target is intended to safeguard key departments from real-terms cuts and bolster the economy.

Prime Minster Keir Starmer has acknowledged the need for "tough decisions" in the Budget, scheduled for October 30.

Starmer has not ruled out an increase in employers' National Insurance contributions.

However, he maintains that Labour will honour its manifesto pledge not to raise taxes on working people, including income tax, VAT, and National Insurance.

The commitment to avoid tax hikes for workers has raised questions about whether this extends to employers' contributions.

Business leaders have cautioned that increasing their national insurance payments would effectively act as a "tax on jobs".

Experts suggest that ministers need to find £20billion to prevent cuts to unprotected departments. Additional funds are required to avoid a sharp decline in investment spending.

While some of this could be achieved by altering the Government's debt calculation method, economists argue that tax increases are likely unavoidable to prevent a squeeze on day-to-day spending.

Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) chief Paul Johnson has described the potential £40billion tax hikes as "extraordinary" and "unprecedented". Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he explained:

"£40billion pounds is a big number, you can get there relatively easily actually in terms of the scale of additional spending that will be required down the line."

Johnson suggested that while some of this could be covered by changes to fiscal rules and existing tax plans, a significant amount would remain.

He added: "If they're looking for £20 or £30billion of tax rises, in the end, they will have no choice but to do something with income tax."

Recent inflation figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show a drop below the Bank of England's target rate for the first time since April 2021.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/rachel-reeves-plots-unprecedented-40bn-tax-rises-as-budget-looms/ar-AA1smpMj?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=84105d0397dc49f1b7377e9ddd09d164&ei=12

Jimbuna

10-17-24, 08:20 AM

Angela Rayner leads Cabinet revolt against Reeves’ ‘huge’ Budget cuts

Sir Keir Starmer is facing a backlash from Angela Rayner and his cabinet over “huge” cuts to departmental spending to be unveiled in Rachel Reeves’ Budget.

The prime minister has received letters from senior ministers raising concerns about the spending cuts after a number spoke out against the measures at Tuesday’s cabinet meeting.

Some departments are facing cuts of as much as 20 per cent as Ms Reeves scrambles to find £40bn of spending cuts and tax rises before the October 30 Budget.

She told ministers during Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting that plans to fill a £22bn hole in the public finances will be enough only to “keep public services standing still”. Having promised “no return to austerity” under Labour, Ms Reeves is seeking the additional £18bn to fund a cash injection for the NHS and avoid real terms cuts to some key departments.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/angela-rayner-leads-cabinet-revolt-against-reeves-huge-budget-cuts/ar-AA1soKWv?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=ad46098c1905420c979dd63a64e4ec8a&ei=13

Jimbuna

10-18-24, 11:46 AM

Tories trounce Labour in yet another by-election as Keir Starmer's woes continue

Prime Minister Keir Starmer's popularity continues to plummet as the Tories clinch yet another by-election victory.

The Conservatives have another councillor in Greenwich after winning the Eltham Town & Avery Hill by-election, comfortably beating the Labour candidate.

Charlie Davis, who had been a councillor in the area until May 2022, grabbed back his seat after picking up 1,522 votes, trouncing Labour's Chris McGurk, who won 981 votes, reports The Greenwich wire.

The win only adds to Labour's woes as the party lost a swathe of council seats last week, with their vote share dropping across the country.

In a post on social media website X new councillor Charlie Davis said he was "absolutely delighted" and "can't wait to get started."

He said: "Absolutely delighted to have been elected by my fellow residents in Eltham Town & Avery Hill as their councillor.

"I've been blown away by the support in this campaign - this result is the result of everyones hard work.

"I can't wait to get started delivering for my community."

Across 19 council by-elections last week, Labour lost four seats and the Tories gained four seats, despite the Conservatives still being in the midst of a leadership election.

Averaged across all 16 seats Labour fielded candidates, Sir Keir's party lost over 10 percent of their vote share. The biggest blows were dealt in South Ribble, North East Derbyshire and Leeds, where Labour lost 21.6 percent, 21.3 percent and 20 percent of their vote share respectively.

Only London and Scotland provided any solace for the beleaguered party, where two by-elections in Ealing and North Lanarkshire saw them put on 0.1 percent of the vote.

The Tories gained four seats, two from independents in Fylde and Pembrokeshire, and two from Labour in Worthing and North East Derbyshire - the latter with a swing of 15.7 percent.

Meanwhile the Greens snatched a seat from Labour in Leeds as did the Lib Dems in Southampton. The Tories also gained a seat from the Lib Dems in Elmbridge.

The results confirmed recent polling which suggests the party has already plummeted in popularity since the election on July 4.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/other/tories-trounce-labour-in-yet-another-by-election-as-keir-starmer-s-woes-continue/ar-AA1svWeK?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=975f5298be654d43bca6e664334492ab&ei=20

Jimbuna

10-19-24, 12:23 PM

Tax threshold freeze not a pledge-breaker - Labour sources

An announcement in the upcoming budget of a continued freeze on income tax thresholds beyond 2028 would not constitute a breach of Labour's election manifesto promise, government sources have insisted.

In the run-up to June's general election, both leader Sir Keir Starmer and the soon-to-be Chancellor Rachel Reeves pledged to "not increase taxes on working people".

But a threshold freeze could allow the chancellor to raise an estimated £7bn by bringing more people into the tax system.

Reeves is currently trying to find £40bn through a mixture of savings and tax rises that she will announce in the new government's first budget on Wednesday 30 October.

Tax thresholds were frozen by the previous Conservative government in 2022, but were due to rise again each year from 2028.

The chancellor is now said to be weighing a plan to extend the freeze for the remainder of the parliament.

The decision not to increase tax thresholds would continue a process called "fiscal drag", in which more people are "dragged" into paying tax, or higher rates of tax, as their wages rise and cross the unchanging thresholds.

If Reeves goes ahead with the plan, roughly 400,000 more people will find themselves paying income tax at the basic rate.

Government insiders have insisted this does not breach Labour's manifesto pledge to "not increase taxes on working people".

Sources are pointing to the exact wording of the manifesto, which states that the "rates" of income tax would not rise.

In other words, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland these would remain – depending on income – at 20p, 40p and 45p.

But as people's wages increased, so too would their tax bill.

In 2019, the Conservatives also pledged not to increase tax "rates" - and went on to freeze tax thresholds.

At the time, this was denounced by the Labour opposition as a "stealth tax".

However, it is not one the party has specifically pledged to reverse.

Labour's opponents will argue that an extension of a freeze would undermine the party’s wider-ranging promise not to increase taxes on working people.

Reeves has just 11 days to firm up her plans ahead of Budget day.

The country's first female chancellor has warned of a £22bn "black hole" in the public finances - a gap caused by the rules the government has chosen to follow governing how much money it can borrow over the next five years.

Filling this hole would only be enough to "keep public services standing still", the chancellor said this week.

This means she is hoping to find £40bn in order to avoid real-terms cuts to government departments.

Reeves has warned of "difficult decisions" ahead.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c79npj3eqdlo

Jimbuna

10-20-24, 11:19 AM

Labour's winter fuel payment cuts set to hit disabled pensioners hardest, poll shows

Labour's winter fuel payment cuts will see 84% of pensioners with a long-term health condition or disability lose out, new polling shows.

The findings have been branded a "shocking indictment" of the plan to strip most OAPs of the allowance, with fresh calls for the Government to perform a U-turn ahead of the Budget.

Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said: "When they announced this policy, Labour claimed they would protect those most in need. This polling is yet more evidence that those claims were totally empty.

"The vast majority of poor and disabled pensioners will lose this vital support. The Government must take the opportunity at the Budget to urgently reverse course."

The survey for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition also found 81% of older people who are already worried about cold and damp in their homes say they will no longer get the winter fuel payment.

And it showed that one in five pensioners with long-term health conditions or disabilities who will not get the lifeline are worried about their safety this winter.

Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, said: "The new data is yet another warning sign to ministers.

"The indications are that older people who no longer get the winter fuel payment are more likely to suffer in cold damp homes this winter than the general public.

"For those pensioners with a physical disability, the situation is potentially even worse. Many do not have access to the means-tested benefits needed to claim the winter fuel payment and the Government must urgently assess the impact on this group in particular and provide more help to them.

"Until the Government fully implements its plans to improve insulation and ventilation of buildings as well as stabilise energy costs, vulnerable households will continue to need financial support.

"That's why the winter fuel payments were so important. The money provided help for older households to stay warm each winter.

"Sadly, now more older people are expected to live in cold damp homes this winter and this puts them at greater risk of ill health, with over a quarter of a million older people becoming so ill they will be forced to the doors of the NHS."

Disability charity Scope warned that life is already more expensive for disabled people who tend to have higher electricity and gas bills.

James Taylor, Scope's executive director of strategy and social change, said: "These findings are a shocking indictment of a plan that will leave older disabled people in an impossible situation this winter.

"Life already costs more when you're disabled. Higher electricity bills because of medical equipment to power. Higher heating bills because of health conditions affected by the cold.

"Since the start of this crisis, we've heard from disabled people who are going without heating and forgoing medical treatment. Sacrifices that put their health at risk.

"While some disabled pensioners receive pension credit, there are an alarming number who will miss out this winter. We'd urge anyone who thinks they could be eligible to apply, or to get in touch with our helpline for advice.

"We desperately need a longer-term solution for the eye-watering energy costs many disabled people face, which is why we're calling for the Government to bring in discounted bills for disabled households."

The Opinium poll of more than 2,000 people, carried out earlier this month, found that 88% of respondents said they would no longer receive the winter fuel allowance.

The figure stands at 90% for Labour voters and 89% for Tory backers.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: "These new figures highlight the sheer numbers of older people who will miss out this winter, many of whom are used to relying on the winter fuel payment to heat their homes.

"With our own analysis showing that 80% of those living on incomes below the poverty line or just above it will no longer receive the payment, it's clear that the cut will run deep and affect many of the poorest pensioners in our society.

"It's not too late for ministers to change their minds and pause the policy until next year but time is running short, winter is only just around the corner and we know that pensioners without much money coming in are worried about how they will cope."

Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who will deliver her Budget on October 30, announced in July that previously universal winter fuel payments of up to £300 would be restricted to only those on pension credit.

She blamed a £22billion black hole in the public finances left by the Tories, which they have disputed.

The change, which comes as energy bills went up this month, will see 10million pensioners miss out on the allowance and is expected to save the Treasury £1.4billion.

But it has sparked widespread condemnation from opposition MPs, charities, unions and some Labour politicians.

Labour MP Rachael Maskell, who has been a vocal critic, said: "Even at this late stage, I urge the Government to pause their proposals and ensure that the frailest can get through this winter warm, well and safely."

The Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC), which scrutinises the Government's welfare policies, last week criticised the failure to carry out a full impact assessment.

The Department for Work and Pensions came under fire last month for slipping out figures on a Friday night based on "equality analyses" which showed 71% of those with a disability would miss out.

The Daily Express previously revealed that the policy is estimated to cost the NHS at least £169 million a year.

A government spokesman said: "We are committed to supporting pensioners - with millions set to see their state pension rise by up to £1,700 this parliament through our commitment to the triple lock.

"Over a million pensioners will still receive the winter fuel payment, and our drive to boost pension credit take up has already seen a 152% increase in claims.

"Many others will also benefit from the £150 warm home discount to help with energy bills over winter while our extension of the household support fund will help with the cost of food, heating and bills."

Pensioners with long-term health conditions or disabilities are hit twice as hard by the heartless cuts to winter fuel payments.

Of course these older people suffer alongside their friends who are also seeing their energy bills hit real terms highs this winter.

But the impact is doubly worrying for the 84% of older people with a long-term health condition or disability who claim that they will no longer get winter fuel payments.

Last winter we had reports of disabled people unable to afford to charge their wheelchairs due to the cost of energy. This is now more likely to happen to older disabled people leaving them housebound.

If that wasn't proof of the heartlessness of Rachel Reeves' decision, there is worse.

There are thousands of older people who rely on energy for medical needs.

And for older people with health conditions, such as lung and heart conditions, living without adequate heating and energy is especially dangerous as it can make pre-existing problems worse.

As MPs have recently raised in the House of Commons, this will lead to more than 250,000 older people turning to the NHS in distress this winter. The Health Secretary refused to deny the figures and refused to say how the NHS is preparing for this influx.

When seen alongside Age UK's recent impact assessment of Chancellor's cruel Winter Fuel Payment policy, this new data confirms that many of the most vulnerable pensioners will be left without the support they rely on to keep themselves warm in the winter - forcing them to live in dangerous conditions.

Longer term, these problems can be fixed by energy efficiency measures and bringing down the cost of energy.

We know the Government is taking action on this and we welcome what they are doing. But this doesn't help people this winter.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/other/labour-s-winter-fuel-payment-cuts-set-to-hit-disabled-pensioners-hardest-poll-shows/ar-AA1sB1U0?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=685b6aa6036a49238102e308dbb2758f&ei=11

Jimbuna

10-21-24, 10:28 AM

Asylum hotel rioter, 61, dies in prison

A grandfather convicted of violent disorder after taking part in rioting outside a hotel used to house asylum seekers has died in prison.

Peter Lynch, 61, was serving two years and eight months after he pleaded guilty to being part of the unrest at the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham on 4 August.

He shouted "racist and provocative remarks" towards officers and called asylum seekers in the hotel "child killers", Sheffield Crown Court heard at his sentencing.

A spokesperson for the Prison Service said Lynch, who had been at HMP Moorland in Doncaster, died on Saturday.

"As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate," the spokesperson added.

"Family man" Lynch, who had suffered a heart attack earlier in the year and had also been diagnosed with diabetes, had gone to the hotel to protest against immigration, his defence barrister said.

He had "a general conspiracy theory against anyone and any form of authority", and had taken a placard referencing the "deep state" and space agency Nasa.

Video played to the court showed Lynch "revving up" the situation before it turned violent and calling the police "scum", the judge said.

Lynch, of Burman Road, in Wath-upon-Dearne, had three grandchildren was described by his barrister as "very caring".

He was jailed on 22 August following his guilty plea to violent disorder.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpw5w8nl5ezo

Jimbuna

10-21-24, 11:41 AM

Police officer cleared of murdering Chris Kaba

A police officer has been cleared of murdering a man he shot in the head in south London two years ago.

Martyn Blake, 40, shot Chris Kaba, who was unarmed, during a police vehicle stop in Streatham in September 2022.

The officer denied intending to kill the 24-year-old.

As the jury's decision was read out the defendant took a deep breath, but otherwise did not react to the not guilty verdict.

Following the verdict, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said: "No police officer is above the law, but we have been clear that the system holding police to account is broken."

During the trial at the Old Bailey, the court heard Mr Kaba was due to be a father.

He died from a single gunshot wound, which was fired through the windscreen of an Audi Q8.

After the verdict was read out, Mr Kaba's cousin could be seen shaking her head.

One of his relatives could be seen rocking backwards and forwards, and the group later walked away from the courtroom in silence, accompanied by their police family liaison officer.

Mr Justice Goss thanked the jury of nine men and three women following the verdict on Monday, saying they displayed diligence and care during the trial.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c17lk592ygdo

Rockstar

10-22-24, 05:52 AM

Meet Top Sheffield Judge Jeremy Richardson:

https://i.ibb.co/bsNHg4Z/IMG-0908.jpg

• He let a paedophile off with a suspended sentence.
https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/lincoln-n [removed]

• He let a driver who killed a cyclist off with a suspended sentence.
https://www.bbc.com/news [removed]

• He sentenced Peter Lynch for 2 years and 8 months for shouting at police in non-violent protest.

https://news.sky.com/story/amp/grandfather-jailed-over-riot-outside-rotherham-hotel-dies-in-prison-13238291 [active]

Body-worn camera footage, played to Sheffield Crown Court in the summer, showed 61-year-old Lynch screaming "you are protecting people who are killing our kids and raping them" and "scum" at police with riot shields.

Seems some posted links’s have already been removed.

Jimbuna

10-22-24, 06:06 AM

More prisoners freed early to ease overcrowding

The government is releasing 1,100 more prisoners early, as part of its emergency plan to ease overcrowding in jails in England and Wales.

Offenders serving more than five years will be released on licence after spending 40% of their time behind bars, a scheme that excludes those convicted of serious violence, sex crimes and terrorism.

The second tranche of emergency releases since September comes as ministers launch a major review of sentencing that is likely to lead to new forms of punishment outside of jails.

The review aims to reduce overcrowding and could lead to judges having powers to sentence people to “prison outside prison” with a form of house arrest.

"We have to expand the use of punishment outside of prison," Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"We have to have a long-term plan that gets us in a different position where prison has a place, and it works, keeps the public safe but also we do better at rehabilitating offenders as well."

Tuesday’s early releases are the second part of the emergency plan announced by ministers days after the general election, amid dire warnings from officials that the jails were running out of space.

The scheme frees 5,500 spaces across England and Wales by releasing some offenders, to be monitored on a licence in the community, after 40% of their sentence behind bars, down from the standard 50%.

Many of those leaving jail on Tuesday will come from open prisons, meaning they have been working towards rehabilitation.

The prison population has been growing by around 4,500 a year - faster than previous governments had built new cells.

The justice secretary said the Labour government would build 14,000 spaces promised but not delivered by the Conservatives - but she also wanted to change the way sentencing works to prevent the overcrowding crisis repeating.

"We have an opportunity now to reshape and redesign what punishment outside of a prison looks like," she said.

“It still has to be punishment, they still have to have their liberty curtailed, people have to know and believe there are consequences to breaking our laws," she added.

The sentencing review will be led by David Gauke, a former Conservative justice secretary.

His report, expected next spring, will look at replacing short prison sentences with new forms of community punishment and using technology to improve rehabilitation.

Officials have already been looking at expanding the use of successful “sobriety tags” that monitor if an offender drinks alcohol.

They also want to look at the case for smart watch-like devices, piloted in some parts of the US, which send ‘nudge' messages to offenders.

Trials have indicated they can improve how ex-offenders, who often live chaotic lives, comply with their rehabilitation.

Mahmood said that whatever the final proposals, there should always be a cell available for dangerous offenders - a duty the system came perilously close to failing to meet this summer when it was down to less than 100 available spaces.

The current prison population is 87,465, with 1,671 vacant places remaining.

Andrew Nielson, campaigns director of the Howard League for Penal Reform, welcomed the sentencing review.

He told the BBC that Tuesday's emergency prisoner releases were "a really blunt tool" and "far from an ideal situation" because some inmates will not be ready to return to the community.

"This only buys the government some time. By this time next year, if not sooner, they'll be facing the same issues again," he said. "That's why the sentencing review is so important.

One of Labour's first acts after winning the election was to implement the early release scheme, drawn up by the previous government.

The first set of early releases under this strategy came in September, when 1,700 offenders left prison, reducing the overall prison population to 86,333.

However, there were some serious mistakes by the government.

Some people who should not have been released were set free. Thirty-seven inmates whose sentences had not been properly logged were let out in error. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) says they have now all been returned to custody.

The BBC discovered some released offenders who should have been fitted with an electronic tag to monitor their movements had not been fitted with the device.

Critics have previously voiced concerns about the scheme's impact on public safety, with a probation union warning it amounted to "moving the problem from one place to another without properly assessing the risks".

While the emergency release scheme has reduced the population from its peak of 89,000, officials say jails could reach another crisis point from next July if other measures fail to work.

One of those plans is to give magistrates the power to jail offenders for up to 12 months - doubling their sentencing power.

Officials say that move will help cut the 17,000 offenders on remand in cells waiting for their prosecutions to be completed - meaning they can’t be moved through the system towards rehabilitation.

However, the Criminal Bar Association was concerned it would “sharply increase” the prison population - because some defendants would opt for a trial rather than receiving a 12-month jail sentence.

It said this would mean adding their cases to the existing backlog in the crown courts.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly6y67dkpzo

Jimbuna

10-22-24, 06:58 AM

Salmond’s funeral to be held on October 29

Former first minister Alex Salmond’s funeral will be held on October 29, it has been confirmed.

The former SNP leader died in North Macedonia earlier this month after suffering a heart attack.

His body was repatriated – on a flight paid for by businessman Sir Tom Hunter – on Friday, landing in Aberdeen on a private plane.

Mr Salmond’s family confirmed the private funeral will take place next Tuesday at Strichen Parish Church near his Aberdeenshire home.

Reverend Ian McEwan will conduct the service before a private burial at Strichen cemetery.A public memorial service is expected to take place in the coming weeks.

Mr Salmond, who was first minister between 2007 and 2014 and was responsible for securing the independence referendum, was seen off from North Macedonia by a guard of honour.

Arriving back in Scotland, the flight was met by his family and Kenny MacAskill, a long-term friend who stepped into the role of acting Alba leader following Mr Salmond’s death.

His coffin was taken off the plane – draped in a Saltire – to the sound of a lone piper, before being loaded into a hearse and taken to a funeral home in Fraserburgh, led by a group of independence-supporting bikers.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/salmond-s-funeral-to-be-held-on-october-29/ar-AA1sHFGW?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=bcb3e527a7804201b9205958e8a1af1a&ei=85

Moonlight

10-23-24, 07:14 AM

^Is Sturgeon going to do the eulogy?.

Public sector workers' golden pension pots 'will be spared' Chancellor's £15BILLION national insurance raid in Budget - leaving private sector firms and staff to bear the whole burden

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13990859/Public-sector-workers-golden-pension-pots-Chancellor-national-insurance-Budget-Labour.html

Divisive tactics, haven't we seen enough of that these last 14 years?, these Labour politicians are looking after their union paymasters and the wealth creators are going to pay the price for it, this will not end well.

Jimbuna

10-23-24, 08:03 AM

^ Agreed :yep:

Just to add insult to injury, I received my letter from the DWP this morning informing me I would not receive a WFP this year.

Jimbuna

10-23-24, 09:20 AM

https://i.postimg.cc/WbLwVwbV/464146178-10230034655584315-492522967841565410-n.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Moonlight

10-24-24, 04:26 AM

Say sorry for backing Chris Kaba: Calls for Jeremy Corbyn, Diane Abbott and Sadiq Khan to apologise for supporting gun gangster after Met marksman exonerated

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13994669/Dianne-Abbott-Jeremy-Corbyn-Sadiq-Khan-sorry-Chris-Kaba-justice-death.html

These 3 politicians should be hanging their heads in shame, they have a huge responsibility to uphold the basic principle of not guilty until found guilty by a court of law and it's time they applied that fact.
Corbyn and Co are too quick to make accusations for their own skewed benefit and they should be held to account for it, a suspension from the house of commons until an independent investigation is undertaken should be next, but as we already know, these corrupt politicians won't allow that to happen.

Jimbuna

10-24-24, 07:14 AM

I doubt anybody believes a word you say Keir....I know I certainly don't.

‘No reason’ for Budget to make entrepreneurs want to leave UK, Starmer insists

Entrepreneurs will find “no reason” to want to leave the UK following next week’s Budget, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

The Prime Minister hailed the October 30 fiscal event as a historic moment, describing it as Labour’s first chance to “define the way in which we will approach the economy” after 14 years in opposition.

But amid media reports that the Government could raise capital gains tax, putting off business start-ups and foreign investors alike, Sir Keir is confident the UK’s inward flow of cash will continue to grow.

Asked if he thinks entrepreneurs may want to leave the UK following reported tax increases in the Budget, Sir Keir told reporters: “There is no reason for them to.”

Speaking while travelling to Samoa for a meeting of Commonwealth leaders, the Prime Minister pointed to the recent UK investment summit he hosted as an indicator of mood music among investors.

“All the feedback back to us has been that it was very well received by a significant number of global investors,” he said.

Some £63 billion inward investment resulted from the summit, according to the Government.

“I am confident that we will see more inward investment before Christmas to add to that £63 billion,” Sir Keir said.

Asked for his thoughts on the significance of the Budget, he said: “Is it going to be an important Budget? Yes, it is.

“It’s the first one for 15 years. the first Labour Budget. It’s our first opportunity to define the way in which we will approach the economy, and that’s why I say we will fix the foundations and rebuild the country.”

Following months of gloomy scene-setting from the Government, Sir Keir also insisted it was important his ministers “levelled with the country about the inheritance” they received from their Conservative predecessors.

“That £22 billion is for real. It’s not performative,” he said.

“I do not accept the argument that many of you put to me in interviews that, because we settled the public sector, that somehow it wasn’t a black hole.”

Because the Budget offers the chance for the Prime Minister to lay out his Government’s course, Sir Keir was also asked about the reset at the heart of his No 10 operation.

While he would not be drawn into revealing the future of top aide Sue Gray’s role in Government, he said he is “pleased I’ve got a good team in place” following a reshuffle of his senior staff.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/no-reason-for-budget-to-make-entrepreneurs-want-to-leave-uk-starmer-insists/ar-AA1sNVyU?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=84f51a278b754686840117c3f0821d45&ei=53

Jimbuna

10-24-24, 07:48 AM

Winchester prison so 'dilapidated' that inmate removed his cell door

A prison is so "dilapidated" an inmate was able to remove his own cell door, an inspection has found.

A watchdog has called for Winchester prison, a category B jail in Hampshire, to be put into emergency measures over concerns of "very high levels of violence" and drug problems.

Inspectors wrote to Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood to issue an urgent notification for improvement.

An inspection carried out earlier this month found examples of "weaknesses in physical and procedural security", with one wing so "dilapidated" an inmate had "been able to remove his own cell door".

A separate report by the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) earlier this year found Winchester prisoners were able to dig through walls using plastic cutlery.

Martin Lomas, deputy chief inspector of prisons, said: "Winchester was in a very poor state and had been for many years.

"At this most recent inspection we found that standards had deteriorated to the point that we had no choice but to issue an urgent notification for improvement.

"These very poor outcomes represent systemic failings under the oversight of HMPPS (HM Prison and Probation Service) and the Ministry of Justice, and will require sustained support and investment if the jail is to provide decent living conditions, keep prisoners safe and provide them with the skills they need to succeed in life outside prison."

Inspectors highlighted how prisoners were being held in "dreadful conditions" with some cells "so damp and mouldy that inspectors questioned whether they were fit for habitation".

The report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons said drugs, debt and "prisoner frustration" led to the "highest level of serious assaults" against staff in all England and Wales reception jails. These process new inmates into the prison system and hold people on remand or who have been convicted but are yet to be sentenced while they are taken to court.

