“A fourth survivor has quit the panel for the Government’s grooming gangs inquiry, GB News can reveal. Jessica, not her real name, from West Yorkshire, quit the panel tonight. She said she was stunned to learn that the two prospective chairs were a former police officer and social worker, Jim Gamble and Annie Hudson. “When I found out the two potential chairs were a former police officer and a former social worker, I was shocked and I didn’t know how they could be involved. They were both part of a profession that failed all of us.” The survivor was one of several members of the panel blocked from attending the meeting with the prospective chairs. In the end, Annie Hudson withdrew ahead of the interviews citing media pressure. Jessica, who has secured convictions against several of her perpetrators, was speaking publicly in the media for the first time tonight. She said that the probe “does not need to be an overall investigation” amid wider concerns expressed by survivors that they feared the inquiry could be expanded to other elements beyond grooming gangs. GB News revealed that survivors were asked before a panel meeting if they wanted the inquiry to be specific to grooming gangs or cover wider issues in child sexual exploitation and abuse. Jessica, who received the email, said: “This needs to be specifically based on grooming gangs. We’ve never had a proper investigation into just grooming gangs.”” – GB News
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“Rachel Reeves will launch a £2 billion tax raid on lawyers, family doctors and accountants as she seeks to balance the books by targeting the wealthy. The chancellor is expected to use the budget to impose a new charge on people who use limited liability partnerships as she tries to fill a £30 billion hole in the public finances. More than 190,000 workers use partnerships, particularly in the legal world, and they offer a significant tax benefit over ordinary employment. They are not subject to employer’s national insurance as partners are treated as self-employed. Reeves is said to consider this unfair and is expected to announce changes to the system in her budget. She has repeatedly said that “those with the broadest shoulders” should pay their “fair share of tax”, and many of those who use partnerships are high earners… The change is one of a series of measures in the budget that will target the wealthy. Reeves is also expected to announce a “mansion tax” that will impose capital gains tax on the sale of the most expensive homes. However, some economists have raised concerns that increasing taxes on the wealthy could backfire and cause more people to leave the UK.” – The Times
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“Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick stated the public are “sick” of Prince Andrew, urging him to leave public life and cease receiving taxpayer subsidies. Pressure is mounting on Prince Andrew to vacate his Royal Lodge mansion in Windsor and for the government to formally strip him of his dukedom. SNP MPs have lodged an early day motion calling for legislative steps to remove Prince Andrew’s dukedom. It emerged that Prince Andrew paid a “peppercorn rent” on the 30-room Royal Lodge for over 20 years, having secured a 75-year lease in 2003 for £1m. The lease agreement includes a clause that would require the Crown Estate to pay Prince Andrew approximately £558,000 if he were to give up the lease.” – The Independent
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