
Lloyds chief slams detail in Labour's pension plan
Nunn likened the proposed mandating of allocations of pension funds to a 'form of capital control' seen in communist China, suggesting it could conflict with the funds' duty to seek the best returns for pensioners.
Labour 's pension reform includes creating megafunds, with anticipated legislation potentially granting the Treasury power to set binding asset allocation targets for UK investments.
Concerns have been raised that government-imposed allocation targets could prevent pension funds from complying with their legal obligation to provide optimal returns.
Conversely, Louis Taylor, CEO of the British Business Bank, encouraged pension funds to recognise the 'goldmine of opportunity' in UK private firms, implying mandates would be unnecessary if these opportunities were fully appreciated.
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The Independent
16 minutes ago
- The Independent
Racial disparities in criminal justice system ‘shameful'
Racial disparities in the criminal justice system are 'shameful' for London, the head of the Metropolitan Police said. Sir Mark Rowley spoke on Sky News' Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips where he said racial disparity among suspects and victims of crime in the capital was a 'difficult' issue for the force. The Met Police Commissioner said there was a history between policing and black communities 'where policing has got a lot wrong, and we get a lot more right today'. 'But we do still make mistakes. That's not in doubt,' Sir Mark added. 'I'm being as relentless in that as it can be.' He continued: 'The vast majority of our people are good people. 'But that legacy, combined with the tragedy that some of this crime falls most heavily in black communities, that creates a real problem because the legacy creates concern.' 'It's not right that black boys growing up in London are more likely to be dead by the time they're 18, far more likely than white boys,' the commissioner said. 'That's, I think, shameful for the city. 'The challenge for us is, as we reach in to tackle those issues, that confrontation that comes from that reaching in, whether it's stop and search on the streets or the sort of operations you seek. 'The danger is that's landing in an environment with less trust. 'And that makes it even harder. But the people who win out of that, all of the criminals.' He added: 'I'm so determined to find a way to get past this because if policing in black communities can find a way to confront these issues, together we can give black boys growing up in London equal life chances to white boys, which is not what we're seeing at the moment.' 'And it's not simply about policing, is it?' he added. 'I think black boys are several times more likely to be excluded from school, for example, than white boys. 'And there are multiple issues layered on top of each other that feed into disproportionality.' The police chief said the Met is a 'stretched service', but that people who call 999 can expect an officer to attend. 'If you are in the middle of the crisis and something awful is happening and you dial 999, officers will get there really quickly,' Sir Mark said. 'I don't pretend we're not a stretched service. 'We are smaller than I think we ought to be, but I don't want to give a sort of message of a lack of hope or a lack of determination.' 'I've seen the mayor and the Home Secretary fighting hard for police resourcing,' he added. 'It's not what I'd want it to be, but it's better than it might be without their efforts.' Sir Mark went on to say that the criminal justice system was 'close-to-broken' and can be 'frustrating' for officers. He said: 'The thing that is frustrating is that the system – and no system can be perfect – but when the system hasn't managed to turn that person's life around and get them on the straight and narrow, and it just becomes a revolving door. 'When that happens, of course that's frustrating for officers. 'So the more successful prisons and probation can be in terms of getting people onto a law-abiding life from the path they're on, the better. 'But that is a real challenge. I mean, we're talking just after Sir Brian Leveson put his report out about the close-to-broken criminal justice system. 'And it's absolutely vital that those repairs and reforms that he's talking about happen really quickly, because the system is now so stressed.' Sir Mark gave the example of Snaresbrook Crown Court in London, which he said had more than 100 cases listed for 2029. 'If it's someone on bail, then who might have stolen your phone or whatever and going in for a criminal court trial, that could be four years away. 'And that's pretty unacceptable, isn't it?' he added.


