Sir Keir Starmer was welcomed by Emmanuel Macron while he visited Paris for the Paralympics opening ceremony, after meeting in Germany with chancellor Olaf Scholz as the prime minister pursues his post-Brexit reset agenda. In a press conference in Berlin, the prime minister said a new treaty between Britain and Germany will help “deliver for working people” and create “deeper links on science, technology, development, people, business, and culture”. Sir Keir promised Labour will work towards a “once-in-a-generation” Germany-UK treaty in a bid to boost post-Brexit trade. The PM was accused by the Tories of planning to hike capital gains and inheritance tax in a fresh “raid on pensions”.
Starmer meets Macron at Paris Paralympics after Germany talks as part of post-Brexit reset – live
Keir Starmer and Olaf Scholz shake hands as prime minister arrives in Berlin
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Sir Keir Starmer was welcomed by Emmanuel Macron while he visited Paris for the Paralympics opening ceremony, after meeting in Germany with chancellor Olaf Scholz as the prime minister pursues his post-Brexit reset agenda.
In a press conference in Berlin, the prime minister said a new treaty between Britain and Germany will help “deliver for working people” and create “deeper links on science, technology, development, people, business, and culture”.
Sir Keir promised Labour will work towards a “once-in-a-generation” Germany-UK treaty in a bid to boost post-Brexit trade.
It comes as chancellor Rachel Reeves has refused to rule out potential increases on capital gains tax, warning Labour will “have to make difficult decisions in a range of areas”.
The PM was accused by the Tories of planning to hike capital gains and inheritance tax in a fresh “raid on pensions”. Shadow chief secretary to the Treasury Laura Trott claimed the government will bring “ruinous tax rises”.
Key Points
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How Labour could raise taxes as Starmer admits budget will be ‘painful’
Keir Starmer has warned that Labour’s first autumn Budget will be “painful” in his first keynote address from No 10, prompting fears of that unpopular tax rises will be amongst the announcements.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has already confirmed that her statement will bring fresh tax rises as she says more needs to be done to fill the government’s shortfall in public finances. This reasoning was repeated by the prime minister as he reiterated the need to plug the £22bn spending gap that was “hidden” by the previous conservative government.
With it now confirmed that the government will look to new ways to raise revenue, here are some of the key measures they could implement in the October Budget:
Salma Ouaguira29 August 2024 07:00
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Summary: Keir Starmer press conference in Germany
Sir Keir Starmer has held a press conference with the German chancellor Olaf Scholz following their bilateral meeting to discuss a post-Brexit deal between both countries. Here are the key takeaways:
The prime minister said a new defence agreement is “at the heart” of the UK’s relationship with Germany.He defined the new agreement “a testament to the depth and potential of our relationship with deeper links on science, technology, development, people, business, culture, a boost to our trading relations”.Sir Keir insisted “we will not reverse Brexit” but he will seek closer ties with Europe.The PM and Mr Scholz have agreed to develop a “joint action plan to tackle illegal migration”He also said that “we do not have plans for a youth mobility scheme”.Sir Keir said he hopes the UK’s treaty with Germany will be agreed before the end of the year as he hailed a “bright new future for UK-German relations”.Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (Justin Tallis/PA) (PA Wire)
Salma Ouaguira29 August 2024 06:30
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POLL: Public divided on the government’s approach to unions
The public is divided over whether the Government is doing a good job when dealing with trade unions to prevent disruption to public services, a poll suggests.
The research by Ipsos found 32 per cent of people back the government’s approach to pay claims, but just under a quarter (23 per cent) said the government is doing a bad job in this regard; 30 per cent were non-committal.
The public is also split on whether Labour is doing a better job in trade union negotiations than the previous Conservative government, with 35 per cent saying they preferred the current administration’s approach and 37 per cent believing there has been no change in effectiveness since the General Election.
However, only 16 per cent said Labour’s approach is worse than the previous government’s.
Half of people polled said they are confident that Labour will take the right decisions to resolve industrial action within the healthcare sector specifically, but 43 per cent are either not very confident or have no confidence this will be the case.
Meanwhile, 53 per cent said they either have little or no confidence in the Government to deliver on its pledge to create 40,000 NHS appointments per week.
The findings come amid ongoing pessimism about the state of the NHS, with 54 per cent believing it is heading in the wrong direction and only 22 per cent saying it is heading in the right direction.
Salma Ouaguira29 August 2024 06:00
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Truss secretly mocked Sunak with ‘Russhi’ nickname for Putin stance
Liz Truss secretly mocked Rishi Sunak as “Russhi Sunak”, accusing him of not doing enough to oppose Vladimir Putin in respect of the war on Ukraine.
New details of her alleged “intense personal dislike” of Mr Sunak are disclosed in a new book, Truss at 10, by Sir Anthony Seldon.
According to Sir Anthony, Ms Truss believed Mr Sunak was guilty of “screwing” her, with “vicious attacks” on her by his team, before she defeated him to become prime minister.