The prison, which also has a lower security category C resettlement unit, also had the second highest rate for serious assaults against other inmates, while self-harm was at the third highest level of all prisons of this kind, according to the watchdog.

Winchester is the ninth prison to be issued with an urgent notification since November 2022 and the second this month, joining Manchester.

The notice effectively places the jail in special measures and means the justice secretary has to urgently produce an action plan for improvement before the watchdog carries out another inspection.

Prisons and probation minister Lord Timpson said: "This report illustrates the scale of the crisis this government inherited in our prisons.

"We took immediate action to grip the overcrowding chaos inflicting our jails. We have since committed to building 14,000 more prison places, and this week launched a landmark review of sentencing to ensure the prison system is never placed in such a position again.

"Prisons like HMP Winchester must not be allowed to become breeding grounds for further crime. Staff are already working hard to drive the improvements needed and we will publish an action plan in the coming weeks to support them in their efforts."

Earlier this week the Labour government released prisoners early for a second time in a bid to ease pressure on the justice system.
https://news.sky.com/story/winchester-prison-so-dilapidated-that-inmate-removed-his-cell-door-13240216

Moonlight

10-24-24, 10:07 AM

^That's an open and shut case then.

Jimbuna

10-24-24, 11:47 AM

Bit like a custody suite I worked in a couple of times....the bad lads had some of the cell door keys replicated allowing some of their gang mates to exit during the night and once seen on internal security cameras were always apprehended in a timely fashion.

The only problem being a few of the lads were disciplined over a period of time for supposedly failing to lock the cell doors/dereliction of duty and had to wait until the duplicate keys were realised before outcome reversal.

Jimbuna

10-25-24, 12:29 PM

Nightmare for Keir Starmer as Tories secure thumping double by-election victory

Sir Keir Starmer's Labour Party suffered a big blow as the Conservatives secured thumping double by-election victories, overturning Labour strongholds in both Monmouthshire and South Ribble.

In Monmouthshire, Conservative candidate Martin Newell won the Monmouth Town seat, which had been vacated by Labour MP Catherine Fookes.

The Tories overturned a Labour majority of 127 from the 2022 local elections, with Newell gaining 350 votes, beating Labour's Jackie Atkin, who secured 184 votes.

The victory increased the Conservative presence on Monmouthshire County Council to 19 seats, just two behind Labour.

Newell said: "I'm delighted with the result. I was born and bred in this community, and I'm honoured to represent Monmouth Town on the county council."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/nightmare-for-keir-starmer-as-tories-secure-thumping-double-by-election-victory/ar-AA1sVNse?ocid=msedgntp&pc=ENTPSP&cvid=40f54dee08484f41a82ee021019ced5c&ei=14

Jimbuna

10-26-24, 10:06 AM

This will probably mean many businesses will cease trading or employ fewer people.

Employers' National Insurance hike to raise £20bn

The chancellor is set to increase the National Insurance rate for employers to boost funding for public services including the NHS.

Rachel Reeves is also expected to use Wednesday's Budget to lower the threshold for when employers start paying the tax - with the two measures combined to raise about £20bn.

The move is thought to be the single largest revenue raiser of next week's Budget, with other tax rises expected, although Reeves is not likely to introduce the levy to employers' pensions contributions.

Employers currently pay National Insurance of 13.8% on a worker's earnings above £175 a week.

A government source said: "There is a universal consensus that the NHS needs more money.

"That means asking businesses to help out. The choice is investment versus decline."

At a news conference at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer refused to be drawn on the detail of Wednesday's Budget.

But he said the government would take "tough decisions" with the aim of putting the NHS "back on its feet".

National Insurance contributions are the UK's second-largest revenue stream behind income tax. It is paid by workers and the self-employed on earnings and profits, and by employers on top of the wages they pay out.

Speculation has been growing about the tax rises Labour will announce in its first Budget in almost 15 years, with the chancellor claiming there is a £22bn "hole" in the public finances.

Other than National Insurance for employers, the freezing of income tax thresholds could be extended, meaning more people are "dragged" into paying tax, or higher rates of tax, as their wages rise and cross the unchanging thresholds.

The government is looking at increasing tax on asset sales, such as shares and property, and changes to inheritance tax.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9wrkngvyx4o

Jimbuna

10-27-24, 12:38 PM

No tax rises in payslips for 'working people', vows minister

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has said "working people" would not see higher taxes on their payslips following Wednesday's Budget.

During the election, Labour promised not to increase National Insurance, income tax or VAT on working people but ministers have since come under pressure to define exactly who that covers.

Appearing on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Phillipson said the manifesto pledge referred to people "whose main source of income is the income they earn from going out to work".

She avoided saying if she thought business owners could be considered working people.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c789915n5elo

Jimbuna

10-28-24, 08:36 AM

https://i.postimg.cc/9fNkC36g/F90-B061-B-5926-4-F48-8-C45-61-E74-D7-A6487.jpg (https://postimg.cc/rdxjNHF5)keyboardchecker (https://keyboardtester.co/keyboard-tester)

Jimbuna

10-28-24, 12:37 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f_ERIX_XD0

Jimbuna

10-29-24, 08:33 AM

Keir Starmer's public approval drops 43 points

Keir Starmer's approval ratings have plummeted by 43 points since he entered Downing Street, new polling has revealed.

The Prime Minister has defined his brief premiership with 'tough choices' on public spending - including cutting the Winter Fuel Allowance for millions of pensioners and ending the £2 bus fare cap.

But the latest approval ratings from think tank More in Common suggest his pessimism is turning off voters who gave him an electoral landslide in July.

The proportion who feel he is doing a 'somewhat good' or 'very good' job minus those who think his performance is 'somewhat bad' or 'very bad' is at negative 38.Sir Keir started his time in No 10 positively, with a plus five approval rating.

This rose as high as eleven in August as he rode the wave of optimism.

But since a fall in September, the Prime Minister has failed to recover his own personal ratings - while his party is also fledgling in the polls.

It means Sir Keir is now more unpopular than Rishi Sunak - who is set to step down as Tory leader this weekend after either Robert Jenrick or Kemi Badenoch are crowned. The former Prime Minister has a minus 31 rating with voters - up six points from July.

And despite receiving advice from Sir Tony Blair, the Prime Minister is seen far less favourably than the Labour veteran.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/keir-starmer-s-public-approval-drops-43-points/ar-AA1t67DW?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=a1c8894bad444a1591e3673a7163ba7d&ei=42

Jimbuna

10-30-24, 11:00 AM

Budget 2024: Key points at a glance

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdxl1zd07l1o

Moonlight

10-30-24, 05:56 PM

Another Tax and Spend Budget. :doh:

Gorpet

10-31-24, 12:59 AM

Budget 2024: Key points at a glance

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdxl1zd07l1o

Key point one, How much is the ****ing war, going to cost following the Americans to the last Ukrainian.

Jimbuna

10-31-24, 07:13 AM

https://i.postimg.cc/mgmx5RSD/Untitled.jpg (https://postimg.cc/bZSFZ7Wc)
https://i.postimg.cc/nrbNDLnd/Untitledb.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Jimbuna

10-31-24, 07:29 AM

Ten times Labour ruled out a tax raid to win the election

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/ten-times-labour-ruled-out-a-tax-raid-to-win-the-election/ar-AA1tgcNY?ocid=msedgntp&pc=ENTPSP&cvid=6bc24efd8342484f810225577d620305&ei=17

Moonlight

10-31-24, 10:40 AM

The devastated business owners left in tears by Labour's Budget: Hairdresser breaks down on live TV as IFS warns National Insurance hike will hit low-paid jobs hardest and force firms to cut salaries, reduce hiring and put up prices

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14023813/Pub-group-says-Labours-new-budget-cost-1-7MILLION-force-prices-businesses-continue-round-Rachel-Reeves-tax-rise-bombshell.html

I have yet to see any evidence of this supposedly £22 Billion Black Hole that Rachel Thieves keeps harping on about, months before the General Election the opposition have unrestricted access to the Nations finances, why wasn't it spotted then?.
The Tories and Labour party must have been given some pointers by the Civil Servants as to where and what this black hole in the Nations finances consists of, so what aren't they telling us?.
There's something stinking the House of Commons out at the moment, why aren't the Tories asking for this information to be released as well?, it would either absolve them or incriminate them, lets have the truth you out of touch bastards.

Jimbuna

11-01-24, 12:40 PM

Is there no end to this madness?

Angela Rayner declares £3,550 worth of clothes from Lord Alli

Angela Rayner has declared £3,550 worth of clothes donated by Lord Alli earlier this year.

The Deputy Prime Minister updated her entry in the register of interests to reflect that the donation received in June was for “work clothes for use while undertaking duties”.

She originally described it as a “donation in kind for undertaking parliamentary duties” from Lord Alli.

Ms Rayner, Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves stopped accepting donations to pay for clothes in September after the Prime Minister and his top team received criticism for accepting freebies.

The Prime Minister has paid back £6,000 worth of gifts and hospitality he received since entering Number 10.

He also commissioned a new set of principles on gifts and hospitality to be published as part of the updated Ministerial Code.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/angela-rayner-declares-3-550-worth-of-clothes-from-lord-alli/ar-AA1tik1M?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=e02d477acbdf45d89425219eb3b1890f&ei=24

Jimbuna

11-02-24, 07:09 AM

I seriously doubt either of them have what it takes.

Kemi Badenoch has emerged victorious in the race to succeed Rishi Sunak as Conservative Party leader

She describes being appointed leader as an "enormous honour" and pledges to hold the Labour government to account

Badenoch defeated Robert Jenrick in the election among Tory members, hinting in her victory speech at a possible "key role" for him

Moonlight

11-02-24, 06:19 PM

This currant will be just as useless as the last 5 Tory Prime Ministers, I think her MPs will give her a bit of leeway for her first 4 to 6 months, but after that the Tory backstabbing will take over again.

Only time will tell if she's up to the job and, from what I've already seen and heard so far, she will never be able to unite those warring factions in her own party never mind the electorate. :O:

Catfish

11-02-24, 06:29 PM

Don't you worry. All will be decided by the US
. ;)

Moonlight

11-03-24, 09:21 AM

Starmer to declare people smuggling a 'national security' issue - after PM is accused of 'surrendering' to gangs with 15,000 migrants having crossed the Channel since Labour took power

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14034469/starmer-people-smuggling-national-issue-surrendering-gangs.html

It's the incentives Starmer, stop giving the scroungers money and a nice warm hotel with free food and heating to live in, all of them should be put back on the same boat they came here in and sent back to France with no exceptions. Why are you wasting money on these twats when it should be used to help the elderly and vulnerable, a lot of them will have to scrimp and save just to survive the coming winter.
Get your priorities right Starmer and stop bleating like a sheep and show some backbone for once you bleeding wanker.

Jimbuna

11-03-24, 01:02 PM

Aye, the way things are going it might be time to consider converting to some other religion :)

Gorpet

11-03-24, 10:05 PM

Will, she say no to Ukraine war support ?, After Labour promised not to increase National Insurance, income tax or VAT on working people. Will she stand and say NO, I will not support giving money to a war, when our country and people need,every pound to take care of our people.The 22 billion black hole Ukraine.

Will, she say no to Ukraine war support ?, After Labour promised not to increase National Insurance, income tax or VAT on working people. Will she stand and say NO, I will not support giving money to a war, when our country and people need,every pound to take care of our people.

What's going on here? With posts ?

[QUOTE=Moonlight;2931592]Starmer to declare people smuggling a 'national security' issue - after PM is accused of 'surrendering' to gangs with 15,000 migrants having crossed the Channel since Labour took power

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14034469/starmer-people-smuggling-national-issue-surrendering-gangs.html

It's the incentives Starmer, st

Moonlight

11-04-24, 08:26 AM

Keir Starmer to unveil 'personal mission' to smash people-trafficking gangs using new counter terrorism-style tactics - but Tories say they mean 'absolutely nothing' without a wider plan like Rwanda

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14036505/Keir-Starmer-unveil-personal-mission-smash-people-trafficking-gangs-using-new-counter-terrorism-style-tactics.html

What a load of bollocks, he's going to waste even more money being spent on these scrounging bastards, you know what to do Starmer, Stop the incentives or get on the beach with a bucket of saltwater, isn't that simple enough for you you dim witted pillock.

Jimbuna

11-04-24, 12:18 PM

An additional £75 million was announced today....should pay for some extra hotel rooms.

Jimbuna

11-05-24, 01:19 PM

No doubt Keir will pay them handsomely.

Tube strikes called off after union talks

Planned strikes on the London Underground have been suspended following talks over pay between the Aslef union and Transport for London (TfL).

Industrial action was due to begin on Thursday and a walkout was also planned for next Tuesday.

Aslef said it had been given a "significantly improved" pay offer by London Underground management and it would discuss that offer with union members on Thursday.

Claire Mann, from TfL, said: “We believe we have made an offer to our trade unions that is fair, affordable, good for our colleagues and good for London and we urge our trade unions to continue working with us.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly0zezx3ejo

Moonlight

11-06-24, 10:08 AM

Tom Bradby says Brits won't believe 'fascist' Trump has been elected - and Emily Maitlis mysteriously goes off air as ex-president wins White House

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14047113/Tom-Bradby-calls-Donald-Trump-fascist-ITV-Emily-Maitlis-mysteriously-goes-air-Trump-appears-brink-victory.html

We, who live in the real world and not that London bubble you live in believe it you muppet, get your head out of your ass and come and join us and see the devastation you lot have caused up and down the country, this Bradby pillock is a prick of the highest order.

Jimbuna

11-06-24, 10:32 AM

Jimbuna

11-06-24, 10:45 AM

Ex-actor freed from prison under early-release plan ‘actively evading arrest’

Police are appealing for help tracking down an inmate freed from jail who is on the run.

Jason Hoganson, 53, whose face and neck are covered in tattoos, was freed last month under Sir Keir Starmer’s prisoner-release scheme to free up space in overcrowded jails.

Hoganson, an actor who starred in cult 1987 film Empire State, had been serving an 18-month sentence.

The day after being let out from Durham prison, on 10 September, he was arrested in Newcastle on suspicion of two counts of breaching a restraining order and one count of assault.

Now officers say he is wanted for recall to prison for breaching his licence conditions.

Northumbria Police said he was believed to be “actively evading arrest” and that he could be anywhere in the force area or County Durham.

“Anyone who sees Hoganson should not approach him and instead contact us immediately,” the force said.

“Please be aware that harbouring a wanted person is an offence and those involved could face prosecution.”
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/ex-actor-freed-from-prison-under-early-release-plan-actively-evading-arrest/ar-AA1tCjHm?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=ad67e17a56e54b7abdc422f2a000ca0f&ei=39

Jimbuna

11-07-24, 01:30 PM

Has Starmer finally found the best way to stop the small boats?
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/has-starmer-finally-found-the-best-way-to-stop-the-small-boats/ar-AA1tDzFM?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=ab1680b7d6a74dbbaa0d1b58ff29a81e&ei=12

The simplest way would be to stop putting them up in hotels and giving them financial payments.

Jimbuna

11-08-24, 11:41 AM

American energy firm pulls out of Labour's high-tax Britain - 'Uneconomic!'

AUS oil firm has blamed the impact of the windfall taxas it confirmed it will end all its operations in the North Sea by the end of the decade.

Apache, who took control of the field in Scotland in 2003, said the recent Labour Budget had made production "uneconomic."

The firm, based in Texas, suspended new all drilling activity last year in the Forties field, east of Fraserburgh.

It comes after Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed in the Budget that the tax on oil and gas firm profits would rise and be extended to 2030.

It comes as Labour said it wanted to make the UK a "clean energy superpower" and it was asking the oil and gas sector to contribute more to that transition.

The Energy Profits Levy (EPL) the official name for the windfall tax, was introduced in May 2022 under the previous Conservative Party after energy firms recorded bumper profits due to the rise in energy prices.

Initially set at 25 per cent and due to expire in 2025, the Conservatives later raised it to 35 per cent and said it would last until March 2029.

In the recent Budget, Labour extended it to the end of the decade and raised the levy to 38 per cent meaning the total tax rate on the companies is now 78 per cent.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/american-energy-firm-pulls-out-of-labour-s-high-tax-britain-uneconomic/ar-AA1tJDe5?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=e0358fba53dc4f498653bdfeebb1279e&ei=24

Jimbuna

11-09-24, 08:57 AM

Rachel Reeves National Insurance tax raid forces first business to close UK factories and move abroad - 'Manufacturing in Britain will die'

ABritish manufacturing company has announced it will close its four factories following Labour's recent Budget changes - making it the first business to cease UK production due to the Chancellor's new policies.

Connectix Cabling Systems' managing director Kevin Hancock said Rachel Reeves's national insurance tax increases and minimum wage hikes have made manufacturing in Britain unsustainable.

The Essex-based company will move production to India or China, marking a significant shift for one of the country's largest cable manufacturing firms.

Connectix, which reported revenues of £50 million in 2023, specialises in manufacturing fibre optic cables for internet providers worldwide.

The company currently employs 150 people across its British factories.

While production will move overseas, the company has promised to find different roles within the organisation for affected employees.

Connectix already has indirect employment ties with approximately 400 workers in India and China, where manufacturing operations are now set to be outsourced.

Hancock, 56, founded Connectix in 1993 at the age of 25, building the company from humble beginnings.

"I was born in the 1960s and grew up in a council house," he told The Telegraph.

"I was from a poor background and we suffered under Labour's power cuts and the three-day week in the 1970s."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/rachel-reeves-national-insurance-tax-raid-forces-first-business-to-close-uk-factories-and-move-abroad-manufacturing-in-britain-will-die/ar-AA1tMJ7h?ocid=msedgntp&pc=ENTPSP&cvid=0c341ca144764b6781c4181923ec1f99&ei=19

Gorpet

11-10-24, 12:59 AM

Nation ‘grateful’ to Boris Johnson for having multiple children, Parliament told
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/nation-grateful-to-boris-johnson-for-having-multiple-children-parliament-told/ar-AA1tCfyX?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=e704a096a3994fde83114b338681f4d9&ei=128

:har::har::har:

Well, Of course, He is extending his line. Isn't that what British Aristocrat do?
Here in America .Our politicians do the same. All the young interns from the top college's Male or Female, Whose parents paid, some of them to get selected, to service the Pedifiles male and female who inhabit the upper echelons of power. That believe the world must return to the days of Rome.

And ,who would that be ? WEF, EU, US ,UK, France , Every elite must interface with each other to to assume control of the planet.They tried that way back when, It did not work out for them,The result was millions dead. How bout this time, we circumvent that by culling out the Elite.

Jimbuna

11-10-24, 01:10 PM

‘Smash the gangs won’t work’: Home Office officials doubt Labour small boats plan

Home Office officials do not believe Labour’s plan to “smash the gangs” will work as a way of bringing down illegal migration to the UK, i can reveal.

They say that civil servants in the department have been “underwhelmed” by the approach that was being outlined again this week by Sir Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.

The insiders say “nobody” understands how the much-vaunted Border Security Command – that the Government says will take the lead on combatting people smugglers running small boats – will operate.

i has been told that there is “cynicism” within the department about whether the command will be any more successful than previous units operated under the Conservatives.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/smash-the-gangs-won-t-work-home-office-officials-doubt-labour-small-boats-plan/ar-AA1tPq1o?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=3cccb8e3ca0c402ba370687ca49135ad&ei=27

Jimbuna

11-11-24, 09:21 AM

Hotel tycoon scraps £20m UK investment - and says it's all Rachel Reeves' fault

A British tycoon has cancelled a £20m investment in his business - and has blamed Chancellor Rachel Reeves for his decision.

Entrepreneur Steve Perez said that the proposed changes to inheritance tax after his death did not provide much incentive to expand his businesses.

Mr Perez hoped to install a new canning line at his drinks factory in Chesterfield, Derbyshire - which he claims would have created 50 jobs there.

He also recently gained planned permission to add more than two dozen new bedrooms and a spa to his Peak Edge hotel, which is just outside the town.

However, proposals in the 2024 Budget to change inheritance tax relief mean he has stopped the expansions.

Under the previous system, properties used for business could be passed down to descendants without any inheritance tax.

However, from April 2026 any property worth more than £1million will have to pay a 20% levy.

Speaking to the Telegraph, Mr Perez said he had "absolutely stopped' the work and 'would be crazy' to go ahead.

Slamming the Budget as "anti-entrepreneurs, anti-business", he added: "What this is going to mean is insecurity for the working person in my business because once I die, their jobs are on hold.

"The business may well be sold so straight away - that gives them insecurity rather than security."

Responding to the Telegraph, a HM Treasury spokesperson said the government is committed to delivering economic growth by boosting investment in Britain.

They added: "With our public services crumbling, a £22bn fiscal black hole from the previous government, and 53pc of Business Property Relief going to the 4pc wealthiest claimants, we had to make difficult choices to fix the foundations of the country and restore desperately needed economic stability to allow businesses to thrive.

"By doing this, more than half of employers will either see a cut or no change in their National Insurance bills, there will be £22.6bn more for the NHS, and workers' payslips will be protected from higher tax."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/hotel-tycoon-scraps-20m-uk-investment-and-says-it-s-all-rachel-reeves-fault/ar-AA1tQ3VY?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=8029d495fdc54da3b557a7825a5ad868&ei=42

Jimbuna

11-12-24, 09:22 AM

Huge boost for Kemi Badenoch as first poll of leadership shows Tories beating Labour

Anew poll has found that the Tories have overtaken Labour in the polls after Kemi Badenoch was elected Conservative leader just over a week ago.

The poll by More in Common, published this morning, finds that the Tories have received a three-point boost in the past week, leapfrogging Labour into first place.

The Conservatives are now on 29%, with Labour down one point to 27%.

Meanwhile the LibDems have taken a hit, down three points, with Reform UK up one point to 19%.

The Greens remain steady on 8%.

According to Electoral Calculus, if these results were played out in a general election tomorrow the Tories would be on course to gain 125 seats, however Labour would still be the largest party.

Sir Keir would be forced to do a deal with the Liberal Democrats, with Labour losing its majority and 119 seats.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/other/huge-boost-for-kemi-badenoch-as-first-poll-of-leadership-shows-tories-beating-labour/ar-AA1tVBXG?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=069cdee80efc4784b6831433e56fe1e5&ei=80

Jimbuna

11-13-24, 11:14 AM

Rachel Reeves to face winter fuel cuts fury as protesters target her Leeds constituency

Rachel Reeves is set to face protests in her own constituency against her decision to strip winter fuel payments from millions of pensioners.

The protests, organised by the Unite trade union and the Yorkshire and Humber Pensioners’ Convention, will take place in Leeds on Thursday – just days before farmers descend on London in a row over the chancellor’s tax hikes.

Ministers have defended the changes, saying they have to “get the money from somewhere” and blaming the last Conservative government for leaving a £22bn black hole in the public finances.

But critics have warned many pensioners will have to choose between heating and eating this winter, especially if Britain suffers a cold snap.

New polling by Survation shows that in Ms Reeves’ own constituency of Leeds West and Pudsey, just a third of voters support the introduction of means testing for the winter fuel allowance. Meanwhile, 68 per cent of voters think it is unfair that pensioners on incomes as low as £220 a week will no longer get the money to help pay their fuel bills.

Nearly three quarters, 72 per cent, are also worried about themselves or a family member affording their heating bills this winter.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "The campaign opposing the pickpocketing of pensioners is now coming to the chancellor’s own backyard. Her own constituents don’t support the policy and neither does the rest of the country.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/rachel-reeves-to-face-winter-fuel-cuts-fury-as-protesters-target-her-leeds-constituency/ar-AA1u0pNQ?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=6fc91bee72b54c14b61fe28ff1de32d5&ei=34

Jimbuna

11-13-24, 12:08 PM

The ultimate kick in the teeth to those who were born and pay there taxes here in the UK

Council row: Locals fuming as migrants 'will be given private healthcare' impacting area's 'stretched' health services

Acouncil meeting in Greater Manchester erupted into chaos after claims that hundreds of migrants would receive private healthcare despite local services being "very stretched."

The heated scenes unfolded during a public meeting of Trafford Council, where residents voiced their outrage over healthcare provisions for asylum seekers housed at the Cresta Court Hotel in Altrincham.

The controversy centres around approximately 300 men who were recently moved into the hotel, which had abruptly cancelled thousands of existing bookings, including wedding receptions.

Conservative group leader Nathan Evans told concerned locals that the migrants had been contracted to a private "doctors' system," though he noted this was his understanding rather than a confirmed fact.

Government insiders quickly disputed these healthcare claims, telling reporters it was a "legal requirement" for migrants to receive healthcare treatment.

A Home Office source insisted asylum seekers were not receiving private healthcare but rather a "standard service".

Cllr Evans claimed he discovered the healthcare contract last week, accusing Labour of maintaining a "wall of silence" over the situation.

The Conservative councillor later expressed his concerns about local healthcare pressures, stating: "We just had our Minor Injuries Unit at Altrincham Hospital closed. We've now 300 people on our doorstep."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/other/council-row-locals-fuming-as-migrants-will-be-given-private-healthcare-impacting-area-s-stretched-health-services/ar-AA1u14HS?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=ENTPSP&cvid=26e25218ebd64c818500704359e12663&ei=14

Jimbuna

11-14-24, 08:59 AM

Labour loses 40% of council seats defended since General Election as popularity slumps

Labour has lost more than four in 10 of the council seats it has defended in by-elections since the General Election, figures have revealed.

The ruling party has fought in 58 council seats since the national poll, of which it has held 34 but lost 24.

Political analyst David Cowling, former political research editor at the BBC who conducted the analysis, said: "You would expect a governing party to take a bit of a hit after a General Election, but certainly not as immediate nor as drastic as this."

The Liberal Democrats, Green Party, Reform UK and the Scottish Nationalists all won seats from Labour.

But most of its defeats have involved ceding wards to the Conservatives, who have gained 14 council seats from Labour.

Labour has also gained five additional council seats, including three in Scotland and one in Wales.

Mr Cowling said: "This is extraordinary to me - we'd expect Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Greens to be pecking at the corpse of the Conservative Party and stripping it bare."

Labour's popularity has plunged since the July 4 election because of winter fuel payment fury, rows over freebies, National Insurance increases on employers and an inheritance tax raid on farmers.

It won 402 out of 650 parliamentary constituencies and secured a working majority of 163 this summer, although it only won 34% of the popular vote.

Mr Cowling said voter support for Labour had fallen eight percentage points from an average of 38% since July 4, to 30% in October.

