Philippines' Marcos asks cabinet secretaries to resign to enable reset
"This is not about personalities — it's about performance, alignment, and urgency," Marcos said in a statement issued by the Presidential Communications Office.
"Those who have delivered and continue to deliver will be recognised. But we cannot afford to be complacent. The time for comfort zones is over."
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The Herald Scotland
6 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Asylum seekers to be removed from Essex hotel as council granted injunction
The injunction sought by the council meant the hotel's owner, Somani Hotels Limited, would have had to stop housing asylum seekers there within 14 days. The hotel has been at the centre of a series of protests in recent weeks after an asylum seeker who was staying there was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. In a ruling on Tuesday, Mr Justice Eyre granted the temporary injunction, but extended the time limit by which the hotel must stop housing asylum seekers to September 12. He also refused to give Somani Hotels the green light to challenge his ruling, but the company could still ask the Court of Appeal for the go-ahead to appeal against the judgment. Protesters outside the Bell Hotel in Epping (Yui Mok/PA) In his judgment, he said that while the council had not 'definitively established' that Somani Hotels had breached planning rules, 'the strength of the claimant's case is such that it weighs in favour' of granting the injunction. He continued that the 'risk of injustice is greater' if a temporary injunction was not granted. A further hearing on whether the injunction should be made permanent is expected to be held at a later date, and is expected to last two days. Several protests and counter-protests have been held in the town since a then-resident at the hotel was accused of trying to kiss a teenage girl. Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu has denied charges against him and is due to stand trial later this month. A second man who resides at the hotel, Syrian national Mohammed Sharwarq, has separately been charged with seven offences, while several other men have been charged over disorder outside the hotel. The council said last week it was seeking an injunction due to 'unprecedented levels of protest and disruption' in connection with asylum seeker accommodation. Chris Whitbread, leader of the council, said the situation 'cannot go on' but the Government 'is not listening'. At a hearing on Friday, barristers for the council said that the site's 'sole lawful use' was as a hotel and that Somani Hotels had breached planning rules by using it to house asylum seekers. Philip Coppel KC, for the authority, said the situation was 'wholly unacceptable' and provided a 'feeding ground for unrest'. He said: 'There has been what can be described as an increase in community tension, the catalyst of which has been the use of the Bell Hotel to place asylum seekers.' Mr Coppel continued: 'It is not the asylum seekers who are acting unlawfully. It is the defendant, by allowing the hotel to be used to house asylum seekers.' He added: 'It really could not be much worse than this.' Piers Riley-Smith, for Somani Hotels, said that 'disagreement with Government policy' did not justify a 'draconian' injunction and that there would be 'hardship' caused to the company and those housed at the hotel. He also said that contracts to house asylum seekers were a 'financial lifeline' for the hotel, which was only 1% full in August 2022, when it was open to paying customers. Mr Riley-Smith said: 'It is clear that recent protests have expanded far beyond the local community and have gone into concerns about wider ideological and political issues from those outside the community. 'Those particular ideological, non-community concerns are not relevant to planning.' Following the ruling, Mr Whitbread said: 'I am delighted. This is great news for our residents. The last few weeks have placed an intolerable strain on our community but today we have some great news.' He continued: 'Home Office policy ignores the issues and concerns of local residents that the council represents. 'Today we have made a step towards redressing the imbalance and showing that local people do have some say, whatever the Home Office thinks.' Before judgment was handed down on Tuesday, barristers for the Home Office asked to intervene in the case, citing the 'substantial impact' caused to the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, in performing her legal duties to asylum seekers. Edward Brown KC, for the department, told the court that moving asylum seekers in 'extremely short order' would cause a 'very significant operational burden' and 'particular acute difficulties' for the Government. But Mr Justice Eyre dismissed the Home Office's bid, stating that the department's involvement was 'not necessary'.
The Guardian
7 minutes ago
- The Guardian
How would potential new property tax differ from stamp duty and council tax system?
