Labour goes nuclear while Reform turns to coal
Rachel Reeves has pledged a 'new era of nuclear power' as the government confirms a £14.2 billion investment in the Sizewell C nuclear plant in Suffolk. This comes on the eve of Labour's spending review, with the government expected to highlight spending pledges designed to give a positive impression of Labour's handling of the economy. However, as Michael Simmons tells James Heale and Lucy Dunn, there are signs that the government's National Insurance hike is starting to bite.
Plus – Nigel Farage has made two announcements in as many days. This morning, he unveiled Reform's new chairman, former MEP Dr David Bull, taking over from the recently returned Zia Yusuf. And yesterday he was in Port Talbot, where he pledged to reopen their steel works and even explore reopening coal mines, with one eye on next year's Welsh elections.
Produced by Patrick Gibbons.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
34 minutes ago
- The National
Secondary pupils eligible for free meals under new plans
Youngsters between S1 and S3 whose family receive Scottish Child Payment (SCP) will be eligible for free school meals across eight local authorities come this August. The change will happen in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Fife, Moray, North Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Shetland and the Western Isles, following the latest expansion campaign by the Scottish Greens. READ MORE: What is there for Scotland in Rachel Reeves's Spending Review? What we know so far Ross Greer, Scottish Greens spokesperson for education, said: 'Thousands of young people will now get a free school meal through our pilot programme. Children can't learn if they are hungry and we know that free meals can have a transformative impact on their success at school. 'The Scottish Greens have always championed universal free school meals, and that is why we brought this proposal to the table during budget negotiations. It builds on our previous work to expand free school meals in P4-7, which is already helping tens of thousands of children. 'These eight areas are just the start. Green MSPs will now push for this programme to be expanded to every other council as soon as possible and eventually, for every pupil from early years right up to S6 to receive a free school meal.' READ MORE: 'First in Scotland': New 'free' store opens in Glasgow shopping centre Scottish Green MSPs previously secured the expansion of universal free school meals to P4 and P5 pupils, as well as the ongoing expansion to P6 and P7 pupils who receive the SCP. Figures from earlier this year showed that almost £3 million worth of school meal debt was written off in Scotland across 29 local authorities through a national fund, with Aberdeen benefiting the most with £400,000 of debt wiped by the fund.
Sky News
35 minutes ago
- Sky News
Spending review Q&A: Send in your questions for our experts
Rachel Reeves is setting out the budgets for each government department over the coming years today. Got a question on her plans and what they mean for you? Submit them below for a live Q&A with Sky News correspondents at 4pm.
Daily Mail
40 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Mauritius 'will use cash from Labour's Chagos Islands deal to scrap income tax for 81% of its population and help pay off its national debt'
Sir Keir Starmer 's deal to hand over the Chagos Islands will fund sweeping tax cuts in Mauritius, it has emerged. The Prime Minister last month signed an agreement to cede sovereignty of the stretegically-important Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius. The deal will see the UK lease back a military base on Diego Garcia, the largest of the islands, with Britain paying Mauritius an average of £101million a year for 99 years. Sir Keir said the 'net cost' of the agreement will be £3.4billion, after adjusting for factors including inflation. But opponents said the true cost is ten times as much. According to The Telegraph, Mauritius will use almost £500million of the payments to help clear its national debt. This will allow the east African country to abolish income tax entirely for 81 per cent of employed Mauritians and raise minimum salaries. It has also been pointed out how, under the Chagos Islands deal, UK taxpayers are now funding more than 4 per cent of the Mauritian government's total budget. It comes amid warnings that Britons face fresh tax rises when Chancellor Rachel Reeves unveils her next budget in the autumn. A black hole in the public finances has been left by Ms Reeves' humiliating U-turn on axing winter fuel payments for pensioners. The Chancellor is also under intense pressure from Labour MPs to splurge more by abolishing the two-child benefit cap. Navin Ramgoolam, the Mauritian PM, announced the tax changes in his own budget speech last Wednesday. He said the UK's payments from the Chagos deal for the next three years would be used to help pay off his country's national debt, which has reached 90 per cent of GDP. Mauritius is also poised to raise the minimum salary before an employee pays income tax to £8,073 a year, which will scrap income tax entirely for 44,000 people. 'As a result of the measures I have introduced, 81 per cent of employees in our country will not pay any income tax,' Mr Ramgoolam said, according to the newspaper. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said: 'Labour have lost control. They've raised taxes on working families. Businesses are closing. People are losing their jobs. 'Labour's answer: fund a tax cut for…Mauritians. They are not on your side.' Dame Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, said: 'The only people benefiting from Labour's higher taxes are the people of Mauritius. 'While causing a financial black hole in Britain, whacking up our taxes and planning further tax raids, Labour's Chagos surrender deal means families in Mauritius will see their taxes cut at our expense. 'This is an insult to hard-working British people who have once again been betrayed by Keir Starmer with millions more paying more in tax.' Dame Priti also highlighted Mauritius government documents that showed how the UK's Chagos payments are set to make up more than 4 per cent of the country's budget this financial year. The Foreign Office has been approached for comment.
