Newslinks for Thursday the 20th March 2025

Tory leader points to evidence of benefit over-reliance as a reason to ‘rewire the state’

“More than half of British adults are reliant on the state to make ends meet, a study suggests, amid a growing ‘culture of dependency’. This includes nearly one in four adults – or 12.6million – whose livelihood is dependent on the state pension, researchers found. Overall, 52 per cent were found to rely directly or indirectly on the expanding public sector. Researchers from the Adam Smith Institute also included employees in human resources and the planning sectors in their State Reliance Index. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said the study was further proof that the state needs ‘rewiring’ after Labour’s overhaul of the welfare system. She said: ‘This index is an important contribution to the necessary work of rewiring the state. She added that the Adam Smith Institute’s data ‘makes the case for fundamental reforms that will redirect the talents of the British people – away from stifling bureaucracy and into innovative and productive work’.” – Daily Mail

• ‘Carrots and sticks’ for bosses could keep sick staff off benefits – The Times
• Stressed staff cost UK professional services firms more than £4m a year – CityAM
• Benefits claimants can still get subsidised BMWs despite welfare cuts – Daily Telegraph
• ‘Like a frog getting boiled’: Labour MPs feel the heat over £5bn welfare cuts – FT
• Welfare reforms are ‘all pain, no gain’: Labour hopes for £5billion in savings – but it could be 2% of that, study says – Daily Mail
• Liz Kendall’s ‘sh*t’ meeting with angry Labour MPs paves way for PIP rebellion – The i
• Starmer faces councillor exodus over benefit cuts – Daily Telegraph
• Slash and Grab. Starmer’s £5bn welfare cut STILL won’t rein in skyrocketing disability benefits, Labour minister admits – The Sun
• How UK disability benefit spending has soared – versus other wealthy countries – The i
• Minister admits he couldn’t live on £70 a week as he defends benefit cuts – The Times

Comment

The Labour minister whose disastrous Newsnight interview has made him the living embodiment of everything people hate about Keir Starmer’s government – Dan Hodges Daily Mail

These cruel benefit cuts will rob security from so many – but Labour will lose something crucial too – Frances Ryan Guardian

>Today

In Labour’s uncomfortable search for benefit cuts there are opportunities for the Tories John Oxley

Reeves to announce spending cuts not raise tax in what Badenoch brands “emergency budget”

“Rachel Reeves will use her spring statement next week to cut public spending rather than raise taxes further as she attempts to balance the books. The chancellor is attempting to fill a hole of between £15 billion and £20 billion in the public finances after the Office for Budget Responsibility, the fiscal watchdog, downgraded its growth forecasts. There had been suggestions that Reeves could turn the spring statement into a fully fledged emergency budget, announcing tax rises to help plug the gap.Sir Keir Starmer fuelled speculation on Wednesday after he refused to rule out extending the freeze in income tax thresholds from 2028 to 2030.” – The Times

• Reeves will not raise taxes in Spring Statement, say officials – FT
• Reeves to reveal biggest UK spending cuts since austerity in spring statement – Guardian
• No new tax hikes in Spring Statement – but even more benefit cuts now likely – The i

Comment

Rachel Reeves will have no choice but to break her manifesto pledge and raise taxes – Adam Smith Daily Telegraph

Want to fix Britain’s finances? The answer is 60/40 – Tim Worstall CapX

Tory commissioned review finds biological sex erased from official data

“Cancer referrals have been missed and previous convictions overlooked because biological sex has been erased from official data on health, crime and education, a review has found. The review, commissioned by the last Conservative government, found that the word “gender” started to replace “sex” in the collection of data in the 1990s and that for the past ten years “robust and accurate data on biological sex” has been lost. The study, led by Professor Alice Sullivan from UCL, investigated all public bodies and found “the meaning of sex is no longer stable in administrative or major survey data”. Sullivan’s review found inconsistencies in the way sex and gender were recorded and conflated. Some official surveys were found to remove sex altogether and only collected information on gender identity.” – The Times

