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      Vulnerable migrants routinely handcuffed and detained for hours, damning report finds

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      Vulnerable migrants held in UK detention centres are routinely being handcuffed, with some detained for hours, a damning report has found.Examples of unnecessary force include a frail 70-year-old man being handcuffed during a hospital visit, despite having no history of being disruptive, and another man subjected to rigid bar cuffs and a waist-restraint belt, as well as thigh and ankle restraints, for over four-and-a-half hours. Force and restraints should only be used as a last resort. Still, inspectors at the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB), which oversees prisons and detention centres, found this was largely being disregarded by immigration staff. The IMB report, published on Wednesday, found that force had been disproportionately used against people recorded as vulnerable, and healthcare staff were not notified quickly enough when it did happen. In one case, it took staff more than four hours to tell medics that a man had been restrained despite him banging his head repeatedly on a wooden bed frame. It said cases, such as those highlighted, were impacting people’s willingness to attend hospital appointments due to the stigma of being handcuffed.People held at Brook House Immigration Removal Centre respond to demonstrators from migrants’ rights groups protesting against plans to send migrants to Rwanda in June 2022 More

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      What the autumn Budget could mean for pensioners

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      Speculation about Rachel Reeves’ upcoming Budget continues to mount as she prepares to outline measures to address the deficit in public funds today.The chancellor has told the public she has no “easy choices” on Wednesday, after the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) estimated she needs to find at least £22bn to fill the gap in the public finances. The lead up to the fiscal event has been rife with rumours about what could be to come, including the expectation – and then apparent U-turn on – an increase to income tax.It looked as if Ms Reeves would break Labour’s election-winning manifesto and increase income tax. She later abandoned that plan, following more optimistic forecasts received by the Treasury from the budget watchdog.We already know some measures which will feature in Wednesday’s announcement. Rail fares will be frozen in the Budget, saving commuters on pricier routes more than £300 a year, and the cost of an NHS prescription in England will also be frozen at £9.90.Ms Reeves is expected to reaffirm Labour’s commitment to the triple lock on state pensions, and confirm that 13m pensioners are set to benefit from an above inflation rise next April.Here, we look at how other measures in the Budget could affect pensioners.Freezing income tax thresholdsSir Keir Starmer refused to rule out freezing income tax thresholds at the Budget, which could result in people paying more tax by “stealth”.At Prime Minister’s Questions last Wednesday, Sir Keir declined to answer a number of questions from opposition leader Kemi Badenoch on the issue of threshold freezes.The tax-free personal allowance was frozen at £12,570 until 2028 by the previous Conservative government. Frozen tax thresholds can be used to raise more money for the Treasury, in effect rising taxes by stealth.Even if income tax rates are not increased, people could end up paying more tax as a result of the freezes. Freezing tax thresholds can create what economists call “fiscal drag” – more people are pulled into higher tax brackets as average earnings increase, but the thresholds stay the same.As mentioned earlier, Ms Reeves is expected to reaffirm the government’s commitment to the triple lock on state pensions in the Budget. But frozen tax thresholds could affect a rising state pension.The state pension has been £11,973 per year since April 2025 and, as a result of the triple lock, it is expected to rise to at least £12,578 per year in April 2027.The triple lock means the state pension increases annually, by whatever is highest of inflation, average growth in earnings or 2.5%.On Wednesday, the Chancellor will reveal the Government’s latest set of tax and spending policies More

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      Farage offers legal support to farmers after ‘several arrests’ at tractor protest in Whitehall

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      Several arrests have been made after tractors were driven in Whitehall for a protest on farm inheritance tax on Budget day, as farmers defied a ban on the agricultural machinery by the Metropolitan Police.The police action prompted Nigel Farage to post his support for those arrested, claiming his party Reform UK would provide legal support to “every farmer protesting peacefully today”.More than a dozen tractors parked up outside Parliament in the latest act of protest against measures introduced by Rachel Reeves last year to apply an inheritance tax of 20 per cent to agricultural property valued over £1m.The demonstration came on the day the chancellor is preparing to deliver her second Budget, against a backdrop of sluggish economic productivity and expected tax rises.The gathering of agricultural machinery took place despite the Met Police placing restrictions on them; only allowing them to remain in Richmond Terrace. A force spokesperson said the ban was due to “serious disruption” they could cause to the local area.Shortly before lunchtime, a spokesperson said: “Anyone breaching conditions by bringing vehicles, including tractors or agricultural vehicles, to today’s farmers protest will be asked by officers to leave. If they refuse to comply with the conditions, officers will have to make arrests for offences under the Public Order Act.”They added: “We have already spoken to a number of individuals this morning to advise them of the conditions. The majority have listened to officers and complied with the conditions, however, several arrests have been made.”For updates on the Budget and reaction – click here for our live blogPolice officers speak to farmers taking part in a protest with their tractors in Westminster, London, ahead of Rachel Reeves Budget More