Support for the Tories has risen from an average of 21% to 25% during the same period.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's approval rating has plummeted from a high of plus 11 in July to minus 38, a survey by More in Common has found.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/labour-loses-40-of-council-seats-defended-since-general-election-as-popularity-slumps/ar-AA1u20bJ?ocid=msedgntp&pc=ENTPSP&cvid=0ddc9fd1cd9d4135b8d64421ce1a2cd5&ei=28

Jimbuna

11-15-24, 01:41 PM

Furious farmers take brilliant revenge on Rachel Reeves as Labour fear 'dirty protest'

Furious farmers are planning a surprise second protest against Labour's planned tractor tax, ahead of the widely-publicised showdown in Whitehall next week.

Labour's Welsh conference in Llandudno is now set to see a major showdown between the government and farmers, as they demand a u-turn on Rachel Reeves' painful inheritance tax changes.

It has emerged that while Westminster was focusing on the planned protest next Tuesday, a group called Enough is Enough has quietly put the call out for farmers to turn up en masse and cause havoc at Labour's annual Welsh get-together.

From 8.30am on Saturday, farmers will arrive in the northern seaside town, with the call to arms requesting they attend "in any form possible".

However it added: "If you can turn up with an agricultural vehicle, e.g. tractors/slurry tankers/lorries/4x4 and trailers please do so."

The call for slurry tankers further raises the possibility of a French-style dirty protest, with manure being spread on the streets or sprayed at buildings.

The planned Welsh protest comes after First Minister Eluned Morgan demanded calm over the tax changes, as only a "tiny proportion" of farms will be hit by the tax - something the National Farmers Union say is incorrect.

The First Minister told the BBC: "I think we should just all calm down a bit until we are clear about how many farms will be affected".

One furious farmer responded: "Calm down? Think she might be in for a bit of a wake up in Llandudno".

One organiser said on Facebook that protesting the event is especially important given Keir Starmer's planned attendance.

He said: "We need as much support as possible to highlight the pressure we are under."

"We have family farms that have been feeding the nation for generations and it's important to safeguard this industry. NO FARMERS NO FOOD it's simple.

"We want to feed you labour wants to starve you!!!! Remember you can live without a politician but not a farmer."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/other/furious-farmers-take-brilliant-revenge-on-rachel-reeves-as-labour-fear-dirty-protest/ar-AA1u8vvw?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=2da214158b544a46a4f57e8cbac0de61&ei=32

Jimbuna

11-16-24, 05:24 AM

Labour slumps to embarrassing by-election loss near Jeremy Clarkson's home amid tax row

Sir Keir Starmer's Labour Party suffered a humiliating defeat in a council by-election close to Jeremy Clarkson's home as fury mounted over the farming tax fiasco.

The party's vote collapsed by a staggering 33.8%, allowing the Liberal Democrats to swoop in and gain the Chipping Norton seat from Labour on West Oxfordshire District Council.

Insiders believe voters abandoned Labour over the Government's "family farm tax". Clarkson has been a vocal critic of Chancellor Rachel Reeves's decision.

A Tory source said: "The Lib Dems didn't seem to campaign that much from what we've seen and just took advantage of Labour supporters' frustrations I suspect.

"It's definitely blowback over recent decisions.

"Labour are normally very well organised and do well there."

A Liberal Democrat source said: "This stunning win is another sign of the growing rural revolt over the Government's family farm tax.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/labour-slumps-to-embarrassing-by-election-loss-near-jeremy-clarkson-s-home-amid-tax-row/ar-AA1ua0nP?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=ec623dd579a94b39b43cc24d9cb0f960&ei=14

Jimbuna

11-16-24, 06:33 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sgU9Z8PRi0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJrPlZroA5w

Jimbuna

11-17-24, 06:36 AM

:):haha::har:

Rachel Reeves accused of exaggerating time spent working for Bank of England

Rachel Reeves has been accused of exaggerating the length of her service working at the Bank of England.

In an interview from Stylist magazine in 2021, the Chancellor said she had spent a decade working as an economist at the Bank of England (BoE) and “loved it”.

After the interview, she said in a social media post: “A real pleasure to speak to @‌StylistMagazine about my time as an economist at the Bank of England.”

However, Ms Reeves’s LinkedIn page lists only a six-year period of service at the Bank from September 2000 to December 2006.

According to her LinkedIn profile, during her time at the Bank she worked in the international economic analysis division, then, at the British Embassy Washington as Second Secretary of the economic division and later in the structural economic analysis division.

It comes after Ms Reeves was accused of being dishonest about her work at the Bank of Scotland. This week the Chancellor’s LinkedIn page was edited to change her job title at the bank from “Economist” to “Retail Banking”.

‘Economical with the truth’

Conservatives have said she has been “economical with the truth”.

Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, called the claim “another brazen lie from Rachel Reeves”.

He told The Telegraph: “Rachel Reeves has proven herself to be a compulsive liar. During the election campaign she lied through her teeth about not raising taxes on working people. Now she’s been exposed brazenly lying about her CV, which would be curtains for most people. It’s one rule for her, another for everyone else.”

One of the six years the Chancellor spent at the Bank was for a year-long master’s course at the London School of Economics. Henry Newman, a former adviser to Boris Johnson and Michael Gove, said: “Her own LinkedIn shows Reeves spent six years at Bank, of which one was spent studying - so not working as an economist.”

An online archive shows that in 2009, when Ms Reeves was campaigning to be an MP, her website said: “Rachel has spent her professional career as an economist working for the Bank of England, the British Embassy in Washington and at Halifax Bank of Scotland.”

A Labour source said: “The Chancellor won’t take any lectures on honesty from a man whose scandals went too far for even Boris Johnson to stand by him.

“The British public voted for change with Labour this summer, and after Robert Jenrick’s performance you can see why.”

The Chancellor was approached for comment.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/rachel-reeves-accused-of-exaggerating-time-spent-working-for-bank-of-england/ar-AA1ucMfG?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=75e41169f8ba43b6a82af29f105ddd66&ei=16

Jimbuna

11-18-24, 08:24 AM

Two faced and two tier Starmer.

Tackle violent crime instead of tweets, Starmer urges police after Allison Pearson row

Police should focus on tackling violent crime and burglaries instead of questioning people over their social media posts, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

The Prime Minister urged forces to “concentrate on what matters most to their communities” amid the deepening row over a police investigation into Telegraph writer Allison Pearson’s post on X a year ago.

He said chief constables who prioritised looking into complaints about allegedly offensive tweets would be “held to account for those decisions”.

Sir Keir intervened after politicians, campaigners and a former MI6 chief warned that hate crime laws were being exploited to stifle free speech.

Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said that police were using hate crime laws wrongly 90 per cent of the time, while Lord Stevens, the former Met commissioner, called for forces to focus on tackling violent crime rather than policing people’s opinions online.

Expand article logo Continue reading

Former MI6 head Sir Richard Dearlove suggested the investigation into Pearson was a waste of resources.

Essex Police has come under fierce scrutiny over its decision to investigate Pearson over an allegedly offensive tweet. Two officers visited her home on Remembrance Sunday and invited her for an interview over “an incident or offence of potentially inciting racial hatred online”.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/tackle-violent-crime-instead-of-tweets-starmer-urges-police-after-allison-pearson-row/ar-AA1ufsIP?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=2429a42c9f9d404eaae53ccf405521a2&ei=22

Jimbuna

11-19-24, 08:43 AM

So much for those who still believe Labour represent the British working class.

Warning retail job cuts ‘inevitable’ after Budget
High Street job losses are "inevitable", prices will rise, and shops will close because of tax rises in the Budget and other rising costs, a group of the biggest retailers in the UK is warning.

Tesco, Amazon, Greggs, Next and dozens of other chains are urging the Treasury to reconsider some of the measures.

In a letter to Chancellor Rachel Reeves, external, they said the "cumulative burden" of the Budget changes and other policies already in the pipeline will add billions in costs to a sector with a 3% to 5% profit margin.

A Treasury spokesperson said the government had had to "make difficult choices to fix the foundations of the country".

Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey told the Treasury Committee on Tuesday he had seen the letter and it was "right" to say jobs could be affected.

"I think there is a risk here that the reduction in employment could be more, yes. I think that's a risk," he said.

Measures in the Budget, in particular a rise in the tax that firms pay on their staff's wages, have been met with a tide of criticism from business, who argue it will hold back growth.

But concerns have been loudest among retailers and hospitality businesses, where many young people find their first jobs. Firms in those sectors are also facing higher costs from next year's rise in the minimum wage.

Though many individual retailers have already spoken out, this letter marks the first time so many have done so together.

The 80 signatories of the letter range from big British retailers - such as Aldi, Asda, Boots, Currys, John Lewis, Lidl, Marks & Spencer, Primark and Sainsbury's - to charity shop group the British Heart Foundation and trade group Associated Independent Stores.

The government has defended its tax rises as necessary to avoid cuts to public services, and the rise in the minimum wage, with a bigger boost for younger workers and apprentices, has been welcomed by trades unions.

The letter from the businesses belonging to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said: "The sheer scale of new costs and the speed with which they occur create a cumulative burden that will make job losses inevitable, and higher prices a certainty."

It calculated the changes would add over £7bn a year in costs, adding it would "not be possible to absorb such significant cost increases over such a short timescale".

"The effect will be to increase inflation, slow pay growth, cause shop closures, and reduce jobs, especially at the entry level."

However, Nadine Houghton, GMB Union national officer, said larger businesses "pleading poverty" was "utterly pathetic".

“Most of these companies’ fortunes are already subsidised by the taxpayer. They pay very low wages which then have to be topped up by in-work benefits," she added.

“It’s only right that they should now contribute a bit more to rebuilding our country.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp816jrnynyo

Kptlt. Neuerburg

11-19-24, 10:10 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sMpjGerDIc
Who would of thought that Jezza would be a man of the people?

Jimbuna

11-19-24, 12:33 PM

Well certainly not me :)

Jimbuna

11-20-24, 10:42 AM

Liar liar pants on fire.

Rachel Reeves' 'fake claim' over charity 'economist' role

Rachel Reeves claimed she was an 'economist' on official documents - despite not working as one at the time, it emerged last night.

Documents show she stated her 'business occupation' to be an 'economist' on an appointment form for a charity in 2008.

The now-Chancellor was working at the Halifax Bank of Scotland at the time. She has recently changed her LinkedIn CV to clarify that she was not working as an 'economist' at the time.

Last week it emerged that she had deleted 'economist' from her profile work experience and changed it to 'retail banking' during her time at the bank in 2006-9.

Last night a Tory source said: 'Rachel Reeves has serious questions to answer - questions we have asked her, and questions which the public deserve an answer to.'

But a Treasury source said: 'Rachel Reeves was a trained economist that worked in financial services.'

It comes after Ms Reeves' claim in an interview with Stylist magazine from 2021 that she had spent a decade at the Bank of England, when her LinkedIn account described it as a six-year period between 2000 and 2006, was contested.

Downing Street refused to say whether Ms Reeves broke the ministerial code amid accusations she embellished her CV.

On Monday, No10 sidestepped a question over whether lying on a CV is a breach of the code - but instead praised Ms Reeves for having 'restored fiscal stability'.

A No10 spokeswoman added: 'This is someone who on coming into office looked under the bonnet and exposed a £22 billion black hole in the public finances, and has been straight with the public about what is necessary to balance the books and restore financial stability in the face of that.'

Ms Reeves' LinkedIn profile lists her work history from 2000 onwards.

The latest documents were obtained by the Guido Fawkes website.

It says she worked in three areas of the Bank over the six-year period she was employed there: its international economic analysis division, then at the British Embassy in Washington DC in the second secretary economic division, and finally in the structural economic analysis division.

After this it lists her time working for Halifax Bank of Scotland, then her political career following her election in 2010.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/rachel-reeves-fake-claim-over-charity-economist-role/ar-AA1uoqjT?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=ENTPSP&cvid=1a331fba6e674a31b72612ecbcc7d30b&ei=39

Jimbuna

11-20-24, 11:13 AM

Two tier and two faced Keir Starmer is at it again with taxpayers money.

Starmer saddles taxpayers with his £15k ‘nanny tax’ bill

Sir Keir Starmer will saddle the taxpayer with a £15,100 “nanny tax” bill as he hires four new housekeepers for No 10.

Labour has come under repeated fire for its National Insurance (NI) raid which campaigners say will disproportionately hurt families hiring household help such as nannies, cleaners and gardeners. The phenomenon has been dubbed the “nanny tax”.

But Telegraph analysis shows the Prime Minister will be stung by his own measure as he seeks to employ four new housekeepers on salaries of £30,135 per year at his Downing Street home.

From April, employers will see the rate of National Insurance they pay on workers’ earnings rise from 13.8pc to 15pc. The salary threshold at which it kicks in will also fall from £9,100 to £5,000.

It means the total National Insurance bill for Starmer’s four new cleaners will rise by £3,465 to £15,076 per year.

Certain employers are eligible for an allowance, but those hiring staff for domestic purposes, such as nannies, housekeepers and gardeners, will feel the full weight of the tax increase.

No 10 ‘shielded’ from impact of National Insurance rise
In Sir Keir’s case, however, it will be the taxpayer rather than the Prime Minister himself that foots the bill.

Joanna Marchong, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Taxpayers will be exasperated that No 10 is entirely shielded against the impact of the National Insurance rise.

“While the increase in the jobs tax will make hiring staff more expensive, No 10 can simply tap up the Treasury for funding, a luxury the private sector does not have.

“Keir Starmer should not be insulated from the consequences of his actions.”

The employer National Insurance bill per employee will stand at £2,903 when the four housekeepers start in December. Come April, this will rise to £3,769 – bringing the total to £15,076 for the four new starters.

The roles, which are to replace staff members who have recently left, are not personal cleaners for the Prime Minister.

A Government job advert for the position says successful applicants will work to “deliver excellent service to the Prime Minister”.

It adds housekeepers “have the opportunity to work at the heart of government and to support the Prime Minister’s team in a unique and historic environment, ensuring delivery of the highest quality services”.

It comes after campaigners warned Labour’s “nanny tax will hit working parents hardest” and possibly encourage parents to leave the workforce to look after their children.

Joeli Brearley, head of charity Pregnant Then Screwed, previously told The Telegraph: “For many, employing a nanny isn’t a luxury but a necessity to keep their careers going. With this added expense, we risk pushing more parents, especially single parents and mothers, out of the workforce.”

The cost of hiring a nanny has soared in recent years and stands at £46,228 for families in London, according to Nannytax, a payroll service.

The current average National Insurance bill is £5,124, but it will surge to £6,184 from April.

Dozens of Britain’s biggest retailers have warned the Government that its National Insurance raid will cause staff to be laid off and shops to be shut.

Major companies including Tesco, M&S, Boots and B&Q have written to the Chancellor saying that job losses were now “inevitable”, as a result of the “sheer scale” of the new costs on business.

No 10 was approached for comment.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/starmer-saddles-taxpayers-with-his-15k-nanny-tax-bill/ar-AA1uqp9M?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=4d2f08b4889046219b35fe04845aad8f&ei=25

Jimbuna

11-21-24, 07:50 AM

Well, you know what is likely to happen when you give guns to monkeys.

Labour declares war on UK economy - brace yourself for 2025 recession

The obvious answer is yes, Liz Truss was even worse. But Truss was gone in 49 days while it looks like we're stuck with Labour all the way to 2029.

I'm not sure we can stand another five days of this, let alone five years. Just about everything Starmer and chancellor Rachel Reeves have done since winning the election on July 5 has backfired at speed. Just wait until Energy Secretary Ed Miliband gets going.

Within days of taking power, Starmer and Reeves sunk the tentative UK recovery, by talking down the economy and talking up the £22billion "black hole" they claim to have found in the nation's accounts. Which suddenly became £40billion.

The UK's lords of chaos triggered widespread panic by threatening a barrage of tax hikes and spending cuts in the Autumn Budget on October 30.

Businesses ceased investing and hiring. Consumers stopped spending. Landlords raced to sell buy-to-lets while wealthy foreign entrepreneurs booked their flights.

The result? Starmer had promised a "laser-like focus" on getting the economy growing but instead zapped it dead almost instantly.

In the first three months on Labour's watch, from July 1 to September 30, GDP grew by a meagre 0.1%.

That was down from a brisk 0.7% in the first quarter and 0.5% in the second.

Labour instantly turned the UK from the top performing country in the G7 to the second worst. In just three months.

The economy actually shrank by 0.1% in September. If it continues to shrink in the final quarter, we're on course for a technical recession in 2025.

All this is down to what Labour did before the Budget. Afterwards, all hell broke loose.

Reeves unleashed a brutal £40billion tax blitz. This included a £25billion raid on businesses, by hiking employers' National Insurance (NI) bills.

On Monday, 80 of the UK's biggest businesses defied Treasury threats and penned an open letter to Reeves warning job losses were "inevitable" due to the sheer scale of the NI hike.

Deutsche Bank has even put a figure on how many will lose their jobs as a direct result: 100,000.

During the election, Reeves promised she wouldn't increase NI on "working people", but working people will ultimately foot the bill, as employers pass on the cost by cutting wages and hiking prices.

As if that wasn't enough, Reeves used the Budget to borrow an extra £30billion, which she justified by fiddling the fiscal rules. Another promise broken.

Yesterday, we learned that October's consumer price inflation figure had rebounded to 2.3%, the highest level in six months.

There's worse to come.

The Bank of England says inflation will hit 2.5% by the end of the year. After Budget tax hikes come into force in April, it will head towards 3%. Planned interest rate cuts will now be scrapped.

The cost-of-living crisis is back and is set to get worse. Especially with Reeves' inheritance tax war on farmers threatening food production.

Energy prices are set to rise again in January and again in April. They could climb higher still as energy secretary Ed Miliband's war on North Sea oil leaves us hooked on costly fossil fuel imports.

Labour has created chaos in short order, and I haven't even mentioned the Winter Fuel Payment debacle. It needs to rethink. Everything.

If we do tip back into recession next year, Starmer and Reeves won't be able to blame the Tories. This one will be down to them.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/labour-declares-war-on-uk-economy-brace-yourself-for-2025-recession/ar-AA1utVlz?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=ENTPSP&cvid=4f0c7a6fa04f48b4b7decfd5efbf4709&ei=12

Jimbuna

11-21-24, 08:24 AM

Keir Starmer's crusading clampdown is an obsession - he must stop this now

In a chilling reminder of the dangers facing free speech, British journalist Allison Pearson recently had police knocking at her door on Armistice Day. Her "crime"? A year-old social media post.

Not exactly the stuff warranting a response from law enforcement, but under the new Labour Government led by Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, dissenting voices - especially those critical of left-wing agendas - appear to be attracting police attention.

What does it say about Labour's values when journalists, writers, and even ordinary citizens fear a police visit simply for expressing views that stray from the Government's own ideology? This political policing is emblematic of a Labour leadership intent on suppressing opposing voices.

Starmer, Cooper, and the rest of Labour's team have ushered in a chilling era of anarcho-tyranny, where the police seem more eager to chase down "thought crimes" than to address actual violent offenses.

When people are penalised for innocuous social media posts, yet genuine attacks on police officers - like those seen recently at Manchester Airport - are left unpunished, one question becomes painfully clear. What kind of justice is this?

Since Labour's victory in July, we've seen a swift politicisation of the police force and judicial system. But this policing isn't aimed at every group; it's selective, protecting certain groups while disproportionately targeting others.

In one glaring example, a Labour councillor who incited violent acts against rioters has faced little repercussion to date. Yet, in stark contrast, the wife of a Conservative councillor was hastily sentenced to an astonishing 31 months in prison for a first-time offence.

This two-tiered system lays bare Labour's commitment to a single principle: an attack on free speech. This crackdown on expression is turning Britain into a suppressed nation.

It's no wonder Toby Young's Free Speech Union has seen a huge surge in membership. People are seeking sanctuary and support in an organisation that defends their right to express ideas - ideas that should be the lifeblood of a democratic society.

Under the current Labour regime, this right is under siege. The Free Speech Union is now forced to stand as a barrier against cancel culture and political intimidation. With the scales tipped so dramatically in one direction, it's only a matter of time before free speech in the UK becomes a thing of the past.

Starmer's Labour isn't just indifferent to free speech; it's hostile. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, as Labour's enforcers, have overseen a justice system where peaceful protesters and independent voices are scrutinised, yet actual criminals escape real accountability - or are let out early and in some cases to immediately reoffend.

And if you fall outside Labour's circle of approved thought, watch out. Cooper and Mahmood's selective enforcement makes a mockery of Britain's values, undermining the justice system itself.

Labour's fear of free speech is rooted in its fear of free thought. Journalists, columnists, and citizens who are willing to speak truth to power are obstacles to a government bent on ideological control.

Labour wants compliance, and those who challenge the narrative are dealt with swiftly and with prejudice. Labour's so-called "progressive" Britain is nothing more than a sanitised echo chamber.

Britain deserves a government that respects its citizens' rights, one that stands for genuine free speech, not selective censorship. Starmer and Cooper have shown their true colours. If this Labour dystopia continues, British free thought and debate will become relics of a bygone era.

The time has come to defend the right to speak freely and reject Labour's authoritarian agenda before we lose these freedoms entirely.

When journalists are dissuaded from speaking their minds out of fear of unwarranted and disproportionate police action, free thought dies.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/other/keir-starmer-s-crusading-clampdown-is-an-obsession-he-must-stop-this-now/ar-AA1uuw1Y?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=d82ad7c11c0e47d990a1569ae4b6e7f4&ei=16

Jimbuna

11-22-24, 02:15 PM

ABSOLUTELY DISGRACEFUL!

Keir Starmer warned elderly people ‘going to die’ as he is confronted on radio show over winter fuel cuts

Sir Keir Starmer has been warned “people are going to die” because of his decision to scrap the Winter Fuel Payment for millions of pensioners.

The Prime Minister was on Friday confronted in a segment on BBC Radio Lincolnshire as a clip played from a concerned listener who will be impacted by a withdrawal of the benefit.

“Elderly people are literally going to die”, Lincolnshire local Maxine said, “How’s he going to live with that? Is he going to have the courage to back down from a terrible decision?”

He was told Maxine, 63, was wearing extra layers and can’t put the heating on this week in the cold weather due to the Winter Fuel cuts.

Sir Keir told presenter Sean Dunderdale: “There’s the warm homes discount for people who need that support and I’d happily make that available to your programme so that people can get access to it but at the moment and until we bring into force the changes, the allowance is paid to everyone irrespective of whether they need it or not.

“And there’s a lot of pensioners who say ‘I don’t actually need it’, and I then have to answer the question, ‘What difficult decisions can we make to ensure we can use our money most effectively?’

The PM went on to discuss steps taken to boost funding for the NHS to bring down waiting lists, and encouraged those eligible for pension credits to ensure they take them up.

In response, Mr Dunderdale suggested people like Maxine could be on waiting lists if unable to warm their homes.

The Winter Fuel Payment, worth between £100 and £300, was previously handed to around 10million people during the winter and helped with energy bills. But from this month it will only be available to those on pension credit or other means-tested benefits.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said cuts aim to save the Treasury £1.5billion a year.

The Governments own estimates earlier this week revealed tens of thousands more pensioners will be in poverty every year as a result of the restriction to the winter fuel allowance.

Limiting the payment will mean an estimated 50,000 more pensioners are in relative poverty after housing costs next year, and 100,000 more in 2026, official modelling showed.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/keir-starmer-warned-elderly-people-going-to-die-as-he-is-confronted-on-radio-show-over-winter-fuel-cuts/ar-AA1uA8n6?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=d3e9b23d8a6847ce82b13f7160102b50&ei=52

Kptlt. Neuerburg

11-22-24, 07:39 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEbP2Iu8a7o

Gorpet

11-23-24, 12:18 AM

ABSOLUTELY DISGRACEFUL!

Keir Starmer has the same jaw, as Benito and who knows what is behind those lying eyes. And the mind inside the skull.And if you could look in there.You would find The Americans.

Moonlight

11-23-24, 07:23 AM

How 'Rachel from Accounts' has been economical with the actualité about the dazzling career that helped make her Chancellor

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-14115545/How-Rachel-Accounts-economical-actualit-dazzling-career-helped-make-Chancellor.html

It's a criminal offence to exaggerate one’s qualifications and experience to obtain remuneration in the job market, Starmer, as a lawyer would know this well but he's not saying much is he?.

Moonlight

11-23-24, 11:00 AM

CROPS AID RAGE Fury as Britain sends £536million a year to support FOREIGN farmers in ‘slap in face’ to UK agriculture

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/31888731/britain-support-millions-foreign-farmers/

More than £536m of the UK’s international aid budget is spent on agriculture in Africa, Asia and South America, it's always the usual culprits isn't it?, you could give them £536 billion every year and it would still keep on disappearing into that black hole of an Abyss.
This Foreign Aid Bollocks must stop at once, all that money being borrowed should be spent in the UK, but those out of touch Dickheads in Westminster are too busy back slapping each other to give a toss about the voters of the UK. It's always the opposition who are banging the drum when the government implement one tax or another, but I remember that currant David Cameron wanting to give even more money to this Foreign Aid Scam.
If Kemi Badenoch doesn't do anything else in her life she should campaign to have this Foreign Aid scrapped once and for all.

Jimbuna

11-23-24, 12:38 PM

I reckon it is almost already a foregone conclusion Liebour will lose the next election even at this early stage of their tenure.

Hopefully I get proved wrong but I currently doubt it.

'Labour arrogantly capitulates to EU' with Keir Starmer accused of another Brexit betrayal

Keir Starmer has been accused of "undermining Brexit" and the will of the people with his plans to hire an EU negotiator to reset Britain's relationship with the European Union.

The role, which comes with a whopping £200,000 per year salary will focus on leading discussions with the trading bloc as the Prime Minister continues to strengthen Britain's relationship with them.

Starmer has made no secret of his desire to "reset" Britain's relationship with the EU and has made several high-profile trips to EU countries and summits since his election in July.

But the plan to hire an additional bureaucrat has caused fury amongst senior figures in the Conservative party who have blasted the direction of travel under the new Prime Minister.

Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel MP said: "Keir Starmer continues to undermine Brexit and our status as a sovereign nation with his plan to take the country back into the EU.

"The Conservative Party will not stand by and allow the will of the British people be reversed while Labour arrogantly capitulates to the EU."

Labour says the new approach will tackle trade barriers, address people-smuggling, and enhance cooperation with allies to counter threats such as Russian aggression.

