UK Politics

One of Britain’s leading economists has warned a wealth tax would be almost impossible to implement, despite growing support for the policy in the wake of the benefits cuts unveiled by the government last week. Paul Johnson, the director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), warned that “no country in the world has ever successfully had a wealth tax that’s raised serious money”, saying the levy poses significant administrative problems.It comes as new polling shows the British public overwhelmingly support such a tax, while a growing number of Labour MPs have urged the government to introduce it instead of making spending cuts. Paul Johnson More

The Government has been urged to “grasp the nettle” in tackling technology and social media’s impact on young men’s mental health.Jake Richards, Labour MP for Rother Valley, described the increase in male suicides as “part of a wider storm we face with worsening mental health and mental health provisions for men”.According to mental health charity Mind, in 2023 6,069 deaths registered in England and Wales were caused by suicide, with the rates of suicide being higher for men, at around 75%.During an adjournment debate on male suicide in Rotherham, Mr Richards made reference to the Netflix show Adolescence – which he said shines a light on “how the internet can remould ideas of masculinity and purpose”.He said: “Men, especially young men, are spending less time outside, less time meeting people and communicating in person, all the things that make us far happier and healthier.“They’re often sat alone for hours being bombarded with algorithms showing unrealistic representations of life or communicating through anonymous group chats.“Research shows self-harm content has sometimes been allowed to flourish on social media by companies failing to remove explicit images and encouraging those engaging with such content to befriend one another.“And the arrival of smartphones has taken place parallel to sharp rises of depression and anxiety in our young people. Of particular concern is the impact mobile phones has on our young people.“The average 12-year-old now spends 29 hours a week on their phone, the equivalent to a part-time job.”He added: “Since 2010, the average time teens spend with friends each day has fallen by 65% so I applaud recent Government announcements about reviewing these areas of policy, but I urge them to grasp the nettle when it comes to technology, phones, young people and mental health.“In a decade’s time, I believe we will wonder why we did not do so far sooner.”Labour MP Amanda Martin said suicide was the leading cause of death for men aged 20-49 in her constituency of Portsmouth North, and told MPs how it had impacted her own sons.She said: “As the mum of three lads, or should I say, young men, it is heartbreaking to know that they have had first-hand experience in their friendship groups of male suicide.“Fortunately, I can say that not all of those attempts were successful in ending their lives, but some were. This has left a lasting impact on their outlook, on their friendships, and has been devastating to those around them.“It is time for the Government to take bold steps in tackling this crisis. We need targeted funding for mental health services in combination, with strong support for those at risk, whether they be veterans, construction workers or young men, we must create safe spaces for men to open up, and we must ensure that no man feels that suicide is his only option.”Health minister Stephen Kinnock said the Government is taking steps to address online harms and assessing what else can be done, including on “harmful content shared in pro-suicide websites and forums”.He added there is “still uncertainty” over the relationship between screentime, social media use and child development, with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology expected to publish research in May.Mr Kinnock told MPs: “I would like to end with a call to action: suicide is everyone’s business.“When we improve men’s health, the benefits can ripple through families, communities, societies and the economy.“When we strive to improve men’s health, this will not just transform the lives of boys and men, it will also transform the lives of their wives, mothers, sisters, partners, mates, neighbours, children, teachers and doctors.“That’s why I want to strongly encourage all the men listening to go to the Change NHS online portal to give their views on how to build an NHS fit for the future through our 10-year health plan.“Together we will transform healthcare for men in the Rother Valley, in the north of England and across our country.” More

The UK spends more than twice as much on benefits for working-age people as it does on defence each year, a new analysis by The Independent can reveal, laying bare the shocking scale of Britain’s welfare bill.As Sir Keir Starmer faces a potential backlash over plans to end disability payments for around 1 million people, figures from the Department for Work and Pensions show the government spend on all working-age benefits is £117.6bn – representing 4.5 per cent of GDP and is 9.2 per cent of the government’s overall budget. That is more than double the amount spent on defence (£56.4bn) and more than the entire education budget (£116bn).The former head of the Royal Navy, Admiral Lord West warned: “This is unsustainable if we wish to avoid war and survive as a nation.”Work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall leaves Downing Street, London, after a Cabinet meeting More

British troops sent to Ukraine as part of a planned peacekeeping force could face “lawfare” under human rights legislation, Tory MPs have warned. They called on the defence secretary to create an exemption from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) for any soldiers sent to the region. Former Tory cabinet minister David Davis urged the government to recognise its “duty of care to those who fight for their country and then face decades of lawfare.” James Cartlidge, the shadow defence secretary, also called for the move to offer “maximum protection for our armed forces”. Tory MPs are excised about the British troops and veterans who have served in Afghanistan, Iraq and Northern Ireland who have faced prosecutions in recent years.Firefighters work following a Russian attack near Kyiv More