• Criminals free to pick their own gender – Daily Telegraph
• Biological sex erased from official data: Review finds ‘sex’ replaced by ‘gender’ in health and crimes records – Daily Mail

Boost for Badenoch as leaked Government documents admit rush to net zero could cripple growth

“The rush to Net Zero risks wiping ten per cent off economic growth by the end the decade and triggering a financial crash, the Government has privately admitted. The UK’s national debt would rocket as its anaemic economy is shunned by investors — and the poorest in society will carry the burden, it is claimed. The never-before-published Whitehall assessment of the effects of Net Zero on the British economy has been leaked to The Sun. It contains warnings that poor planning for going carbon neutral by 2050 comes with the “potential risk of destabilising the financial system”. Hundreds of billions of pounds worth of assets around the world being retired up to 30 years before the end of their shelf life could cause market meltdown due to sudden drops in the value of firms, including those from Britain and overseas companies who invest here.” – The Sun

• Racing through Net Zero plans ‘could wipe 10 per cent off the GDP and crash Britain’s economy’, leaked documents show – Daily Mail

Comment

Kemi Badenoch has won a battle against the Tory eco fanatics – but the war is far from over – Allison Pearson Daily Telegraph

British arms industry blocked from €150bn EU defence fund

“Sir Keir Starmer’s efforts to unite Europe in the face of Russian aggression have suffered a serious setback after France succeeded in blocking EU countries from using a €150 billion fund to procure British arms industry weapons. The money cannot be used to buy weapons from Britain, the US or Turkey but only from European arms companies, according to a European Commission proposal. British officials reacted with fury as Starmer prepared to host a summit of European military chiefs on Thursday to discuss the deployment of international troops to Ukraine. Under the proposals the fund will only consider purchasing British weapons if Starmer signs a security pact with Brussels, something France has tied to fishing rights.” – The Times

• EU shuts Britain out of €150bn rearmament fund – Daily Telegraph
• EU to exclude US, UK and Turkey from €150bn rearmament fund – FT
• Operation stop Putin: EU lays ground for UK defence pact in Brexit reset boost – The i
• UK shut out of £125bn EU defence fund in victory for France – Daily Express

Comment

How rearmament can make us rich. Europe must invest in high-tech weapons – Edward Luttwak Unherd

>Yesterday

How can we afford to increase defence spending? Reverse Whitehall failure Tim Knox

Trump offers to take control of Ukraine’s power plants

“Donald Trump has offered to take ownership of Ukrainian power plants to protect the country against further Russian attacks. In the first call between the leaders since their Oval Office row, the US president suggested to Volodymyr Zelensky that he take over Ukraine’s electrical and nuclear power plants, saying American ownership “would be the best protection”. Mr Trump said: “The United States could be very helpful in running those plants with its electricity and utility expertise.” During the hour-long call, which the White House described as “fantastic”, Mr Zelensky asked for more Patriot defence missile systems, which have played a crucial role in protecting the country’s infrastructure from Russian missiles. Mr Trump agreed to help, offering to find what was available in Europe, a White House statement said.” –  Daily Telegraph

• US could take over Ukrainian nuclear power plants, Donald Trump tells Volodymyr Zelenskyy – FT
• Trump reveals what he told Zelensky during their first call since testy Oval Office showdown – Daily Mail
• Ukraine war briefing: Trump ‘wants Zaporizhzhia power plant for US’ – Guardian
• Trump and Zelenskyy share ‘frank’ but ‘very good’ call as Ukraine accepts partial ceasefire – Guardian
• Crunch Talks. Trump says US should take control of Ukraine’s power plants for security in Zelensky call as peace ‘never been closer’ – The Sun

Comment

Putin has played Trump like a fiddle – Owen Matthews Spectator

News in Brief

• Why don’t we hear more about Israel’s stunning blow against Hamas’s fascists? – Brendan O’Neill Spectator
• “Adolescence” is not a documentary – Ben Sixsmith The Critic
• Who are the contenders to be the next ‘C’? – Elliot Wilson Spectator
• Parents, not the state, should be responsible for children – Nina Welsch The Critic