6am: Healey tells BBC he will bring down benefits bill before election
8:20: Treasury dispute the story
1pm: No10 disown it saying they have never set a target
2pm: PM says cuts as soon as possible
4pm: Healey says Labour won't bring bill down this Parliament
Update:
In the 27 months since Labour came to power, we've seen;
• Employer National Insurance increased from 13.8% to 15%.
• The employer NI threshold cut from £9,100 to £5,000.
• The freeze on Income Tax and National Insurance thresholds extended to 2031.
• Capital Gains Tax increased from 10% and 20% to 18% and 24%.
• Business Asset Disposal Relief increased from 10% to 14%, then 18% – and now its lifetime limit halved to £500,000.
• Investors’ Relief raised to 18% and its lifetime limit cut from £10 million to £1 million.
• CGT relief on sales to Employee Ownership Trusts halved.
• Carried interest taxation increased and moved into the Income Tax regime.
• Dividend tax rates increased by two percentage points.
• Savings-income tax rates increased by four percentage points.
• Property-income tax rates increased by four percentage points.
• VCT income tax relief cut from 30% to 20%.
• Most unused pension funds brought into the Inheritance Tax net.
• Agricultural and Business Property Relief capped.
• Inheritance Tax thresholds frozen until 2031.
• The non-dom regime replaced with a tougher residence-based system.
• VAT imposed on private school fees.
• Business-rates relief removed from private schools.
• The Stamp Duty surcharge on second homes and buy-to-let raised from 3% to 5%.
• The Furnished Holiday Lettings regime abolished.
• A new annual surcharge on homes worth £2 million or more.
• Pension salary-sacrifice NI relief capped at £2,000 a year.
• The bank surcharge doubled.
• Capital allowances for plant and machinery cut twice.
• Online gaming duty almost doubled.
• The Energy Profits Levy increased and extended, and its investment allowance scrapped.
• Vaping Products Duty brought in and tobacco duties increased above inflation.
• Vehicle Excise Duty increased for many new cars, with electric vehicles brought in.
• A pay-per-mile tax on electric and plug-in hybrid cars legislated for 2028.
• Air Passenger Duty increased.
• Making Tax Digital extended to more landlords and self-employed people.
Together they represent one of the biggest transfers of wealth from households and businesses to the Treasury in decades – with little to show for it in public services.
Whether you're a business owner employing staff, a parent paying school fees, a farmer planning succession, an entrepreneur building wealth or simply someone trying to save for your family’s future...
- You keep less of what you earn.
- You keep less of what you invest.
- You leave less for your family.
Death by a thousand cuts.
This is astounding. The government's own figures show working-age welfare will go up by £60 BILLION by 2030, yet the Treasury has to rush out and correct the Chancellor to say there is no timetable for cutting the benefits bill. Looks like foot in mouth syndrome is spreading.
John Healey couldn't even find £10 billion to get defence spending to 3% of GDP - the thing he quit over.
Don't let anyone tell you this was a 'do no harm budget'. In doing so little, Labour have harmed our economic security and they've harmed our national security.
@johnpau94596696@afneil Russian interference! There's a huge difference between interference, which has been going on for decades, and actually impacting on the outcome. Stick to watching Spurs.....
Hidden away on page 111 of the Budget - 'The government is providing £150 million capital investment in 2027-28 to fund additional large sites to accommodate asylum seekers'
A treasonous decision.
Every penny of that should be directed towards a programme of mass deportations.
@BallerinaBellax Bali, a place I couldn't really get away with..... I did Bora Bora and later, the Maldives both of which were fab.... But I'm not really a Tropical Island person tbh.... though Islands do have their benefits.. ❤️
A doctor rapes a patient.
The victim reports it.
THE DOCTOR ADMITS IT.
He tells a hospital committee that it was a "one off" and he will not do it again.
THE MANAGEMENT SAYS THAT IS OK.
And allow him to carry on working.
THE POLICE TAKE NO ACTION.
The hospital concerned is the BLACKPOOL VICTORIA HOSPITAL.
The same hospital where a 75 year old patient was raped to death and no one was ever convicted for it.
Are women worth nothing to the NHS?
https://t.co/g2YTbKiG47
@DeepStormHQ This is insanity. Over the years I’ve interviewed many of these so called juniors/ students / oppressed…. A lot r just radicalised sleepers, intent on terror and, ofc living an easy life