Markus Andrews

A Reform UK-run council is reportedly set to raise council tax rates next year, despite cost-cutting measures inspired by those introduced by Elon Musk in the United States. Nigel Farage had vowed to save “a lot of money” after his party won control of Kent County Council at the local elections in May this year. Two months later, in July, the council introduced a Department of Local Government Efficiency (Dolge), modelled on Musk’s DOGE in the US, which council leader Linden Kemkaran claimed had identified £40m of potential savings.A report to council members said the savings would ensure that the council was able to operate within its budget while continuing to “provide the services that residents value most and those required to be delivered by law”. However, the authority’s new adult social care chief Diane Morton has this week hinted at a rise in residents’ council tax bills as she warned that services in the county were “down to the bare bones”. Diane Morton told the Financial Times: “We’ve got more demand than ever before and it’s growing, We just want more money.”Reform UK leader Nigel Farage attending a meeting alongside the head of Kent County Council, Linden Kemkaran, in July (PA) More

Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney has launched a worldwide hub for developing AI and new technologiesto help women and girls access justice more easily. The initiative was praised as having the potential to transform lives around the world, making it “no longer the preserve” of the rich or those lucky enough to have lawyers who can afford to represent them for free, at its launch on Monday night.The Oxford Institute of Technology and Justice, a partnership with the university’s Blavatnik School of Government and the Clooney Foundation for Justice, will be dedicated to harnessing the power of AI on the issue worldwide. Among its aims, the institute will scale up the provision of free legal information digitally, look at how digital evidence can be preserved and presented and promote international law, including developing guidance on how to bring AI into legal systems. Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney and her husband George Clooney More

The Conservatives have spelled “Britain” wrong in one of their handouts in an embarrassing blunder at their party conference in Manchester. Party officials handed out chocolate bars with the quote, “When Labour negotiates, Britian loses”, emblazoned across it – a quote attributed to Kemi Badenoch. The quote has been repeatedly used by the Tory leader in response to Labour negotiations, including the deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, as well as in response to trade deals negotiated with the US, India and the European Union. A Tory source said the spelling mistake was a “printing error”. Amid devastating approval ratings and questions over Mrs Badenoch’s leadership, this year’s conference is notably much quieter than last. The corporate presence is significantly slimmed down, while attendance at the main stage for major speeches given by the shadow cabinet is generally sparse. Protesters, including anti-Brexit demonstrator Steve Bray, have stayed away, in what is thought to be a sign of the fading relevance of the Tories under Ms Badenoch.Many stalls, which would previously have been a key source of money for the party being taken up by businesses, are left empty with Conservative branding in place instead.It came as a new poll conducted by YouGov for Sky News found that half of all Conservative members think Mrs Badenoch should not lead the party into the next election. The poll of 652 Conservative members, taken between 26 September and 2 October, found 46 per cent think the current Tory leader should stay in place when the country next goes to the polls, while 50 per cent say she should not. Meanwhile, a seat-by-seat YouGov poll published earlier this month showed that the Tories would face a disaster scenario if an election were held today, being left with just 45 MPs – putting them behind Reform UK, Labour and the Liberal Democrats, which the poll put at 78 MPs.Responding to the spelling error, a Labour source said: “Yet another Tory Flake. They can’t proofread five words on a bar of chocolate. “This conference really isn’t proving to be the Boost Kemi needs”. More

The one question for supporters of Robert Jenrick in the Tory party is not if but when they should make a move to oust Kemi Badenoch.But luckily for them, they saw a trial run of one of their potential strategies at the Labour conference which led to a late change in their plans to use this conference in Manchester as a platform.And so the message to Mr Jenrick from his supporters going into this conference was “don’t do an Andy Burnham”.Labour’s mayor for Greater Manchester has actually been speaking at the Tory conference on housing and other matters in a fairly disobliging manner about prime minister Sir Keir Starmer.But his attempt to turn the Labour conference into a platform for a push to replace Starmer badly backfired, largely united the party around the PM (at least on the surface) and ended up with Mr Burnham slinking out before the leader’s speech.Andy Burnham made a move at the Labour conference More

Sir Keir Starmer’s cabinet is deeply divided over economic policy, with senior ministers fearful further measures to target the rich in next month’s Budget could accelerate the wealth exodus from Britain.Cabinet ministers have told the The Independent they believe Rachel Reeves has already gone too far with measures targeting the wealthy and businesses, and have urged the chancellor to change course if she is to have any hope of achieving growth. They cited “anti-aspiration” measures such as the abolition of non-dom status and VAT on private school fees as key drivers of wealth away from the UK, saying they are “harming this country”. Further measures reportedly being considered include a property tax on high-value homes and a new bank profits tax.Ministers have instead urged the prime minister and Ms Reeves to consider “efficiency savings” and cuts to fill a Budget black hole estimated to be between £30bn and £40bn.Those on the left in Labour have noted that the recent reshuffle has “handed more power to the right of the party” while left-wingers who support wealth taxes have been demoted or pushed out.But a powerful group within cabinet on the right of the party believes the government is failing to rein in spending and needs to be more ready “to reform the state in a Labour way”.One minister said: “The trouble is we have crossed a line in trying to encourage aspiration. The non-dom change and the VAT on school fees have sent the opposite message.”The autumn statement is expected to be a make-or-break moment for the prime minister and chancellor Rachel Reeves More

Robert Jenrick launched a scathing attack on Liz Truss’s disastrous mini-Budget, describing it as “careless” and “un-conservative” as the party attempts to rebuild public trust after its difficult recent past. Addressing a packed-out room at the Conservative Party conference, the shadow justice secretary said former prime minister Ms Truss had made “big mistakes” when her mini-Budget spooked the financial markets in 2022 and led to a spike in mortgage rates and her eventual resignation.Mr Jenrick also dismissed any speculation about his potential leadership ambitions, telling his audience Kemi Badenoch would lead the Tories into the next election.Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick has launched a scathing attack on Liz Truss More