Newslinks for Monday 25th November 2024

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‘We had no alternative’: Reeves to defend her budget to the CBI

“A defiant Rachel Reeves will rebuke critics of her tax-raising budget on Monday, telling disgruntled business leaders that they have offered “no alternatives” to her plans. Since Labour’s first budget in 14 years last month, business groups have warned that the chancellor’s £25bn increase in employer national insurance contributions (NICs) will force them to cut jobs and raise prices. Thousands of farmers have also protested against changes to inheritance tax. But Reeves will tell the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) annual conference in Westminster that no one has offered a better solution to the challenging situation left behind by the previous, Conservative government.” – The Guardian

  • UK business cutting back growth plans after Budget tax rises, warns CBI – The Financial Times
  • Warning from head of CBI comes as Labour set to unveil moves to ‘get Britain working’ – The Times
  • Two thirds of companies slash hiring plans after Reeves’s tax raid – The Daily Telegraph
  • Labour’s approach is putting renewed pressure on the public finances – Editorial, The Times
  • Labour sees success and wants to tax it, not encourage more of it – Nick Timothy, The Daily Telegraph

>Today:

Home Office issues ‘common sense’ guidance for non-crime hate incidents

“Police will be told only to record non-crime hate incidents when there is a clear risk to community tensions under new “common sense” guidance, the Times has learnt. Non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs) were introduced after the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence to monitor situations that could escalate into more serious harm or show heightened community tensions, but increasingly they have been used to record trivial incidents and rows. The Times revealed this month that more than 13,000 incidents were logged by police forces in the past year, including against schoolchildren, vicars and doctors. Campaigners have called on NCHIs to be scrapped but Yvette Cooper…” – The Times

Dozens of councils to be abolished under ‘biggest reforms in 50 years’

“Dozens of councils will be abolished in the biggest overhaul of local government in more than 50 years under plans being drawn up by ministers. Essex, Kent, Surrey and Hertfordshire will be among the counties set for radical changes to the way they are run, with the promise of more powers and money from Whitehall. Norfolk and Suffolk will also be restructured, with their district councils being abolished and merged into new unitary authorities. There are 21 county councils across England, with 164 district councils sitting below them. County councils have powers including over transport and social care, while district councils are responsible for rubbish collection and day-to-day planning permission.Ministers are thought to believe that two-tier local government structures are inefficient” – The Times

Young people who refuse to work will lose their benefits, Kendall warns

“Young people will have their benefits cut if they do not take up employment or education opportunities under Government plans to tackle worklessness, a minister has confirmed. Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall will set out details of how she intends to tackle economic inactivity and slash billions of pounds from the cost of welfare, on Tuesday. She has now confirmed her “youth guarantee” policy, which will compel those aged 18 to 21 to be in education or work, would result in benefits cuts for those who do not engage. “If people repeatedly refuse to take up the training or work responsibilities, there will be sanctions on their benefits,” Kendall said. Referring to young people specifically, she told Sky News the Government would “transform” opportunities…” – The I 

  • Sickness benefit crackdown is critical for health of economy and young people – Editorial, The Sun
  • The welfare state has become a bloated monster. Can Labour really tame it? – Leo McKinstry, The Daily Mail

>Yesterday:

Reed ‘was blindsided’ by Labour’s farm inheritance tax plans

“The environment secretary was told of plans to impose inheritance tax on farms just 24 hours before the budget in a “fait accompli”, amid growing concern over the way the leadership is handling the issue. Steve Reed, the environment secretary, and other ministers had repeatedly denied that there would be any changes in the weeks leading up to the budget. But since it was announced, Reed and others have publicly backed the plans in the face of increasing public outcry. One government source said that the plans were presented to Reed and the rest of the cabinet at the same time by the Treasury. A different source noted that it is common practice to tell secretaries of state about key tax measures only on the evening before the fiscal event itself.” – The Times

  • Reeves’s inheritance tax raid ‘hits farmers harder than tax avoiders’ – The Daily Telegraph 
  • Labour’s attack on farmers is part of a cynical plan to cover the country in solar panels and turbines – Dominic Lawson, The Daily Mail

Labour’s skills strategy ‘under fire’ for lack of ‘clout’ and urgency

“The government’s flagship plan to revolutionise skills and training across England is lacking ambition and risks delaying the uptake of apprenticeships, education, industry and business groups have warned. Legislation to create a new overarching body, Skills England, to unify the patchwork of universities, colleges and private training providers has also attracted criticism for reducing the consultative role of business and over-centralising power in Whitehall. The body will replace the existing Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) but unlike its predecessor will not have independent statutory powers to consult employers. It will be chaired by a relatively junior-level “director” within the Department for Education.” – The Financial Times