Labour sources have dismissed the idea that the move is an attempt to reverse Brexit, with the Prime Minister stating on the record that he has no plans to re-enter the customs union or single market.

A Labour source said: "There will be no return to the EU, customs union, single market or freedom of movement."

In October, Keir Starmer pledged to "make Brexit work" at a meeting with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

But any reset of relations with the EU is likely to require Britain making concessions including the acceptance of migrants or some form of freedom of movement.

Speaking at the time Starmer said: "Better cooperation with the EU will deliver the benefits the British people deserve - securing our borders, keeping us safe and boosting economic growth."

According to the Times, Ms von der Leyen will want the UK to agree to a new asylum pact from 2026 which will see member states resettle a set number of asylum seekers. It is believed that this figure could be as many as 30,000 per year.

It is also believed that the EU will push the idea of a youth mobility scheme, something it sees as simple to implement and a gesture of goodwill.

One EU official told the Guardian: "The commission mainly wants to see if Starmer is willing to engage on the detail of a youth mobility scheme. If he shows a willingness to do so, that could unlock a lot of other 'low-hanging fruit' such as a defence deal."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/labour-arrogantly-capitulates-to-eu-with-keir-starmer-accused-of-another-brexit-betrayal/ar-AA1uCOLU?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=d608b110494c410fa9cb426eab5d3f84&ei=101

Jimbuna

11-24-24, 01:06 PM

Probably a waste of time but I've certainly signed it.

More than 200,000 people sign petition demanding another General Election is called after Labour 'U-turns'

A petition calling for a general election has exceeded the amount needed for a response from the government and needed to be considered for a debate in in parliament.

The online petition has surpassed 200,000 signatures, at the time of publication, after being widely shared on social media since being created on Wednesday.

It smashed through the 100,000 mark today which is the amount needed for it to be considered for a debate in parliament.

A petition needs 10,000 signatures for a government response.

Set up by Michael Westwood, the petition reads: 'I would like there to be another General Election.

'I believe the current Labour Government have gone back on the promises they laid out in the lead up to the last election.'

The government website reads: 'Petitions which reach 100,000 signatures are almost always debated.

'But we may decide not to put a petition forward for debate if the issue has already been debated recently or there’s a debate scheduled for the near future. If that’s the case, we’ll tell you how you can find out more about parliamentary debates on the issue raised by your petition.

'MPs might consider your petition for a debate before it reaches 100,000 signatures.'

It comes following a difficult week for the the government as farmers took to the streets in protest o voice their objections to the inheritance tax measures announced in the Budget.

And in a recent poll it revealed that Keir Starmer's approval ratings have plummeted by 43 points since he entered Downing Street.

The Prime Minister has defined his brief premiership with 'tough choices' on public spending - including cutting the Winter Fuel Allowance for millions of pensioners and ending the £2 bus fare cap.

But the latest approval ratings from think tank More in Common suggest his pessimism is turning off voters who gave him an electoral landslide in July.

The proportion who feel he is doing a 'somewhat good' or 'very good' job minus those who think his performance is 'somewhat bad' or 'very bad' is at negative 38. Sir Keir started his time in No 10 positively, with a plus five approval rating.

This rose as high as eleven in August as he rode the wave of optimism.

But since a fall in September, the Prime Minister has failed to recover his own personal ratings.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14118933/petition-demanding-General-Election-Labour.html

Moonlight

11-25-24, 06:11 AM

Petition demanding new general election nears two million signatures: Elon Musk backs online campaign started by pub owner

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14122505/petition-general-election-signatures-elon-musk-britain-support-campaign.html

I don't think it will make a difference if 20 million sign it, the lying bastards are in government and the only way to get them out is a General Election or a Nuclear Missile.
I prefer the Nuclear option, in one fell swoop London will get rid of almost 10 million of the thickest thieving twats that's ever infested these shores, if a second strike is needed they can do Birmingham, Leicester, Coventry, Bradford and Leeds, for a coup de grace they can finish off with Bristol, Brighton and Bingley..... :O:

Jimbuna

11-25-24, 08:55 AM

No doubt payed for from the WFA savings.

Treasury to give Scotland £300m as tax hike compensation
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce8y7ze4qyzo

Jimbuna

11-25-24, 09:03 AM

Big road tax changes are coming from April 2025, with millions of drivers being braced to prepare to pay for the first time. Owners of some of the most popular models are being reminded to be ready for the changes so they are not caught out when told they must pay up.

Owners of electric vehicles (EV) will have to pay road tax for the first time from April. Up to now, they have been exempt from car tax with owners being able to enjoy this perk. But that will all change in 2025.

Owners of electric cars will have to pay the flat £190 rate currently paid by petrol and diesel drivers. This may be frustrating for EV drivers but the Government has decided now is the time to raise tax from electric cars.

Their tax-free status is not something which could have gone on forever. With more and more EVs on the roads every year, the Government faced losing large amounts of tax revenue. Ministers say the change will make the tax system "fair" for all motorists.

I can think of a lot fairer system......lower the petrol and diesel charges to that currently of ev's

Jimbuna

11-26-24, 09:00 AM

Rachel Reeves just shot Angela Rayner in the foot - and sank Labour's only growth plan

We knew Rachel Reeves would be a disaster after she kicked off her tenure by making the politically inept decision to rob 10million pensioners of their Winter Fuel Payment. She thought it made her look tough but instead she just looked out of touch.

Reeves, in collusion with PM Keir Starmer, then made another awful decision: to talk down the UK economy and warn of Budget tax hikes.

This terrified businesses and consumers and stopped the economic recovery in its tracks.

Labour's Budget in October was even more brutal than expected, with £40billion of tax hikes and an extra £30billion worth of government borrowing.

There's so much to criticise but I'll focus on the misfiring decision that will soon see Angela Rayner hopping around in agony.

Reeves loaded £25billion of extra national insurance (NI) charges onto employers, while increasing the national living wage by an inflation-busting 6.7%.

Everybody from the Bank of England to the Confederation of British Industry has been warning that this will squeeze business profits, drive up inflation and knock growth.

It will also destroy the only idea Starmer and Reeves had for boosting growth. They pledged to "to get Britain building again", by constructing 1.5million homes in five years.

Rayner was charged with delivering that, in her role as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government. And Reeves has just wrecked her slim chances of success.

The chancellor's Budget NI raid and minimum wage hike will drive even more construction companies out of business because they can't afford the added cost of employing the necessary workers.

Contractors are already falling like dominoes.

More than 4,200 building firms have gone bust so far this year, according to property development body the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS).

Construction firm ISG, which held government contracts worth billions of pounds, is just the latest to collapse. There will be many more once that NI raid bites next April.

CCS executive chairman Amit Oberoi said Budget NI hikes are making it "harder for smaller firms to hire staff, offer pay rises and create jobs".

Developers are on a "knife edge", he told the Daily Telegraph. "We won't see the depths of this until probably the middle of next year."

This won't just stop private housing developments in their tracks. It will also destroy the social housing boom that Rayner is desperate to engineer.

Reeves is a one-woman wrecking ball.

Labour's plan to build 1.5million homes was always pie in the sky.

Back on July 22, I wrote that Starmer didn't stand a chance of hitting that fanciful target.

Four months later, on November 20, planning minister Matthew Pennycook belatedly admitted this would be "more difficult" than Labour thought in opposition.

You don't say.

What exactly was Labour thinking in opposition? Whatever it was, it's collapsed at the first collision with reality.

There's already a desperate shortage of workers in the construction industry. Now Reeves has made employing them even more expensive.

House completions will fall as a result. More builders will go bust. Rayner will fail. The housing crisis will drag on.

This is partly Rayner's fault, by the way.

Her flagship workers' rights reform will cost businesses far more than the £5billion ministers originally claimed, leading to wage cuts, job losses and even failed companies.

That will also sink Labour's house building plans. So first, Reeves shot Rayner in the foot. Then Rayner shot herself in the foot. It would be funny if it wasn't such a disaster.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/rachel-reeves-just-shot-angela-rayner-in-the-foot-and-sank-labour-s-only-growth-plan/ar-AA1uM8wG?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=63035565d6c249888df16cbd87869299&ei=13

Jimbuna

11-27-24, 09:04 AM

Britain has pledged billions to tackle climate change – but where does the money really go?

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/britain-has-pledged-billions-to-tackle-climate-change-but-where-does-the-money-really-go/ar-AA1uNlIm?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=e553a0cf6a174ee1a6d6c420f93b9cfb&ei=78

Moonlight

11-28-24, 08:58 AM

How Kemi Badenoch will change the Tories immigration policy as she declares Britain is 'not a hotel - it's our home' in first major policy speech as Conservative Party leader

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14134805/Kemi-Badenoch-Tories-immigration-policy-change-migrants-uk.html

This currant is a hard faced lying bastard, she tells people what they want to hear and then the smug twat sits down and basks in the adulation of the masses, we've heard it all before you currant, you never delivered on your promises then, and you won't deliver on them in the future.
Just remember this, the former Home Secretary Suella Braverman didn't get any support at all from this two faced lying bitch, look beyond the word salad this Badenoch bitch spouts and look at her past actions instead.

Jimbuna

11-28-24, 09:30 AM

Net migration to UK hit record 906,000 in year to June 2023

Net migration to the UK was 906,000 in the year up to June 2023 - far higher than previous estimates

About 1.3 million people came to live in the UK in this period, while 414,000 people left

Net migration - the difference between the number of people leaving and arriving - then fell to 728,000 in the 12 months to June 2024

Analysis: These figures are far higher than the Conservatives promised voters, writes our correspondent Henry Zeffman

Labour accuses the Conservatives of being an "open borders party who lied to the public" - Kemi Badenoch accepts "we got it wrong"

Moonlight

11-29-24, 06:34 AM

DAILY MAIL COMMENT: Why MPs MUST press the pause button on this rushed and ill thought-out assisted dying bill

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-14137941/DAILY-MAIL-COMMENT-MPs-pause-assisted-dying-bill.html

This state sponsored assisted dying bill those MP's are going to vote on today should have the brakes slammed on it immediately and a general debate on a death penalty law should be enacted, a death penalty is a death penalty no matter how many fancy worded ways they want to call it.
This death sentence bill, has far wider implications than just death for cripples, if they want to bring it in for a bunch of cripples, then they can go the whole hog and bring it in for the criminals as well.

Will it pass, No, I don't believe it will, too many people will be calling for a referendum on a death penalty for murderers, rapists, armed robbers etc, and their argument would be, you brought it in for cripples, so why not criminals?.

If Esther Rantzen wants to die, then there are pain free ways of achieving that, and if she isn't dead within a week, you'll know she was only spouting her mouth off to make some money out of it, celebrities eh, as brain dead as a Labour politician.

Jimbuna

11-29-24, 08:49 AM

https://i.postimg.cc/rszpbF2P/468574917-122121015164552485-1473521233910539099-n.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Jimbuna

11-29-24, 10:10 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GoJuuxdTYc

Jimbuna

11-29-24, 10:21 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQDTFoW4Vw4

Moonlight

11-30-24, 07:39 AM

Prime Minister faces questions about his political judgement after forcing out Transport Secretary over fraud conviction he had known about for FOUR years

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14141755/convicted-criminal-Cabinet-public-Sir-Keir.html

How can someone with a criminal conviction still be an MP?, and are there any more 'law-breakers' in the Cabinet?.

Downing Street refused to say if other ministers had criminal convictions in their pasts. Sir Keir savaged Boris Johnson after he was fined £50 over Partygate, saying 'you can't be a law-maker and a law-breaker'. He now appears to have said this in full knowledge that at least one member of his Shadow Cabinet had a conviction.

Jimbuna

11-30-24, 08:04 AM

https://i.imgur.com/nbwAPPN.jpeg

Moonlight

12-01-24, 06:21 AM

EXCLUSIVE Fuel Minister Liz Kendall, who axed £300 payment to pensioners, lives in £4million Notting Hill home with her banker partner - and their heating bill is paid by YOU

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14144201/Fuel-Minister-Liz-Kendall-axed-fuel-payment-pensioners-4million-Notting-Hill-home.html

It's not just the Labour MPs it's ALL of them, and that includes the "House of Lords", everyone who works in Westminster from the Mrs Mops to the Speakers of both houses should have all expenses restricted until something is sorted out once and for all.
This abuse of the public purse is unsustainable, we've had Austerity for 14 years but it looks as if it was "Fill Yer Boots Time" for the Members of both houses...

Jimbuna

12-01-24, 12:05 PM

https://i.postimg.cc/0NNy5CBM/Untitled.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
https://i.postimg.cc/43FNYhD8/Untitledb.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Jimbuna

12-01-24, 12:09 PM

Labour civil war as Diane Abbott slams Keir Starmer's ‘poor judgement' on winter fuel cuts

Labour's Diane Abbott has lashed out at party leader Sir Keir Starmer live on television as she berated his "poor judgement" in accepting freebies and cutting winter fuel payments.

The Hackney North MP has a chequered past with the Prime Minister after she had the Labour whip withdrawn over an "offensive" suggestion that "Jews don't suffer racism".

The whip was restored before the General Election, but only after months of uncertainty about her future.

Appearing on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, stand-in host Victoria Derbyshire asked Ms Abbott how she thought Labour and the PM were doing so far.

After criticising the party for "wheeling out recycled Blairite Pat McFadden" earlier in the programme to defend the Government, she said: "There's been issues where I think Keir Starmer has shown poor judgement.

"He didn't seem to understand that [as] a man on £150,000 a year as leader of the opposition, it would look bad to be getting a millionaire to pay for his glasses and his suits."

Sir Keir - who actually earned £144,649 before the election - was roundly criticised for accepting gifts from Lord Waheed Alli, including thousands of pounds worth of work clothing and multiple pairs of glasses.

She went on to say: "Maybe if he'd done more doorknocking for the Labour Party, he didn't understand that of all the people to take money off, not pensioners.

"Pensioners don't forgive and forget and they're one of the blocks of voters who actually do vote - and he didn't seem to get it that that would be a problem.

"People are still coming up to my colleagues in other parts of the country in the street to complain about what he did about winter fuel.

"Taking winter fuel allowance away from pensioners in that rather clunky way, it showed poor political judgement."

Ms Abbott has already proved to be a headache for the Prime Minister as he tries to convince voters Labour has moved on from its hard-Left past.

She was a close ally and friend of Jeremy Corbyn, serving as his shadow home secretary before he lost the 2019 election and was later booted out of the party over antisemitism claims.

She has previously warned in interviews that she would be prepared to oppose Sir Keir and the Government on some issues.

Labour's decision to remove the universal £300 winter fuel allowance from most pensioners has sparked controversy, particularly as energy bills are set to rise.

Earlier this month Dennis Reed, director of the Silver Voices campaign group, said: "News that energy prices will drift up again in January is further proof of the folly of the Government in scrapping the winter fuel payment for most pensioners.

"Older people just above the benefit eligibility limit are already at their wits' end in balancing heating and food costs."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/labour-civil-war-as-diane-abbott-slams-keir-starmer-s-poor-judgement-on-winter-fuel-cuts/ar-AA1v4joQ?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=5f5b7966a5ed444293619a13ffe6787f&ei=11

Jimbuna

12-02-24, 10:54 AM

https://i.postimg.cc/4NWgRS9t/5oruvc.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Dargo

12-02-24, 01:18 PM

https://i.postimg.cc/4NWgRS9t/5oruvc.jpg (https://postimages.org/)And Stalin's father was a shoemaker :D

mapuc

12-02-24, 06:14 PM

Is it really so bad living in UK as it is said in this video, where they say it's time to leave UK and live elsewhere ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxfywDVHF6c

Markus

Catfish

12-03-24, 05:24 AM

^ For a second I thought it was Rockstar posting lol.

Yes it is soo bad living in Europe, oh the drama ;)

Jimbuna

12-03-24, 07:40 AM

Is it really so bad living in UK as it is said in this video, where they say it's time to leave UK and live elsewhere ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxfywDVHF6c

Markus

Starting to look that way some might say Markus hence the UK efforts to rejoin the EU so we can all emigrate to Denmark under the freedom of travel rules :03:

Jimbuna

12-03-24, 07:42 AM

^ For a second I thought it was Rockstar posting lol.

Yes it is soo bad living in Europe, oh the drama ;)

Precisely :)

Jimbuna

12-03-24, 01:56 PM

Labour savaged as English Channel 'crossings up 64% since Keir Starmer took office'

Chris Philp, the Shadow Home Secretary, has launched a scathing critique of Labour's handling of migration, blaming Sir Keir Starmer's government for an alleged 64% surge in Channel crossings since July.

Speaking in the Commons yesterday, Mr Philp highlighted figures showing 20,110 crossings in Sir Keir's first 150 days compared to pre-election periods.

He also urged ministers to introduce a hard limit on migrant numbers, saying: "If they are really serious... about reducing net migration as we are, what we really need is a hard cap on the numbers, proposed by the leader of the opposition and I last week.

"Behind all the bluster and all the chat about previous governments, we see her record and her Government's record.

"A 64% increase in small boat crossings since the same period before the election, 6,000 extra people in hotels, the asylum backlog up by 11,000, all since the July 4."

Since Labour came to power, there had been an 18% increase in crossings compared with the corresponding 150-day period in 2023, and a "staggering" 64% rise compared with the 150 days immediately prior to the election, Mr Philip claimed.

In response, Ms Cooper blamed the Tories for failures in the migration system over the past five years.

Home Office figures showed 122 people made the journey on Sunday in two boats - Sir Keir's 150th day in office - which means 20,110 crossings have been recorded since the Labour leader walked into Number 10 in July after his party won the general election.

Ms Cooper said many people had "understandably lost faith in the entire system" but sought to blame the Conservatives for a "collapse in controls".

She claimed illegal and legal migration had both "substantially increased" under the Tories while the asylum backlog "soared" and "enforcement of basic rules fell apart".

She added: "The scale of failure and loss of control has badly undermined trust in the entire system, and it will take time to turn things around."

Ms Cooper also pledged to enforce new visa rules enacted when Rishi Sunak was prime minister and to tackle exploitation in the legal migration system.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/travel/news/labour-savaged-as-english-channel-crossings-up-64-since-keir-starmer-took-office/ar-AA1vb66Q?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=31b6cb292dc84cab9e135a66f6ddfc79&ei=24

Jimbuna

12-04-24, 09:41 AM

Interest rates forecast to be higher for longer due to Budget
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2y51ej0pko

Gorpet

12-05-24, 12:59 AM

Starting to look that way some might say Markus hence the UK efforts to rejoin the EU so we can all emigrate to Denmark under the freedom of travel rules :03:

Well, Jim all the rich Americans are coming to the UK. Look their coming in droves. And it's a fear of Diddy and Trump.Starmer will give them sanctuary,birds of a feather flock together. Ya gotta love Starmer, he's got the look, he's got the bull**** and blame it on the other party, even though he has been in Politics for years. Here's what i can't understand is why is his version of Democracy seems to be more in align with, An Autocrat if you don't bend the knee i will put you in jail. In America as long as the an Autocrat throws moneys we don't give a ****.

Jimbuna

12-05-24, 07:37 AM

https://i.postimg.cc/TPPbmfGR/Untitled.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

I wonder how much it would cost for a competent Prime Minister.

Commander Wallace

12-05-24, 09:01 AM

I wonder how much it would cost for a competent Prime Minister.

^ :har:

We could send you Mama Kamala but you already have enough problems and I wouldn't wish her on my worst enemy. :haha:

Jimbuna

12-05-24, 02:04 PM

100,000 extra workers dragged into 60pc ‘tax trap’

An additional 100,000 workers have been dragged into a ‘60pc tax trap’ in the past year, figures from HM Revenue & Customs have revealed.

The number of taxpayers earning between £100,000 and £125,000 in 2023-2024 stood at 634,000, up 18pc from the previous year, when 537,000 were caught.

The tax trap applies when the personal allowance, which is £12,570 for the 2024/25 tax year, begins to fall because the worker earns £100,000.

The increase in higher taxpayers is also due to a combination of salary inflation and fiscal drag due to frozen tax thresholds, experts said. As wages have risen to keep pace with inflation, more workers have been drafted into higher bands.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves did nothing to ease the burden of those caught in the trap in her Budget in October.

Ms Reeves instead extended a freeze on thresholds, introduced by Conservative Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in 2021, until April 2028.

Since 2010 those earning more than £100,000 have seen their personal allowance slowly taper away. It is completely removed for those earning more than £125,124.

For every £2 earned above the six-figure threshold, £1 of the allowance is removed. This creates an effective income tax rate of 60pc.

In 2018 to 2019, just 337,000 taxpayers found themselves in the 60pc tax trap, according to figures released by the tax office under Freedom of Information rules.

In October, analysis by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimated that the Chancellor’s freeze on thresholds would drag an additional 8 million taxpayers into higher rate tax.

The independent tax and spending watchdog said the longer freeze would push the number of people paying tax above 40 million for the first time. An extra 600,000 will be pushed into paying the highest rate of tax for the first time, it estimated.

Mark Incledon, chief executive of wealth manager Bowmore Financial Planning, which obtained the figures, said: “The number of taxpayers falling victim to this notorious tax trap was already incredibly large – recent wage inflation has pushed almost 100,000 more into this position.”

He said: “It’s very surprising the Government chose to not address this in the latest Budget – the effective tax rate for those earning £100k-125k is known by Treasury officials but they’ve chosen not to address it. Rather than trying to fix the problem, the Government has allowed it to get bigger.”

A Treasury spokesman said: “We are committed to keeping taxes low for working people, which is why we protected payslips from tax rises and are not extending the freeze on personal tax thresholds past 2027/28.”
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/100-000-extra-workers-dragged-into-60pc-tax-trap/ar-AA1vlkq8?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=750aecdc809f4043bb672fe3e2afe2b5&ei=13

Jimbuna

12-06-24, 10:55 AM

MPs claim £300,000 for energy bills amid winter fuel payment cut

MPs charged taxpayers £300,000 for their energy bills at second homes in a year.

Thirty-six current Labour ministers – including the Chancellor Rachel Reeves – have claimed for their gas and electricity costs on expenses, according to analysis.

The claims are entirely within the rules for expenses and Labour defended the MPs, saying that such expenses helped them to meet the costs of working from two permanent locations.

One Tory MP said he would no longer claim for energy bills this winter due to the struggles his constituents faced, following the cut to winter fuel payments.

A Labour Party source said MPs needed appropriate financial support to prevent only wealthy politicians running for Parliament.

However, the Government will face uncomfortable scrutiny over the figures, following the controversial cut to winter fuel payments for pensioners. One new Labour MP said they were “weighing up” what they would include in their parliamentary expenses amid fear of backlash from constituents.

Fuel poverty campaigners said the expenses claims do not “pass the smell test” and showed that politicians were shielded from the struggles faced by many voters. The energy price cap will increase in January, with the average household paying £1,738 a year.

Pensioners’ groups claimed it was “particularly galling” that 13 cabinet members who agreed to cut winter fuel payments – which help older people pay their heating bills – had received support for their own energy bills.

The bill for 271 MPs’ energy costs at second homes rose to £293,000 in 2023-24, according to analysis of Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) data. The average claim was for £1,080.

It marks a sharp increase on the previous year’s sum, which came to £241,000. In total, taxpayers have spent £1.2m on MPs’ gas and electricity bills since 2019.

The total includes claims made in 2024-25. The total for the current year remains incomplete but so far MPs have claimed £107,000.

The majority of claims made this year were logged during the spring and summer – before MPs voted in favour of cutting winter fuel payments in September. However, the IPSA data available is not updated in real time.

MPs with seats outside of London are allowed to put fuel bills and other utilities at one rented home on expenses, whether the accommodation is in London or in their constituency.

While the rules are designed to help them work in two places, critics say the support has at least partially “insulated” MPs from the pain of the cost of living crisis in recent years.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/mps-claim-300-000-for-energy-bills-amid-winter-fuel-payment-cut/ar-AA1vow7g?ocid=msedgntp&pc=ENTPSP&cvid=9478c41397d843cbbc4ea5e1de434f9c&ei=13

Jimbuna

12-06-24, 11:52 AM

Britain spends millions on NHS care for migrants at hotels while Britons 'wait over 18 months for vital treatments'

Taxpayers are spending millions of pounds for asylum seekers to receive "at home" medical assessments inside hotels whilst millions of British patients face extensive NHS waiting times.

An investigation by the Daily Express has uncovered data showing how increased migration since 2021 has forced the health service to strike deals with local GP practices across the country.

In Sussex alone, the NHS was given less than four weeks' notice to provide health services to 1,000 asylum seekers, with numbers later rising to almost 3,000 migrants across Brighton, Crawley, Eastbourne, and Hastings.

A federation of local GP practices in Cheshire secured a £132,000 contract to provide "at-home" care for migrants in Halton, despite elderly patients at some surgeries facing month-long waits for appointments.

Leicestershire signed a £19.8million 10-year contract with The Inclusion Group in August to provide services for asylum seekers and those unable to see their local GP.

The South West London NHS board awarded a £47million two-year contract to care for asylum seekers and the homeless in Merton and Wandsworth in 2022.

Mike Jones from Migration Watch said: "British patients are waiting over 18 months for vital treatments, yet migrant hotels are being turned into makeshift surgeries."

"This isn't just a health crisis - it's a betrayal of taxpayers who've spent their lives funding the NHS, only to be shoved to the back of the queue," he added.

William Yarwood, media campaign manager at the TaxPayers' Alliance, added: "Taxpayers will feel sick when they see the access illegal migrants are getting to our healthcare system.

"While millions sit on NHS waiting lists and are forced to suffer, illegal migrants are enjoying 'at home care' in their hotels."

Retired tiler Jack Jones, 80, told reporters outside Brookvale Practice in Runcorn: "Someone needs to wake up and sort out the NHS. They can't even help the people already on their books...They tell us there is no money but then they spend thousands on these asylum seekers."

At Grove House surgery, patient Mike Hague, 69, said: "We are stretched enough. We get nothing back from these asylum seekers. Charity starts at home is an old saying but it's a true one."

Grandmother Sylvia Ford, 80, reported waiting a month for her latest appointment. According to the British Medical Association, around 6.3 million patients were waiting for treatment as of September, with approximately half waiting over 18 weeks.

A Government spokesman said: "The Home Office and its contractors work closely with the NHS, local authorities and non-governmental organisations to ensure that people can access the health care and support they need, while protecting local services."

