Author: News Desk

Rachel Reeves admits tax hikes will hit working people as IFS accuses chancellor of ‘undermining trust’ Rachel Reeves has admitted her tax-grabbing Budget will hit the pay packets of working people as the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) accused her of undermining trust in politicians. The chancellor was forced to accept that her decision to hike employers’ national insurance contributions would lead to workers being paid less. But, in a damning assessment of Ms Reeves’s claims to have protected workers in Wednesday’s Budget, IFS director Paul Johnson said she risked “further undermining trust” and that the measures would not raise…

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Starmer accused of lying to farmers as ‘tractor tax’ threatens to destroy countryside and increase cost of food Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of lying to farmers about wanting “a new relationship” with them after the Budget extended inheritance tax to family farms for the first time in history. The move means farms worth more than £1m are now subject to 20 per cent inheritance tax. Already the tax is being dubbed the “tractor tax” or the “Old McDonald tax” in some quarters and has been exacerbated by other measures in the Budget which have piled on costs for…

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Union bosses want Reeves to pay compensation to miners who took on Thatcher The chancellor is under pressure from trade unions to offer payouts to miners involved in strikes during the 1980s. After Rachel Reeves announced £11.8 billion for the victims of the infected blood scandal and another £1.8 billion for the Post Office Horizon IT scandal, attention has been drawn to other ongoing claims. Former TUC president Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) is now leading calls from the trade unions for Ms Reeves to consider the case of miners involved in the 1984-85 strike,…

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CCTV shows Sara Sharif’s family at Heathrow Airport hours before schoolgirl found dead at home CCTV footage of Sara Sharif’s family at Heathrow Airport in the hours before the schoolgirl was found dead at their home has been shown at her murder trial. The 10-year-old’s father Urfan Sharif, 42, stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, and uncle Faisal Malik, 29, are accused of carrying out a campaign of abuse culminating in her killing on 8 August last year. All three deny murder, with Batool and Sharif blaming each other for the violence in the family home in Woking, Surrey, and university student…

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‘He’s been punished enough’: Family’s plea for IPP prisoner who set himself alight under indefinite jail term A prisoner who set himself alight in his cell after serving 12 years for stealing a mobile phone under an indefinite jail term is still fighting to be moved to a hospital. Thomas White has developed severe mental health problems in prison as he languishes under a since-abolished imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentence. Earlier this year, the father of one set himself alight in his cell in desperation as he lost hope of ever being freed. Two medical reports shared with The Independent this summer laid bare…

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Reeves gives Labour post-Budget poll boost despite £40bn tax row Labour has seen its poll rating rise to its highest level in almost a month despite Rachel Reeves delivering one of the most contentious Budgets in recent history. According to this week’s Techne UK tracker poll for The Independent Labour has gone up a point to 30 per cent, its highest since 4 October when it was on 31 per cent. The leaderless Tories, who will announce their replacement for Rishi Sunak on Saturday, remained at 24 per cent, while Nigel Farage’s Reform UK lost a point to drop to…

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Friday’s front pages continue to cover the reaction and fallout from the Budget delivered by Chancellor Rachel Reeves on Wednesday. Several papers lead to a rise in the cost of government borrowing amid investor concern about levels of government debt.

Elsewhere, there’s a dash of international coverage on the UK front pages this morning, with images of the floods in Spain making several splashes. There are also reports on the upcoming US election as Kamala Harris and Donald Trump try to win over the swing states in the final stretch of the campaign.

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Harris and Trump trade barbs as election race enters final stretch With less than a week until the US presidential election, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have ramped up their rhetoric. Harris criticised Trump for his recent remark at a rally where he pledged to “protect” women “whether the women like it or not,” calling it “very offensive” and emblematic of his outdated attitudes. Harris argued that such misogyny is unacceptable in modern America, as both candidates seek to sway voters in crucial swing states. Trump, meanwhile, continued his focus on anti-immigration themes during a speech…

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Boeing increases pay offer in attempt to bring an end to seven-week strike Boeing is attempting to resolve a seven-week strike by offering workers a 38% pay increase over four years. The proposal, endorsed by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), will be put to a vote on Monday. The strike, involving over 30,000 workers, began on September 13 and has significantly impacted production, contributing to a financial crisis for Boeing. Previously, workers rejected offers that included a 35% raise. This new deal also features a $12,000 bonus, up from $7,000, and changes to retirement plans. The…

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