He describes how Ms Truss exacted petty revenge on Mr Sunak in her moment of triumph at a Conservative rally in September 2022.
Read the full article below:
Salma Ouaguira29 August 2024 05:30
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‘Woeful budgeting’ in Home Office causing repeated overspends on asylum – IFS
“Woeful budgeting” at the Home Office has caused repeated overspends on asylum, a fiscal watchdog has said.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said the department has frequently spent far more than it had budgeted for asylum, border, visa and passport operations – and that the budget for 2024/25 is repeating mistakes made under the previous government by submitting figures it “knows to be insufficient”.
Between 2021/22 and 2023/24, plans put before parliament by the Home Office at the start of each year budgeted an average of £110 million for asylum operations, but it ended up spending much more – an average of £2.6 billion per year.
The IFS report claims that the “woeful way” the Home Office and HM Treasury have budgeted for asylum costs lies at the heart of the recent disagreement between chancellor Rachel Reeves and her predecessor Jeremy Hunt.
In a financial audit of public spending conducted not long after Ms Reeves took office, spending pressures relating to asylum and illegal migration were one of the largest items identified amounting to an estimated £6.4 billion in 2024/25.
In response, Mr Hunt argued that this contradicted the budgets signed off by civil servants and presented to parliament just weeks before.
The IFS said both the current and former chancellors have a point – but only because the Home Office and HM Treasury are continuing the “poor budgeting practice” of recent years.
Max Warner, research economist at IFS and an author of the briefing, said: “The way in which the Home Office and Treasury have budgeted for asylum costs leaves a lot to be desired.
“When there is a one-off unexpected spike in costs or demand, spending more than was budgeted is entirely understandable. But when it is happening year after year, something is going wrong with the budgeting process. It would be far more sensible to recognise the likely amount of asylum spending up front.
“That would also leave the Treasury’s contingency Reserve for genuine emergencies, rather than for spending that the government knows will occur but does not want to budget for.”
(Peter Powell/PA Wire)
Salma Ouaguira29 August 2024 05:00
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Watch: Starmer and Scholz hold joint press conference in Berlin
Salma Ouaguira29 August 2024 04:30
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Does the PM realise he’s overdone it with ‘things can only get worse’?
The prime minister dropped the phrase ‘rubble and ruin’ from his speech and tried to emphasise the things he is doing to fix the problems, writes John Rentoul – but will it work?
Salma Ouaguira29 August 2024 04:00
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REVIEW: ‘She came, she saw, she crashed’: New Truss book could keep Tories out of power for decades
The blunt subtitle of Sir Anthony Seldon’s account of our shortest-serving prime minister’s brief time in office says it all, writes Simon Walters – ‘How Not to Be Prime Minister’:
Salma Ouaguira29 August 2024 03:30
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School and college leaders call for ‘meaningful pause’ to planned BTec reforms
Hundreds of school and college leaders have called for post-16 vocational qualification reforms to be paused for at least a year to ensure students know what courses they can study next year.
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson must immediately pause plans to withdraw funding for a number of applied general qualifications (AGQs), such as BTecs, to ensure young people are not left “without a viable pathway” to higher education or skilled employment, leaders have said.
A letter to Ms Phillipson, which has been signed by the leaders of 455 schools and colleges in England, calls on the government to pause the plans and confirm that students will be able to enrol on all existing AGQs in 2025/26.
AGQs are level 3 qualifications, which include BTecs, for students who want to undertake a broad study of a specific vocational area.
The Department for Education (DfE) under the previous government had planned to remove funding for a number of AGQs that “overlap” with T-levels in England – which are considered to be broadly equivalent to three A-levels.
In July, Ms Phillipson announced a “short review” of the planned post-16 qualification reforms, which is due to conclude before the end of 2024.
But a coalition of leaders at schools and colleges in England – who between them educate 388,000 young people aged between 16 and 19 – have called for a “meaningful pause” to the reforms to ensure they can plan their curriculum offer for the 2025/26 academic year and the staffing required.
Uncertainty about what can be offered next year will make it “extremely difficult” to provide effective advice and guidance to students, they said.
(PA)
Salma Ouaguira29 August 2024 03:00
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Starmer made the Partygate garden at No 10 feel more like a cemetery
‘Remember the photos of the wine and the cheese just over there,’ cried Starmer, his arm sweeping over the patio in a rare moment of animation. ‘Well, this garden and this building are now back in your service.’ Shame it felt more like a funeral service, writes Joe Murphy
Starmer made the Partygate garden at No 10 feel more like a cemetery
‘Remember the photos of the wine and the cheese just over there,’ cried Starmer, his arm sweeping over the patio in a rare moment of animation. ‘Well, this garden and this building are now back in your service.’ Shame it felt more like a funeral service, writes Joe Murphy
Salma Ouaguira29 August 2024 02:30
Read the full story on www.independent.co.uk
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/starmer-eu-brexit-labour-budget-taxes-latest-news-b2603615.html