Newslinks for Friday 28th March 2025

Warning of further tax increases and benefits cuts

“Ministers may have to target pensioners and wealthier taxpayers at the autumn budget, as senior government figures voiced fears brutal welfare reforms would still not go far enough to tackle rising costs. The Institute for Fiscal Studies warned the chancellor may be forced to consider a freeze on tax thresholds, hikes to capital gains and potentially pension taxes. The think tank said Rachel Reeves’ choices were extremely unpalatable in a “risky and changing world – as President Trump’s actions overnight on tariffs demonstrate all too well”. – The Guardian

• Why Rachel Reeves may have to raise UK taxes in October – BBC
• Four million workers to be dragged into higher tax brackets – Daily Telegraph
• Steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal plans to leave UK after non-dom tax change – Financial Times
• Reeves’s rules lash Labour to the mast – Patrick Maguire, The Times
• A US trade deal still offers the Chancellor a way out of the black hole she has dug for Britain’s fortunes – Sherelle Jacobs, Daily Telegraph
• ‘Not being Liz Truss’ does not a growth strategy make – Andy Haldane, Financial Times
• Fresh raid on pension pots – Daily Mail
• Sue Gray warns No 10 to be careful about cuts to civil service – The Guardian
• Two million more people than before the pandemic say they struggle to function because of poor mental health – The Times
• Benefits cuts to fuel ‘recession level’ hit to Britain’s poor, warns think-tank – Financial Times
• It’s no wonder our youth are flocking to Poland to escape declining Britain – Daniel Johnson, Daily Telegraph
• Prepare for more economic suffering – Leader, Daily Telegraph
• Reeves’s popularity crashes to Kwasi Kwarteng levels – Daily Express

>Today: Columnist Sarah Ingham: As Reeves tanks the economy, the Conservatives need urgently to rebuild their credibility

>Yesterday: Lana Hempsall on Comment: Britain needs a welfare system which encourages work, not dependency

Government set to miss housing target

“The government will not get close to the extra homes needed to hit its housing target in England, official figures suggest. Angela Rayner’s plan for 1.5m new homes by 2029 is seen as crucial to solving the housing crisis and boosting economic growth. But latest estimates from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) suggest the government will fall short of that figure, even with planning reforms outlined in the chancellor’s Spring Statement on Wednesday. A government spokesperson said further reforms not reflected in the OBR’s forecast would help to reach the 1.5 million target.” – BBC

Reeves won’t take more free tickets after backlash

“Rachel Reeves has said she will not accept free concert tickets again, following a backlash over her attendance at a Sabrina Carpenter gig. She has repeatedly defended her decision to accept tickets worth £600 for her and a family member to watch the American singer from a box at London’s O2 arena.” – BBC

Ukraine 1) Starmer declares sanctions against Russia need to be strengthened, not weakened

“Western sanctions on Russia need to be increased, not weakened, in order to bring it to the negotiating table, Sir Keir Starmer has said. The prime minister accused Vladimir Putin of “playing games and playing for time” after the Russian president demanded sanctions were lifted before a US-brokered maritime ceasefire is enacted. “Now is not the time for pulling back or weakening sanctions – now is the time to increase sanctions to get them to the table,” Starmer said in Paris, where he is meeting European leaders.” – BBC

• Ukrainians lose out on jobs and homes over visa uncertainty – BBC

Ukraine 2) Trump demands minerals and oil in exchange for ceasefire

“President Trump has told Ukraine to hand over more of its minerals, oil and gas reserves as part of a revised economic deal that offers Kyiv no security guarantees in return. In a draft text sent to Ukraine, the United States demanded a greater share of Ukraine’s mineral wealth and compensation of over $100 billion (£77 billion) for previous American support. The move is a further blow to British and French efforts to secure a “just” peace for Ukraine amid a growing rift between Washington and its European allies.” – The Times

• Another attempt to humiliate Zelensky? – The Times
• The Ukraine ‘peace deal’ is proving a scam – Owen Matthews, Daily Telegraph
• Zelensky: Putin will die soon and the Ukraine war will end – The Times

Just Stop Oil end protests

“Just Stop Oil eco-zealots will end their protests after Ed Miliband caved in to their demands to wean Britain off fossil fuels. The activists hailed Mr Miliband’s Department of Energy and Net Zero policy for implementing their demand to block new oil and gas licences.” – The Sun

Less prison time for violent offenders

“Violent criminals handed lengthy jail terms will be among those who will serve less time in prison under the government’s overhaul of sentencing laws, the justice secretary has said. Shabana Mahmood insisted that she was prepared to push through controversial measures to ensure a long-term solution to Britain’s prison crisis. She said that reforming short sentences “isn’t going to be enough” to solve the crisis by itself.” – The Times

