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Dame Priti Patel has warned Labour’s four-day week plan would be “devastating” for businesses as she launched her Conservative leadership campaign in London.
The former home secretary criticised Sir Keir Starmer’s speech in the Downing Street Rose Garden on Tuesday this week as “one of the most feeble, pitiful and dishonest speeches you will ever hear”.
She also accused Sir Keir of launching a “nasty financial assault” on pensioners with the decision to cut winter fuel payments.
It comes as Sir Keir Starmer faced backlash for moving a £100,000 portrait of Margaret Thatcher in No 10 Downing Street because he found it “unsettling”.
The portrait controvercy has drawn sharp criticism from Conservative MPs, who branded his decision as “petty” and a “vindictive” act.
The prime minister hinted at a potential smoking ban in outdoor spaces like pub gardens.
Speaking in Paris, he confirmed changes to smoking laws are under consideration, with details to be revealed soon. But the move has sparked concern among hospitality groups over potential negative impacts on the sector.
The potential new Tobacco and Vapes Bill also caused cabinet tensions with Business Department officials warning that the move could create financial challenges for the industry.
Scots must take independence decision out of Westminster’s hands, says Brown
The people of Scotland must take the decision over independence out of the hands of Westminster, the SNP’s depute leader has said.
Addressing the first day of the party’s conference in Edinburgh, Keith Brown said the “sovereign people of Scotland” were “supreme over the UK Supreme Court”.
Under Nicola Sturgeon, the court rejected a push for the Scottish Parliament to legislate for an independence referendum.
Support for the SNP at the next election, Mr Brown said, would also be support for a “convention of all democratically-elected representatives … who support Scotland’s right to choose”.
Such a convention could see the SNP working alongside former leader Alex Salmond and the Alba Party should they win seats.
In his address to members, Mr Brown said the ability to demonstrate how Scotland can achieve independence will be “central” to the SNP’s success in 2026.
“We have to first of all acknowledge Westminster’s stance – they’ve been clear,” he said.
Eton College tells parents fees likely to rise by 20% over Labour’s VAT plan
Eton College will raise fees by 20 per cent as a result of the Government’s removal of the VAT exemption on independent schools, it said in a letter to parents.
The £52,749-a-year private boys’ school said fees will “likely” increase in January, meaning most parents will have to pay about £63,000.
Parents whose sons are in receipt of 100 per cent bursaries will not be affected by the increase, the college said.
From January, the government plans to remove the VAT exemption and business rates relief for private schools to enable funding for 6,500 new teachers in state schools.
Currently, independent schools do not have to charge 20 per cent VAT on their fees because there is an exemption for the supply of education.
In a letter to parents on Friday, the Berkshire boarding school said: “The Provost and Fellows regret that the government has chosen to tax education in this way.
“Furthermore, we are disappointed that the introduction of VAT will take place partway through an academic year and at short notice.
“We recognise the concern that will be felt by many parents following this announcement.”
COMMENT | Starmer’s making me hate myself for smoking more than I do already
I’m not somebody who cries ‘nanny state!’ every time a new rule is introduced, writes Ryan Coogan.
But if Keir Starmer can ban us from sparking up in beer gardens, then where does it end?
Could Labour’s potential smoking ban plan reshape public spaces?
Amid growing speculation, Sir Keir Starmer has not denied reports that Labour might introduce a smoking ban in certain outdoor areas, including pub gardens and small parks.
The prime minister emphasized the need to alleviate pressure on the NHS and reduce taxpayer burdens, hinting at stricter public health measures.
Currently, smoking is banned in encolsed public spaces and workplaces across the UK since 2007, with Scotland leading the charge a year earlier. violations can result in fines of up to £200 for individuals, while businesses face penalites of up to £2,500 for non-compliance.
This proposed expansion of smoking restrictions builds on the unfinished agenda of Rishi Sunak, whose “smoke-free generation” bill aimed to make the UK one of the toughest anti-smoking nations globally.
Although Labour supported the Tory initiative, it never materialised before the end of the last parliament.
The potential Labour-led smoking ban could target various outdoor venues, marking a significant shift in public health policy.
However, specific details remain unclear as the government deliberates on how to implement these changes if they ever happen.
Esther McVey’s ‘repugnant’ tweets show how unmoored the Tories now are
By using a Holocaust poem about the horrors of Nazi persecution to criticise Keir Starmer’s proposals to ban smoking in pub beer gardens, the former ‘minister for common sense’ appears to have abandoned what little of it she may have had, says Sean O’Grady:
Labour MP accused for renting out flats with mould and ant infestations
Newly-elected MP Jas Athwal is facing crutiny after the BBC uncovered poor living conditions in some of his flats.
The MP for Ilford South is parliament’s largest landlord with 15 rental properties. Nearly half of the tenants in one block of seven flats reported regularly cleaning mould from their bathroom ceilings, with some dealing with ant infestations.
According to the broadcaster, one resident described the ant problem as severe, with insects found on children’s bodies and clothing.
Another tenant claimed they were threatened with eviction if they complained or applied for benefits.
Mr Athwal, who has long championed himself as a “renter’s champion| denied knowledge of these issues, attributing management to a third-party agency and refuted allegations of eviction threats.
The Labour MP claimed he avoided tenants on housing benefits to prevent conflicts with his council duties.
Conservative Andrew boff said he is “deeply concerned” adding: “I worry that there are people who are Jas Athwal’s tenants who are now frightened to speak for fear of being evicted.
“We’ve heard this time and time again about how the threat of eviction is used to excuse poor maintenance of properties.”
Owner of culled alpaca Geronimo demands answers from new Labour government
The owner of an alpaca who was culled three years ago has called for the new Labour government to provide answers about how Geronimo died.
Helen Macdonald wants a meeting with Environment Secretary Steve Reed about her case.
Geronimo, who had twice tested positive for bovine TB, was put down by vets on August 31 2021 after his owner lost a lengthy legal fight to halt the culling.
Ms Macdonald was campaigning for the move to be halted after insisting bovine tuberculosis tests returned false positives.
She had wanted Geronimo to be tested for a third time or allowed to live to aid research into the disease.
The veterinary nurse argued the Enferplex test was fundamentally flawed and said Geronimo tested positive because he had repeatedly been primed with tuberculin – a purified protein derivative of bovine TB bacteria.
The alpaca was put down after police and staff from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) arrived at Ms Macdonald’s farm near Wickwar, south Gloucestershire.
In pictures: Priti Patel launches Tory leadership bid
Watch: Smokers ‘heroes of the nation’, says Farage as he lights up cigarette
Smokers ‘heroes of the nation’, says Nigel Farage as he lights up cigarette near pub
Nigel Farage has branded smokers the “heroes of the nation in terms of the amount of taxation they pay”, in response to a potential cigarettes ban outside pubs. The Reform UK leader lit up a cigarette outside the Westminster Arms shortly before 6pm on Thursday (29 August), less than 400m from the Prime Minister’s official residence in Downing Street. Sir Keir Starmer earlier told reporters the loss of lives because of smoking are “preventable” and that his ministers would “take decisions” on an outdoor cigarettes ban. According to leaked Whitehall papers, ministers could extend the indoor smoking ban to beer gardens, university and hospital campuses, sports grounds, children’s play areas and small parks.