NHS Sussex claimed its deal with GP Federation Alliance for Better Care had not impacted services for other residents in the region.

CEO of the Refugee Council Enver Solomon defended the NHS's treatment of asylum seekers, citing the principle of free healthcare at the point of need.

He said: "The NHS was founded on the principle that anyone who needs treatment can receive it free at the point of need.

"Diseases and illnesses affect everyone, regardless of who we are and what our immigration status might be, and it also spreads indiscriminately, which means when one person loses access to healthcare, that clearly becomes a problem for us all.

"That's why the NHS treats everyone, and we welcome the fact that Britain's nurses and doctors - many of whom come from migrant and refugee backgrounds themselves - provide healthcare for those seeking asylum, so they can access essential medical support when they need it."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/other/britain-spends-millions-on-nhs-care-for-migrants-at-hotels-while-britons-wait-over-18-months-for-vital-treatments/ar-AA1vo2xD?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=a12506fe2f8147208a9c7f5c9e463079&ei=20

mapuc

12-06-24, 12:58 PM

^ And then some people don't understand why others become very critical to their countries refugee politics.

Markus

Moonlight

12-06-24, 03:46 PM

There are no refugees in the UK, just free loading migrants.

Catfish

12-06-24, 07:21 PM

All of them, for sure. Idiot.

Jimbuna

12-07-24, 08:07 AM

Energy bills set to skyrocket as Miliband 'opens door' to nuclear reactors in Net Zero push

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband could heighten energy bills as he confirms plans for new nuclear projects in the UK.

Miliband has said that nuclear power is necessary for Labour’s Net Zero plans, confirming that the “door is open” to tech companies hoping to build “modular” reactors in Britain.

The Energy Secretary has said these projects could deliver “big returns” for the UK, claiming the Government is exploring how it can help private companies bring advanced nuclear projects to market.

However, interested developers are reportedly asking for assurance of financial support to ensure their projects get a minimum return.

One option for this funding could include a “regulated asset base scheme” which allows investors to begin recieving costs back via customer bills before a project is completed.

However, this has led to concerns that people could be hit in the pocket.

Speaking at the Nuclear Industry Association’s Nuclear 2024 conference Milliband said: “Of course, it’s early days but we should be open to the potential of SMRs to power the fourth industrial revolution, just as coal powered the first.”

“My message is clear: if you want to build a nuclear project in Britain, my door is open. My department is listening.”

“We want all your ideas for projects that can work and provide value for money.”

This comes ahead of the Energy Secretary’s decision on whether to green light a mutibillion-pound development of Sizewell C, a 3.2 gigawatt nuclear power station in Suffolk.

The plant would have the capacity to power six million homes and would be the second nuclear power station to be built in the UK in more than two decades.

The winners of a Government competition for taxpayer funding to build the UK’s first mini-nuclear power plants are set to be announced early next year.

Nuclear power is only 14 per cent of the UK’s electricity, down from around a quarter at the end of the last century.

Soaring costs have delayed efforts to revive the nuclear power industry.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/energy-bills-set-to-skyrocket-as-miliband-opens-door-to-nuclear-reactors-in-net-zero-push/ar-AA1vrbLW?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=68e111d80d1f42839e2c1fc9c404979a&ei=28

Jimbuna

12-08-24, 01:38 PM

Such a pity it isn't him as well.

Sir Keir Starmer 'welcomes' Assad being deposed

Sir Keir Starmer has welcomed the "departure" of Bashar al Assad as leader of Syria.

Mr Assad has left office and the country after giving orders for there to be a peaceful transfer of power, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

It followed a lightning offensive by anti-regime forces, with rebels entering Damascus last night.

In a statement, the UK's prime minister said: "The developments in Syria in recent hours and days are unprecedented, and we are speaking to our partners in the region and monitoring the situation closely.

"The Syrian people have suffered under Assad's barbaric regime for too long and we welcome his departure.

"Our focus is now on ensuring a political solution prevails, and peace and stability is restored.

"We call on all sides to protect civilians and minorities and ensure essential aid can reach the most vulnerable in the coming hours and days."
https://news.sky.com/story/angela-rayner-welcomes-apparent-fall-of-syrias-assad-13269396

Jimbuna

12-09-24, 07:52 AM

No plan for more tax rises but we can't rule it out - Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer has told the BBC it is not his plan to have any more tax rises before the next general election - but said he could not rule them out in the event of "unforeseen" circumstances.

The prime minister was speaking to BBC Breakfast shortly after setting out six pledges, including a promise to put more money in the pockets of working people.

Sir Keir said he knew some decisions were "not always popular", but voters could judge him at the next election on whether they felt their living standards had improved.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch dismissed the PM's new pledges as a sign that Labour had not been "ready for government".

In addition to improving living standards, the other "milestones" announced by Sir Keir in a speech on Thursday included building 1.5 million new homes in England, ending hospital backlogs, and increasing the proportion of children who are "ready to learn" when starting school to 75%.

Labour has dismissed suggestions the new pledges are a reset following their first few months in government.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjwl09yq19yo

mapuc

12-09-24, 08:34 AM

Are the Labour the only party to be blamed ? As I remember it, they toke over a country going down the hill, after the Tories have had their turn at the wheel.

Markus

Moonlight

12-09-24, 09:36 AM

No they're not, the Tory Party have been in power for most of the last 120 years or so and they should take most of the blame for the abysmal state of the UK.

Jimbuna

12-09-24, 02:30 PM

'Sick kids will pay price!' Labour's disastrous NI hike to cripple children's hospices

Rachel Reeves' crippling National Insurance hikes will cost England's children's hospices nearly £5m more every year, according to new research.

Without urgent action services will be cut, leaving families at crisis point. And it's seriously ill youngsters who will pay the price, says one leading palliative care charity.

Together for Short Lives surveyed 20 of the 35 children's hospice organisations across the country.

It estimates that the increase in Employers' NI Contributions announced in the Autumn Budget translates to £134,000 extra in staff bills next year. And in total the cost of providing care will rise by a staggering £4.9m.

The charity wants the Government to reimburse hospices for the rise in ENICs, as well as maintaining NHS England's funding and increasing it from £25m to reflect growing costs.

Chief Executive Nick Carroll told the Daily Express: "Rachel Reeves' decision to increase employer National Insurance contributions at the Budget is ramping up the financial strain on children's hospices at a time when they are already grappling with significant funding challenges.

"If the government does not reimburse children's hospices for the rise - and if it fails to maintain, increase and centrally-distribute the NHS Children's Hospice Grant - services will be cut, jobs will be lost, and seriously ill children will pay the price."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/familyhealth/sick-kids-will-pay-price-labour-s-disastrous-ni-hike-to-cripple-children-s-hospices/ar-AA1vy6TU?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=fba45cc713f74b08866c50864bde878f&ei=79

Jimbuna

12-12-24, 07:50 AM

Asylum hotel rioter jailed for nine years

A man who tried to set fire to a hotel housing asylum seekers has been jailed for nine years, the joint-longest prison sentence in connection with the UK's summer of riots.

Levi Fishlock smashed windows and stoked a flaming bin at the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, Rotherham, during a spate of disorder on 4 August.

Fishlock, 31, of Sheffield Road, Barnsley, initially denied violent disorder and arson with intent to endanger life but later pleaded guilty to the charges.

Jailing him, the Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, said: "This is one of the worst cases of its kind stemming from the Rotherham disorder."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c878p3l93rqo

Jimbuna

12-13-24, 07:05 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQrvmY5s2mo

Jimbuna

12-14-24, 09:01 AM

https://i.postimg.cc/W4JHBrJF/IMG-4801.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Jimbuna

12-14-24, 01:10 PM

Labour plot to buy 800 homes to house 35,000 asylum seekers languishing in hotels

The Home Office plans to buy hundreds of properties for asylum seekers could make "the acute shortage of housing" even worse.

The Government is to purchase up to 800 properties in an attempt to re-house the 35,000 asylum seekers currently languishing in hotels, at a cost to taxpayers of £5.4million every day. The number has risen by almost 6,000 since the election despite Labour's manifesto pledge to "end asylum hotels".

It follows Labour's decision to scrap the previous government's policy of placing asylum seekers in large sites such as disused prisons and military bases - even though almost £80 million had already been spent on this scheme.

The Local Government Association, which represents councils across the country, has warned that providing homes for asylum seekers risks making it harder to provide homes for existing residents. In a submission to Parliament, the association said: "Given wider housing pressures, asylum and resettlement also affects all councils' capacity to source accommodation both for new arrivals and for all those in housing need in their local area."

It stressed that councils want to help the Government solve the problem but warned: "Given increased demand and the acute shortage of housing across the country, this requires a national, regional and local approach."

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner last week announced that councils will be ordered to build 370,000 properties a year, even if it means using green belt land.

And the Sunday Express revealed that London councils moved 15,280 households to other local authority areas in just one year due to a shortage of homes, with some going as far as County Durham.

Conservatives say Labour is failing to cut asylum numbers because it scrapped the previous government's plan to remove asylum seekers to Rwanda, even though £715 million had been spent on the scheme.

And last week the most senior civil servant in the Home Office suggested the Rwanda policy would be operating today if Labour had not won power.

Home Office Permanent Secretary Sir Matthew Rycroft told a Commons inquiry: "If the election outcome had been different, I am very confident that Home Office civil servants would be busy operationalising the scheme to Rwanda. That would have been our job in that circumstance."

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: "Labour scrapped the only deterrent before it even got started and rolled out the red carpet to criminal gangs trading in human misery. Their failure to control our border has led to an 18 per cent increase in small boat crossings since they came into power, and the British people are paying a very real price.

"The Home Secretary needs to wake up, take notice of what her Permanent Secretary has said, and get a grip on this crisis before it spirals further out of control. Labour should hang their heads in shame. They have left our borders unprotected, without the Rwanda deterrent."

The Home Office has identified 800 potential properties across the country that could be bought either outright or on a "long leasehold" basis to house asylum seekers.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/labour-plot-to-buy-800-homes-to-house-35-000-asylum-seekers-languishing-in-hotels/ar-AA1vRoKt?ocid=msedgntp&pc=ENTPSP&cvid=7d42eb84999640fbbdf89ed81290c8e0&ei=25

Jimbuna

12-15-24, 01:14 PM

Keir Starmer forms EU ‘surrender squad' to negotiate reversal of Boris Johnson's Brexit

Keir Starmer has been accused of establishing a "surrender squad" of civil servants ready to hand back powers to Brussels as part of his EU renegotiation.

A team of over 100 civil servants has been brought together to head the renegotiation, which critics have warned will see the Prime Minister unpick Brexit and tie Britain closer to the EU.

The new team will be housed within the all-powerful Cabinet Office, and headed by a £200,000-a-year mandarin reporting to Europe minister Nick Thomas-Symonds.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/travel/news/keir-starmer-forms-eu-surrender-squad-to-negotiate-reversal-of-boris-johnson-s-brexit/ar-AA1vTs3E?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=43467599d50d4921b86f163a7eec3f5f&ei=39

Jimbuna

12-16-24, 10:35 AM

UK economy flatlines in run-up to Christmas with 'worse to come'

The UK economy is flatlining in the run-up to Christmas as firms struggle to cope with Labour's tax bomb Budget.

Closely-watched PMI figures for December show a reading of 50.5 - underlining fears the country is on the brink of recession.

The 'flash' figure was unchanged from the 13-month low of November, and below than the 50.7 analysts had expected. Anything under 50 represents contraction.

S&P Global Market Intelligence, which runs the index, warned there is 'worse to come' as businesses cut back employment at the fastest rate since the Credit Crunch, excluding Covid.

Chris Williamson, chief business economist, said: 'Businesses are reporting a triple whammy of gloomy news as 2024 comes to a close, with economic growth stalled, employment slumping and inflation back on the rise.

'Economic growth momentum has been lost since the robust expansion seen earlier in the year, as businesses and households have responded negatively to the new Labour Government's downbeat rhetoric and policies.'

He added: 'Firms are responding to the increase in national insurance contributions and new regulations around staffing with a marked pull-back in hiring, causing employment to fall in December at the fastest rate since the global financial crisis in 2009 if the pandemic is excluded.'

'While the December PMI is indicative of the economy more or less stalled in the fourth quarter, the loss of confidence and increased culling of jobs hints at worse to come as we head into the new year.'

Fears have been mounting for the British economy after a second consecutive month of falling GDP.

Activity was down 0.1 per cent in October, after recording the same reduction in September.

That was far worse than the 0.2 per cent growth analysts had pencilled in, and the first contraction in successive months since the height of Covid.

Although UK plc was still marginally in positive territory over the quarter, businesses voiced alarm that the full impact of Labour's £40billion Budget tax raid had yet to be felt.

Economists have warned Britain is on 'recession watch', while even Ms Reeves admitted the official figures last week were 'disappointing'.

The grim numbers could give the Bank of England pause for thought as it decides what to do on interest rates this week - although the MPC is widely expected to keep the level on hold.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/uk-economy-flatlines-in-run-up-to-christmas-with-worse-to-come/ar-AA1vWA0P?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=9d49f2de75124acfb25c51e7df34c2ee&ei=142

Jimbuna

12-16-24, 12:01 PM

UK companies cut jobs at fastest rate in nearly 4 years as firms respond to Budget tax changes

The private sector in the UK has seen the fastest rate of job cuts in nearly four years, as companies react to new tax rules announced in the Budget.

The latest S&P Global Flash UK Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) revealed that while business confidence remained steady from November due to a slight increase in business activity, other sectors experienced a significant decline, as reported by City AM.

Manufacturing output and PMI both dropped to an 11-month low, at 45.7 (from 48.3) and 47.3 (from 48) respectively, while companies reported the steepest decrease in workforce numbers since January 2021. This reduction in UK workers was attributed to softer demand, increased employment costs, and squeezed company margins, as price pressures escalated at the fastest pace in nine months.

"Total new orders decreased for the first time in 13 months amid widespread reports of weaker business and consumer spending patterns," the report stated. The manufacturing and services sectors displayed contrasting trends, with the rate of decline in manufacturing accelerating to its quickest since January, while there was a modest rise in service sector output to 51.4.

Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith labelled the figures as "shocking, but to anyone in touch with real businesses, not surprising." He called on the Chancellor to "change course."

"Firms have opted not to replace workers as rising employment costs squeeze margins and the gloomy post-budget mood continues to weigh on confidence," stated Kyle Chapman, FX markets analyst at Ballinger Group. "For sterling, the uptick in inflationary pressure and the increasingly hawkish Bank of England rate path for 2025 are outweighing the soft growth outlook."

This follows a Bank of England survey earlier this month revealing that over half of companies plan to increase prices in response to the Budget, while also reducing jobs and wages.

Concurrently, KPMG's latest report on jobs indicates that salary growth has slowed to its lowest rate since February 2021, due to an increase in redundancies and low demand for workers. "Businesses are reporting a triple whammy of gloomy news as 2024 comes to a close, with economic growth stalled, employment slumping and inflation back on the rise," said Chris Williamson, chief business economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/uk-companies-cut-jobs-at-fastest-rate-in-nearly-4-years-as-firms-respond-to-budget-tax-changes/ar-AA1vXjKK?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=67a60502f6ee4547bb449d37e0960707&ei=40

Jimbuna

12-16-24, 12:48 PM

Keir Starmer branded ‘dictator' as he delays 2025 local elections

Nigel Farage has torn into Prime Minister Keir Starmer after it emerged this morning some crucial local elections will now not be held next year.

It's understood that some local elections will now no longer take place in May 2025 as originally scheduled, but instead be delayed until 2026 or 2027.

All 21 county councils have been asked to send in restructuring plans by mid-January. Reform UK is now running a social media graphic accusing Labour of wanting "to silence you".

Mr Farage blasted: "The two old parties' century-long stranglehold on British politics is breaking and they are terrified.

"Their day of reckoning is fast approaching."

He added that Labour has imported the US Democrats' doctrine of claiming their opponents are a threat to democracy.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/keir-starmer-branded-dictator-as-he-delays-2025-local-elections/ar-AA1vXrDu?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=20cb89bfb83645a0b5c751978b6146fd&ei=15

Jimbuna

12-17-24, 08:25 AM

Reeves faces growing Labour revolt over winter fuel raid

Rebellious Labour MPs have once again urged ministers to backtrack on its decision to strip winter fuel payments from millions of pensioners.

Pensions minister Emma Reynolds on Monday ruled out reversing the punitive policy despite interventions from her own party in the House of Commons.

Backbenchers Rachael Maskell and Neil Duncan-Jordan openly lambasted the Government’s decision to means-test the universal payments, worth up to £300 per year.

Mr Duncan-Jordan, MP for Poole, said: “The poorest pensioners in our society are those who are eligible for the pension credit but don’t claim it, or are just a few pounds above the threshold and miss out on passported support.

“Means testing by its very nature is simply not the best way to get help to those who need it most, so will the minister reconsider the recent decision to means-test the winter fuel allowance?”

Ms Reynolds replied: “We won’t reconsider that decision because in a very tight fiscal environment when we inherited a £22bn black hole from the party opposite, we had to take some very tough decisions.”

Ms Maskell told the minister that people in her York Central constituency were going to “really struggle this winter” because of the cut. She asked: “What additional steps will be taken to ensure that those who miss out on the 21 December [pension credit] deadline will still be able to get support to keep warm this winter?”

Ms Maskell has also been a vocal critic of several of Labour’s controversial policies including the decision to implement a 20pc VAT on private school fees from January.

Ms Reynolds said that 500 extra staff had been tasked with ensuring pension credit is given to those who need it. Claims for pension credit had more than doubled since the policy was announced, she added.

However, over half of pension credit claims processed in the past nine months have been rejected, according to data from a Freedom of Information request.

Some 92,000 claims were rejected between April and December 2024 while 91,000 were awarded the benefit. Eligible pensioners have until Saturday to claim it.

Pension credit is a means-tested benefit for those above state pension age with a low income. It tops up your income to help with everyday living costs, providing an average income boost of around £3,900 per year.

Up to 880,000 eligible households do not claim pension credit, according to government figures.

Around 10 million pensioners have lost out on winter fuel payments this year because of the decision to means-test the benefit. The move is expected to save the Treasury £1.4bn.

It has been a divisive policy for the party, with 52 Labour MPs refusing to vote on it back in September.

Labour has admitted that abolishing universal winter fuel payments will push as many as 100,000 pensioners into poverty by 2026.

Labour Party analysis from 2017 found 4,000 pensioners would die if the support was removed.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/reeves-faces-growing-labour-revolt-over-winter-fuel-raid/ar-AA1w0UpC?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=aa9843ca75f744cb8d4578a4ba577e06&ei=13

Skybird

12-17-24, 10:34 AM

How much of Starmer's term is still left...? :)

Skybird

12-17-24, 10:36 AM

"He added that Labour has imported the US Democrats' doctrine of claiming their opponents are a threat to democracy."

Ah, now I feel at home like in Germany!

Jimbuna

12-17-24, 01:00 PM

How much of Starmer's term is still left...? :)

Far far too long :huh:

Jimbuna

12-17-24, 01:18 PM

Yet more shame on two-faced Two Tier Keir the most reviled and hated PM in UK post war history.

Keir Starmer's own words make plain how Labour has betrayed WASPI cause

The DWP's decision not to grant compensation to 1950s-born women will particularly infuriate WASPI campaigners (Women Against State Pension Inequality) as Prime Minister Keir Starmer previously backed their cause.

Speaking in a radio interview in July 2022, he said there was a "real injustice" on how the women had been treated, after they were not properly advised by the DWP of the increase of the state pension age, from 60 to 65.

Expressing his sympathy for their cause, the then-opposition leader said: "All your working life you've got in mind the date on which you can retire and get your pension, and just as you get towards it, the goalposts are moved and you don't get it, and it's a real injustice.

"We need to do something about it. That wasn't the basis on which you paid in or the basis on which you were working."

He went on to accuse the then-Conservative Government of putting "its fingers in its ears". But Labour work and pensions secretary, Liz Kendall, said today (December 17) there would be "no scheme" for compensation, as it "isn't fair or value for taxpayers' money".

This was despite a Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman report that came out in March, recommending payouts of between £1,000 and £2,950.

Ms Kendall argued that "the vast majority" of the women knew the state pension age was increasing, so it would not be right to have a flat compensation payout.

After her announcement, the disappointed WASPI campaigners shared a picture of Ms Kendall holding a sign stating: "I will work with WASPI to identify a fair solution for all women affected."

They campaign group said: "Hard to see how your statement refusing #WASPI women justice today is a 'fair solution'."

Angela Madden, chair of the WASPI campaign, said: "This is a bizarre and totally unjustified move which will leave everyone asking what the point of an Ombudsman is if ministers can simply ignore their decisions. It feels like a decision that would make the likes of Boris Johnson and Donald Trump blush."

Ms Kendall said the Government would be sure to provide "clear and sufficient" updates on future changes to the state pension age, which is scheduled to increase from the current 66 to 67 and then to 68.

But Ms Madden was unimpressed with this promise, saying: "The idea that an 'action plan' to avoid such mistakes in future should be the result of a six-year Ombudsman's investigation is an insult both to the women and to the PHSO process.

"An overwhelming majority of MPs back WASPI's calls for fair compensation and all options remain on the table. Parliament must now seek an alternative mechanism to force this issue on to the order paper so justice can be done."

Several political parties have consistently supported WASPI compensation, including the Liberal Democrats, the SNP and the Green Party.

Big name Labour MPs who previously backed the cause include work and pensions minister, Sir Stephen Timms, and chair of the Work and Pensions Committee, Debbie Abrahams.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/keir-starmer-s-own-words-make-plain-how-labour-has-betrayed-waspi-cause/ar-AA1w1BTX?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=867217ba78864a5998697a0ccc76c230&ei=10

Gorpet

12-18-24, 02:50 AM

Keir Starmer branded Â‘dictator' as he delays 2025 local elections

Well, He has to do that.The socialist progressives in the usa have got to deal with,donald trump.and they can't afford for the people of the uk.to get any ideas.that would be bad for the agenda.right ? the plan is the destruction ukraine and russia.then there will be work for all the immigrants.after all the ukraine and the russians are dead.nato countries move in and provide cheap labor and replacements for the dead men.all the surviving women will become comfort women. and ukraine gets repopulated with cheap labor for the next 5 decades.win,win.

Jimbuna

12-18-24, 10:34 AM

Taxpayers can't afford Waspi compensation, says PM

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has defended the decision to reject compensation for women hit by changes to the state pension age, arguing that the taxpayer "simply can't afford the tens of billions of pounds" in payments.

He added that "90% of those impacted knew about the changes that were taking place".

However, during Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir was repeatedly pressed on the government's decision, with one MP calling for a vote.

The Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) campaign group say that 3.6 million women born in the 1950s were not properly informed of the rise in state pension age to bring them into line with men.

In 1995, the government increased the pension age for women from 60 to 65, phasing in the change between 2010 and 2020.

The coalition government of 2010 opted to speed up the process, bringing forward the qualifying age of 65 to 2018.

Waspi has been pushing for compensation previously suggesting that some women should receive £10,000 each, at a cost of £36bn.

The current government's decision not to award payments comes despite an independent government review in March which recommended compensation of between £1,000 and £2,950 for each of those affected.

Rebecca Hilsenrath, head of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, which wrote the review, told Times Radio that although the government had accepted that it had delayed writing to 1950s-born women by 28 months, and apologised, it had rejected paying compensation.

"What we don't expect is for an acknowledgement to be made by a public body that it's got it wrong but then refuse to make it right for those affected," she said.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy85edy0nxo

Jimbuna

12-18-24, 11:22 AM

Kemi grills Starmer at final PMQs of 2024 about pensioners.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/kemi-grills-starmer-at-final-pmqs-of-2024-about-pensioners/vi-AA1w5lex?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=67b4316c52bd4e088a97fed289bb7713&ei=34#details

Jimbuna

12-18-24, 01:36 PM

She's nothing but a liar and a fraud.

Reeves misses deadline to answer questions over ‘embellished’ CV

Rachel Reeves appears to have broken her own government’s guidance by ignoring questions about whether she lied on her CV.

The Chancellor has refused to reply to a letter sent by former Conservative chairman, Richard Holden, last month asking her to clarify her previous job at the Bank of Scotland amid accusations she exaggerated her role as an economist.

Mr Holden, MP for Basildon and Billericay, asked Ms Reeves to answer six questions about her “edited CV” and said “anything less than a full explanation would confirm to the country that they cannot trust a word this government says”.

Ms Reeves was accused of breaching the ministerial code last month after it emerged she had edited her online CV following reports she lied about her job prior to becoming an MP.

Rather than working as an economist at the Bank of Scotland between 2006 and 2009, she updated her LinkedIn profile to show that she had instead worked in retail banking at Halifax, the Bank of Scotland’s parent company.

It now appears Ms Reeves could be in further hot water by choosing to ignore Mr Holden’s letter sent on November 18.

Under government guidance, published in September, it states ministers should respond to such correspondence within 20 working days, meaning Ms Reeves should have responded by Monday December 16 at the latest. It is understood there are no direct consequences for an MP who misses the deadline.

Mr Holden accused the Chancellor of attempting to “hide under a rock” by ignoring his questions and said such a strategy would be taking the British public for “fools”.

He said: “I asked Rachel Reeves a series of very simple, but very serious questions about her CV. She has not yet had the courage to answer them, over a month later.

“If the Chancellor thinks that hiding under a rock and hoping this will all go away is the right strategy, she has another thing coming. The British public are no fools.

“This country deserves to know if one of its most senior politicians has deceived them. I will continue to push for the answers that are so sorely needed.”

As well as claims she embellished her role at the Bank of Scotland, Ms Reeves has also been accused of repeatedly exaggerating how long she spent working at the Bank of England.

Speaking to Stylist magazine in 2021, the Chancellor said she had spent a decade working as an economist at the Bank and “loved it”.

But her LinkedIn profile showed she only worked for the Bank for six years, leaving in December 2006 after joining on its graduate scheme in September 2000.

In Mr Holden’s letter, he wrote: “The allegations raised, including that you misrepresented your role at HBOS (Halifax Bank of Scotland), and then edited your CV after this being discovered, are not trivial matters – and leave serious questions.

“As you know standards in public life are upheld by rigorous accountability and transparency – which is why I write to you seeking clarity.”

