UK Politics

A minister has refused to stand by Labour’s pledge to end the use of asylum hotels by the next general election, expected in 2029. Matthew Pennycook said the party “is determined” to stop their use as accommodation for migrants amid ongoing protests across the UK.But he stopped short of guaranteeing their use will end, with critics warning the target is unachievable. Protesters have gathered outside the Bell Hotel in Epping for weeks (Jordan Pettitt/PA) More

Independent readers have reacted with anger to Rachel Reeves’ proposal to impose VAT on taxi fares, warning it would unfairly penalise rural residents, older people and those with disabilities who rely on cabs for essential journeys.Many highlighted the high cost of taxis in the countryside, where public transport is scarce or non-existent, and dubbed the policy as “London-centric”. Readers said that hospital trips, supermarket runs and school transport already stretch household budgets, and that adding 20 per cent would reduce mobility, deepen isolation, and put additional strain on local councils.They also pointed to the strain on the NHS, which spends around £460m a year on non-emergency patient transport services – a system that often includes the use of taxis and private hire vehicles to take people to medical appointments.Others suggested alternative sources of revenue, including reforming council tax or targeting luxury services such as private healthcare, rather than taxing those who use taxis out of necessity.While a handful of readers argued that taxis are often a luxury and should be taxed like other services, the overwhelming response condemned the idea as regressive, short-sighted and a betrayal of vulnerable communities.Here’s what you had to say:The elderly who cannot drive will be penalisedIn Cornwall, where I live, the taxi fare each way to the nearest hospital is around £100, sometimes £120. That is each way. Mostly the people who use these taxis are old ladies or men who cannot drive, but have to go to hospital and are not able to reclaim money because they are not on pension credits or some other benefit. There are plenty of these people, mainly widows who came to Cornwall and then lost their husband, but have just enough money to be above the threshold for benefits.Baritonb2They use taxis because they have toDon’t do it. I know lots of people who use taxis because they have to. In areas of poor public transport, and they can’t afford a car, for supermarket shopping, hospital/doctor appointments, etc. An extra 20% is a huge hike, cab owners will lose income, and people will lose mobility.bloodwortA disaster waiting to happenI live in rural Herefordshire. No car, no support network for trips. Two buses a week to the nearest town, eight miles away. That service is currently under threat. A single taxi from or to there costs £30 now. A dedicated bus gang keeps the current service going by willpower alone, but the buses constantly break down. Lucky to have even that.Get a free fractional share worth up to £100.Capital at risk.Terms and conditions apply.Go to websiteADVERTISEMENTGet a free fractional share worth up to £100.Capital at risk.Terms and conditions apply.Go to websiteADVERTISEMENTI met a chap from a different area, the New Forest, who told me they have no bus service at all. Factor in the age of rural dwellers, and the new stringent regulations for drivers over 70, and you have a full-on disaster waiting to happen. Also likely increase in drink driving back from the pub. Another own goal for the government.OkTedVAT should apply outside LondonI don’t understand why taxi fares outside London have not been subject to VAT. It’s time for the regions to pull their weight rather than just spend, spend, spend the money that is generated in London from Londoners and the work they do.I can hear the howls already from those who want a free ride.rEUjoinTax luxury servicesThere is a huge tax opportunity which I think we are missing.How do rich people spend their money? They buy specialist services unavailable to the general public – private schools, private health care, chauffeur-driven cars, yachts in club moorings, stables for ponies – the list is very large.Reeves has made a start in removing VAT relief from private schools, but she should go further and tax them. She should make a list of all these ‘luxury’ goods and services and put punitive taxes on them until they no longer exist. For a start, she could remove the VAT relief on private health care – oh yes, private medicine usually gets the same VAT-free perk that private education used to. Private health turnover in the UK last year was £12.4bn – 20 per cent of that would be £2.5bn per year. Soon fill the black hole…Dodgy GeezerCouncil taxI only have three things to say:Council tax Council tax Council tax The cap on council tax is absurd and a gift to the very rich. We need more bands on top of the existing ones so that the very rich pay more. Doing this would be simple, cheap, and would have no adverse impact on the average person.PalemaleAdditional pressure on taxpayersApart from adding to NHS costs, a lot of taxis are provided by local authorities to get kids – especially SEN kids – to schools in rural areas. That cost will also put additional pressure on taxpayers.SteveHillAddress the root of government borrowingThe government needs to deal with the real reason for the unsustainable level of government borrowing, which is record government spending. And this means cutting the areas which have seen high growth in recent years: old age benefits, sickness benefits, free health care, and social care.MarkThe sticksMost people outside London use taxis because they don’t have a viable alternative for the journeys they wish to make. Here in the sticks, we don’t have a closely integrated, all-encompassing transport system. Ms Reeves seems to want to unfairly punish people for being needy. Where have I heard that before? Am I sensing a U-turn already?NomoneyinthebankFuel duty rise is long overdue. Increase it and let those who drive for a living or the businesses they work for claim it as a business expense on their tax return. Hike the top earners tax as well.BikingBoomerTaxis are a luxury for mostI see taxis where I live mainly used to take people to the airport so they can catch flights to their expensive foreign holidays, or go out on the town and not need to worry about having a few bevvies.I am sure there are some people who would fall into the ‘no alternative and impoverished’ category, but disabled people get vouchers they can use on taxis, and a lot of people could actually walk a couple of miles without killing themselves. Actually, do them the world of good.Taxis are a luxury for most users, so it would make sense to charge VAT just like private motorists have to pay on diesel and petrol, and charging EVs on public charging stations.Of course, the taxi business is also part of the black market in a lot of cases.CanPeopleReallyBeThisStupidLondon-centricAnother half-baked idea from the London-centric Treasury. My council uses taxis a lot for school runs, so this is just more cost. Why does she and the Treasury come up with something that will be both acceptable and work? Try closing some tax avoidance loopholes; that would be a good start.ZZigguratVulnerable groups will sufferPenalising those who can’t or are not allowed to drive by DVLA because of age or disability, those who cannot afford a car, people in rural areas, the young, and the vulnerable having to walk home at night… Is she secretly working for a right-wing party and trying to lose support?HollySome of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity.Want to share your views? Simply register your details below. Once registered, you can comment on the day’s top stories for a chance to be featured. Alternatively, click ‘log in’ or ‘register’ in the top right corner to sign in or sign up.Make sure you adhere to our community guidelines, which can be found here. For a full guide on how to comment click here. More

