Labour must ignore the protests of their union pals and cut Whitehall back down to size
Axe the Blob
SOARING numbers of Government pen-pushers have been a massive drain on the public purse.
Worse, as the Civil Service has ballooned, productivity has collapsed.
1
Slashing 80,000 unnecessary jobs over the next two years would save the Chancellor £5billion while protecting services, according to a report by two senior mandarins.
Their findings are damning.
Tens of thousands of workers hired for no reason; salaries way over the odds; work being done in duplicate.
Depressingly, there is now one member of HR staff for every one-and-a-half civil servants.
And while private sector workers struggle to save, gold-plated Government pensions mean some will earn more in retirement than in their jobs.
That can't carry on.
The brutal truth for the Tories is that they lost all control as the workforce grew to its second largest ever.
Labour — desperate to reduce spending — must ignore the protests of their union pals, and cut Whitehall back down to size.
WFH FURY Civil servants will STRIKE over two-day work from home order as bosses order them back in after waiting times rose
Glass houses
But the Prime Minister and his Chancellor would probably do better to concentrate on delivering solutions themselves.
The PM accused Reform of offering 'fantasy economics' and compared its plans to Liz Truss's disastrous mini Budget of 2022.
Yet rowing back on welfar e and giving unions huge pay rises has left Rachel Reeves facing a black hole of her OWN of anything between £30billion and £60billion.
The best way for Labour to take on Reform's surge is by delivering economic growth and putting money back in voters' pockets.
What rights?
THANKFULLY a compensation claim made by the brother of the Manchester Arena bomber has been thrown out.
But how did Hashem Abedi's sickening demand over 'equality rights' ever get so far?
Time and again, the State has rolled over for his terror-loving family.
Hashem received £350,000 in legal aid — despite refusing to come to court.
His suicide bomber brother Salman raked in tens of thousands in benefits and student loans while plotting his outrage.
Even after being jailed for 55 years Hashem was given a cushy kitchen job, only for him to brutally attack guards.
Let this be the last time this monster is ever indulged.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
21 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
‘Bold rewiring' of economy needed as Tories seek to regain trust, Stride says
In a speech on Thursday, Mel Stride is expected to promise the Conservatives will 'never again' make offers they cannot afford as the party seeks to forge a 'credible' financial plan for the future. Taking aim at both Labour and Reform UK, the Tory frontbencher will accuse Chancellor Rachel Reeves of 'fiddling the figures' by changing her definition of national debt, and warn that 'populism is not the answer'. Liz Truss's 2022 mini-budget spooked the markets and led to a spike in mortgage rates (Jacob King/PA) Addressing the legacy of the 2022 mini-budget under Ms Truss's premiership, which spooked the financial markets and led to a spike in mortgage rates, Mr Stride will say: 'For a few weeks, we put at risk the very stability which Conservatives had always said must be carefully protected. 'The credibility of the UK's economic framework was undermined by spending billions on subsidising energy bills and tax cuts, with no proper plan for how this would be paid for.' In a furious response, Ms Truss has accused Mr Stride of having 'kowtowed to the failed Treasury orthodoxy' and being 'set on undermining my plan for growth'. The shadow chancellor will claim that the Tories acted swiftly to restore stability, but the party's credibility would take longer to recover. 'That will take time, and it also requires contrition,' he is expected to say. 'So let me be clear: never again will the Conservative Party undermine fiscal credibility by making promises we cannot afford.' Ahead of the Chancellor's spending review next week, her opposite number will accuse her of 'abandoning' financial responsibility. Ms Reeves has two self-imposed 'fiscal rules' – funding day-to-day spending through taxation and for debt, measured by the benchmark of 'public sector net financial liabilities' (PSNFL), to be falling as a share of GDP. She has insisted these constraints are 'non-negotiable' amid wrangles with Cabinet colleagues over departmental budgets ahead of next week's announcement. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said her fiscal rules are 'non-negotiable' (Peter Byrne/PA) Mr Stride will say: 'At the spending review next week, we can expect her to trumpet all of the additional projects and programmes she is funding – without mentioning the fact it is all being paid for from borrowing.' Attacking Nigel Farage's Reform party after its gains in the local elections last month, the shadow chancellor will say: 'Take Reform. Their economic prescription is pure populism. It doubles down on the 'magic money tree' we thought had been banished with Jeremy Corbyn.' During the speech in central London, he will say the two 'core priorities' for the party will be 'stability and fiscal responsibility', with control of spending and reform of welfare and public services. He will add: 'And a bold rewiring of the British economy – to unleash growth, productivity, and opportunity across the country.' Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said that the comeback she anticipates for the party will take time as it seeks to avoid 'rushing' into policy commitments. Mr Stride will insist modern politics requires more 'thoughtfulness', with the Conservatives planning to spend the next four years forging a 'credible' plan to return to government. 'We will need to take our time if we are to forge a credible plan that delivers for the people of our country,' he will say. 'Over the next four years, our party will do just that.' Since being ejected from Number 10 after just 49 days in office, Ms Truss has conceded her plan to quickly abolish the 45p top rate of tax went too far, but otherwise defended her failed bid to boost growth. Responding to the Tory announcement on Thursday, she said: 'Mel Stride was one of the Conservative MPs who kowtowed to the failed Treasury orthodoxy and was set on undermining my Plan for Growth from the moment I beat his chosen candidate for the party leadership. 'Even when judged by the OBR's flawed calculations, my plans were chalked up as costing less than the spending spree Rishi Sunak pursued as Chancellor during the pandemic – yet Mel Stride never took him to task over any of that. 'And why has he singularly failed to examine the role played by the Bank of England in causing the LDI crisis that sent gilt rates spiralling? Why has he never asked the pertinent questions of the Governor, despite the Bank since admitting that two-thirds of the gilt spike was down to them? 