Irish Government to draft bill to ban trade with illegal Israeli settlements
A Government spokesperson said the proposed Sinn Fein bill was asking for an activity that does not take place in Ireland – Israeli bonds are not listed on the Irish Stock Exchange nor are they available to purchase through any regulated entity in the State – to end.
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The Independent
21 minutes ago
- The Independent
Winter fuel payments: Am I eligible and how much can I get?
In the latest U-turn after months of backlash, the government has announced a massive expansion of who will receive winter fuel payments. After weeks of speculation over what the changes would look like, it has now been confirmed that 9 million pensions will be eligible for the payment - a huge uplift from the 1.5 million pensioners who received the payment in winter 2024-25. Here, The Independent looks at how the new system will work and who will be affected by the uplift. How many people did the winter fuel payment cut affect? The winter fuel payment is a state benefit previously given to all pensioners to help with energy costs during the coldest months of the year. The decision to means-test the previously universal payment was one of the first announcements by Rachel Reeves when she became chancellor after Labour's landslide election victory last year, and it has been widely blamed for the party's collapse in support. The government has insisted the policy was necessary to help stabilise the public finances, and meant that the payment would only go to those on low incomes who received specified benefits such as pension credit. This meant the number of pensioners receiving the payment was reduced from 11.4 million to 1.5 million. Several charities, MPs and unions criticised the decision, with some blaming it for the party's disappointing local election results. In November, it was revealed that the government's own figures indicated it would force 100,000 pensioners into poverty in 2026. How was the payment linked to pension credit? Only those who claim pension credit were able to receive the winter fuel payment in winter 2024. Those who are above state pension age and have an income of less than £218.15 a week, or less than £332.95 as a joint weekly income with your partner, are eligible for pension credit. However, despite the government's campaigns and an increase in claims after the July 2024 announcement, it is estimated that half a million eligible people fail to claim the benefit. How will the new system work? The government has increased the threshold at which people over the state pension age become eligible for the payment, meaning that anyone with an income of or below £35,000 will receive it this winter. The government estimates that the new threshold will ensure that more than three quarters of pensioners in England and Wales - around 9m people - will receive the benefit. It is estimated that around 2 million pensioners in England and Wales have taxable incomes above £35,000 and will therefore be exempt. The payment of £200 per household, or £300 per household where there is someone over 80, will be made automatically this winter, meaning no pensioner will need to take any action in order to receive the payment. Those with incomes above the threshold will see the payment automatically recovered via HMRC, or they have the option to opt out. However, details of how this will work are yet to be confirmed. Ministers estimate the change will cost the taxpayer £1.25bn in England and Wales, saving around £450m compared to when the winter fuel payment was universally available. The Treasury has not yet set out how it will pay for the uplift, but has insisted the costs will be accounted for at the autumn budget and incorporated into the next OBR forecast. They have also promised it will not lead to permanent additional borrowing.
The Independent
32 minutes ago
- The Independent
What is the spending review? Everything Rachel Reeves could announce to fix UK economy
Rachel Reeves will today make one of her biggest statements to MPs since Labour 's general election victory. The chancellor will unveil the results of her line by line spending review, setting out the budgets of government departments until the end of the decade. The review will be the first conducted by a Labour government since Alistair Darling and Gordon Brown 's comprehensive spending review in 2007. And it will see Ms Reeves walk the tightrope between delivering on the party's election promises while seeking to squeeze within her self-imposed fiscal rules. As a result, some departments are likely to face deep spending cuts, while others see their budgets increase for the years to come. The Independent looks at what the spending review is likely to include and the rows it is already causing. What is the spending review? Ms Reeves' spending review has taken place in two parts, with phase one set out in her October Budget - which included £40 billion of tax hikes and set out departmental spending until 2026. The second phase has seen departments ordered to set out how adopting technologies such as AI and reforming public services can free up government cash and support the delivery of Labour 's missions. Wednesday's review will set out day-to-day departmental spending for the next three years and investment spending for the next four. Reeves has ruled out borrowing for day-to-day spending and has insisted she will not raise taxes again, prompting questions about how the policies will be funded and whether cuts will be made. When is the spending review? The spending review will take place after Prime Minister 's Questions, so at around 12.30pm, on Wednesday, 11 June. What has already been announced? Ms Reeves hopes a government splurge on infrastructure will be enough to keep the cabinet and Labour backbenchers onside, with the chancellor touting changes to her fiscal rules allowing her to borrow more to invest. On Wednesday she set out plans to invest billions of pounds in public transport in the North and Midlands, with billions more expected to be unveiled next week. Reeves has also confirmed that the government will U-turn on its decision to take winter fuel payments away from 10 million pensioners, a policy change that is estimated to cost around £1.25bn. The government has also said that the overseas aid budget will be cut to fund a boost in defence spending, which will increase from 2.3 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) to 2.5 per cent by 2027. Labour is under pressure to raise it to 3 per cent by 2034. The chancellor has unveiled an £86 billion package for science and technology, while the NHS is set to receive a boost of as much as £30 billion and schools will get a £4.5 billion boost to cover higher pay for teachers. Alongside this, the government on Monday announced plans to invest an extra £1 billion into scaling up UK computer power 'by a factor of twenty' to ensure Britain is an 'AI maker not an AI taker'. And on Tuesday, ministers confirmed its intention pump billions of pounds into Britain's nuclear energy sector, putting £14.2bn towards construction of the new Sizewell C nuclear power station. In the final hours before the review was unveiled, Ms Reeves announced she would be putting £39bn towards affordable homes over the next 10 years, as well as announcing an extension of the £3 bus fare cap until March 2027. What else might be announced? Ms Reeves confirmed Wednesday's statement will not see another round of bumper tax hikes, as some had expected, meaning that we are likely to see sweeping cuts to unprotected departments. Only the protected defence, health and education departments are likely to be spared. Others will see spending slashed, with the days leading into the statement dominated by cabinet infighting over the cuts. