UK

An independent investigation has found “credible evidence of unlawful harassment of two women” by MP Rupert Lowe and his team, Reform UK has said. The probe by Jacqueline Perry KC was launched by the party after they received complaints from two women working in Mr Lowe’s offices, who complained of bullying from the MP himself and male members of staff. Mr Lowe, who has lost the Reform whip, has repeatedly denied the allegations and has claimed it is part of an attempt to smear his reputation. Rupert Lowe has criticised Reform’s leadership (Jordan Pettitt/PA) More

‘Not appropriate’ for Reeves to accept Sabrina Carpenter tickets, minister saysOver three quarters of the British public would prefer to see the Chancellor implement higher taxes on the rich than cut public spending, a poll has found.One day before Rachel Reeves is due to deliver the spring statement, a YouGov poll has found that 78 per cent of people would back a 2 per cent wealth tax on people with assets worth more than £10 million.The survey of 2,257 people also found that 77 per cent would rather see higher taxes on the rich than cuts in public spending.Rachel Reeves has repeatedly said she will not budge from her fiscal rules, leading to mounting pressure over how to balance the books – by raising taxes or cutting spending.Another poll ahead of the statement on Wednesday has found Brits are increasingly pessimistic about the state of the economy.Some 58 per cent of people said they believe the economy is worsening, with just one in 10 believing growth was getting better, according to a survey by KPMG.Yougov poll reveals collapse in confidence in Labour’s handing of the economyRachel Reeves will stand up to deliver her sporting statement tomorrow with public confidence in her handling of the economy at a low after a failure to spark the growth she promised during the election.According to the findings 73 per cent of those surveyed by Yougov think Labour is doing a bad job with the economy. A mere 16 per cent think it is doing a good job.Half (53 per cent) say Rachel Reeves has done a bad job as chancellor – only 11 per cent view her performance positively.Four in ten (41 per cent believe the government taxes and spends too much, 23 per cent say it taxes and spends too little and 12% think they get the balance about right.Meanwhile, 56 per cent say the rich are not paying enough tax, suggesting wide support for a so-called wealth tax while 69 per cent say they would like the government to spend more on the NHS.David Maddox25 March 2025 14:43Pictures: Protesters interrupt Nigel Farage’s speech in Doncaster( More

A major Reform UK donor almost lost his OBE over social media posts in which he said someone “should kill” London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan, it has emerged. Charlie Mullins said he was accused of “bringing the honours system into disrepute” and was told by the Honours Forfeiture Committee that they were “minded to recommend to His Majesty that your OBE be revoked” over the comments. The multimillionaire Pimlico Plumbers founder has accused Sir Keir Starmer of seeking political revenge against him because he has repeatedly criticised Labour since the general election. Charlie Mullins said he was a victim of political revenge by Sir Keir Starmer More

A minister has heaped more pressure on Rachel Reeves over her decision to accept free tickets to see Sabrina Carpenter perform at the O2, saying he does not “personally think it’s appropriate”. The chancellor had faced criticism for attending the show earlier this year ahead of imposing sweeping cuts to spending, including the benefits bill, as she seeks to balance the books – with critics arguing the gifts are an insult to the public during an ongoing cost of living crisis.The latest saga threatens to reignite the freebies row that engulfed the government last year after a number of cabinet ministers, including the prime minister, accepted tickets to the Taylor Swift Era’s tour, at a total value of more than £23,000.Matthew Pennycook More

The former boss of Tesco has said out-of-work young people should be made to do military training in exchange for benefits. Amid a deepening row over Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ welfare cuts, the supermarket’s ex-chairman John Allan said welfare payments should be “conditional on military training for people who are not working”. Mr Allan said there is “no reason to believe” those not in education, employment, or training “are any less prepared to work, provided they’re given the training and given the opportunities”. Tesco’s ex-chairman said young people could be coerced into military training More

