City Hall: Blow to Sadiq Khan as deputy mayor for policing quits for government job October 7, 2024 City Hall’s deputy mayor for policing and crime has quit her post for a government job in a blow to Sadiq Khan. Sophie Linden is to step down from her £141,386-a-year role to become a senior adviser to justice secretary Shabana Mahmood, the Greater London Authority (GLA) has announced. Linden has been in post since [...]
Teaching unions urge government to delay private school VAT roll out October 7, 2024 Teaching unions have urged the government to delay the roll out of private schools having to pay 20 per cent VAT on fees, amid fears of job losses and a “significant burden” on HMRC. Reports emerged on Sunday that ministers were reevaluating the policy – after the Treasury initially declined to confirm it would take [...]
Budget: Rachel Reeves set to drop pensions tax raid plans, per report October 7, 2024 Rachel Reeves is reportedly set to drop plans for a tax raid on pensions over fears it could unfairly affect public sector workers. The Chancellor has been warned that a scheme to reduce the 40 per cent tax relief on higher earners could disproportionately impact teachers and nurses, the Times reported. Treasury officials told Reeves [...]
It wasn’t supposed to be this way, was it? October 7, 2024 Kremlinology is an old Cold War concept referring to the study of key individuals high up in the Soviet government. Who was in favour, who hadn’t been seen in a while, who was winning power struggles and who had been shot; Western analysts devoured such intelligence in an effort to understand who was actually in [...]
Ex-cabinet secretary says £200,000 job is ‘massively underpaid’ October 6, 2024 Ex-cabinet secretary Gus O'Donnell has said the UK's most senior civil servant is "massively underpaid" at £200,000 per year.
Sue Gray resigns as Keir Starmer’s chief of staff October 6, 2024 Sue Gray has resigned as Keir Starmer’s chief of staff after a controversial three-month tenure, saying “intense commentary” around her position “risked becoming a distraction”.
Labour MP defends Chancellor’s decision to rule out wealth tax October 5, 2024 One of the rising stars of the new intake of Labour MPs has defended Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ decision to rule out a wealth tax against the richest. Torsten Bell, a former Treasury official and chief executive of the economic think tank Resolution Foundation, said a wealth tax would not raise “significant revenues”. Reeves has previously [...]
Reeves promises ‘guardrails’ around extra borrowing in budget October 5, 2024 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said she will introduce “guardrails” to ensure that extra borrowing for investment in her first budget is not excessive as she seeks to reassure investors about an expected rise in public debt. “It’s about making prudent, sensible investments in the long term and we need guardrails around that”, Reeves told the [...]
Starmer set to announce £22bn boost for UK carbon capture October 4, 2024 The UK is set to invest almost £22bn over 25 years in carbon capture and storage schemes, Sir Keir Starmer is to announce ahead of the upcoming international investment summit. Projects in Teesside and Merseyside will benefit from the £21.7bn in funding over 25 years, which the government says will attract £8bn in private investment [...]
BBC cancels Boris Johnson interview after notes shared October 3, 2024 Boris Johnson’s prime-time interview with the BBC has been cancelled after briefing notes were shared with him by presenter Laura Kuenssberg “by mistake”. The former Prime Minister was meant to be interviewed by the former political editor in his first major sit-down since leaving office, to be broadcast on BBC One at 7.30pm on Thursday, [...]