>Yesterday: Columnist Andy Cook: Conservatives cannot afford to ignore lost boys

Reform UK 1) Men make sacrifices many women don’t for top jobs, Farage says

“Men are prepared to sacrifice family lives for successful careers in a way many women aren’t, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has said. Speaking at an event in Parliament, Farage argued people should be judged on merit in the workplace, not on certain characteristics. When asked whether most top jobs would go to white men on merit, Farage said that, in many cases, women make “very different life choices” to men. “Look at business,” he said. “Men are prepared to sacrifice their family lives in order to pursue a career and be successful in a way that fewer women are. And those women that do have probably got more of a chance of reaching the top than the blokes.” – BBC

• Farage described some Conservative MPs as ‘stuffy, boring old bastards’ and accuses the leader of the opposition of laziness – The Times

>Today:

“Senior figures around Reform UK have drawn up plans for a think-tank that aims to attract Maga donors from America and help Nigel Farage’s party craft policies as it seeks to professionalise.  The group will be styled on American outfits that are independently funded but openly support political parties, such as the Center for Renewing America and the America First Policy Institute that back Donald Trump. A recent presentation seen by the Financial Times called the proposed organisation “Resolute 1850”, an apparent reference to the British Royal Navy ship the Resolute whose timbers were used to make the US president’s desk in the Oval Office. A person close to the party said the name could be subject to change.” – Financial Times

Other political news

• The King cancels Friday engagements after experiencing ‘temporary side-effects that required a short period of observation’ by doctors – The Times
• US deploys stealth bombers to Chagos island – Daily Telegraph
• End of an era for Canada-US ties, says Carney – The Guardian
• Rayner’s employment rights bill scorned in Lords – The Times
• Greenlanders prepare for uncomfortable visit from US vice-president – BBC
• Stonewall will fight to ban all LGBT conversion practices, says new chief – The Guardian
• Lords call for end to delay over rules on foreign media ownership – The Times
• Australia to hold General Election on May 3rd – BBC
• Kathleen Stock renounces academic title over ‘dim-witted’ trans policies – The Times
• Labour’s betrayal of unpaid carers – Daily Mail
• Rayner’s banter crackdown is threat to free speech, warns EHRC – Daily Telegraph
• British Steel puts 2,700 jobs at risk at Scunthorpe steelworks – The Times
• MPs asked to give Cornish same status as Welsh – BBC
• Starmer warned against using fishing as EU ‘bargaining chip’ – Daily Express
• Trump targets ‘anti-American ideology’ at Smithsonian museums – BBC

Frost: We need a serious plan

“Productivity growth is now not far off zero and GDP per head is actually falling. Someone now needs to offer a proper, serious alternative. Either the Tories or Reform or both need to start explaining the problems and setting out what they would do instead. Otherwise voters will start thinking that no one can fix the country’s difficulties. They aren’t far off that now. Then they really will start giving up on mainstream politics. What needs to be done is obvious. As I keep saying, we need a plan, over a decade or more, to reverse the power of the state and bring back economic and political freedom.” – David Frost, Daily Telegraph

>Yesterday: Thomas Munson on Comment: Conservative parliamentary staffers are more optimistic than you might think

Hannan: Here’s what Starmer must do now to see off America’s tariff threat

“Rather than begin a self-mutilating escalation, we need to get the levies lifted. The way to do that is to start the trade talks that Trump proposed when he met Starmer in the Oval Office a month ago. Although Trump’s tariffs will mainly hurt American consumers, they will also damage British car manufacturers. The US accounts for 18 per cent of our car exports by volume and 27 per cent by value (our transatlantic cousins are drawn to our pricier motors: Jaguars; Aston Martins; Bentleys, and so on). Plainly, it is in the interest of both countries to lift those restrictions. How to do it? By ensuring that all tariffs are suspended while our trade talks get under way.” – Daniel Hannan, Daily Mail

• UK carmakers to meet government over Trump tariffs – BBC
• Don’t think for a minute that Trump will let Britain off the hook – Alex Brummer, Daily Mail

News in brief

• Farewell Just Stop Oil, you won’t be missed – Tom Slater, The Spectator
• The NHS is failing to train home-grown talent – Tom Jones, CapX
• Ministries of Silly Charts – Caroline ffiske, Daily Sceptic
• Britain has to break its addiction to debt – Christopher Snowdon, The Critic
• What is the point of Keir Starmer’s “coalition of the willing”? – Andrew Marr, New Statesman