Markus Andrews

Rachel Reeves has held out for the last possible date to hold her Autumn Budget as she scrambles to come up with a plan to rescue the nation’s troubled finances. The chancellor admitted that the economy is “not working well enough” as she pledged to get a “tight grip” on spending when she delivers her budget on 26 November.The Independent has been told she is considering a new tax raid by raising capital gains tax and introducing a gambling levy to help close an estimated £40bn black hole in her budget.The two options, championed by trade unions and former prime minister Gordon Brown, are said to be top of the list of possible new taxes – also including a mansion tax, freezing income tax thresholds and applying national insurance to rental income for landlords – being looked at.A well-placed source told The Independent: “At the moment the focus is on capital gains tax and the gambling tax.”It comes as the chancellor has reiterated she will not break Labour’s manifesto promise of no rises in income tax, VAT or employee national insurance contributions, despite economists warning she may have no other choice.Rachel Reeves is set to deliver the next budget in November (Oliver McVeigh/PA) More

Last month, in a disturbing but not entirely unsurprising development, the leader of a Reform UK council effectively barred a local newspaper and website from interacting with the authority.The ban imposed by Nottinghamshire County Council came after Nottinghamshire Live published a series of stories which council leader Mick Barton claimed “consistently misrepresented” Reform.It was a strange move for a party that bills itself as the champion of free speech. And it was somewhat ironic that it came just days before party leader Nigel Farage planned to lambast the state of free speech in the UK in front of a congressional committee in Washington DC.But the truly worrying thing is that the block on engaging with the media is not a localised phenomenon, but one which could truly rear its ugly head on a national scale if Mr Farage takes control of Downing Street.Farage revels in press conferences More

Starmer Breaks Silence at PMQs After Rayner Admits Underpaying Stamp Duty On £800k Hove FlatSir Keir Starmer has defended Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner amid calls for her to be sacked following her admission she did not pay the correct stamp duty on her flat.In the first PMQs since summer recess, the Prime Minister said he was “proud” to sit alongside Ms Rayner, saying he welcomed her referral to the ethics advisor and praising her pledge to build 1.5 million new homes.He faced just one question from Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch on Ms Rayner’s conduct before she moved on to quiz him on the economy. Earlier on Wednesday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed a late Budget date of November 26 amid concerns over soaring borrowing costs. In the announcement she admitted the economy “isn’t working well enough”. Reeves has opted for the latest date possible for an autumn Budget this year as she attempts to buy time before making decisions on tax. The Prime Minister also hit out at Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who has travelled to the US today to speak in Congress. Responding to a question about the Online Safety Act, which Mr Farage has publicly opposed, the prime minister said accused Mr Farage of flying to America to “badmouth and talk down our country”.Farage slammed as ‘Putin loving free speech imposter and Trump sycophant’ in savage takedown by US SenatorNigel Farage has been dubbed a “Putin loving free speech imposter and Trump sycophant” by a US congressman, who launched a savage takedown of the Reform leader before he even sat down to speak.The attack came as Mr Farage prepared to give evidence on freedom of speech to the US House Judiciary Committee in Washington DC.But before he began, Congressman Jamie Raskin launched into a humiliating take down of the Reform politician.“To the people of the UK who think this Putin loving free speech imposter and Trump sycophant will protect freedom in your country, come on over to America and see what Trump and MAGA are doing to destroy our freedom, to kidnap college students off the street, to ban books from our libraries, militarise our police and unleash them against our communities, take over our universities, wreck our professional civil service and turn the government into a money making machine for Trump and his family”, the Democrat said.”You might think twice before you let Mr Farage make Britain great again.”( More

Angela Rayner is facing growing calls to resign after she admitted she did not pay enough stamp duty on the purchase of her £800,000 seaside flat. The deputy prime minister, who has referred herself to Sir Keir Starmer’s ethics advisor, insisted she made a mistake based on the advice she received at the time. But opposition figures have pointed out that the housing secretary has failed to follow the rules that she oversees. Pressure is likely to grow in the coming days, putting Sir Keir in an extremely difficult position, and her resignation would cause a serious headache for the prime minister. But who are the likely candidates to replace her? Angela Rayner is under growing pressure to resign after she admitted she did not pay enough stamp duty of her Hove flat More

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has disclosed she underpaid stamp duty on a seaside flat, prompting one tax expert to label the property levy a “confusing mess”. Ms Rayner’s admission follows mounting pressure and media reports claiming she saved £40,000 on the Hove property by removing her name from the deeds of a family home in her Ashton-under-Lyne constituency.Ms Rayner said she bought the Hove flat after selling her stake in another home to her son’s trust. She maintained she initially believed, based on legal advice, she was liable for the standard rate of stamp duty. However, she was later advised that, despite not owning any other property at the time of the purchase, “complex provisions relating to the trust gives rise to additional stamp duty liabilities”.The incident highlights the intricate nature of stamp duty, which applies in “slabs”, with home buyers paying increasing portions of the property price when purchasing a residential property.Stamp duty is charged in England and Northern Ireland. Scotland and Wales apply separate property taxes.Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner More

Zack Polanski has apologised for claiming to have been able to help women increase the size of their breasts using his mind. The newly elected Green Party leader, while previously working as a hypnotherapist, offered a session to increase an undercover newspaper reporter’s breast size and improve her body image. And, asked about the claims following his landslide leadership win, Mr Polanski said “I apologised for that 12 years ago,” before apologising again. Asked if voters could trust him in light of the claims, he told BBC Breakfast: “Well, it’s never for a politician to say ‘trust me’.Zack Polanski said Labour attacking him over the claims shows the party is worried More

With her admission that she did not pay her tax properly, Angela Rayner appears to have put herself on the fast-track to the exit door of government.It is a remarkable turn of fortune for a politician who until today was considered a potential leadership candidate, should Sir Keir Starmer’s woeful poll ratings continue to fall.But given her own outspoken criticism of former Tory ministers for not resigning over misconduct when she was in opposition – “one rule for them, another for everybody else” – she at the very least looks like a hypocrite for not resigning but in reality may still rapidly be running out of time.Sir Keir, both in opposition and as prime minister, has vowed to clean up British politics and repeatedly said he will not stand for sleaze in his government or party. Ministers who do not uphold his standards have not remained in post – Louise Haigh, Tulip Siddiq and most recently Rushanara Ali have all resigned after the prime minister made it clear their positions were untenable.Now Ms Rayner, who had recently been pushing the prime minister to fulfil a promise to give her a proper Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to reflect her growing influence in government, may also be forced to quit.Angela Rayner is fighting to keep her job More