The government is considering a new national property tax as the first step towards a radical shake-up of stamp duty and council tax. The discussions taking place at the Treasury – revealed by the Guardian on Monday – have already prompted much debate and, perhaps inevitably, led to an outcry in some quarters. Here we consider how the current system works and how it could change. Two things, essentially. First, sources said Treasury officials were initially examining a potential new tax that would replace stamp duty on owner-occupied homes. It would be paid by homeowners on properties worth more than £500,000 when they sold them. The amount paid would be determined by a property's value. Such a change would be a big deal because under the current system, stamp duty is paid by buyers, not sellers. It could be a bigger concern for some people living in London, the south-east and other areas where property prices are particularly high. Second, officials are also said to be studying whether, after a national tax was brought in, a local property tax could then replace council tax in the medium term. While a new national property tax could in theory be implemented during this parliament, overhauling council tax would take longer and would almost certainly require Labour to win a second term in 2029. You must pay stamp duty land tax (SDLT) – to give it its full name – if you buy a property over a certain price in England and Northern Ireland. There are different approaches to some land taxes in Wales and Scotland. Stamp duty rates vary depending on whether someone is a first-time buyer, and are banded in steps upward depending on the value of the property. They can also vary as a result of stamp duty 'holidays' benefiting some buyers that are brought in from time to time. The rates changed in April this year, and (first-time buyers excepted) where this is the only residential property someone will own, the tax is now zero up to £125,000, then 2% on the portion from £125,001 to £250,000, and 5% on the portion from £250,001 to £925,000. There are then two more bands so that it tops out at 12% on the portion above £1.5m. However, economists and others have long criticised stamp duty as outdated – SDLT is based on a tax first introduced in England in 1694 – and arguably the biggest barrier to moving house. Paul Johnson, until recently the director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, has said that of all the taxes levied at present, stamp duty on homes 'has a pretty good claim to be the most damaging and pernicious of the lot'. He added: 'The more often you move, the more tax you pay. It gums up the housing market and, by extension, the labour market.' The average stamp duty bill has risen to £9,935, according to research issued earlier this year by Coventry building society. It was £6,235 in 2014, according to its data. But of course, individual amounts vary hugely. It is estimated that the majority of property transactions – about 60%-plus – are affected by stamp duty. It has been suggested it would be paid by owner-occupiers on houses worth more than £500,000 when they sell up. The rate would be set by central government. This tax would not replace stamp duty on second homes. On the face of it, and based on current property prices, a £500,000 threshold would mean that the majority of people selling their home would escape the new tax. The average price of a home in the UK is £272,664 or £298,237, depending on whether you believe Nationwide's or Halifax's latest data. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion But tough luck if you are in London: according to the Halifax's latest data, the average house price in the capital is £539,000. The Guardian reported that the new tax (if it happens) would only affect about a fifth of property sales. Stephen Perkins, the managing director at the home loans broker Yellow Brick Mortgages, said: 'Financially, unless the property tax is ridiculously high, this will raise less money than stamp duty, as fewer homes will be affected.' He claimed: 'Initially, sellers will just build this into asking prices, sending [property] prices up.' Sources said Treasury officials were, in part, drawing on the findings of a 48-page report from the centre-right thinktank Onward, which was published in August last year. This put forward the idea of a 0.54% tax, with a 0.278% supplement on the portion of any value that exceeded £1m, which it said 'would raise the same amount as stamp duty'. The tax would be levied only on properties valued at £500,000-plus, and only on the portion of value above £500,000. The thinktank proposed that someone who had only recently bought their house and paid a substantial sum in stamp duty would not be asked to pay this tax in addition. Council tax has been described as 'a deeply broken system', and in its report, Onward said the way it worked meant 'an average home in Blackpool contributes more to the public purse than a mansion in Kensington'. Council tax bands in England are still set using property values from 1 April 1991, ranging from band A, for homes worth up to £40,000, to band H, for those worth £320,001 and above. The system of funding local government is different across the UK. The average band D council tax set by local authorities in England for 2025-26 was £2,280 – an increase of £109, or 5%, on the 2024-25 figure of £2,171. The idea of a new local annual property levy to replace council tax was also proposed by Onward. That plan – for a 'local proportional property tax' – would result in the owners, rather than the residents, of a property worth up to £500,000 paying varying rates of tax dependent on the value of the home. They would pay a minimum of £800 a year. A rate of 0.44% 'would raise the same amount of revenue as council tax', said the report. The TaxPayers' Alliance was quoted as saying: 'If these reports are true, then taxpayers are facing a wealth tax in all but name.' Craig Fish, the director at the mortgage broker Lodestone, said he was concerned that such a shake-up would stop people selling or moving home, especially in high-value areas. 'The result is less income overall,' he said.