  • The Governmeny must seize the chance to reform an out-of-date education system – Editorial, The Times 

Ministers ‘target prisoners’ to fill UK’s labour shortages

“Ministers believe that tens of thousands more prisoners can fill labour shortages by targeting them with more jobs support and training while behind bars. Prisoners will be among millions of people set to get extra career support in sweeping changes to the welfare state in a white paper to be published on Tuesday. The plans, titled “Get Britain Working”, will cite statistics showing that less than a third of prison leavers find employment within six months of release, while the rate of employment for criminals serving non-custodial sentences in the community is still less than half. Measures will encourage and offer incentives to more employers to employ ex-convicts through employment advisory boards that will sit within each prison…” – The Times

Assisted dying Bill has enough support to pass, say MPs backing legislation

“The Bill to legalise assisted dying has enough support to pass the parliamentary vote on Friday, MPs sponsoring the legislation believe. A cross-party group backing the Bill put forward by Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP, believes it will pass if all MPs who have pledged their support attend the vote. The Bill would legalise assisted dying for terminally ill, mentally competent adults with six months or less to live. It needs to win a majority of MPs in attendance to be voted through at the second reading on Friday.It is co-sponsored by MPs from across the political spectrum, including Kit Malthouse, the former Conservative minister, Christine Jardine, the Liberal Democrat, and the Green Party MP Sian Berry.” – The Daily Telegraph 

  • Assisted dying bill splits UK cabinet ahead of vote – The Financial Times
  • Justice secretary ‘wrong to impose Muslim beliefs on assisted dying’ – The Times
  • Assisted dying law risks offering ‘death as a service’, she warns – The Daily Telegraph
  • Ministers speaking out against assisted dying ‘are giving false impression’, says peer – The Guardian
  • Judges warn of ‘serious logistical problems’ with assisted dying bill – The Times
  • Starmer has blundered on assisted dying – it must not pass – Kamal Ahmed, The Daily Telegraph

>Yesterday:

Net zero targets will force people to change their lives, says Labour chairman of energy committee

“Net zero targets will force Britons to change how they live their lives, the Labour chairman of Parliament’s energy committee has said. Bill Esterson, the most senior backbencher charged with scrutinising the Government’s energy policy, said ordinary people will “absolutely” have to adjust their habits to meet the UK’s ambitious emissions goals for 2030. His remarks directly contradict Sir Keir Starmer’s claim earlier in November that the Government can hit its climate targets without telling people “how to behave”. The head of the independent climate change committee has warned that households will need to switch out gas boilers for heat pumps and use more electric cars to meet the new net zero goals.” – The Daily Telegraph

  • Miliband: Cop29 finance deal is in the UK’s best interest – The Times
  • Britain’s ‘political consensus on climate’ starts to fracture – The Financial Times
  • Poor countries exploit climate panic to press us for easy cash – Ross Clark, The Daily Mail 

Tories deserved to lose the election, says Badenoch ally

Kevin Hollinrake is a plain-speaking Yorkshireman who has emerged as one of Kemi Badenoch’s key allies – and like his boss he isn’t afraid to tell it how it is. The Tories deserved to lose, Rishi Sunak knew it was impossible to win when he took over from Liz Truss and it will take at least 30 years to level up, are just three home truths he delivers when he sits down with i. “When Rishi took over he knew it was impossible to win,” Hollinrake says. Did he say that in terms? “Yeah, when he was thinking about whether to run after Liz [Truss] resigned he knew it was an impossible situation.”“There’s no recriminations from me, no sense of sour grapes, we deserved to lose,” he says, referring particularly to the failure to deliver on promises to reduce immigration…” – The I

News in Brief: 

  • Those signing the general election petition should know better – Sam Leith, The Spectator 
  • Assisted dying should not be promoted on Tube adverts – Niall Gooch, UnHerd
  • Trump’s Bitcoin boom – Octavia Sheepshanks, The Critic
  • Who will be Labour’s next Prescott? – William Atkinson, CityAM
  • The dark reality of Putin’s nuclear rhetoric – Ian Garner, The New Statesman
  • Twas I who banned the bully – Jonathan Cardiff, J’accuse

The post Newslinks for Monday 25th November 2024 appeared first on Conservative Home.



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