'My plan to turbocharge the economy and get Britain growing again provided the only pathway for the Conservatives to avoid a catastrophic defeat at the election.' She added: 'Until Mel Stride admits the economic failings of the last Conservative Government, the British public will not trust the party with the reins of power again.' Reform's deputy leader Richard Tice said: 'We'll take no lectures on economics from a party that more than doubled the national debt, raised taxes and government spending to 70-year highs and shrank economic growth to 70-year lows. 'Meanwhile, we unearth Tory-run councils wasting £30 million on a bridge to nowhere. They can never be trusted again.' The Liberal Democrats accused the Conservatives of attacking Mr Farage's party for 'the same fantasy economics' they had pursued 'while secretly plotting a pact with them' as they branded the speech 'absurd'. Deputy leader Daisy Cooper MP said: 'It's insulting that the Conservatives think a few warm words will fool people into forgiving them for all the damage they did to the economy and people's livelihoods. 'Families are still reeling from the Conservatives' lockdown law-breaking and still paying the price after their mini budget sent mortgages spiralling. 'Now the Conservatives have the cheek to criticise Reform UK for the same fantasy economics while secretly plotting a pact with them: it's absurd.'
The Independent
32 minutes ago
- The Independent
All pupils in families on universal credit to be entitled to free school meals
All pupils in England whose families claim universal credit will be eligible for free school meals under an expansion of the Government-funded support. Hundreds of thousands more children across the country will be able to access means-tested free school meals when the provision is extended from September 2026, the Department for Education (DfE) has said. Currently, households in England on universal credit must earn below £7,400 a year (after tax and not including benefits) to qualify for free school meals. But the Government has announced that every pupil whose household is on universal credit will have a new entitlement to free school lunches from the start of the 2026/27 academic year. The move comes after campaigners and education leaders have called for free school meals to be extended to all children whose families are on universal credit to ease pressures on young people living in poverty. Nearly 2.1 million pupils – almost one in four of all pupils (24.6%) – in England were eligible for free school meals in January 2024. The DfE has said more than half-a-million more children are expected to benefit from a free meal every school day as a result of the expansion, and nearly £500 will be put back into parents' pockets every year. It suggested that the expansion will lift 100,000 children across England completely out of poverty. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: 'Feeding more children every day, for free, is one of the biggest interventions we can make to put more money in parents' pockets, tackle the stain of poverty, and set children up to learn. 'This expansion is a truly historic moment for our country, helping families who need it most and delivering our Plan for Change to give every child, no matter their background, the same chance to succeed.' The DfE is due to release data on Thursday morning showing the number of state school pupils in England who are eligible for free school meals. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: 'It is the moral mission of this government to tackle the stain of child poverty, and today this government takes a giant step towards ending it with targeted support that puts money back in parents' pockets. 'From free school meals to free breakfast clubs, breaking the cycle of child poverty is at the heart of our Plan for Change to cut the unfair link between background and success. 'We believe that background shouldn't mean destiny. Today's historic step will help us to deliver excellence everywhere, for every child and give more young people the chance to get on in life.' The Government's child poverty taskforce is due to publish its 10-year strategy later this year. Nick Harrison, chief executive of the Sutton Trust social mobility charity, said: 'This is a significant step towards taking hunger out of the classroom. 'Children can't learn effectively when hungry, so this announcement not only helps to tackle the effects of child poverty, but will also likely help improve education outcomes for disadvantaged young people. 'Giving free school meals to all families who are eligible for universal credit is also easier for parents to understand, so has the potential to increase take-up rates.' Kate Anstey, head of education policy at the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) charity, said: 'This is fantastic news and a game-changer for children and families. 'At last, more kids will get the food they need to learn and thrive and millions of parents struggling to make ends meet will get a bit of breathing space. 'We hope this is a sign of what's to come in autumn's child poverty strategy, with government taking more action to meet its manifesto commitment to reduce child poverty in the UK.' Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: 'There's some detail to be worked through on exactly how this transition will work and we look forward to talking with the Government about that. 'But, certainly, expanding free school meal eligibility in this way is absolutely the right thing to do.' Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), said: 'We join families and schools across England in welcoming this necessary and overdue first step in expanding free school meals eligibility. 'The existing threshold had been unchanged since 2018, meaning hundreds of thousands of children in poverty were missing out on the nutrition they need to thrive.' But he added that many children in families who just miss out on being eligible for universal credit will also 'miss out on a hot, healthy school meal'. Mr Kebede said: 'Ensuring that a free school meal is available to all children is the next urgent step that must be taken.' The Liberal Democrats said the change was a 'victory for thousands of passionate campaigners' but was 'only a first step' towards helping children in poverty. The party's education spokeswoman Munira Wilson MP said: 'Liberal Democrats have been pushing hard for this crucial change for years. It's a victory for thousands of passionate campaigners that the Government has finally listened.' She added: 'To end the cost-of-learning crisis, the Government needs to commit to auto-enrolling eligible children for free school meals, lifting the two-child benefit cap, and capping uniform costs to truly change the lives of children in poverty. We'll hold their feet to the fire to make sure today's change is just a start.'