Mr Holden then asked the following six questions: “Between what years were you employed by the Bank of England? What was your job title at the Bank of England? Between what years were you employed by HBOS? What was your job title at HBOS? What was the reason you left HBOS? Will you now publish a full, unedited CV?”

Ms Reeves was approached for comment.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/entertainment/other/reeves-misses-deadline-to-answer-questions-over-embellished-cv/ar-AA1w5DBx?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=aa918f15246b45a8a5923b5e263e6be8&ei=15

Jimbuna

12-19-24, 09:51 AM

Up to 100 Labour MPs could vote against Waspi payout refusal

Up to 100 Labour MPs could vote against the government’s decision to rule out spending £10bn compensating Waspi women if a vote is held, encapsulating the fury on Keir Starmer’s own benches, the Guardian has been told.

The work and pensions secretary, Liz Kendall, announced on Tuesday there would be no compensation for women born in the 1950s who were not aware of changes to the state pension age, despite a recommendation from the parliamentary ombudsman in March that £1,000 to £2,950 should be paid out to each of the more than 3 million women affected.

The prime minister denied MPs a vote on the issue and told the Commons that taxpayers could not afford the £10.5bn compensation package that had been recommended, as his own MPs accused him of “betrayal” during PMQs on Wednesday.

However, it is understood that the Liberal Democratsintend to press the government to hold a vote. Should that be denied, the party could then consider other means, such as as a backbench debate or opposition day.

One Labour MP called it the party’s “tuition fee moment”, given how many Labour MPs had stood with campaign groups in solidarity with the women hit by the rising state pension age. Many privately feel embarrassed by the move and had thought they were following Labour policy in showing solidarity with the women.

The veteran Labour MP and mother of the house, Diane Abbott, criticised the government during PMQs as she said: “We did promise them that we will give them justice. I understand the issue about the cost, but does the prime minister really understand how let down Waspi women feel today?”

Ian Byrne, who is suspended by Labour and sitting as an independent, told the chamber that the Waspi women were victims of an “injustice done to them at the hands of the state” and asked: “Will the prime minister give members the opportunity to vote on whether they believe Waspi women are owed compensation?”

Starmer did not address the call for a vote, saying instead: “I just set out the factual background and the percentage that knew about the change, and the simple fact of the matter is, in the current economic circumstances, the taxpayer can’t bear the burden of tens of billions of pounds in compensation.”

Downing Street later said it had “no plans” for a vote on the issue, insisting MPs had had “an opportunity to have their say” on Tuesday when the move was formally announced.

Although it was not promised in Labour’s manifesto, Starmer and members of his top team including the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, and Kendall backed the Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) campaign when the party was in opposition.

Reeves told broadcasters early on Wednesday that improving public services was a higher priority than footing an “expensive compensation bill” that could not be justified as most women had said they did know about the pension age changes.

She said: “I understand that women affected by the changes to the state pension age feel disappointed by this decision, but we looked in full at the ombudsman recommendations and they said that around 90% of women did know that these changes were coming.

“And as chancellor, I have to account for every penny of taxpayers’ money spent. And given that the vast majority of people did know about these changes, I didn’t judge that it would be the best use of taxpayers’ money to pay an expensive compensation bill for something that most people knew was happening.”

Rebecca Hilsenrath, the ombudsman, criticised the government’s decision not to offer compensation.

She told Times Radio: “It’s great that the government are saying that our intervention will lead to service improvements and it’s fair to say also that people who come to us, overwhelmingly, are motivated by wanting things to improve for other people.

“But what we don’t expect is for an acknowledgment to be made by a public body that it’s got it wrong but then refuse to make it right for those affected.”

The Conservatives hit out at the “betrayal” of Waspi women, but the shadow business secretary, Andrew Griffith, acknowledged that the Tories might not have offered any compensation either.

A spokesperson for Kemi Badenoch said: “She has not promised to give them compensation but I’m not going to write a budget for four or five years’ time. The key here is about the Labour party and trust and honesty … they told the Waspi women they would get them compensation and then they’ve said no.”

The Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, said the government’s “blanket no-compensation position is the wrong one” and he was “deeply disappointed by that”.

He added: “I think we could have found a way forward that recognised the difficult public finances, that recognised the difficult inheritance.”
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/up-to-100-labour-mps-could-vote-against-waspi-payout-refusal/ar-AA1w6Pf6?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=0ac1bb16de2a472685a462da13a7ce6b&ei=36

Jimbuna

12-19-24, 10:03 AM

https://i.postimg.cc/L53nz62D/469923614-602163369342674-1653535917316411574-n.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Catfish

12-20-24, 06:34 AM

"Keir Starmer forms 'EU surrender squad' to negotiate reversal of Boris Johnson's Brexit"

Brexit cost UK 27 billion pounds in lost trade in first two years, review finds."

Jimbuna

12-20-24, 01:39 PM

The fact is everybody is laying into Starmer and rightly so but choose to ignore the fact it was Boris and his gang of crooks who continually lied and made claims and promises they could never back up.

Moonlight

12-20-24, 05:52 PM

Just A Few Of The Remainer Lies.

DEMOCRACY REQUIRES THE PEOPLE TO VOTE AGAIN

This is really a confidence trick based on the assumption that apathy and fed-upness at being buggered about will reduce the Brexit vote to allow some of the people to reverse the vote of more of them. It can’t be a vote on Mrs May’s solution because Parliament won’t pass it and the politicians can’t agree on any alternative. So the ballot will be “Stay in? Yes or Yes”. The EU will reject any alternative, as it did with Greece’s referendum.

BRITAIN BELONGS AT THE HEART OF EUROPE

Although it’s already relegated to the periphery. Unless it accepts the euro, Schengen, the EU army and the dominance of Germany, it must stay there and unlike most members we won’t get any aid. Only our own money back with their costs taken out.

THE EU IS OUR BEST MARKET

In fact it’s a protective bloc set up to protect French agriculture and German manufacturing. Its share of world trade is declining, the euro wont work and has led to deflation and unemployment. We run a £95 billion deficit which means the export of jobs, money and demand. Membership is a drain not a boost.

LEAVING WOULD BE TO CRASH OVER THE CLIFF EDGE INTO DISASTER

Oddly the rest of the world trades with the EU on WTO terms more successfully than we do as members. They can hardly punish us without damaging themselves and the scare stories of the Treasury and the Bank of England both assume that Brexit would mean deflation. In fact it would compel a Keynesian expansion, the opening of new markets and cheaper food.

WE’D BE ALONE AND IGNORED

Yet small nations are the most successful; independent nations are growing faster because they can manage their economies to suit their own purposes. Outside a bloc designed to suit France and Germany, so can we.

BREXIT WOULD BE DISASTROUS FOR BUSINESS

Small business doesn’t trade with the EU. The assumption is that British business has no guts, no resilience, can’t compete in other markets and is totally dependent on trade agreements negotiated by the EU in its interest not ours. British complacency might benefit from a shock, as Australia and New Zealand did when Britain betrayed them to join the EU. There is however one element of truth – though it’s one they don’t tell. Our leaders love the EU because it gives them a bigger stage to strut on, an excuse for their failures and the illusion that they’re still important – the only satisfaction left to them, after screwing up Britain.

There's two sides to a coin you know, and there's a lot more Bollocks like the above that I haven't posted. :up:

Jimbuna

12-21-24, 01:34 PM

Tory donations exceed Labour’s as Starmer’s popularity plummets

Conservative donations pulled ahead of Labour’s as confidence collapsed in the Government only a few months after it was elected.

The latest figures show the Tories raised hundreds of thousands of pounds more than Labour in the three months following the general election.

During that time, the Government was dogged by a freebies scandal, the sacking of Sue Gray as chief of staff, and a backlash against the cut to winter fuel payments.

In the run-up to the general election, Labour raised more than all other political parties combined. But, since then, donor confidence has apparently slumped.

Labour raised more than the Tories for several months before it was elected. In the second quarter of this year, donors gave the party more than £28 million.

But in the third quarter of 2024 – July to September – Labour reported total donations of £2,616,816 while the Tories pulled ahead with donations worth £3,162,665, according to the Electoral Commission.

It is a sign that the Government’s honeymoon period was as short-lived with donors as it was with voters at large. The Labour Party’s poll rating has collapsed since July, as has the Prime Minister’s personal popularity.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/tory-donations-exceed-labour-s-as-starmer-s-popularity-plummets/ar-AA1whCzc?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=6468165e13dc480fb2fccc23d8ecd03c&ei=11

Jimbuna

12-22-24, 01:57 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANM_l-xJCr8

Jimbuna

12-22-24, 02:01 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pN9jX43FAg

Jimbuna

12-23-24, 01:59 PM

https://i.postimg.cc/5tqYSdfG/Untitled.jpg (https://postimg.cc/v1TZGKgL)
https://i.postimg.cc/bJmZ4xD9/Untitleda.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

ET2SN

12-23-24, 03:22 PM

"Keir Starmer forms 'EU surrender squad' to negotiate reversal of Boris Johnson's Brexit"

Brexit cost UK 27 billion pounds in lost trade in first two years, review finds."

The question I have- CAN the UK rejoin the EU?

As I recall, it was a bit of a sweetheart deal back in the day.

mapuc

12-23-24, 03:39 PM

^ I guess it would be under EU's term and condition if UK wants to rejoin EU. Don't think UK can put up to many demands.

A little majority of the people in UK voted for an exit. Shouldn't there be an another referendum if the Government want UK to rejoin ?

I would think so.

Markus

Dargo

12-23-24, 03:47 PM

Everybody can (re)join the EU like any new member. Please no referendum we are so bad at them, better leave that to the Swiss.

Jimbuna

12-24-24, 11:16 AM

Is Reform now the true opposition party in the UK?

As Reform UK closes in on overtaking the Tories with its burgeoning base of grassroots supporters, GB News asks its members if Nigel Farage is effectively Leader of the Opposition.

Having only exceeded 100,000 members in late November following the defection of ex-Tory MP Dame Andrea Jenkyns, Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf has looked to rapidly grow the revamped Brexit Party.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/poll-of-the-day-is-reform-now-the-true-opposition-party-in-the-uk/ar-AA1woYNj?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=39784f9cdfe0428bb68f6aaf0ed62174&ei=81

MGR1

12-24-24, 11:49 AM

Reform need to be a lot more choosy about the loons it associates with:

Reform remove Scottish official after family claim (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy0nqzj54wlo)

A Reform UK organiser in Scotland has been removed from his post after it was reported he had family ties to violent Loyalists.

Nigel Farage's party confirmed Craig Campbell was no longer a member after the Daily Record said he is the son of a Loyalist bomber, and the cousin of a man jailed for stabbing a Celtic fan to death.

It was also claimed that he had images comparing the SNP to Nazis on his social media accounts, which have now been deleted.
A spokesperson for Reform UK Scotland said the party "will not tolerate discrimination of anyone in any form".

According to the Record, Campbell is the cousin of Jason Campbell, who was jailed in 1996 for murdering 16-year-old Celtic supporter Mark Scott in Glasgow.

The trial heard the attacker ran up behind the victim, who was wearing a Celtic scarf, and screamed a sectarian remark before stabbing him.
The murder inspired the creation of anti-sectarian charity Nil by Mouth (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-51834626).
A Reform Party associated with the worst examples of Loyalist violence is very unwelcome in Scotland.

"Protestant Ascendency (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant_Ascendancy)" my rear end, and I'm an athiest, not a Catholic. Although, as I believe that reform have been sucking up to the nutters of True Unionist Voice in Northern Ireland, I have severe doubts.

Moseley would be proud.

Mike.

Jimbuna

12-27-24, 11:52 AM

Reeves prepares new tax bombshell as growth plans collapse and recession looms

They thought Sir Keir Starmer's clear victory would bring the stability many other countries lacked, especially with Chancellor Rachel Reeves running the economy.

Markets aren't happy now. Neither are pensioners, farmers, business owners, and taxpayers.

Reeves vowed to ignite growth in a sluggish economy, assuring the nation it was her number one priority.

That pledge turned out to be as reliable as her CV. Or her promise not to increase taxes on working people.

Far from delivering growth, Reeves seems to have abolished it altogether.

She inherited an economy that was finally starting to grow, rising 0.7% in the first quarter and 0.4% in the second.

That was the fastest rate in the G7.

But instead of building on that, she swung her wrecking ball.

Confidence collapsed as Reeves bemoaned the £22 billion black hole she claimed not to notice before the election and threatened massive tax hikes in her Budget, four months down the line.

Her credibility also collapsed when black holes were discovered in her CV.

In the first three months of Labour rule (July, August and September) growth crashed to a mere 0.1%. Updated figures show it didn't even manage that.

That figure was revised downwards over Christmas. To a big fat zero.

The economy didn't grow at all in Labour's first quarter.

It shrank by 0.1% in both October and November, and December may be worse.

Reeves will slap £40billion of new taxes on businesses from April. Bosses are already shedding jobs and cutting investment as they try to avert the shock.

Instead of flocking to the UK, as Starmer promised, global investors are getting out. FTSE companies are fleeing to the US.

Instead of growth, Reeves risks driving us into recession.

Reeves defends herself by claiming: "You can't turn round 14 years of poor economic performance in six months."

Unfortunately, six months is long enough to make it worse.

As the economy shrinks, we're sliding deeper into trouble.

Our borrowing costs have spiked to the highest level against Germany since 1990, even as Germany plunges into political and economic chaos.

This is costing us billions in extra interest. And remember, Reeves is borrowing another £30billion next year, after fiddling the rules to do so.

We saw under Liz Truss what happens when markets lose faith in the UK. We're getting close to that again.

If we slide into recession, Reeves will have to raise taxes yet again in 2025, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has just warned.

But this will only destroy more growth. We're heading into a vicious spiral.

Growth is the lifeblood of an advanced society. It's how we fund everything from the army to the NHS.

Without it, we're doomed. And Reeves has just abolished it.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/reeves-prepares-new-tax-bombshell-as-growth-plans-collapse-and-recession-looms/ar-AA1wyYEV?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=e43145c9774740ed87575334b05dc3fd&ei=11

JU_88

12-27-24, 06:00 PM

"Growth is the lifeblood of an advanced society. It's how we fund everything from the army to the NHS"

No, this kind of non organic 'Growth' is the lifeblood of a moronic society riding out the tail end of a 50 year debt binge and sleep walking in to a disaster, Infinate growth in a finite world doesnt end well as we are currently finding out, but eventually end it must.
We cant let GDP contract or else our borrowing costs rise, so then its harder to service the national debt and meet our obligations.
2025 will see the money printers back in action to save us from doom with another artifical liquidity cycle, so get ready for another 10-18% of your purchasing power to be wiped out if you are 100% in central bank issued cash of any kind.
But if your are in Real estate, gold, bitcoin or other assets - it should be a hoot.
There will surley be more cries of 'the rich are getting richer and poor are getting poorer' while everyone fails to spot the elephant in the room (the rich hold assets, while the poor hold what little cash they can, and the latter is slowly bleeding out much too rapidly for wages to keep up)
It would be funny if it wasnt so sad.

A quarter of ALL GDP in the world is now spent on 'servicing' debt - not paying it down, just covering the interest, thats where we are at and I dont call it 'advanced' I call it 'irresponsible and living beyond your means'. If some one does that with credit card you will call him an idiot. You can replace Starmer with a certified genius or a ham sandwich, it wont make alot of difference at this point. There is no magical pain free way out.

Jimbuna

12-28-24, 11:09 AM

Ed Miliband handed brutal net zero warning after Germany fiasco

Bottlenecks in Germany's energy system should act as a warning for Ed Miliband and his clean power ambitions, experts have said.

Issues with Germany's electricity grid mean energy generated by the country's wind farms is going to waste as it fails to get to the places where it is needed.

While German wind power is generated in the North Sea and Baltic Sea, industrial demand is needed most in southern states such as Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.

But congestion in Germany's grid means electricity isn't reaching the country's powerhouse regions.

Experts are warning Germany's issue could be repeated in the UK, with Britain's grid possibly leading to the same outcome as wind power generation is focused in the north, despite demand being greatest in the south.

Jan Rosenow, an energy markets expert at the Regulatory Assistance Project, said Britain's clean power target is "very aggressive" and his worry is if the UK doesn't get things right due to the Government's "very short timescales", then there is a risk of running into the same issues that countries such as Germany have experienced.

He told the Telegraph: "We're actually in a situation that is not that dissimilar. And so if we cannot build up the grid quickly enough, we will run into similar constraints."

Germany has seen its total capacity rise from 38.6 gigawatts (GW) in 2014 to 70GW today as the country charges ahead with plans to cut its planet-warming carbon emissions.

Because of the way Germany's energy market is set up, a grid operator has to pay a wind farm to cut its output in order to reduce congestion.

Grid operator Amprion has estimated the cost of managing congestion in 2023 alone was nearly £2.9billion, figures cited by the Telegraph show.

Wasted renewable energy in Germany over the past 10 years has more than doubled to 4%, according to the same publication.

Earlier this month, the Government unveiled a clean power action plan to decarbonise Britain's electricity grid by the end of the decade in a bid to protect households from future energy price spikes, boost growth and tackle the climate crisis. Labour has set a target of 95% clean power across the UK by 2030.

A vast amount of infrastructure will have to be built over the next few years, posing difficult trade offs, including significant impacts on communities and the natural world.

The biggest challenge will be transforming the grid, with the Government announcing plans for Ofgem and the National Energy System Operator to work together on reordering the queue of clean energy projects looking to connect to it.

Britain's system has been operating on a dysfunctional "first-come-first-serve" basis, but key projects identified to help reach the 2030 target will be brought forward in a move which is likely to prove controversial.

The Government will introduce new powers under its upcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill aimed at protecting itself from legal challenges from projects being pushed back.

UK onshore and offshore wind farms recently set a record of more than 22.5GW of power, providing 68.3% of the country's electricity on December 18.

Neso's data shows the record was set just days after wind power generated more than 22GW for the first time, with 22.4GW recorded on December 15.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/travel/news/ed-miliband-handed-brutal-net-zero-warning-after-germany-fiasco/ar-AA1wAqmJ?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=5c9ae739abeb4989a3a1f5b9d622d5f1&ei=35

Jimbuna

12-28-24, 12:18 PM

Keir Starmer humiliated as Labour hit with embarrassingly low approval ratings

Disapproval for Sir Keir Starmer's government is at a record high according to data in a new poll.

According to the poll conducted by YouGov, 62% of those surveyed said that they disapprove of the government's record to date up from 32% in the weeks following Labour's landslide success in July.

Such significant disapproval ratings so early into a premiership are almost unheard of, with Boris Johnson's government sitting at just 44% six months after his general election win in 2019.

Government approval ratings are down from 29% in July to just 17%, capping off a difficult second half of the year for Starmer who has been blighted by 'freebie-gate', farmers protests, fury over the removal of the winter fuel allowance and the surge of Reform UK in his short time in number 10.

Outcry over policies such as the winter fuel allowance has seen Labour's favourability fall sharply with older voters, with a staggering 82% of those surveyed over the age of 65 saying that they disapprove of the government's performance to date - The highest figure recorded since the weekly tracker began in 2011.

disapprove of the government's performance to date.

The Prime Minister has caused anger from his own side on several occasions and has been criticised publicly by trade unions and backbench MPs.

Early into the government's tenure, the refusal to remove the two-child benefit cap saw Starmer faced with his first MP rebellion as seven MPs were suspended from the party for voting against the government.

The removal of the winter fuel payment, a measure introduced and celebrated by New Labour also saw Starmer faced with friendly fire whilst the decision earlier this month to reject the WASPI women's fight for compensation saw Labour MPs turn on the Prime Minister on social media and in the Commons.

Across Europe and North America, the approval ratings of centre-left parties are in similar decline, with the poll serving the government with a reminder that Britain is no outlier.

In Germany and France, Olaf Scholz and Emmanuel Macron look set to be ousted from power by figures from the right whilst the same is set to happen in Canada as Justin Trudeau continues to flounder.

The election of Giorgia Meloni in Italy and the re-election of Donald Trump in the US mean that Starmer could be set to be the only centre-left leader at next year's G7 meeting in Canada.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/keir-starmer-humiliated-as-labour-hit-with-embarrassingly-low-approval-ratings/ar-AA1wCIEZ?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=ae4e0e1e7f9c493b9fde1dc00a92f74a&ei=10

Jimbuna

12-29-24, 12:49 PM

Labour civil war erupts as Keir Starmer branded 'liar' for 'attack on working class'

A Labour councillor has launched a blistering attack on Keir Starmer following a dismal by-election result for the party.

Steve Edwards, a member of Dudley Council in the West Midlands, took to Facebook to accuse his party leader of spreading lies to secure victory in the General Election.

In the by-election the Conservatives got 35% of the vote, Reform 30% and Labour just 28%.

Ewdwards wrote: "Thank you to everyone in Brockmoor and Pensnett who held their nose and voted Labour in the borough by-election on December 19. Unfortunately, we came third.

"The over-riding message on the doorstep was anti-Starmer and rightly so. Sir Keir Starmer's attack on the working class, our children and parents/grandparents is unjustifiable.

"He lied to us all to get elected and does not deserve to be the leader of the Labour Party. Good, honest councillors will lose their seats because of Keir Starmer's actions and his attack on working-class people.

"I hope that election results such as this Labour coming third in a seat that only six months ago became one of our safest seats will be the kick up the a**e the national Labour Party needs. But the truth is I don't think Starmer gives a damn.

"I stay in the party hoping he is booted out and a proper working-class person, not an Establishment stooge, gets to lead it again. Your local councillors will continue to work hard and follow the traditional Labour values in spite of Starmer's actions."

In July, Labour triumphed in the area with nearly 64% of the vote. However, in the local election on December 19 for another seat in Mr Edwards' ward, it fell to third place with a mere 28 per cent of the vote, trailing behind the Conservatives and Reform.

Edwards, who identifies as a working-class man committed to "the values the Labour Party was founded to deliver", defended his remarks last night.

Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, he emphasised that Labour must care for "the most vulnerable in society that includes pensioners and children".
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/labour-civil-war-erupts-as-keir-starmer-branded-liar-for-attack-on-working-class/ar-AA1wEcoG?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=ENTPSP&cvid=fe06d72f9b73461ca41bf760bb98eee6&ei=40

Jimbuna

12-31-24, 01:55 PM

UK politics live: Half of Labour voters ‘let down’ by Starmer, Jenrick vows he won’t return Tories to centre

Sir Keir Starmer‘s popularity has hit a new low after a new poll revealed that nearly 60 per cent of the public disapproves of the government’s performance so far.

As Labour approaches its 100th day in power, the government is facing a rocky start. A YouGov survey found 59 per cent of voters feel unimpressed with the new government with only 18 per cent expressing approval.

Adding to the prime minister’s challenges, another recent poll found a concerning decline in the party’s support.

The Techne UK weekly tracker poll for The Independent has revealed voters aged 55 and over have abandoned Sir Keir’s party, with a dramatic slide to less than 30 per cent.

It comes as the prime minister chaired his inaugural devolved government summit today, but his new envoy, Sue Gray, was absent.

Defending his colleague, cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden said Ms Gray has “been through quite a lot” in recent weeks, explaining her career break.

In the Tory leadership race, Robert Jenrick has admitted regret over his decision to order the removal of murals depicting cartoon characters from a children’s asylum centre. Speaking on LBC, he reflected on his time as immigration minister and claimed “lessons have been learned”.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/uk-politics-live-half-of-labour-voters-let-down-by-starmer-jenrick-vows-he-won-t-return-tories-to-centre/ar-AA1rOe3n?ocid=feedsansarticle

Jimbuna

01-01-25, 07:00 AM

Which category?.....Comedy or Horror?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtUZx1tvg9I

Moonlight

01-02-25, 10:48 AM

When Starmer says "let me be clear" it means he has no effing idea, I'm not sure if Starmer paid for his charisma bypass or had it donated to him, but I can tell him now that it was a total success!!

Jimbuna

01-02-25, 11:36 AM

https://i.postimg.cc/Wp9tLrxb/Untitled.jpg (https://postimg.cc/14qyDg9L)
https://i.postimg.cc/J4DrfFbP/Untitledb.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Jimbuna

01-03-25, 10:21 AM

Former Asda and M&S chief warns of more economic gloom amid Labour's tax hikes

A top businessman has revealed he is "despondent" about the state of the UK economy.

Stuart Rose, the former chairman of Asda and Marks and Spencer, revealed firms are facing a "very tough" time amid "no growth", "poor productivity" and "a very, very large tax burden".

He blasted the "very bloated public sector", adding "the prospects are not good".

A major study, published on Boxing Day, revealed Rachel Reeves's bombshell Budget has stifled economic growth and dampened business activity in the UK.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/former-asda-and-m-s-chief-warns-of-more-economic-gloom-amid-labour-s-tax-hikes/ar-AA1wUCBt?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=750822898708401c90450cac6766c2d0&ei=75

Jimbuna

01-04-25, 12:02 PM

Hardly surprising.

Starmer haemorrhaging votes as Farage set to scoop 120 more seats, new poll says

New polling predicts Sir Keir Starmer would suffer a battering at the ballot box from Reform UK at the next election with Nigel Farage's party potentially winning 120 seats.

The new research by political strategy firm Stonehaven for The i Paper also gives a doom-laded prediction for the Prime Minister that his own party would lose 134 seats, plummeting down to 278, which would not be enough to hold a majority in Parliament.

The shocking new data, described a "mega-poll" of 17,000 people, mirrors a trend found just days ago by another poll by the think tank More in Common which claimed Reform UK would win 67 seats and Labour just 228.

According to The i Paper, the latest polling, which was carried out since the General Election with newest recordings in December, found that former Conservative voters who voted Labour for the first time in 2024 would now cast their ballot for Reform.

Dubbed "hero voters" by Labour, if these people switched to Reform UK at the next election it could scupper the majority of the Prime Minister's plans which he has repeatedly said are based on 10 years in power, with a workable majority.

The Stonehaven research found that 55% those deciding to back Reform UK over Labour cited immigration and border control as a top priority, this was followed by the 'health and state of the NHS' with 47%, and then rising food prices with 46%.

The soaring cost of energy bills was said to be a main reason for leaving Labour by 32% of responders.

Luke Betham, head of data science at Stonehaven, said the Government will have to show it has a plan to convince voters to come back after the General Election in July.

He said: "Immigration is the key issue that is driving them away from Labour... Labour should start by focusing on where these voters are, not where the party wants them to be.

"The change that was voted for at the last election cannot be realised, in their minds, unless immigration is part of the Government's delivery narrative come the next election."

