The junior doctor strikes will go ahead from 7 a.m. this Friday to 7 a.m. Wednesday. The BMA says:
“We said we were open to non pay improvements if they were serious and substantive but we got back was more promises of more talks.”
Streeting’s pleas didn’t work then…
UPDATE: Wes Streeting reacts:
“Strike action is completely unjustified, completely unprecedented in the history of British trade unionism and shows a complete disdain for patients and the wider recovery of the NHS.”
Freedom-lovers won’t be shocked to learn that the government’s war on smokers is torching more than just cigarettes. According to HMRC’s own figures, illegal tobacco sales are already costing the Treasury a whopping £2.2 billion annually. When the generational smoking ban kicks in, that number is only set to rise…
A new JTI survey shows that 64% of UK are familiar with illegal tobacco, while 81% believe there is not enough enforcement to stop illegal tobacco sales. Over 90% of consumers are alarmed that illicit tobacco trade is fuelling organised crime…
JTI’s Nicky Small said:
“This research clearly demonstrates the concerns of consumers around the illicit sale of illegal tobacco and its impact on communities across the UK. There is a proven link between illegal tobacco and international organised crime groups. The consequences for the taxpayer are significant.”
Meanwhile, the IFS wants tax hikes to plug the gap left by “the predictable disappearance of tax bases for… tobacco duties,” as sales rake in a hefty “£9 billion in the last financial year.” Up in smoke…
Rachel Reeves has refused to say she wants taxes to go down in a shift from her pre-election rhetoric. Voters must be tearing their hair out…
The Chancellor is up before the Lords Economic Affairs Committee this afternoon. Tory Lord Blackwell asked if – seeing as hers is the first government to get more than 35% of GDP in taxation since the war – Reeves has “a ceiling or view on what is the right level of taxation in the long run once you get through the current debt problem.” Good question…
Reeves could not. She said: “So the OBR forecast for this parliament uh have in the final year of the forecast period tax as a share of GDP at 38%. That’s not a target but that reflects the fiscal rules… those are the things that are my constraints and the anchor for fiscal policy are those two fiscal rules rather than a tax to GDP ratio.” She went on to say the ratio could be reduced by raising GDP. Pressed on whether she was targeting an increase or decrease in the tax-to-GDP ratio Reeves could not answer and said: “It’s a stability rule to balance day-to-day spending with tax receipts and investment rule to get debt down as a share of GDP.” She won’t even say is trying to get it down…
Guido remembers when Reeves railed against a “70-year high” in taxation at the election and at the rising forecast for tax take. Poacher, gamekeeper…
In today’s Tory reshuffle Guido can reveal that strong performer Neil O’Brien has been promoted by Badenoch to the Shadow Cabinet – given a new role as ‘Shadow Minister for Policy Renewal and Development.’ He will lead on the policy programme as Party Conference approaches on 5 October…
O’Brien is a former SpAd to Osborne and subsequently Theresa May and served as a levelling up minister under Boris. He’s being moved from the education team up to Shadow Cabinet…
He is one of the most prolific new thinkers and he well connected to the now-influential online right. A sound hire…
James Cleverly has been appointed Shadow MHCLG, Kevin Hollinrake Party Chairman, Stuart Andrew Shadow Health and Nigel Huddleston Shadow DCMS. Five confirmed appointments so far…
UPDATE:
Julia Lopez takes DSIT from Alan Mak.
Richard Holden takes Transport from Gareth Bacon.
The Bank of England is playing down the chances of an intrusive Central Bank Digital Currency today. A win for fans of privacy…
Briefings from staff at the Bank – which previously said it believed a “digital pound” was “likely” to be needed – indicate that the BoE is letting private businesses take the lead and won’t push for a CBDC at this time. They are pernicious risks to financial privacy and a successful hack could topple the system…
Later at his appearance before the Treasury Select Committee in the Commons today BoE Governor Andrew Bailey said private efforts could generate “huge benefits” themselves: “My view is, if that’s a success, I question why we need to introduce a new form of money.” Bureaucrats push for the currency to exact more control over transactions – which would all be stored on a central ledger. Raising taxes would be easier than ever…
While Labour flounders in the polls, they’ve been splashing taxpayer cash to promote their policies. According to a written parliamentary question by Tory MP Richard Holden, the Cabinet Office forked out a staggering £650,000 on an advertising campaign for the National Minimum and Living Wage increase. Never mind that most people would find out about the policy just by looking at their payslips…
That includes £35,580 spent pushing the policy on beer mats in pubs and £19,500 for ‘six digital influencers’ to flog the policy online. For £650,000, you could:
The taxpayer may have a view on which should be prioritised. UK DOGE recommends costs are cut here…
Speaking to Adam Boulton on Times Radio about kicking the Golders Green suspect, Heidi Alexander said:
“I thought that if I was in the shoes of that police officer, then if I’m honest, given the situation, and the fact that he had a backpack on his back, and they were worried about whether that might go off, I could, if I was a police officer, frankly, I could see myself having taken similar action.”