Keir Starmer reveals talks with Gareth Southgate on toxic masculinity ‘crisis’ facing young men in UKSir Keir Starmer has spoken to US President Donald Trump about an economic prosperity deal as the threat of tariffs looms over the UK.A Downing Street representative said the UK was working with the US on an “economic prosperity deal” to build on “our shared strength of that commitment to economic security.”While he confirmed “the UK will only do a deal in the national interest”, the spokesperson refused to be drawn into saying whether scrapping the digital services tax, which impacts US tech giants, was part of the discussion.“The Chancellor this morning said that the digital services tax is hugely important,” he said, adding it brings in around £800 million a year.This comes as Sir Keir told BBC Radio 5 Live that the government were looking to make savings “across the board” ahead of the spring statement on Wednesday.While Rachel Reeves mooted a cut of 10,000 jobs in the civil service,The Times reported that the cuts are likely to reduce the civil service size by up to 50,000 jobs Watch: Keir Starmer reveals talks with Gareth Southgate on toxic masculinity ‘crisis’ facing young men in UKKeir Starmer reveals talks with Gareth Southgate on toxic masculinity ‘crisis’ facing young men in UKAthena Stavrou24 March 2025 14:33BBC presenter hits out at ‘incredibly dumb’ decision to axe long-running showRead the full story by my colleague Maira Butt here:Athena Stavrou24 March 2025 14:17Nadia Whittome pens letter to government pledging to vote against welfare cutsLeft-wing Labour MP Nadia Whittome has written to work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall to express “deep concerns” about the proposed welfare cuts announced by the government last week, warning they will cause “immense harm”.Vowing to vote against the cuts, the MP for Nottingham East said: “I must oppose measures that will make disabled people poorer and widen inequality in this country.”She added: “I sincerely hope that the government listens to the deep concern and distress of disabled people, and the warnings from experts on disability and poverty”.It comes amid growing discontent among Labour MPs after the announcement of sweeping cuts to the welfare bill, which will primarily impact disabled people.Millie Cooke24 March 2025 13:59Reform launch campaign for by-electionReform UK leader, Nigel Farage has joined the party’s newest parliamentary candidate, Sarah Pochin as she launches her campaign.Ms Pochin has announced her candidacy for the upcoming by-election in the Cheshire constituency of Runcorn and Helsby, after incumbent MP Mike Amesbury announced he would stand down following his conviction earlier this year for assaulting a constituent.( More

MPs are to receive an inflation-busting 2.8 per cent pay rise this year – taking their wages to almost £94,000. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa), set up in the wake of the expenses scandal, said the move would reflect the “vital role” of MPs.But the increase comes as MPs prepare to vote on moves that will see an estimated million disabled people lose their benefits, after Labour took an axe to the UK’s ballooning welfare bill.Even before the pay rise was confirmed critics said it would be a “bitter pill” for taxpayers to swallow and MPs were being rewarded for failure. The House of Commons (Stefan Rousseau/PA) More

A Starmer government minister says she has been too busy since the general election to accept concert tickets amid an ongoing row over Rachel Reeves going to a Sabrina Carpenter show for free. Transport secretary Heidi Alexander’s comments add to pressure piling on the chancellor, who has faced days of criticism for accepting the freebie gig tickets, saying that she a “very busy diary”. “I haven’t taken any tickets to be honest since I was elected back in June as a new member of parliament and going straight into the Ministry of Justice and then coming straight into the Department for Transport, Ms Alexander told Times Radio. “I actually sadly haven’t been to see any concerts at all over the last nine months, partly because I’ve been very very busy.The chancellor took a family member to see Sabrina Carpenter (Lucy North/PA) More

There appears to be confusion at the top of the government over proposed cuts to the civil service, as a minster has insisted there are no targets for redundancies – despite the chancellor saying there would be 10,000 job losses just one day earlier. Rachel Reeves has ordered mandarins to slash 15 per cent from departmental administrative budgets by 2029–30 – saving an estimated £2.2bn a year – and pledged the money will be redirected to “frontline” services.Over the weekend, when pressed on the number of jobs that could be cut, Ms Reeves told Sky News: “I’m confident that we can reduce civil service numbers by 10,000.”And during Covid, there were big increases in the number of people that were working in the civil service.”That was the right thing to do to respond to those challenges. But it’s not right that we just keep those numbers there forever.”Rachel Reeves indicated there could be 10,000 job losses More