Labour's Dover and Deal MP Mike Tapp, who holds a 7,000 vote majority over Reform, told The i Paper his party did "inherit open borders from the Conservatives".

He added: "We know that this matters to voters and it matters to us too, border security is a part of our national security and that is why it is a fundamental part of our plans to rebuild the country."

So far Sir Keir Starmer Prime Minister has ignored recent abysmal polling for Labour and his own declining popularity, saying he will be judged at the next general election.

A petition calling for a re-run of the general election, now signed by more than three million people, will not lead to another election but will get renewed attention when MPs debate it in January.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/other/starmer-haemorrhaging-votes-as-farage-set-to-scoop-120-more-seats-new-poll-says/ar-AA1wUYVY?ocid=msedgntp&pc=ENTPSP&cvid=5349f60de83b41dc9d1eafa888f874e3&ei=14

Jimbuna

01-04-25, 12:29 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqtzB4QZOa4

Gorpet

01-05-25, 03:07 AM

Moonlight

01-05-25, 05:45 AM

EXCLUSIVE Revealed: Under-fire Treasury Minister lied about £700,000 flat gift TWO YEARS ago as she faces calls to quit amid bribery scandal

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14251043/Treasury-Minister-lied-700-000-flat-gift-TWO-YEARS-ago.html

Anti-corruption minister Tulip Siddiq forgot how she obtained a two-bedroom apartment in London, yes, I can believe that Tulip, and I also believe there are fairies living in the bird boxes I put up last year for the blue tits.
Who ever believes that hogwash she's spouting now needs a bullet to the bleeding forehead, resign you stupid pillock and try not to squeak when you walk.
One thing I've learned about prats like Tulip, is that they think they can get away with this kind of deception and beat the system. Dirty deeds like this one will always come under the most intense scrutiny and it will all fall apart for her very quickly when it's revealed.

Prat Rating 8.5\10

Dear me Tulip, go and slither under a rock for a few years will you. :haha:

Jimbuna

01-05-25, 01:08 PM

DWP PIP and DLA claimants lose £750 from January as benefit scrapped

People claiming Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will lose a £750 benefit from January.

A one-off payment of £750 was given to people with disabilities to help them get a brand new car on the Motability Scheme, but the New Vehicle Payment has now been scrapped.

It was introduced to help benefit claimants manage with the increasing price of new cars and was paid as a lump sum towards an advance payment on a new vehicle.

Mobility vehicles are available to people on the higher rate mobility components of PIP and DLA, or Adult Disability Payment (ADP) and Child Disability Payment (CDP) for those in Scotland. Those on the veterans' benefits Armed Forces Independence Payment and War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement also qualify.

Under the Motability Scheme, if the car you chose had an advance payment Mobility would send £750 to your dealer to put towards this cost. If the advance was more than £750 then you'd have to pay the difference, and if it was less than £750 then you'd be sent the rest of the cash after you got your new car to spend how you chose.

The money could only be used towards the cost of your car's advance payment, but couldn't be used to pay for adaptions or optional extras.

The New Vehicle Payment was due to end on December 31, 2024 for new customers, but the deadline was extended until January 3, 2025 to give claimants the chance to order if car dealerships were closed over Christmas.

This deadline has now passed meaning PIP and DLA claimants who order a new car will no longer qualify for the £750 cash.

In a statement, Motability warned: "Anyone who orders their first car or Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV) by 3 January 2025 will qualify for the £750 New Vehicle Payment.

"If you order your first vehicle from 4 January 2025, you will not be eligible for this payment.

You do not have to collect your vehicle by 3 January 2025, but you must have completed your order with your dealer by this date. You'll only get this payment once, not every time you get a new vehicle."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/dwp-pip-and-dla-claimants-lose-750-from-january-as-benefit-scrapped/ar-AA1wZH5x?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=9da82e94226f4cb4b389e6e0d2491175&ei=27

Jimbuna

01-06-25, 12:03 PM

Channel crossings to explode as ruthless people smuggling gangs to ramp up trips

Ruthless foreign people smuggling gangs are expected to mount a "big Springtime push" to traffic tens of thousands of desperate migrants across the English Channel.

Over 20,000 migrants have arrived on small boats since Labour took power, up from 17,000 over the same period last year with 30,000 in the past 12 months.

But experts fear this number could rocket once the current winter months has passed with organised crime gangs profiting from the highly lucrative business of ferrying people over the channel in jam-packed flimsy rubber vessels which has allowed them to dramatically increase their business model.

Rob Jones, the NCA's director general for operations, said: "We expect, again, a very big push from organised crime to pull migrants through routes into the English Channel."

In a bid to try and prevent the impending tsunami British police have opened talks with China to request a crackdown on the manufacture and export of the small boat engines that are being used by the gangs.

The UK National Crime Agency said more than 50 improvised boats and engines have been intercepted and seized since early 2023.

They also seized about 450 engines early last year, the bulk of which are stored in Germany before being used in Channel crossings.

NCA investigators aim to build a case to convince the Chinese that engines are largely being used to illegally transport thousands of migrants across the Channel - and putting their lives at risk because the low-powered motors - designed for lakes - are being attached..

They have found that rigid-hulled vessels with proper engines that held around 12 people have almost entirely been phased out by gangs in favour of bigger but flimsier craft holding as many as 60 people.

He said the boats being used now were are "rubber dinghies that are little more than a paddling pool" with the small Chinese-built engines attached.

He blamed these lower quality boats for a record number of deaths, with more than 70 people killed while trying to cross the Channel this past year.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/travel/news/channel-crossings-to-explode-as-ruthless-people-smuggling-gangs-to-ramp-up-trips/ar-AA1x1zai?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=dceb1d96116d4a4781f0a661c38e2abf&ei=96

Dargo

01-07-25, 11:51 AM

Channel crossings to explode as ruthless people smuggling gangs to ramp up tripsGuess which state(s) fund and organize these migration waves :03:

Jimbuna

01-07-25, 12:11 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVMHzSLH6EA

Jimbuna

01-08-25, 01:42 PM

You'd need to grow a pair before you'd consider anything of that nature Two Tier

Starmer urged to scrap funding for Musk’s firms after billionaire receives £190m from UK taxpayers

Sir Keir Starmer is under pressure to cut Elon Musk’s access to government contracts and funding after the billionaire’s firms raked in more than £190m of taxpayer cash since 2016.

The prime minister is facing calls to prevent the Tesla tycoon’s companies benefiting from taxpayer-funded grants, subsidies and contracts in future after his repeated outbursts against the government over grooming gangs and criminal justice.

Despite his repeated attacks on the PM and his top team, Mr Musk’s Tesla has received £191m from the public purse since 2016, with £188.3m coming from Department for Transport grants designed to increase uptake of plug-in electric vehicles, The Independent can reveal.

The remainder of the government’s spend on Tesla was through local authorities such as the Scottish government purchasing Tesla vehicles and leasing charging points.

The government and local authorities have also spent nearly £300,000 on X, formerly Twitter, since 2016, with the platform having been taken over by Mr Musk for £38bn in 2022. Some £60,000 of this was spent by the Cabinet Office on Brexit-related comms efforts.

The figures, compiled for The Independent by procurement specialists Tussell, led to furious calls for Sir Keir to cut ties with Mr Musk’s sprawling business empire, denying the billionaire access to future taxpayer grants, subsidies and contracts.

Labour MP Joe Powell, chair of parliament’s cross-party anti-corruption group, said it is “ironic that Musk’s companies have benefitted from nearly £200m of UK taxpayers’ money in subsidies and grants over recent years”.

He told The Independent: “If he is so critical of UK government policies, perhaps he should consider returning the money his companies have pocketed and focus on his business ventures instead of interfering in British politics.”

Alex Sobel praised Sir Keir for calling out Mr Musk’s lies and misinformation about grooming gangs, his record as director of public prosecutions and safeguarding minister Jess Phillips.

And the Labour MP called for an end to any taxpayer handouts for Mr Musk. He told The Independent: “The prime minister has shown the leadership that voters expect from a Labour government in stark contrast to that of the Tories and the populist right that have opportunistically sought to jump on the bandwagon of reckless and baseless claims.

“Corporate giants cannot be allowed to attempt to override democracy by stoking up division and inflaming tensions.”

Independent MP Richard Burgon told The Independent: “Given Elon Musk has been suggesting that the elected British government should be overthrown, surely this funding has to be halted.

“Any company lucky enough to receive British state support needs to respect our democracy, not agitate against it. Cutting off further funding should be the first step of the bold moves needed to prevent Musk and other billionaires from using their vast wealth to interfere in our politics.”

Sir Keir on Monday accused Mr Musk of spreading lies about grooming gangs and warned the billionaire, as well as the Conservatives and Reform UK, have “crossed a line”.

Without naming Mr Musk directly, the PM said: “Those that are spreading lies and misinformation as far and wide as possible are not interested in victims, they’re interested in themselves.”

He attacked Mr Musk over his claims Ms Phillips is a “rape genocide apologist” who should be in prison.

He added: “When the poison of the far right leads to serious threats, to Jess Phillips and others, that in my book, means a line has been crossed.”

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey went further, calling for the government to summon the US ambassador to raise Mr Musk’s tweets.

The call was in response to the tech billionaire, who will be a key member of Donald Trump’s administration when the president-elect takes office this month, suggesting the US should overthrow the British government.

And Lib Dem MP Caroline Voaden told The Independent: “Time and time again, Elon Musk has shown not only a lack of understanding about the rules and norms of the democracies he’s interfering in, but also of the very subjects he is campaigning on.

“Summoning the US ambassador to ask about the actions of an incoming US official is an obvious move.

“But the government must also consider the subsidies and grants handed out to Musk’s companies, a whopping £190m of them since 2016. Since Musk regards himself as a man of such high principles, I’m sure he’d agree it’s wrong for him or his companies to financially benefit from a government he’s so clearly opposed to.”

Tesla, X, and the government have been approached for comment.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/starmer-urged-to-scrap-funding-for-musk-s-firms-after-billionaire-receives-190m-from-uk-taxpayers/ar-AA1xbAfc?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=60084c73fb31404c81d718903e57e407&ei=16

Gorpet

01-08-25, 08:12 PM

You'd need to grow a pair before you'd consider anything of that nature Two Tier

To be fair the Starmer administration should be open and transparent on how many wealthy british millionaires bought and own a Tesla since 2014. And how taxpayer money paid for the charging stations that allow them to leave their Estates and run into town and around the countryside. Also did the taxpayer pay for charging stations at the wealthy and politician's residences ? OH baby,if transparency could be transparent.Wouldn't that be a Government toppling event?
I can not believe that society of people who stood together thru 2 world wars. And all the wars in their history and the culture of their society.Would in 80 years become a subservient to any country on this planet.And have their culture and identity wiped out by their own people. But we have it going on right here in America, Americans are tired of the word Democracy. Our country is a Republic for which it stands. Res Publica. And Brits will always be our kin nothing can change that but a bunch of Wealthy that cares for nothing.But themselves and their offspring.

Jimbuna

01-10-25, 07:34 AM

Bond investors are taking revenge on Rachel Reeves for Labour's lies - they won't stop now

The bond market is the most powerful force in the financial world. It can break governments, if it chooses. And now it's training its firepower on Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

Governments are dependent on the bond market. It's how they raise money to fund spending. If investors stop buying their bonds, all hell breaks loose.

Bond markets stop governments from playing fast and loose with a country's finances, as Labour has been doing since the election. It's an essential job.

So-called "bond vigilantes" discipline excessive government spending by demanding higher yields to buy their bonds. And that's what they're doing to us right now.

Bond investors are big global institutions that need somewhere safe to park the huge sums at their disposal.

When they buy UK government bonds, known as gilts, they want to be certain their money is safe.

Under Reeves, they're not certain. So they're demanding more interest to offset the risk.

Bond investors believe Labour pulled a fast one during the election, by pledging stability and growth.

Instead they've wrecked both.

Our credibility is sunk and bond investors feel like they've been mugged. So they're giving the country a brutal punishment beating. This is only the start.

It seems incredible now, but when Sir Keir Starmer was elected bond markets were happy. They thought Labour would bring stability after Tory turmoil.

Reeves launched a huge a charm offensive, assuring businesses that Labour wasn't run by hard-left Corbynites who would blow up the economy.

Bond markets took Reeves at her word. Now we will feel their wrath.

Yields on 10-year gilts slid to around 3.75% after the July election. Yesterday they nudged 4.9% as the penny belatedly dropped that Reeves doesn't know what she's doing.

Higher gilt yields will add an estimated £10billion to UK borrowing costs, blowing a hole in Reeves' fiscal plans and forcing her to cut spending or hike taxes to make her sums add up.

Unless Starmer and Reeves get a grip, gilt yields could rise past 5% in short order and head towards 6%.

To put that into perspective, Greece only pays 3.32%. Despite its problems, bond markets trust the Greeks a lot more than they trust us.

The problem is, I don't think Starmer and Reeves will get a grip. They are arrogant and out of their depth.

Reeves plans to issue a staggering £300billion of gilts this year, at the highest rates of interest in decades. Most of the money will vanish into unreformed public services or the back pockets of the public sector unions.

It will do nothing to boost growth.

Reeves still thinks she can lie her way out of this. It's worked for her so far. She keeps claiming against all the evidence that she has restored economic stability.

Bond markets won't swallow it any longer. They've had enough of Labour's nonsense. Unlike the rest of us, they can do something about it. And they are.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/bond-investors-are-taking-revenge-on-rachel-reeves-for-labour-s-lies-they-won-t-stop-now/ar-BB1rcYBi?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=a71871a32f1a4625a78ba79adf7ee09f&ei=81

Jimbuna

01-10-25, 07:40 AM

NI raid could force over HALF of British businesses to raise prices

More than half of British businesses plan to raise prices in response to Labour’s £25bn National Insurance raid, a Bank of England poll revealed yesterday.

The figures provide the latest evidence of how firms are scrambling to respond to the tax hike.

They come as the boss of Marks & Spencer said it would be a challenge, revealing that the high street giant would have to rethink its recruitment and investment plans after the shock increase and would aim to pass on ‘as little as possible’ to customers.

Shares in M&S and other retailers fell yesterday amid warnings of economic uncertainty ahead.

The Bank of England decision maker panel - a survey of more than 2,000 firms carried out last month - showed 54 per cent expected to put up prices in response to the NI hike.

It also found that 41 per cent planned to reduce employee wages, flying in the face of Rachel Reeves’s claim that the increase would not affect workers’ pay slips.

And 53 per cent say they will reduce their number of employees while 64 per cent said they would take a hit to profits.

It comes after the Chancellor stunned businesses by announcing in her Budget in October last year that the employer rate of national insurance would rise from 13.8 per cent to 15 per cent. At the same time, the salary threshold for having to pay employer NI was reduced from £9,100 to £5,000.

The change has had a major impact on retailers, who employ many lower paid and part-time staff.

A forecast from the British Retail Consortium yesterday predicted that food prices would rise by 4.2 per cent later this year as firms grapple with higher costs.

M&S, which has previously revealed that it will take a £120 million hit as a result of the Budget - half from the NI hike and the rest from the increase in the minimum wage - outlined the pressure it faced as it delivered an update on recent sales yesterday.

Boss Stuart Machin said the company had been forced to ‘rework’ its plans for coming years as a result of the NI hike, which it ‘didn’t plan’ for.

Mr Machin said he did not expect this to mean ‘big job losses’.

But he added: ‘Does it make us look at how we recruit? Of course it does, and that does mean we have to think about where we invest.’

Meanwhile Tesco, Britain’s biggest supermarket, confirmed a £250 million impact from the NI hike alone as it published trading figures.

Chief executive Ken Murphy said the company would ‘do our very best’ to reduce the impact on prices.

Tesco said it was not planning to make changes to its workforce or hiring plans.

And high street bakery chain Greggs has raised the prices of sausage rolls, coffee and doughnuts in the face of increased costs.

The price of a Greggs sausage roll has gone up by 5p to £1.30 having been just £1 as recently as 2022.

Chief executive Roisin Currie said the company was facing higher costs following the rise in the minimum wage and increase in national insurance contributions announced in the Budget.

‘We have had to pass a minimum amount of price rises onto customers but we work hard to protect as many prices as we can,’ she said.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/ni-raid-could-force-over-half-of-british-businesses-to-raise-prices/ar-BB1rbIFI?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=a71871a32f1a4625a78ba79adf7ee09f&ei=78

Dargo

01-10-25, 01:00 PM

Gas storages in the UK are currently only half full. That converts to a week's gas consumption for the whole country. This means gas stocks are a quarter lower than around the same time last year. The British have been struggling with extreme cold and heavy snowfall for almost a week now, which has caused gas consumption to skyrocket. Last night, temperatures dipped well below freezing, and temperatures as low as -20 degrees are expected in Scotland and northern England for the coming night. The cold weather is accompanied by prolonged wind lulls, causing wind farms to generate less electricity than normal. As a result, UK energy suppliers have to use extra gas to maintain electricity supplies.

Another factor is high gas prices, partly due to Ukraine's decision to close a Russian gas pipeline running across its territory. With higher prices, UK energy companies are having more difficulty replenishing their supplies this winter. The situation in not unique to the UK. Other European countries are also experiencing lower gas stocks compared to a year ago. In the European Union, gas storages are 69 per cent full. Around this time last year, the figure was 84 per cent. Yet the UK is particularly vulnerable. The British have 10 per cent less storage capacity than countries like Germany, the Netherlands and France. It explains why their gas reserves are significantly smaller than their European neighbours. Although the new Labour government wants to accelerate the phase-out of fossil fuels, the British are still very dependent on gas. At least 28 million households use gas boilers for heating and hot water and 40 per cent of Britain's electricity is generated from gas.

By far the most important and largest gas storage facility is the Rough facility, which lies under the seabed off the English east coast. The company Centrica, which is the operator of Rough, has been asking the government for years for additional investment to expand the storage capacity. ‘UK gas reserves are worryingly low. In Europe, the Netherlands is an outlier when it comes to the role storage plays in our energy system. We are now seeing the consequences of that,’ Centrica boss Chris O'Shea said in a statement. Energy experts warned that the UK was balancing on the brink of an energy ‘blackout’ this week, but the government contradicts that. ‘We are confident that we have sufficient gas supplies and electricity capacity to meet demand this winter thanks to our diverse and resilient energy system,’ a spokesman for Prime Minister Starmer said. The pressure on that system will continue for now. According to British weather services, the country will remain in the grip of bitterly cold weather at least until Sunday.

Jimbuna

01-10-25, 01:58 PM

In light of the lies and broken promises by this current Labour government I wouldn't believe a word they utter and this is from a fomer ongstanding party member who once counted the former Foreign Secretary (previous Labour government) as a close friend.

Jimbuna

01-11-25, 09:02 AM

Could this be next on an evergrowing list of betrayals?

Labour planning to axe billions from disability benefits bill

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is planning to slash billions of pounds in disability benefits in order to calm Britain's debts crisis.

Downing Street is said to believe that significant reductions are needed in the welfare budget, namely from personal independence payments (PIP).

Yesterday, the pound fell sharply against the dollar and the Government's borrowing rates rose to a 27-year high.

There were also warnings that the growing crisis could hit mortgage rates if it continues.

Now, Ms Reeves is said to have made it clear to the Treasury that she wants to get 'tough' on spending - meaning cutting areas in unprotected departments - rather than considering new tax rises, the Telegraph reports.

The annual cost of support payments for people with disabilities and health conditions is expected to increase from £22billion to £35billion by 2029.

Meanwhile, former Treasury select committee chairman Harriet Baldwin accused Ms Reeves of 'fleeing to China' after the Chancellor flew into Beijing to meet the nation's communist leaders while Britain's borrowing costs soared.

She told the Mail: 'The Chancellor needs to take responsibility for the ongoing ramifications of her Budget choices and return to face Parliament.'

Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey added: 'Instead of jetting off to China, the Chancellor should urgently come before the House of Commons to cancel her counter-productive jobs tax and set out a real plan for growth.'

In a highly unusual move, the Treasury issued a public statement on Wednesday reassuring the markets that the Chancellor's commitment to her fiscal rules was 'non-negotiable' and that she would maintain an 'iron grip' on the public finances.

Treasury sources said she was drawing up contingency plans for emergency spending cuts if a new forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility in March shows she is on course to break her own debt rules.

Treasury chief secretary Darren Jones, who took her place in the Commons yesterday, repeated the commitment to the fiscal rules – and suggested spending would be squeezed if borrowing costs forced the public finances off course.

Mr Jones played down the significance of recent market turmoil, saying it was 'normal for the price and yields of gilts to vary when there are wider movements in global financial markets'.

And he defended the Chancellor's trip to China, describing it as 'an important visit for trade and investment in the UK economy'.

On Wednesday, the pound slumped close to $1.22 versus the US dollar, the lowest level since November 2023 – adding to sharp falls the previous day. One City analyst joked that sterling's slide suggested it was becoming the 'Great British peso'.

Yields on UK ten-year bonds climbed above 4.9 per cent, a fresh 17-year high, while yields on 30-year bonds rose above 5.4 per cent, the highest since 1998.

Eva Sun-Wai, a fund manager at M&G Investments, said: 'The worry is that investors have just lost faith in the UK as a place to put their assets.'
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/labour-planning-to-axe-billions-from-disability-benefits-bill/ar-BB1rfOhW?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=b9ce0601fa764ac4af5428e411e3195a&ei=20

Jimbuna

01-12-25, 01:47 PM

She's definitely clutching at straws now.

Chinese investment of £600 million in UK ‘a start’, says Cabinet minister

China committing to putting £600 million in the UK is “a start” and “will lead to future investment”, a Cabinet minister has said.

Science Secretary Peter Kyle said the Chancellor has returned with “solid commitments for investment” as the Government commits to “rebuilding the relationship with China”.

Rachel Reeves has been criticised by the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats for going ahead with the planned visit following turbulence on the UK gilt markets.

Increases in the Government’s borrowing costs have sparked concern that she will be unable to meet her debt and spending targets, with the Tories saying Ms Reeves had “absented” herself when “bond yields are rocketing up”.

Mr Kyle said the UK has to reset its relationship with Beijing “in a way that delivers for our economy” while keeping “our country safe and resilient”, as China’s actions in Hong Kong and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have also been raised by opposition parties as barriers to more economic engagement.

He told Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips: “These are difficult issues to manage.

“I think what we have seen, for the Chancellor to go over there, represent Britain on the world stage, come back with solid commitments for investment, but she also managed to raise the human rights issues that I think everybody in this country is concerned about.

“Now the alternative is this, that we sit here and we don’t engage, we don’t come back with even £600 million which will lead to future investment into the future (sic).

“So is the answer that it’s not big enough just to do nothing?

“That’s what the Tories are saying, they are saying she shouldn’t go, we shouldn’t have any engagement.

“This is our fourth biggest trading partner.”
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/chinese-investment-of-600-million-in-uk-a-start-says-cabinet-minister/ar-BB1rjprD?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=a374150349284ce18603946a1153638d&ei=78

Jimbuna

01-13-25, 08:06 AM

Rachel Reeves 'very depressed' and 'can't see way out' of UK economy woes

Rachel Reeves is reportedly feeling "very depressed" and "can't see a way out" amid UK economic turmoil.

Increases in the Government's borrowing costs have sparked concern that the Chancellor will be unable to meet her fiscal rules.

A source told The Times: "She's got choices to make and she knows they're all s***."

But shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith said: "Rachel is apparently feeling depressed.

"Imagine how pensioners, farmers, businesses, families - and in fact everyone whose money or job she has taken away - feel.

"Bad socialist choices coming home to roost."

Ms Reeves has vowed to "take action" to meet her debt and spending targets which is reported to include deeper spending cuts and slashing the welfare bill.

The Chancellor has previously ruled out further tax rises after hiking taxes by £40 billion at the Budget in October.

It comes after turbulence on the gilt markets, where yields reached their highest level since 2008 last week.

The chaos overshadowed Ms Reeves's trip to China as she faced criticism for going ahead with the visit.

The Chancellor also came under fire for returning with just £600 million of investment.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/rachel-reeves-very-depressed-and-can-t-see-way-out-of-uk-economy-woes/ar-BB1rm68M?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=5132411a2c7e4128acbac94b044ba3c1&ei=22

Jimbuna

01-14-25, 09:01 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqFxk0Jkj_M

Moonlight

01-14-25, 12:54 PM

UK anti-corruption minister Tulip Siddiq resigns

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/politics/government/uk-anti-corruption-minister-tulip-siddiq-resigns/ar-BB1rrzpj?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=EDGEESS&cvid=4d3b6c75a7724b4b96ecb18df49bab6a&ei=29#comments

Why resign I ask myself, if she says she's done nothing wrong then there's no need to resign?. I think in the near future she's going to be implicated in that Bangladeshi investigation into her aunts behaviour when she was Prime Minister. I'm sure Tulip will get all the free legal help she needs from those bent Labour backbenchers, she could clear all this mess up and hand her self over to the Bangladeshi investigators but, I suspect that she won't be willing to do that. :haha:

Jimbuna

01-14-25, 01:28 PM

Who could be in the running to replace Rachel Reeves as chancellor?

In football manager parlance, the dreaded vote of confidence from the club chairman often shortly precedes an inevitable sacking. So when Keir Starmer said on Monday he has “full confidence” in his beleaguered chancellor Rachel Reeves, tongues started wagging on her future.

It was noticeable that the prime minister had to be asked twice before he answered the question, and he avoided saying her job was guaranteed until the next election while on camera.

Only three hours later, at an off-camera briefing, did the Downing Street official spokesperson say Ms Reeves will be chancellor “for the whole of this parliament”. That’s not the same as the prime minister doing it.

Questions over whether Ms Reeves will survive would have been unthinkable six months ago. But with the economy on the brink of a recession, interest rates set to rise and business confidence in the government at its worst point since the Covid pandemic, someone will have to take the blame.

The cruel “Rachel from accounts” jibe has stuck, not only because people claim she exaggerated her CV in previous jobs, but there is now a sense she is in over her head. Her haggard demeanour in the Commons last week did nothing to improve that image.

The one thing in Ms Reeves’s favour is that her strategy has been so closely tied to the prime minister’s, and they have been in lockstep. In addition, prime ministers who either sack their chancellors or have them resign do not tend to last long.

But Sir Keir said the UK will “stick to the fiscal rules”, adding: “I’m confident in our mission for growth, and I’m confident, completely confident, in my team.

