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Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorSuella Braverman has dubbed Labour’s decision to scrap the European Scrutiny Committee the “beginning of the end” of Brexit.Commons leader Lucy Powell on Tuesday announced plans to abolish the select committee, which was established in 1973 to scrutinise the government on EU affairs. This came as part of a wider reform of some of the MP select committees.Select committees are small groups of MPs or members of the House of Lords that are set up to investigate a specific issue or policy in detail.Suella Braverman said the decision is “anti-democratic” and “lacking transparency” More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorThe government has been urged to pursue a youth mobility scheme with the European Union (EU) alongside the “new approach” to legal migration launched by Yvette Cooper.The home secretary on Tuesday launched a plan to boost the UK workforce’s skills before recruiting abroad in a bid to bring overall numbers down.In a swipe at the previous Conservative government, Ms Cooper said rising levels of legal migration in recent years reflected a “failure over many years to tackle skills shortages and other problems in the UK labour market”.And she said: “This is why we are setting out a different approach – one that links migration policy and visa controls to skills and labour market policies – so immigration is not used as an alternative to training or tackling workforce problems here at home.But experts called on the home secretary to pursue a mobility scheme with the EU which would let young people live, study and work across the bloc in exchange for Europeans being able to do the same in Britain.Dr Mike Galsworthy, chairman of the European Movement UK, said Ms Cooper is right that Britain needs to better train its citizens to fill gaps in the work force. But he told The Independent “this should not be used as a reason to penalise our own youth, universities, NHS, hospitality and small businesses – many which badly need opportunities opened right now”.Yvette Cooper faced calls to consider a youth mobility scheme with the EU after launching her ‘new approach’ to migration More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorNigel Farage has been condemned for his response to the Southport stabbings, with the husband of murdered MP Jo Cox accusing the Reform leader of “inciting a riot”.Three young girls were killed on Monday in an attack which took place during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class. Eight other children suffered stab wounds and at least two are still in a critical condition, alongside two adults who are also still in hospital.In the wake of the attack, rioting broke out in Southport, resulting in 27 police officers being taken to hospital. Police have said they believe the men involved are part of the far-right English Defence League.Nigel Farage posted a video to social media responding to the attack, questioning why the incident not being treated as terror-related More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorRachel Reeves has confirmed that Labour’s first autumn Budget will bring fresh tax rises as she says more needs to be done to fill the government’s shortfall in public finances.Her statement comes after she recently announced a slate of cost-cutting measures to grapple with the issue. These included scrapping the Winter Fuel Payment for millions of pensioners, alongside halting several in-progress infrastructure projects.The chancellor revealed that a Treasury report at the start of the week that showed the government is facing a £20bn ‘black hole’ in public finances.She has put the blame squarely on the previous Conservative administration, accusing her predecessor Jeremy Hunt of lying about ‘true state’ of government money.Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to explain the financial challenges the country faces More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorChancellor Rachel Reeves has been warned that her plans to means test winter fuel payments will not be possible because of ageing computer systems.Former pensions minister Guy Opperman, who ran benefits for pensioners between 2017 and 2022 and looked at means testing winter fuel payments, has issued a warning that the system in the Department for Workm and Pensions cannot cope with the changes Ms Reeves has proposed.The chancellor announced that she would save almost £3 billion by ending winter fuel payments of £200 for over-70s and £800 for over-80s who are not on pension credit.That means around 10 million out of the 11.5 million pensioners who received the payment will no longer get it and 7 milion of the 8.5 million households which received will no longer be entitled to the payment.Rachel Reeves has cut winter fuel payments More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorRachel Reeves has said she is unable to have a urinal removed from her office toilet because it is listed and cannot be altered.After the general election it was reported that work was set to take the urinal out of the Ms Reeves’s private office in Whitehall. But weeks later the chancellor, the first woman to hold the post since its creation a thousand years ago, said the facility is “still is in there” and cannot be replaced.Appearing on an episode of the News Agents podcast, Ms Reeves invited host Emily Maitlis into the bathroom to see the urinal still standing.Rachel Reeves said there is a urinal in her toilet More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorTaxes will have to rise in October to plug a £22bn hole in the public finances, Rachel Reeves has warned.Ahead of her first budget, the chancellor refused to rule out hiking capital gains and inheritance tax and pursuing pension reform to fill the gap.And, setting the scene for a brutal financial statement, she said: “I think that we will have to increase taxes in the budget.”Rachel Reeves warned taxes will rise in October More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorTaxes will likely be raised in the Budget, Rachel Reeves has said.The Chancellor said Labour would stick to its election manifesto promises not to raise national insurance, income tax or VAT, but left open the possibility for other tax hikes at the Budget on October 30.“I think that we will have to increase taxes in the Budget,” she said while speaking to The News Agents podcast.Ms Reeves‘ admission comes a day after she scrapped a series of infrastructure projects, and announced the winter fuel allowance for pensions would be means-tested, among a series of measures aimed at filling a £22 billion black hole in the public finances.Ms Reeves did not state what taxes would be raised when asked on the podcast whether Labour would stick to its manifesto promises, and instead raise inheritance tax or capital gains tax, or undertake pension reform.She said: “We had in our manifesto a commitment to fiscal rules to balance day-to-day spending through tax receipts, and by the end of the forecast period, to get debt down as a share of GDP.“Those are sensible fiscal rules to keep a grip of the public finances. We also made other commitments in our manifesto, not to increase national insurance, VAT or income tax for the duration and we’ll stick with those.”Pressed again about which taxes could go up, she added: “We will have a Budget on October 30 and ahead of that Budget, we will have a forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility on this occasion, based on accurate numbers.”On Monday, the Chancellor said she was making “difficult decisions” as she accused the previous government of leaving £21.9 billion of unfunded commitments that it had “covered up from the country”.In a statement to Parliament, she set out “immediate action” to address the shortfall by £5.5 billion, with the rest of the gap to be addressed at the Budget.But her predecessor Jeremy Hunt claimed around half of the “black hole” in spending was down to her deciding to give above-inflation pay rises to millions of public sector workers.Ms Reeves announced during the statement she would agree recommendations by a raft of public sector pay review bodies, while also agreeing to hike junior doctors’ pay by around 20% over two years.In a hint that taxes may have to increase, Ms Reeves said the Budget will “involve taking difficult decisions to meet our fiscal rules across spending, welfare and tax”.Ms Reeves‘ statement to the Commons came after she ordered Treasury officials to undertake an audit of public spending when Labour came to office.Among the spending commitments cancelled by the Chancellor are plans for the Stonehenge Tunnel, and to restore some previously closed railway lines, ending the Rwanda migration scheme, and abandoning Rishi Sunak’s “Advanced British Standard” in education, arguing the former prime minister “didn’t put aside a single penny to pay for it”.A Treasury spokesperson said: “As we said yesterday, there will be further difficult decisions on tax and spending at the Budget on October 30.“The Chancellor has not committed to any tax rises not already in the manifesto and has committed to not increasing national insurance, VAT or income tax.” More