“Working families are set to lose out on more than £3,500 each due to businesses passing on the costs of Rachel Reeves’s national insurance increase, figures suggest. Kemi Badenoch branded the levy a “jobs tax” as her Conservative Party published an analysis showing the potential impact on 18.6 million households. The chancellor announced in her budget in October that national insurance contributions for employers would rise by 1.2 percentage points to 15 per cent from April 6. The change, which come into force at the start of the next financial year, is expected to raise between £23.8 billion and £25.7 billion for the exchequer, which Reeves argued was vital to fill a “black hole” in the public finances. However, the Tories said that the majority of the NI increase would be borne by workers and consumers.” – The Times
Comment
“Judges have climbed down over the introduction of “two-tier justice” rules after the Government threatened legislation to block the guidance. Lord Justice Davis, the chairman of the Sentencing Council, announced that it would suspend the guidance hours before it was due to take effect on Tuesday. The council’s guidance advised courts that they should “normally consider” ordering a pre-sentence report on an offender if they were “an ethnic minority, cultural minority, and/or faith minority community”, transgender, young or female. The about-turn came after a showdown between Lord Justice Davis and Shabana Mahmood, the Justice Secretary, who warned him that she was going ahead with emergency legislation that would make the guidance “unlawful”. – The Telegraph
Comment
>Yesterday
“The rate of migrant Channel crossings under Sir Keir Starmer has been higher than under any of his Conservative predecessors, with more small boat arrivals this year than at any time since they began seven years ago. More than 6,600 migrants were detected in the Channel in small boats in the first three months of 2025 – over 30 per cent more than the previous record of just under 5,000 by this time last year, Home Office data show. The early surge this year has been partly fuelled by better weather and calmer seas, as well as by people-smugglers cramming more migrants into each dinghy. With the weather expected to continue to improve during spring, the 30,000 threshold for migrants crossing the Channel under Sir Keir’s watch since July is expected to be passed within days.” – The Telegraph
Comment
>Today
“Sir Keir Starmer’s eleventh hour bid for Britain to be excluded from new US tariffs was flatly rejected by Donald Trump, The Sun can reveal. The PM invited the US President to visit the UK this June to sign a new limited trade deal that would swerve new export taxes, yet was snubbed. the weekend call between the pair failed to reach any resolution beyond President Trump promising to look into the details of the planned economic pact. Sir Keir’s attempts to flatter the American chief into sparing British firms from the economic hit fell on deaf ears despite an offer to sign the deal in just three months’ time. One well placed source said the PM had “pleaded” for more time for the UK and US to hammer out a deal. But No10 insiders rejected that suggestion and said an exemption was never directly asked for during the PM’s update for the President on the status of negotiations.” – The Sun
Comment
“Council fat cats received record-high levels of pay and pensions last year, while hard-pressed taxpayers paid record-high levels to their supposedly cash-strapped local authorities. In a shocking new set of data from campaign group The Taxpayers’ Alliance, at least 3,906 council employees received total remuneration of £100,000 or more in 2023-24. This is 26% higher than in 2022-23, while the number of council employees taking home over £150,000 has risen by 32% in the same period. 262 council fat cats walked home last year with more than £200,000 in combined salary, bonuses and pension contributions, 50% more than in 2022-23.” – Daily Express
Comment
“Marine Le Pen refused to quit politics on Monday night after she was banned from running for president. The 56-year-old president of the hard-Right National Rally party claimed that millions of French voters had been deprived of a voice by an “authoritarian regime” after she was found guilty of embezzlement by using European Parliament funds to pay party expenses. She has been banned from running for office for five years and was also handed a four-year prison term by the Paris court, but will not go to jail. Two years of those years will be suspended, and another two served outside jail with an electronic bracelet. The judge specified that the politics ban should come into force with immediate effect, even if an appeal was lodged.” – The Telegraph