The Independent
26 minutes ago
- The Independent
Starmer to discuss ‘global problem' of illegal migration with German Chancellor
The Prime Minister is due to discuss border security with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz this week as Sir Keir Starmer called illegal migration 'a global problem'. Writing in the Sunday Express newspaper, Sir Keir said Mr Merz's visit to the UK will include talks on 'what more we can do together to prosecute criminal networks and prevent people smuggling to the UK'. 'The networks of these criminal gangs stretch across countless countries and legal systems, showing no respect for our borders,' he added. 'We'll go further to tackle this shared issue together.' According to the Home Office, 353 people crossed the English Channel by small boat on Friday, just a day after the Prime Minister signed a deal with French President Emmanuel Macron aimed at deterring migrants from making the perilous journey. This was down from the 573 people who crossed on Thursday, the first time any such journeys were made in a week. More crossings were witnessed on Saturday, but the full figures are yet to be published. Border force vessels and the RNLI were called out on both Thursday and Friday to reports of multiple boats crossing the channel, the Coastguard said. A statement from the Coastguard said: 'HM Coastguard has been co-ordinating a response to multiple incidents involving small boats in the Channel on 10 and 11 July. 'UK Border Force and RNLI vessels have been sent as part of this response.' Under the terms of the deal agreed by the Prime Minister and Mr Macron, the UK will be able to send migrants back to France for the first time in exchange for asylum seekers with links to Britain. The so-called one in, one out deal is due to begin in weeks on a pilot basis, but needs final legal verification from the EU. Downing Street has indicated ministers expect the EU to support the arrangement, amid concerns among some European governments that migrants who have travelled to Britain could end up back on their territory. No details have been given about how many people will be covered by the pilot, but French officials had indicated it could initially be limited to about 50 a week, a small fraction of the weekly average this year of 782. Sir Keir wrote: 'This is what serious, practical solutions to global problems look like. 'We will do our duty as a compassionate country, accepting genuine asylum seekers who respect our rules and our way of life. That is fair. 'But people who try to make the crossing illegally will soon find themselves back where they started. That is a real deterrent.' At least 21,000 people have already made the journey since January, putting 2025 on course to be a record year for crossings.


The Independent
26 minutes ago
- The Independent
‘Critical' need to close the UK's self-employed pensions gap
The self-employment pensions gap must be tackled to help address wider retirement issues, Scottish Widows is urging. Susan Hope, a retirement expert at the pension provider, said flexibility is 'key for self-employed people' when building a retirement pot. Lloyds Banking Group, which includes Scottish Widows as a brand, recently worked with Nest Insight to explore 'autosave' options with a small group of self-employed people. Those behind the study said initial responses to the idea were positive and suggest it is worth further exploration of an autosave feature within banking platforms and self-employment software. Ms Hope said: 'Closing the self-employed pensions gap in the UK is critical to cracking the wider pensions crisis – more than half of self-employed individuals are on track for poverty in retirement, compared to just 25% of full-time workers. 'Flexibility is key for self-employed people and our work with Nest allowed us to test models with this built in.' Scottish Widows previously commissioned YouGov to carry out research among more than 5,100 people across the UK in January and February. Research indicated that 39% of self-employed people are not saving enough for retirement, and 23% are not saving anything at all. Under automatic enrolment, workers who have an employer are placed into a pension scheme, provided they meet certain criteria. As well as their own pension contributions, employees get the benefits of employer contributions into their pension pot as well as tax relief. Here are some general tips from Ms Hope for self-employed people looking to build a pension pot: 1. Try starting small. Self-employed people often face irregular income, making it challenging to save consistently. Some people could consider starting with small, regular contributions to a personal pension, also known as a 'ready made pension'. People could try setting up small monthly payments and topping them up at the end of the tax year when they have a clearer picture of their finances, helping to give flexibility during more challenging times, Ms Hope suggested. 2. Consider whether a Lifetime Isa could be useful. People can use a Lifetime Isa for their first home or their retirement savings. Lifetime Isa savings can be topped up with a bonus from the Government. There may be withdrawal penalties to consider though, if anyone is withdrawing money for reasons other than their first home or their retirement. 3. Make the most of tax relief. Contributions to personal pensions such as sipps (self-invested personal pensions) come with tax relief. Some people may also want to consider taking financial advice. Individual circumstances will vary.