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      The financial ghosts haunting the Budget – and why Reeves must fix them

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      As the UK prepares for the budget announcement, familiar debates are taking shape. Should Chancellor Rachel Reeves cut welfare spending? Or reform the “triple lock” on state pensions?Other debates focus on revenue: how should she raise money without breaking Labour’s manifesto promise not to increase taxes on working people? But these discussions are being held in a strange vacuum, where the three enormous expenditures that led the UK to this point are not mentioned.COVID debt, energy support schemes and Brexit have fundamentally shaped the UK’s financial woes. Yet voters and politicians alike seem determined not to talk about them. Instead, they’re treated as shocks imposed on the country, although they involved hugely consequential political choices.Gloomy vibes accompany this Advent budget, and Britain’s awkward collective amnesia is preventing the country from learning the lessons needed for future crises and from talking honestly about the best route forward.Chancellor Rachel Reeves will outline her next Budget in the Commons on 26 November More

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      Crisis-hit Your Party rules out co-leadership after Corbyn and Sultana’s public spats

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      Crisis-hit Your Party has ruled out having co-leaders, following a series of public spats between Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana. At the party’s founding conference in Liverpool this weekend, members will vote on a new leadership model for the party, with options including a “collective leadership model” or backing a single leader. But in the longer term, Your Party could look to bring back the option of co-leaders, with a member-led review of leadership structures exploring options of deputy leadership, co-leadership and the relationship with the party’s leadership in Wales and Scotland once the party has been established in each nation. The decision to rule out co-leadership in the short term comes after a turbulent first few months for the party, marred by internal division, with a dispute between Mr Corbyn and Ms Sultana resulting in a botched membership launch and threats of legal action.Ms Sultana complained she had been subjected to a “sexist boys’ club” after supporters were invited to officially sign up and give the party financial backing.But Mr Corbyn described this as an “unauthorised email” and just hours later warned people in a statement posted on social media not to sign up via the link.Disputes between Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana resulted in a botched membership launch and threats of legal action More

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      Rachel Reeves says Labour does not need to raise taxes in Budget in resurfaced clip

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      Rachel Reeves vowed not to increase taxes in the Budget, a resurfaced clip shared by Kemi Badenoch shows.In the clip, dated 4 November 2024, the Chancellor told Sir Trevor Phillips on Sky News that the Labour government “doesn’t need to increase taxes further”.Sharing the footage on social media, Ms Badenoch said: “If she breaks that promise today, the Government will have lost what little credibility it had left. Nobody should ever trust them again.”On Wednesday (26 November), the Chancellor is expected to unveil a raft of tax hikes as she tries to plug an estimated £30billion black hole in public finances. More

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      Taxi drivers face major changes under new licensing rules in a bid to improve safety

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      Taxi drivers across England are set to face “rigorous vetting” under new licensing reforms, a minister has confirmed, as the government moves to address concerns over passenger safety and exploitation.The proposed changes, part of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, will introduce a national minimum standard for drivers, specifically targeting problems associated with out-of-area working.Local government minister Miatta Fahnbulleh stated these standards would prioritise “safeguarding passengers and improving accessibility”.The move follows Baroness Casey’s audit, which highlighted “many cases of group-based child sexual exploitation” linked to taxi services. More

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      Budget 2025: Experts reveal which tax increase will have ‘least damaging’ impact

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      With Chancellor Rachel Reeves set to unveil her autumn Budget, the government faces pressure to raise revenues. Economic analysis released in October suggests that for the Chancellor, hiking income tax would be the “least damaging” option for the economy compared to increasing VAT.The National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) found raising VAT would push harder on real incomes, while an income tax rise would be less detrimental. The think tank, which analysed income tax, corporation tax, and VAT, also warned against seeking revenue beyond these “main” UK taxes, deeming other methods potentially harmful.Of the three, NIESR said raising VAT would have the biggest negative impact on the UK economy by lowering real personal disposable income (RPDI) by nearly 3 per cent and real gross domestic product (GDP) by nearly 1 per cent in the first year of the tax being applied.A higher rate of VAT would also push up inflation more than the other levers because of the impact it would have on prices in shops.Raising corporation tax – which is charged on the profits made by businesses – would have a smaller short-term impact but drag on the economy in the long run by reducing investment, according to the analysis.Raising VAT would have the biggest negative impact on the UK economy, a think tank said More