Yvette Cooper has accused Benjamin Netanyahu of allowing children in Gaza to die of starvation.The foreign secretary hit out at the “unbearable humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza, which she said was worsening as Mr Netanyahu’s government “chooses to escalate war and hold back aid”. She also warned the two-state solution faces “profound peril”, saying that “extremists on both sides” want the possibility of a viable Palestinian state to “disappear beneath the rubble”. Her remarks at the UN General Assembly came a day after the UK announced it would recognise Palestine, a move she defended and said was “born of urgency and principle” in a bid to save the two-state solution.Cooper criticised Israel for letting food rot at the border while children die of starvation More

Rachel Reeves has been urged by a leading think tank to raise income tax while cutting national insurance in November’s Budget, a move that would hit landlords and pensioners hardest.The Resolution Foundation says the chancellor could raise £6bn with a 2p cut in national insurance, matched by a 2p rise in income tax, which would create a “level playing field” and protect workers’ pay.The call comes days after experts warned tax rises were “inevitable” in the wake of new figures which showed government borrowing had soared, the latest in a long list of blows for the chancellor. Reeves, pictured during a visit to London Gatwick on Monday, is expected to have to raise taxes significantly at the Budget More

Tens of thousands of people who have legally settled in Britain could be at risk of deportation under plans by Reform UK to scrap the main route towards British citizenship – a policy that was immediately dismissed as “an unworkable stunt based on dodgy maths”.Nigel Farage said the current option of indefinite leave to remain – open to those who have lived and worked in Britain for five years – has “betrayed democracy” and vowed to abolish it.The plans were condemned by migration charities and think tanks, as well as the care industry, which warned of crippling labour shortages.Doubt was also cast over Mr Farage’s claim that savings from the policy would be “considerably larger” than the £230bn once suggested by the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS), despite the think tank having since said its figure should no longer be used.And despite the Reform leader’s claims the proposals would cut Britain’s welfare bill, it has emerged that EU citizens would be exempted from plans to ban all migrants from receiving benefits. This means only 2.7 per cent of universal credit claimants would be affected by Reform’s clampdown.Nigel Farage makes his bold announcement at a press conference in London on Monday More

More welfare reforms “must happen”, the new work and pensions secretary has said, refusing to rule out further changes to universal credit in the near future.Pat McFadden said he was “not ruling anything out” when asked about future benefit cuts, adding that “welfare reform is really important”.“At the moment, this system is unhealthy for people and in the long run is pushing up the benefits bill because we’re not getting the help to people who could work,” he told the BBC.The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) chief did not rule out speculated benefit changes such as tightening eligibility for universal credit, or restricting its health element until age 22.Changes to the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) are currently on hold until after the conclusion of a review by disability minister Sir Stephen Timms. The benefit was at the centre of Labour’s proposed £4bn in welfare cuts earlier this year, until fierce criticism and a backbench rebellion forced ministers to partly relent on the plans. Changes to the rate of universal credit’s health element – recently criticised by the UN – will still come into effect from next April.New DWP secretary Pat McFadden has refused to rule out several changes to universal credit More

Working people are being asked to change their habits to combat the climate crisis, while the government is targeting hundreds of thousands of new flights a year with Gatwick and Heathrow expansions, Zack Polanski has said. The new leader of the Green Party dubbed the decision to approve a second runway at Gatwick Airport “deeply irresponsible”, telling The Independent that Labour is “pretending to care about reducing emissions”. “In places like London, we’re rightly asking people to change their habits around the way they drive, but we’re still subsidising aviation fuel. And I think people will see the contradictions”, he said.Zack Polanski, leader of the Green Party, criticised the decision to approve a second runway at Gatwick Airport More

A research manager who moved from Brazil to the UK has said Nigel Farage’s plan to abolish indefinite leave to remain (ILR) would make it impossible to plan a future in this country.Brener Seixas, who works in London, pays taxes through his above-average salary while volunteering for a housing association cooperative in Lewisham. He also runs a Brazilian film festival, which takes place next month.Despite having lived in the UK for four years, the 34-year-old, who is preparing to apply for ILR status in March, said Reform UK’s radical policy on immigrants had left him feeling insecure about his future. At a press conference on Monday morning, Mr Farage announced officially that his party, which is ahead of Labour in some opinion polls, would abolish ILR and force non-EU migrants to renew their visa every five years. Under the crackdown, which Mr Farage claimed would save £234bn through welfare and housing, applicants would have to meet certain criteria, including a higher salary threshold and a better standard of English. Those with UK citizenship status would not be affected.However, the plan has been met with an outcry from charities, campaigners and politicians, as well as those who would be affected, including Mr Seixas.Follow updated reaction to Reform’s migration plans – click here for our live blogBrener Seixas arrived in the UK from Brazil and now works as a research manager More