Reducing or removing a tax on big tech companies would have “little impact” on the economy, but will be a “tough balancing act” for the Chancellor to manage, one expert has said.Media reports have suggested Britain could slash the digital services tax (DST) – a levy on big tech companies – in order to stave off American tariffs by appeasing US President Donald Trump.But reports that the tax could be slashed or abolished come as Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to announce spending cuts for some Government departments in her spring statement on Wednesday, after having made cuts to welfare which have proved unpopular with Labour backbenchers.Matthew Holman, an AI (artificial intelligence) lawyer at Cripps, and an expert in the tech and data space, said it was likely the Chancellor was trying to keep the peace between large tech firms who appear to have influence in the Trump White House and an “increasingly unsympathetic UK electorate”.“The reason this is a tough balancing act for the Chancellor is simple: the domestic economy is weak and the national taxation and spending agenda appears all-consuming,” Mr Holman told the PA news agency.“The OBR has forecast lower growth, and on Wednesday the Chancellor is reportedly going to cut £5 billion from welfare spending as well as announce reduction in Civil Service head count.“It must, at least arguably, be the case that some of these cuts would not be needed if the UK continued to collect DST from US corporations?“Why is the UK government apparently letting those US corporations off of tax due here and at the same time taking money from hardworking families?“I should stress that is not my opinion, but it is the likely flak coming in the direction of the Chancellor from the opposition benches and further afield.“However, should the Chancellor fail to appease the US administration, the already weak UK economy could face further shocks as a result of a fresh wave of tariffs from Washington which, as I understand it, are due to be announced on April 2.“Which is the worse fate? That is the balancing act.”Mr Holman said that removing or reducing the tax would have “very little” impact on the UK economy as the amount it brings in a year is just under 1% of the total tax levied in the UK, but added: “This is far more about perception than actual impact on taxation.”The UK is keen to position itself as a key investment hub for US tech giants, in particular when it comes to artificial intelligence.The Technology Secretary Peter Kyle recently visited the US to spread that message, but US tech firms and both the Trump and previous Biden administrations have not been supportive of the digital services tax and similar measures in EU countries.They are seen as interim measures before the introduction of global tax reform for digital services that would remove perceived inequalities in digital services taxes which mean large multinational firms were making large revenues from countries such as the UK but not paying any tax on them.But Mr Holman said ongoing US hostility to the reform proposals, which have been led by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) meant it was unlikely to see them introduced soon.“The UK government website says that it plans to remove DSTs once the OECD reforms are passed. Unfortunately, those reforms have always been controversial and remain so, and are taking a long time to become law,” he said.“They were not favourably viewed by the Biden administration and the last deadline for implementation – June 2024 – passed without resolving deadlock.“In light of the Trump administration’s new approach to international taxes and tariffs, we should not expect to see the OECD reforms becoming law any time soon.Both the Biden and Trump administrations were not supportive of the OECD proposals or any attempt to tax US digital service providers in non-US territories.“The taxes are considered as unfairly discriminating against US corporations’ successes, and is further exacerbated by the perception that the EU and UK is taking the mickey,” Mr Holman said.“The US tech companies have been lobbying US officials to tackle this issue and, in light of this weekend’s developments, it seems that the interim DST measures will be ditched – at least in the UK.“The Trump administration’s ‘America First’ foreign and fiscal policies seem to be causing the UK government to think again.”On Monday, the Prime Minister’s spokesman would not be drawn on whether slashing the digital services tax in exchange for a reprieve on American tariffs was part of Sir Keir’s discussions with Mr Trump, and insisted the Government would only strike a deal “in the national interest”.Meanwhile, Ms Reeves said she does not “recognise” reports ministers may means test free school meals as part of the cost-cutting drive across Government and insisted the digital services tax was “hugely important”. More

Labour revealed the extent of its welfare reforms ahead of the spring Budget as work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall delivered an announcement in Commons on the plans.Taking to the stand, the minister said the welfare system is “failing the very people it is supposed to help and holding our country back”.“This government is ambitious for our people and our country and we believe unleashing the talents of the British people is the key to our future success,” she added.Ms Kendall went on to announce a sweeping number of reforms, with savings amounting to £5 billion by 2029/30 – the end of this parliamentary term.Liz Kendall announced Labour’s welfare plans in Commons More