UK Politics

Subterms

    More stories

    • 138 Shares20 Views

      in UK Politics

      Watch live: Rachel Reeves announces £26bn tax rises as MPs react

      by

      Watch live from the Commons after Rachel Reeves delivered her Budget speech on Wednesday (26 November).The Chancellor unveiled a raft of tax hikes as she tries to plug an estimated £30billion black hole in public finances.Before the 2024 election, Labour promised not to increase income tax, National Insurance or VAT for “working people”.In her speech, Reeves announced the first rail fares freeze for 30 years, slash green levies on energy bills and scrapped of the controversial two-child benefit cap.She also reduced the annual tax-free allowance in cash Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) to £12,000, unveiled a new mansion tax on properties over £2million, and put a cap on salary sacrifice pension contributions.On Tuesday (25 November), health secretary Wes Streeting announced a “milkshake tax” as the drinks will now be hit by the sugar levy, whilst communities secretary Steve Reed unveiled a “tourist tax” which will allow mayors to levy a charge on overnight stays.The Chancellor also confirmed that low-paid workers are to get a pay rise of 4.1% from April next year as minimum wage rates go up.Ahead of her speech, Ms Reeves released a pre-recorded message on social media where she said she will make “fair and the necessary choices” to “deliver on [Labour’s] promise of change”. More

    • 200 Shares18 Views

      in UK Politics

      The most chaotic Budget in living memory ends in complete shambles – before it’s even started

      by

      When Rachel Reeves got to her feet in the chamber, there was an enormous cheer from her colleagues. But that was about the high point for the chancellor – with faces behind her on the Labour benches soon turning to misery as she began unveiling her long-awaited Budget. It took almost an hour for another big cheer, coming after she announced the end of the two-child benefit cap.The problem may well have been that she had nothing new to tell them – because what little of this Budget had not been pre-briefed to the media had been released in error by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) less than an hour before Ms Reeves’ big moment. The staggering blunder sparked outrage in parliament from MPs who will not be allowed copies of the OBR report, or the Budget red book, until Ms Reeves has sat down.Follow our live Budget updates HEREThe chancellor’s Budget was released early by the Office for Budget Responsibility More

    • 125 Shares24 Views

      in UK Politics

      Reeves takes aim at ‘hypotherapist’ Zack Polanksi during Budget address

      by

      Rachel Reeves made a jab at “hypnotherapist” Zack Polanski whilst announcing her Budget on Wednesday (26 November).Speaking in the Commons, the Chancellor said the Greens leader “believes he can achieve remarkable things using the power of his mind”.“Unfortunately the only things getting bigger under his approach would be the deficit and the rate of inflation,” she said as the chamber jeered.In September, Mr Polanski was forced to apologise for claiming to have been able to help women increase the size of their breasts using his mind. More

    • 225 Shares20 Views

      in UK Politics

      Your cash ISA options after Rachel Reeves’s Budget cut – and the exemption you need to know about

      by

      Rachel Reeves has effectively cut the cash ISA limit in Wednesday’s Budget, with the cap set to drop from £20,000 to £12,000 – though there is one notable exception for over-65s.The move, seen as a bid to encourage more people towards investing rather than only saving in cash, has prompted a mixed reaction from consumers and businesses.Ask Me Anything: Join our personal finance expert LIVE on Thursday 27 NovemberMany savers will not feel the impact of a cut on a day to day (or year to year, more specifically) limit, bearing in mind the difficulty many people have in saving upwards of £1,000 per month. But they could still be hit when they come into a lump sum – through inheritance, for example, or a property sale.Either way, some people clearly want to move money before limits are cut. One cash ISA provider, Plum, told The Independent they’d seen a 49 per cent spike in the amount deposited into accounts between 15 October and 15 November, while another, Trading 212, confirmed that two in five (40 per cent) customers deposited more than £12,000 into their cash ISA each year.Follow our live Budget updates HERESo what are the next possible moves for your cash, what are the rules around the different options and – the question the chancellor wants people to answer “yes” to – should you be starting to invest?ISA limits and rulesFirst things first, the full ISA limit of £20,000 is not being reduced. It’s just the cash ISA limit, which is coming down.Chancellor Rachel Reeves has cut the cash ISA limit in Wednesday’s Budget More

    • 100 Shares27 Views

      in UK Politics

      Deputy speaker condemns government over early Budget briefings

      by

      The Deputy Speaker has condemned the government for extensively speaking to the media in the weeks leading up to the Budget.Addressing MPs before Rachel Reeves began her speech on Wednesday (26 November), Nusrat Ghani criticised the “disappointing” extensive media briefings in the past few weeks, which she labelled as “unprecedented”.Going on to reference the OBR leaks which occurred on hour before the Chancellor gave her speech, she said: “This all falls short of the standards that the House expects.”Reminding the government that announcements should be made in the chamber before they are given to the media, she said: “Like many, I expected better.” More

    • 138 Shares24 Views

      in UK Politics

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

      by

      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

    • 100 Shares23 Views

      in UK Politics

      What the autumn Budget could mean for pensioners

      by

      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

    • 175 Shares27 Views

      in UK Politics

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

      by

      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