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
H&M systems are down in the UK
By Customers at H&M stores across the UK have been unable to purchase products for several hours today, following an apparent failure in the company's payments system. A worker at one store in London told MailOnline that their location had been unable sell items for around two hours. It is not currently known if online customers have been affected by the issue, and the cause of the outage has not yet been revealed. A spokesperson for H&M told MailOnline: 'We are aware of the problem and are looking into resolving it as quickly as possible. 'We apologise to our customers for the inconvenience.' The incident comes after British retail institutions like M&S and Co-op were hit with severe cyber attacks that crippled them. In late April, Co-op was forced to shut down parts of its IT systems after hackers tried to illegally access them, and that it only had a 'small impact' on its operations. The firm later admitted that despite this, hackers 'accessed data relating to a significant number of our current and past members. Meanwhile, M&S stores up and down the country were left with empty shelves after it faced an Easter weekend cyber attack. The company admitted that personal information of customers, which could include telephone numbers, home addresses and dates of birth, were taken. M&S said that the data thieves did not take usable payment or card information from their servers. Luxury jewelry firm Cartier and outdoor retailer The North Face then became the latest retailers to report customer data being stolen in cyber attacks . Watchmaker Cartier told customers in an email that 'an unauthorised party gained temporary access' to its system and 'obtained limited client information'. The firm - whose items have been worn by Taylor Swift , Angelina Jolie and Michelle Obama - revealed names, email addresses and countries had been obtained. But Cartier, which is owned by Swiss-based Richemont, said the 'affected information did not include any passwords, credit card details or other banking information'. The company said it further enhanced the protection of its systems and data, told the relevant authorities and was working with 'leading external cyber security experts'. Separately, fashion brand The North Face, owned by VF Corporation, emailed some of its customers to tell them it discovered a 'small scale' attack in April this year. The brand said names and email addresses were taken, but financial details were not - with the company revealing hackers used 'credential stuffing', reported BBC News. This involves trying usernames and passwords stolen from another data breach in the hope customers have reused the credentials across multiple accounts. North Face said attackers may have got hold of some customers' postal addresses and purchase histories. A North Face spokeswoman told MailOnline: 'The cyber incident you are referring to is a small-scale cyber incident occurred on April 23, 2025, affecting our The North Face e-commerce website in the US only. 'The incident was contained very quickly on the same day it occurred. There was no impact on our systems and/or our consumer data in Europe whatsoever, including in the UK.' Cyber security expert Julius Cerniauskas, chief executive of web intelligence firm Oxylabs, told MailOnline that the latest breaches 'send a clear message that no brand is safe from cybercrime, not even the biggest names with the deepest pockets'. He added: 'Attackers are becoming more opportunistic and sophisticated, targeting brands that hold valuable customer data, not just credit card numbers. 'In the case of The North Face, credential stuffing shows how recycled passwords from past breaches continue to fuel new attacks. 'Cartier's incident demonstrates how even well-defended systems can be compromised. Whether it's luxury retail or everyday consumer brands, hackers are finding weak spots and exploiting them fast.' Mr Cerniauskas urged retailers to 'respond with more than apologies', encouraging them to enforce multi-factor authentication, tighten access controls and constantly monitor for threats. Speaking further about 'credential stuffing', Joe Jones, chief executive and founder of Pistachio, a cybersecurity attack simulation company, said consumers reusing passwords across multiple sites were a 'sitting duck' for breaches of this type. He told MailOnline: 'Credential stuffing, the method used here, only works because people reuse the same login details. 'If you've been caught in this breach, change your passwords immediately - especially if they match accounts like email or banking. 'Enable app-based two-factor authentication, not SMS, and remain hyper alert to scam emails, texts or even fake calls.'
