The Independent – ‘Blairs avoided £300K tax bill on London home’
Summary of Today's Paper
Lead Story
The Independent – ‘Blairs avoided £300K tax bill on London home’
The Independent leads on the Pandora Papers leak, focusing on Tony and Cherie Blair. The former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife saved more than £300,000 in stamp duty when buying a £6.45m London townhouse.
Today's Headlines
‘I’ve returned to my beloved life,’ freed British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari says after release from Gaza
Emily Damari among first three hostages freed by Hamas as ceasefire deal takes effect, with 90 Palestinians held in Israeli jails also freed ‘I’ve returned to my beloved life,’ freed British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari says after release from Gaza British-Israeli national Emily Damari – among the first three hostages freed from Gaza by Hamas as part of a ceasefire deal with Israel – says she has “returned to my beloved life” in the moving first
The best and worst areas in the UK for savings and retirement plans
The research breaks down aspects of household finances to a local level The best and worst areas in the UK for savings and retirement plans Parts of the South East of England are the most financially resilient in the UK, a study has found, with Hull, Nottingham and Liverpool the least. The Hargreaves Lansdown’s savings and resilience barometer breaks does household finances and looks at things like savings levels, being on track for retirement and
Civil Service ‘Humphrey’ AI tools aim to cut back spending and speed up work
Some of the tools, named after the fictional Whitehall official Sir Humphrey Appleby from the BBC’s Yes, Minister, are ready for use straight away. Civil Service ‘Humphrey’ AI tools aim to cut back spending and speed up work A package of AI tools dubbed Humphrey will be rolled out to the Civil Service to cut back on consultant spending and speed up work in Whitehall. Replacing “archaic” technology could save taxpayer-funded services £45 billion by
Trump once distanced himself from Project 2025. But now MAGA’s hardliners are ready for the revolution
News analysis: Of the many watch parties going on in Washington DC, the packed one at the Heritage Foundation, which led the compilation of Project 2025 policy tome shaping Trump’s agenda, had special significance. Political editor David Maddox reports from Washington, D.C. Trump once distanced himself from Project 2025. But now MAGA’s hardliners are ready for the revolution During the bitter presidential election campaign, Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and her supporters regularly quoted from the Project 2025 tome produced
‘Urgent’ disability benefit reform backed by Lords after Starmer warns of ‘ruthless’ cuts
Changes to the work capability assessment are at the heart of Labour plans ‘Urgent’ disability benefit reform backed by Lords after Starmer warns of ‘ruthless’ cuts An inquiry by House of Lords members has recommended “urgent” reforms be made to the UK’s disability benefits system, pressing the government to push ahead with planned changes. Writing to DWP secretary Liz Kendall, the House’s Economic Affairs Committee advises that welfare spending must be reduced or else it
David Beckham urges Davos leaders to fight for girls’ rights
Beckham told the World Economic Forum girls were held back by violence, poverty and discrimination David Beckham urges Davos leaders to fight for girls’ rights David Beckham has made an impassioned speech urging global leaders to fight for women’s rights during an address at Davos. The ex-England footballer was honoured with a Crystal Award at the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Switzerland on Monday, for his “extraordinary leadership and humanitarianism” in protecting “the rights
