“Rachel Reeves lit the fuse of another tax bombshell as Britons were put on notice for more painful hikes. The Chancellor all but revealed she will have no choice but to act to fill a £50billion black hole in public finance when she delivers her highly-anticipated pre-Christmas Budget. She complained that “harsh global headwinds” made “harder choices” on taxes and spending inevitable. Ms Reeves laid the groundwork for a brutal raid in just 10 weeks as she addressed Labour supporters at the party’s annual conference in Liverpool. Experts have said Ms Reeves will have to increase taxes or cut spending to fill the colossal shortfall in her budget, which the National Institute of Economic and Social Research has estimated could be as much as £50 billion. Shadow Chancellor, Sir Mel Stride, said: “Rachel Reeves says she won’t risk the public finances, but she’s already doing that – with more borrowing, higher spending, and more taxes. “Labour has raised taxes by £40 billion per year, including a £25 billion tax on jobs, and now won’t rule out coming back for more.”He added: “Labour spends more, taxes more, and blames others when things go wrong. Under them, nothing is safe – not your job, savings, or pension.” – Daily Express
“Care workers in England are to receive a substantial pay increase from 2028 after the creation of a new body of trade unions and employers designed to stem the exodus of workers from the sector by improving wages and conditions. The health secretary, Wes Streeting, will put £500m behind the initial increase and will begin this year to establish the new negotiating body, which will create a fair pay agreement. However, unions have warned that the future pay increases will need “substantially more” investment. The move was promised as part of a slew of measures in Labour’s workers’ rights package, intended to create better pay and working conditions in the struggling care sector, where low pay and insecure work have led to a recruitment crisis.The final increase will be negotiated by the body – the first of its kind in the country – with the budget set by government also used to improve conditions at work. Care workers are not expected to feel the benefits of the change for several years.” – Guardian
EDITORIAL
COMMENT
“Shabana Mahmood has said that Nigel Farage is “worse than a racist” as she revealed that members of her own family had been called “f***ing P***” in the last few weeks.The home secretary said that she did not agree with Sir Keir Starmer’s characterisation of Farage’s immigration policy as racist because “technically” it was not. However, she claimed that his radical pledge to abolish the right for migrants to permanently settle in the UK — which would apply to non-Europeans already living with settled status in the UK — was even more divisive because it was a deliberate “dog whistle” attempt to appeal to racist voters. Starmer’s unplanned intervention to brand Farage’s policy racist in a BBC interview on Sunday was welcomed by Labour MPs and ministers who have been urging the party’s leadership to take a stronger stance on condemning Reform’s policies for months. However, some ministers fear that it will alienate voters who Labour risk losing to Reform UK at the next election.” – The Times
COMMENT
“Carol Vorderman told Labour that Sir Keir Starmer ‘will never be voted in as Prime Minister again’ as she urged the party to change leader in order to retain power. Speaking at Labour’s conference in Liverpool, the ex-Countdown star said she felt ‘very let down’ by the party’s first year in office in a fiery attack on the Government.Appearing at a fringe event, the 64-year-old lashed out at Sir Keir’s administration over freebies, winter fuel cuts and an ongoing donations row. The outspoken broadcaster also said it was a ‘disgrace’ that the now-resigned Lord Mandelson had been appointed by the PM as Britain’s ambassador to the US. She went on to shower praise on Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, amid feverish speculation he is plotting a leadership challenge against Sir Keir. It came as a YouGov poll of Labour members, on behalf of Sky News, found Mr Burnham would beat Sir Keir by two to one if they went head-to-head in a contest. But, later on Monday, Mr Burnham appeared to be in full retreat as he said Sir Keir was the right person to be PM when he spoke at a separate fringe event.He offered his backing to Sir Keir despite having previously fuelled claims he was poised to rival the premier.” – Daily Mail
COMMENT
“Tony Blair and Donald Trump will jointly govern Gaza on a Board of Peace under the President’s plan to end the bloodshed and secure the release of all hostages. The IDF would withdraw from Gaza and commit not to annex the strip if both Israel and Hamas sign the 20-point plan unveiled today. Mr Blair, 72, was the first world leader named on the new transitional body to run Gaza apart, which Trump will chair.This evening Blair hailed the plan as offering “the best chance of ending two years if war, misery and suffering”.The former Labour leader and Middle East envoy is expected to take charge of the day-to-day running of the new board which will eventually hand power back to peace-loving Palestinians. Trump said his blueprint had secured backing from the Muslim and Arab leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia, Pakistan and Egypt.” – The Sun
“A whistleblower has accused one of Britain’s biggest unions of creating a “ghost job” to rig an election and protect the position of its general secretary, Sharon Graham. Unite the Union allegedly put a Heathrow baggage handler on its payroll on the understanding he withdrew from an election, according to a complaint sent to Unite leadership by a regional officer. It claimed the person “may not have actually carried out any work for Unite” and was therefore “in effect a ghost employee”. The 2023 vote was for a spot on the Unite executive council, according to the claim, and his election could have resulted in a supporter of Graham being ousted. “If what has been alleged in this whistleblower letter is true, then there are elements that I feel have to be investigated by the police,” Eddie Cassidy, a member of Unite’s executive council, said. The union denied the claims, saying the baggage handler was paid part-time to map the airport, and that their withdrawal from the election was unrelated. Unite, Britain’s second largest union with about 1.2 million members, has been fighting to move on from allegations of historical fraud and corruption under the leadership of Len McCluskey.” – The Times