Rhyl Journal
11 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Asylum seekers to be removed from Essex hotel as council granted injunction
Epping Forest District Council had asked a judge to issue an interim injunction stopping migrants from being accommodated at the Bell Hotel in Epping. The injunction sought by the council meant the hotel's owner, Somani Hotels Limited, would have had to stop housing asylum seekers there within 14 days. The hotel has been at the centre of a series of protests in recent weeks after an asylum seeker who was staying there was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. In a ruling on Tuesday, Mr Justice Eyre granted the temporary injunction, but extended the time limit by which the hotel must stop housing asylum seekers to September 12. He also refused to give Somani Hotels the green light to challenge his ruling, but the company could still ask the Court of Appeal for the go-ahead to appeal against the judgment. In his judgment, he said that while the council had not 'definitively established' that Somani Hotels had breached planning rules, 'the strength of the claimant's case is such that it weighs in favour' of granting the injunction. He continued that the 'risk of injustice is greater' if a temporary injunction was not granted. A further hearing on whether the injunction should be made permanent is expected to be held at a later date, and is expected to last two days. Several protests and counter-protests have been held in the town since a then-resident at the hotel was accused of trying to kiss a teenage girl. Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu has denied charges against him and is due to stand trial later this month. A second man who resides at the hotel, Syrian national Mohammed Sharwarq, has separately been charged with seven offences, while several other men have been charged over disorder outside the hotel. The council said last week it was seeking an injunction due to 'unprecedented levels of protest and disruption' in connection with asylum seeker accommodation. Chris Whitbread, leader of the council, said the situation 'cannot go on' but the Government 'is not listening'. At a hearing on Friday, barristers for the council said that the site's 'sole lawful use' was as a hotel and that Somani Hotels had breached planning rules by using it to house asylum seekers. Philip Coppel KC, for the authority, said the situation was 'wholly unacceptable' and provided a 'feeding ground for unrest'. He said: 'There has been what can be described as an increase in community tension, the catalyst of which has been the use of the Bell Hotel to place asylum seekers.' Mr Coppel continued: 'It is not the asylum seekers who are acting unlawfully. It is the defendant, by allowing the hotel to be used to house asylum seekers.' He added: 'It really could not be much worse than this.' Piers Riley-Smith, for Somani Hotels, said that 'disagreement with Government policy' did not justify a 'draconian' injunction and that there would be 'hardship' caused to the company and those housed at the hotel. He also said that contracts to house asylum seekers were a 'financial lifeline' for the hotel, which was only 1% full in August 2022, when it was open to paying customers. Mr Riley-Smith said: 'It is clear that recent protests have expanded far beyond the local community and have gone into concerns about wider ideological and political issues from those outside the community. 'Those particular ideological, non-community concerns are not relevant to planning.' Following the ruling, Mr Whitbread said: 'I am delighted. This is great news for our residents. The last few weeks have placed an intolerable strain on our community but today we have some great news.' He continued: 'Home Office policy ignores the issues and concerns of local residents that the council represents. 'Today we have made a step towards redressing the imbalance and showing that local people do have some say, whatever the Home Office thinks.' Before judgment was handed down on Tuesday, barristers for the Home Office asked to intervene in the case, citing the 'substantial impact' caused to the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, in performing her legal duties to asylum seekers. Edward Brown KC, for the department, told the court that moving asylum seekers in 'extremely short order' would cause a 'very significant operational burden' and 'particular acute difficulties' for the Government. But Mr Justice Eyre dismissed the Home Office's bid, stating that the department's involvement was 'not necessary'.