“We never pretended, nor would anybody sensibly argue, that after 14 years of failure, you can turn around our economy and our public services before Christmas.”

Pressed further, the prime minister said: “Rachel Reeves is doing a fantastic job. She has my full confidence. She has the full confidence of the entire party.”

But the question is, who would be able to step in to fill her shoes if she is pushed out with turbulent bond markets and a falling pound?
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/who-could-be-in-the-running-to-replace-rachel-reeves-as-chancellor/ar-BB1ro0Kf?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=335156af3f604f6da5e1b2eb83832948&ei=18

Moonlight

01-15-25, 06:57 AM

Starmer faces Labour backlash over 'judgment' in making close friend Tulip Siddiq anti-corruption minister - after she was forced to quit over Bangladesh links

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14286863/Starmer-Labour-judgment-friend-Tulip-Siddiq-Bangladesh.html

Sir Keir's independent adviser Sir Laurie Magnus concluded there was no evidence of 'improprieties' or that the ministerial code had been broken.

But he suggested Ms Siddiq should have been more alert to the risks of her family ties to the deposed former PM of Bangladesh.

He also revealed that Ms Siddiq had been unable to produce conclusive evidence that the tax and funding arrangements for the houses she used that were connected to Sheikh Hasina were 'in order'.

As usual it's been another whitewash, this is how dirty money is laundered by the wealthy and Tulip and Starmer know that, she should resign as an MP and go back to Bangladesh and clear her name. As for Starmer, he's a lost cause, he's surrounded himself with incompetent Ministers and he'll pay the price for that eventually.
Labour can spin things as they want but, selecting an MP with previous financial complications was not only bad judgement on behalf of the PM, but that the ministerial standards watchdog process is not working as it should be as well. Just who are these pillocks trying to kid? A journalist investigated the situation, doing the job that the ministerial standards watchdog should have been doing in the first place and they still came up with this codswallop.

Jimbuna

01-15-25, 09:19 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPsO81xN8ko

Moonlight

01-15-25, 09:54 AM

It is 'inevitable' that Russia will strike Britain 'and wipe it off the earth' with missiles in revenge for Storm Shadow attacks, Putin hardliner MP warns

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14286621/It-inevitable-Russia-strike-Britain-wipe-earth-missiles-revenge-Storm-Shadow-attacks-Putin-hardliner-MP-warns.html

Goodness me, if ever this pillock escaped out of his vodka bottle, he'd be bloody dangerous, it's no wonder Putin is ruling the roost in Russia with pissheads like him in government. :haha:

mapuc

01-15-25, 10:18 AM

Moonlight

01-15-25, 12:09 PM

^It doesn't matter who he's addressing it to Markus, he's still a bloody idiot who should never be let out of a Vodka bottle.

Meanwhile back in Blighty.

Starmer’s replacement for anti-corruption minister already embroiled in pro-China row

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/other/starmer-s-replacement-for-anti-corruption-minister-already-embroiled-in-pro-china-row/ar-AA1xfRSq?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=EDGEESS&cvid=788a51f106f34ed6961ec5421fbf18d2&ei=10

Bloody hell, when are the Labour government going to appoint someone who isn't embroiled in one scandal or another, it reminds me of the last useless government who couldn't have run a piss up in a brewery if they'd had a step by step guide on how to do it. :o

Jimbuna

01-15-25, 01:49 PM

Rachel Reeves sends business confidence 'nose-diving' as firms report record high tax fear

Business confidence has dropped "dramatically" in nearly every sector following Rachel Reeves's Budget, a new report shows.

A renowned business activity survey put sentiment at just 0.2 on the index - the weakest reading since Liz Truss's disastrous mini-budget in 2022.

The "dramatic drop" in confidence was likely driven by record concerns over the impact of new tax burdens and weaker sales growth, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales said.

Alan Vallance, ICAEW's chief executive, said: "It's little surprise that business confidence has fallen considerably.

"The costs of October's Budget fell almost solely on business and, as this survey makes clear, our members have expressed concerns about measures that place additional costs on those they support and the wider economy."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/rachel-reeves-sends-business-confidence-nose-diving-as-firms-report-record-high-tax-fear/ar-AA1xcRpK?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=91bc523059a74892bbc2ff2fdc4272ba&ei=46

Jimbuna

01-18-25, 01:42 PM

Keir Starmer humiliated as Labour U-turns on five key policies

Sir Keir Starmer and his Labour Party have been in power for just shy of 200 days, and on returning for the first time in 14 years promised a deluge of reforms and policy changes.

While Sir Keir has overseen numerous changes, the party seems to be quietly retreating from a number of its key promises.

When former prime minister Rishi Sunak decided to ease the UK's net zero targets, he was slammed by Labour as reckless and unconcerned about the country's future.

Ed Miliband, the then-shadow energy secretary, called the move "chaotic" and "out of touch". Now, Sir Keir's government finds itself making similar concessions as economic pressures mount.

This is just one in several U-turns, however.

Initially proposed by Boris Johnson, the plan to ban gas boilers by 2035 has been softened.

Labour now states only newly built properties will be subject to the ban, while existing homes can continue using gas boilers.

Mr Miliband confirmed the move, citing concerns over the affordability of green alternatives.

Labour's ambitious EV quotas have faced a backlash from the automotive industry, leading to a government consultation aimed at easing targets and penalties for carmakers.

This could allow companies that fall short of initial sales targets to avoid a fine, as long as they beat them by an equal amount in future years.

However, Sir Keir's government remains committed to the 2030 ban on petrol and diesel vehicles.

A proposed tax on boiler manufacturers to encourage heat pump adoption has been drastically reduced, with penalties now slashed from £3,000 to just £500 per missed unit.

Labour's manifesto promised a transition to "clean energy by 2030," but Sir Keir has walked back that commitment. The party is now aiming for 95% clean power by the end of the decade.

The sustainable aviation fuel mandate, which could add hundreds to the cost of air travel, is under review. Labour may adjust the policy to avoid significant price hikes for consumers.

The Government insists that these changes reflect a balanced approach to tackling the climate crisis without harming the economy. However, critics warn that Labour's ongoing compromises could undermine its credibility as a leader in environmental progress.

The Labour Party has, however, delivered some of its promises to the British public.

It has introduced planning reforms to facilitate the construction of 1.5million new homes by 2029. These include adjustments to England's national planning policy and expansion into green belt areas.

Industry leaders have praised the Government's swift action but challenges remain, such as the need for increased investment in affordable housing.

The 2024 General Election was dominated by concerns over illegal immigration. Labour has now intensified efforts to combat illegal entries into the country, achieving the highest deportation rate since 2018.

In the first six months of the Government's tenure, 16,400 illegal migrants were removed. Sir Keir emphasised that deporting migrants to their home countries serves as a more effective deterrent than the previous government's Rwanda scheme.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/keir-starmer-humiliated-as-labour-u-turns-on-five-key-policies/ar-AA1xophN?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=6652cbcea75843b7b49893dea8bd888c&ei=14

Jimbuna

01-19-25, 01:36 PM

Reeves is wrecking UK growth by alienating wealthy entrepreneurs who bring investment and jobs

Rachel Reeves will soon head to Davos to impress upon the world’s financial elite that Britain is open for business and ready and willing to receive their backing. Meanwhile, those who have invested in Britain are taking their money and leaving.

It’s an absurd contrast. Ours is a planet that is increasingly interconnected, in which wealthy people can move freely, choosing where to live and to put their cash. Gone are the days when a few countries acted as magnets, drawing the lion’s share. Today, it’s a crowded field. The competition to attract the international rich, who bring with them cash and jobs, is ferocious and intensifying.

Yet Reeves and her boss, Keir Starmer do not appear to understand this. They show little appreciation for the forces of globalisation. Instead, they’re intent on throwing away an existing strong position, built upon the universality of the English language, Britain’s culture and its legal and education systems, creativity and innovation, and at the same time sending a signal that Britain is shut for business.

How else to interpret their crackdown on non-doms. At a time when Britain is struggling, when the economy is pulverised by international headwinds, they scrap an in-built advantage.

New figures show that Britain lost a net 10,800 millionaires to migration last year, a 157 per cent increase on 2023. Of that exodus, 78 were worth £100m-plus and 12 were billionaires. Many were foreigners, qualifying for favourable non-domicile tax treatment.

The global immigration analyst, New World Wealth, and investment migration advisors, Henley & Partners, researched individuals with liquid assets of more than $1m. Their study reveals that after Rishi Sunak called the general election, with Starmer’s Labour a shoo-in, they fled Britain at the alarming rate of one every 45 minutes.

It was not so long ago that Britain’s new ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, said that Labour was “intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich”. That was under a different Labour prime minister. This one is jetting back and forth, trying to claim something similar but his chancellor, Reeves, said in her first Budget that from this April, she will abolish the longtime non-dom scheme, and current non-doms’ overseas assets will be subjected to UK inheritance tax.

In another survey, Oxford Economics found that two-thirds of non-doms have left, are planning to leave or are considering going because of the change, especially the imposition of the worldwide inheritance charge.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/voices-reeves-is-wrecking-uk-growth-by-alienating-wealthy-entrepreneurs-who-bring-investment-and-jobs/ar-AA1xsTKH?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=a3d813df0b9446419f640b55114e610f&ei=29

Catfish

01-19-25, 04:28 PM

Whatever happens to this government, I wish you good luck with your 'special relationship'. God help us. All.

Moonlight

01-19-25, 05:59 PM

I thought the last Tory government was bleeding useless but, this Labour one is matching them stride for stride, if Trump initiates a trade war with the UK then we'll really be in deep trouble.

Moonlight

01-20-25, 07:34 AM

Starmer scrambles to avoid Trump's revenge: Desperate PM 'will go to Washington within weeks' as he begs for trade deal amid fears Donald will punish Labour for meddling in US election

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14303925/Trump-tariff-war-UK-GDP-defence-spending-Royals-trade-deal.html

Well Starmer, meddling in the internal affairs of another country could have dire consequences for the UK and, all eyes will be upon you when, or if the blame game starts.
Westminster have had a poor set of politicians in the House of Commons this last 35 years, you'd think that the House of Lords would fare better in that respect, but they don't, in fact they are far worse.
Greased palms, Sleaze, Insider Trading, the PPE scandal, yep, most of them are a bunch of crooks who should be incarcerated for the rest of their natural lives, instead they are living high on the hog. :doh:

Jimbuna

01-20-25, 08:40 AM

Insanity isn't a strong enough word to describe the current situation.

Reform's Rupert Lowe rages as there's ‘simple' way to stop small boat crossings

Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe has insisted migrants arriving in Britain by small boat should be deported instead of being housed in hotels.

He said crossings would "stop overnight if the government took the action.

Mr Lowe pointed out that 183 illegal migrants crossed the Channel on Friday, 104 on Thursday and 215 on Wednesday.

He said: "I don't know how else to put this. It is pure insanity.

"Stop putting these men in hotel accommodation and start deporting every single one. Do that, the boats stop overnight."

At least 36,816 people crossed the English Channel in small boats in 2024.

And 78 migrants died trying to cross last year.

In November, Home Office minister Dame Angela Eagle told MPs that 220 hotels were being used to house migrants, 14 of which had opened and seven had closed since the July election.

Labour had pledged to end the use of hotels in its manifesto.

Dame Angela had said Labour was making the asylum system "fit for purpose" after inheriting "an unholy mess" - where fewer than 1,000 cases a month were being processed.

"We are now processing up to 10,000 asylum cases a month."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/travel/news/reform-s-rupert-lowe-rages-as-there-s-simple-way-to-stop-small-boat-crossings/ar-AA1xv3NO?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=f7dacb9486d040ba885f83350d286f56&ei=10

Jimbuna

01-21-25, 01:51 PM

Nothing beats jobs for the boys.

Rishi Sunak to take up jobs at Oxford and Stanford

Rishi Sunak is set to return to his former universities as he takes up two new jobs in the UK and America.

The former prime minister announced on Tuesday he would be joining Oxford University’s Blavatnik School of Government as a member of its World Leaders Circle, as well as taking up a visiting fellowship at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution in California.

Mr Sunak, who studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford before earning a master of business administration degree at Stanford, said he was “delighted” to be joining the two institutions.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/rishi-sunak-to-take-up-jobs-at-oxford-and-stanford/ar-AA1xAOmQ?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=a7ea11f17a3a4ff08b343bb303ef5d33&ei=58

Jimbuna

01-22-25, 02:00 PM

WOW! what a great deterrent that would be :)

Benefit cheats could be stripped of driving licences

Convicted benefits cheats who fail to pay back the taxpayer could be stripped of their driving licences, under government plans to crack down on fraud.

Those who repeatedly cheat the system and have debts of £1,000 or more could be punished with a driving ban of up to two years.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg9px4q0y6o

Moonlight

01-22-25, 05:40 PM

These Labour politicians are just pissing in the wind and hoping it doesn't come straight back at them, none of these mad ideas of there's will take shape as the costs will be astronomical.

Focus on removing scrounging migrants you bleeding morons.

Jimbuna

01-23-25, 09:12 AM

I've been looking into Ed Milibands energy plans and the costs are astronomical and of dubious success according to a growing number of energy experts.

Skybird

01-23-25, 10:06 AM

I doubt any energy policy can be as insane and costly as the German one. So you better feel blessed! :O:

Jimbuna

01-23-25, 01:13 PM

It would appear that 'Rachel from Accounts' has shot herself in the foot yet again.

UK's exodus of millionaires 'same as losing 500,000 average taxpayers'

The exodus of millionaires from Britain last year was equivalent to losing half-a-million average taxpayers, a new analysis has found.

Figures from New World Wealth, a global analytics firm, showed 10,800 liquid millionaires - who hold more than $1million in liquid assets - left the UK in 2024.

In their analysis of the research, the Adam Smith Institute found each of these millionaires would have been paying at least £393,957 in income tax.

This equates to the same income tax take as 49 average taxpayers - who each have an average income tax bill of £8,048, the think tank said.

It means - due to the exodus of millionaires - the Treasury is now facing a shortfall in income tax revenue equivalent to the income tax taken from 528,000 average taxpayers, the analysis added.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves' tax-hiking Budget was blamed for millionaires abandoning Britain, including Labour's plans to abolish the non-dom tax regime.

The Adam Smith Institute said the UK had an 'increasingly hostile attitude' towards wealth creation and warned average families could face even higher tax bills to fund public services.

The Tories claimed entrepreneurs and businesses were fleeing Britain 'in droves' under Labour, who they accused of overseeing a 'tepid bath of decline'.

It has previously been found how the top 1 per cent of income tax payers stump up 29.1 per cent of the UK's income tax, which is the Treasury's biggest source of tax revenue.

According to the research by New World Wealth, conducted together with investment migration advisers Henley & Partners, only China lost more millionaires than the UK in 2024.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/uk-s-exodus-of-millionaires-same-as-losing-500-000-average-taxpayers/ar-AA1xIwPA?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=c5365dc973d943e1a4b9db07c714df45&ei=42

ET2SN

01-23-25, 01:45 PM

Are these "fleeing millionaires" the Russian Oligarchs? :hmmm:

Jimbuna

01-23-25, 02:03 PM

Can't say for sure but I reckon some will be but not all.

Skybird

01-23-25, 02:22 PM

"The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money." - Maggie the Baddy :D

Jimbuna

01-24-25, 06:19 AM

Oh how very true :yep:

Jimbuna

01-24-25, 08:43 AM

Rachel Reeves will listen to millionaires but not farmers and pensioners

Chancellor Rachel Reeves can spring into action to help multi-millionaires but not - it seems - pensioners and farmers.

That's the harsh lesson people who have been hit with some of the Treasury's most bitterly opposed policies will draw from her moves to pacify so-called non-doms.

Millionaires are fleeing Britain. Farmers cannot pack up their fields and head abroad, and few pensioners would consider the leaving the country they have known all their lives.

More than 10,000 millionaires quit the UK in 2024 - a 157% increase on 2023. The Chancellor this week said at Davos, the global gathering in the Swiss alps for the world's uber-rich, that she has "been listening to the concerns that have been raised by the non-dom community".

What do pensioners who are struggling at the axing of the universal winter fuel allowance or farmers terrified they will lose family land because of inheritance changes have to do to get her attention?

Money talks. Despite warning in its manifesto of a "nature emergency" it appears Labour is now a fan of airport expansion. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband branded the idea he might resign over a third runway at Heathrow "ridiculous" - even though he reportedly threatened to walk out of Gordon Brown's cabinet on the issue in 2009.

The scale of economic danger facing the debt-laden UK seems to have encouraged ministers to think twice.

Labour went into the election promising to axe non-dom status, which allows people who live in Britain to avoid paying UK tax on money made overseas if they can prove their permanent home is abroad. Changes will be made so they can bring their assets to this country at a discounted rate.

Such creative flexibility would have been welcomed by Britain's elderly, farmers, and employers who are warning of the destructive impact of hiking up National Insurance contributions in the so-called "tax on jobs".

If the Chancellor is in listening mode she should listen to Tesco, Aldi, and Lidl who are backing the farmers. Supermarket bosses are not soggy romantics but hard-headed capitialists who understand about threats to supply chains.

Tesco has warned that nothing less than the "UK's future food security is at stake".

Likewise, the likes of Age UK have warned that the end of winter fuel payments for all has "been a disaster for many older people" with the decision to link eligibility to pension credit leaving "millions of the poorest and most vulnerable unprotected".

Again, Age UK is not an anti-Labour think tank but a charity dedicated to care of older citizens. People across the political divide raised concerns and came up with proposals for fairer ways of delivering the policy but could not change the Chancellor's mind.

The most recent Techne poll shows just one in four people would vote Labour if there was an election tomorrow - with 24% backing either the Conservatives or Reform UK.

This is a terrible position for a party of Government to be in just half a year after winning a landslide. If Sir Keir Starmer and the Chancellor want to avoid this parliamentary term ending in another extended exile in the wilderness they need to learn to people of wisdom and experience - not just millionaires - who can see disaster ahead.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/rachel-reeves-will-listen-to-millionaires-but-not-farmers-and-pensioners/ar-AA1xNiF3?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=36f378fc10464102912e1755c028ef45&ei=11

Jimbuna

01-25-25, 09:37 AM

https://i.postimg.cc/zXQ92DQZ/474586658-10231324062098672-8361536669589045026-n.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Jimbuna

01-26-25, 11:50 AM

Reeves hits back at ‘Rachel from accounts’ nickname saying she has spent her life ‘proving people wrong’

Rachel Reeves has hit back at her critics, saying she has spent her life “proving people wrong” when asked if she is hurt by the nickname “Rachel from accounts”.

Her critics have used the nickname to mock the beleaguered chancellor, who has been struggling to persuade the public - and UK businesses - that her plan for the economy is working.

But asked if she was hurt by the nickname, she said: “I’ve probably been called worse things… in the end, people are going to judge me on the job that I’m doing now, that I’m doing as chancellor of the exchequer.”

And asked if she thought she would be subjected to a condescending label if she were a man, the chancellor told Sky News: “Some people don’t want this government to succeed.

“Some people don’t want me to succeed. I spend my life proving people wrong, proving that I can do stuff, that I’ve been underestimated.”

It comes after Labour MP Peter Prinsley hit back at people using the nickname.

“It’s a disgrace that members of the opposition have been referring to the chancellor of the exchequer as ‘Rachel from accounts’,” he said. “It’s misogynistic and deeply unprofessional.”

The nickname originated from accusations Ms Reeves had embellished her CV – allegations she has refuted.

Asked whether the chancellor had exaggerated her CV in November, No 10 defended her record in office saying she has “restored financial stability”.

The chancellor’s latest remarks come as recent rises in borrowing costs threaten her economic plans, while leaders in the business sector continue to voice concerns over upcoming tax rises in April from her autumn Budget.

Despite the prime minister’s insistence that he will keep Ms Reeves in post, there have been growing questions over her position as the economy teeters on the edge of a recession and business confidence in the government sits at its worst point since the Covid pandemic.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/reeves-hits-back-at-rachel-from-accounts-nickname-saying-she-has-spent-her-life-proving-people-wrong/ar-AA1xT6Kx?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=a1f36054970e40f0b9a24875987c45f6&ei=44

Jimbuna

01-27-25, 01:55 PM

Farage accuses Starmer of plot to cancel half of May elections to slow Reform momentum

Sir Keir Starmer is plotting to scrap around half of this year's local elections to curb Reform UK's momentum, Nigel Farage has claimed.

The former UKIP leader has fumed over the alleged plan, which he says is also being taken advantage of by Conservative-run authorities.

Voters are due to cast their ballots at local elections for their local councils on May 1.

But there has been speculation as to whether some will not be able to cast their vote as ministers reportedly want to reorganise local government.

In November, it was reported that Labour ministers think the two-tier approach in some areas of the UK - whereby district councils operate underneath a wider authority - is inefficient.

Larger unitary councils may replace smaller bodies, it has been speculated, with more regional mayors also perhaps being appointed.

Mr Farage told TalkTV: "This has not been talked about at all...Labour want to reorganise the structure of local government.

"That is being used by county councils in which the Conservatives are in control to say, 'Ah well, if there are changes incoming, let's suspend the elections."

He added: "And, guess what, the councils that have asked for suspensions of the elections are the ones in which Reform is the strongest."

Mr Farage went on to say that democracy to thousands will be "denied".

He added: "I thought only dictators cancelled elections."

In December, a Reform UK source told Express.co.uk that the party is looking forward to this year's local elections.

They said: "The 2025 local elections - assuming they are not cancelled! - are a huge opportunity for Reform UK to cement our position as a truly national contender for power.

"Of course we're looking to consolidate our position in the areas we made our breakthrough in the General Election, all of which are currently scheduled to have council elections next year."

The party's gungho statement added that they are "coming for the Tories in the south" and "coming for Labour in the north".

They added: "We've already established hundreds of local branches, and we're well on the way to covering every constituency.

"Now we're rolling out the tools and materials to the branches so they can deliver winning campaigns right across the country."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/farage-accuses-starmer-of-plot-to-cancel-half-of-may-elections-to-slow-reform-momentum/ar-AA1xVaul?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=3c8892e744b44813a63aeb4f6784b180&ei=119

Jimbuna

01-27-25, 01:59 PM

Labour Cabinet rift widens as Ed Miliband hints Heathrow expansion might not happen

Ed Miliband has suggested that Heathrow's airport expansion might not happen amid a Cabinet rift over the issue.

A third runway needs to be "justified within carbon budgets", the Energy Secretary told the Environment Audit Committee on Monday.

He added: "If it cannot be justified, it will not take place. I can absolutely assure you that is the position of the Government. That is absolutely the basis on which the Government stands."

A carbon budget places a restriction on the total amount of greenhouse gases the UK can emit over a five-year period.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said she could support plans for a new runway at the London airport to spur on "growth".

But this is at odds with objections from Cabinet ministers, including Mr Miliband.

The Chancellor is expected to endorse proposals for a third runway at Heathrow in a speech on Wednesday, as well as expansion at Gatwick and Luton airports.

Meanwhile analysts have warned that Mr Miliband is on track to miss his flagship clean power target because of a projected shortfall in wind and solar farms.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/labour-cabinet-rift-widens-as-ed-miliband-hints-heathrow-expansion-may-not-happen/ar-AA1xX8HJ?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=3c8892e744b44813a63aeb4f6784b180&ei=199

Jimbuna

01-28-25, 10:25 AM

Labour MPs turn on Starmer as they warn he risks damaging US ties over military spending delay

Labour's own MPs have warned Sir Keir Starmer that a failure to boost military spending could put the "special relationship" with the US at risk.

Starmer is expected to delay bringing defence spending up to 2.5 per cent of GDP until after 2030, The Times revealed - a cut below President Donald Trump's expectations.

Prior to his return to the White House last week, Trump was understood to be approaching Nato allies with a "demand five per cent, accept three per cent" line on military expenditure as part of the alliance.

Labour quartet Luke Akehurst, Dan Carden, Tan Dhesi and Luke Pollard have all made public statements calling for a spending boost.

Defence committee chairman Dhesi warned: "The cost of fighting a war... is significantly higher than providing a credible deterrence force."

While Liverpool Walton MP Carden said: "The simple reality is to build strong alliances, we must maintain and build our autonomy. To maintain a good relationship with the US, we will have to spend more on defence."

Armed forces minister Luke Pollard said Dhesi was "absolutely right" that "deterring a war is cheaper than fighting a war".
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/labour-mps-turn-on-starmer-as-they-warn-he-risks-damaging-us-ties-over-military-spending-delay/ar-AA1xZuTb?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=0860e9bd29824bf6959c6b9122921e37&ei=35

Catfish

01-28-25, 12:12 PM

Must have missed that lol

"Elon Musk asks if America should ‘liberate the people of Britain’ in tirade against UK government"

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/06/elon-musk-asks-if-us-should-liberate-britain.html

Jimbuna

01-29-25, 12:05 PM

DWP benefit overhaul coming in just weeks as Rachel Reeves confirms crackdown

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced an overhaul to the benefits system will be unveiled by the Labour Government before the Spring Budget during her speech to "kickstart economic growth" in Oxfordshire this morning.

Reeves revealed the Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall will outline changes to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), impacting those on payments such as Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment (PIP), as part of a benefits clampdown.

These changes to the social security system come as part of the Government's wider plans to bolster the economy following the pandemic and get more people back into work.

During her speech, the Chancellor said: "Growth isn’t simply about lines on a graph, it is about the pounds in people’s pockets, the vibrancy of our high streets and the thriving businesses that create wealth, jobs and new opportunities for us, for our children, and grandchildren. We will have succeeded in our mission when working people are better-off."

Among the senior Labour figures in the audience during the Chancellor's speech included Environment Secretary Steve Reed, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander and science minister Lord Vallance.

Despite the focus of the Chancellor's speech being on improving GDP, she confirmed that "fundamental" reform to Britain's welfare system is on its way, which will lead by Kendall.

Specifically, Rachel Reeves cited that the Government ministers will be “looking at areas that have been ducked for too long, like the rising cost of health and disability benefits”.

According to the Chancellor, the Work and Pensions Secretary will break down the Labour's plans for widespread reform ahead of the Spring Budget, which is set for March 26.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/dwp-benefit-overhaul-coming-in-just-weeks-as-rachel-reeves-confirms-crackdown/ar-AA1y3hQA?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=1c84d85f243a419c923e2df33df44ab3&ei=19