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has already warned that 'sharp trade-offs are unavoidable'. With the government already having vowed more money for the Ministry of Defence to boost spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027, the money will have to come out of other departments' budgets. Meanwhile, the ever-ballooning NHS budget will also see pressure piled on other departments, as Labour prioritises investment in the health service to cut waiting lists. But the trade-offs could undermine Labour's promises elsewhere, with police chiefs writing to Sir Keir Starmer warning him forces could face 'stark choices' about which crimes to prioritise due to potential cuts. How have the cabinet and others reacted? Yvette Cooper and Angela Rayner both refused to agree to the spending settlements with the Treasury until just 48 hours before the review was unveiled, with a senior Labour figure telling The Independent the cuts will lead to key manifesto spending promises being ditched. Areas that could be affected are border control, policing, and social care. But cuts are necessary due to the lacklustre growth forecasts for the UK economy, which may be further downgraded in the autumn as a result of Donald Trump 's tariffs. Metropolitan Police head Sir Mark Rowley was among those warning the prime minister of 'far-reaching consequences' if the Treasury pushes ahead with slashing costs, including cuts to frontline policing last seen under austerity. Downing Street had been enlisted to help in discussions over the Home Office settlement, with the department concerned an uplift in police spending would be offset by cuts elsewhere. Outside Whitehall, the mayor of London raised concerns the capital will get nothing in Wednesday's review, despite having called for major investments in transport projects and the power to introduce a tourist levy. Sources close to Sir Sadiq Khan were warning the government it risked returning to an 'anti-London agenda' seen under the Conservatives. How is Britain's economy looking? The government has claimed that an economic turnaround in recent months has meant it can finance changes such as the U-turn on winter fuel payments, with Sir Keir on Wednesday saying it is also why Labour backs the state pension triple lock. The economy performed unexpectedly strongly in the first three months of the year, with the chancellor highlighting that Britain had the fastest growth in the G7, with GDP rising by 0.7 per cent. But despite the positive figures, experts warned that the economic landscape has shifted considerably since the first quarter, particularly with the introduction of Mr Trump's tariffs.
North Wales Chronicle
an hour ago
- North Wales Chronicle
US criticises UK decision to sanction two Israeli ministers
Donald Trump's secretary of state Marco Rubio said that the travel ban and asset freeze imposed on Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich 'do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire' and called for the measures to be reversed. The UK is taking the action alongside Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway. Mr Rubio said that the US 'stands shoulder-to-shoulder' with Israel. UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said on Tuesday that the ministers had been 'inciting violence against Palestinian people for months and months and months, they have been encouraging egregious abuses of human rights'. In a post on X, Mr Rubio said that the 'United States condemns the sanctions imposed by the governments of United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, New Zealand, and Australia on two sitting members of the Israeli cabinet. These sanctions do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war.' The United States condemns the sanctions imposed by the governments of United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, New Zealand, and Australia on two sitting members of the Israeli cabinet. These sanctions do not advance U.S.-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and… — Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) June 10, 2025 He went on to say that America reminds 'our partners not to forget who the real enemy is'. 'The United States urges the reversal of the sanctions and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel.' The sanctions against Israel's security and finance ministers were announced on Tuesday. Mr Smotrich and Mr Ben-Gvir both belong to right-wing parties which help to prop up Benjamin Netanyahu's fragile coalition government, and both have been criticised for their hardline stance on Gaza. Mr Smotrich has campaigned against allowing aid into Gaza, and also supported the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law. Meanwhile, Mr Ben-Gvir has called for Gaza's people to be resettled from the territory. In a joint statement with the foreign ministers of the other nations who also imposed sanctions, Mr Lammy said that the two sanctioned ministers had incited 'serious abuses of Palestinian human rights' and described their actions as 'not acceptable'. The statement added: 'We will strive to achieve an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the immediate release of the remaining hostages by Hamas which can have no future role in the governance of Gaza, a surge in aid and a path to a two-state solution.' Downing Street said that the two men had been sanctioned in their 'personal capacities' and not 'their ministries and departments'. 'As the Israeli ambassador to the UK has said in recent interviews, their statements in their ministerial capacities do not even represent government policy,' a Number 10 spokesman said. The UK and other allies have upped pressure on Israel in recent weeks, amid aid shortages in Gaza and suggestions a large-scale offensive could be launched into the territory. It has been reported that only scarce amounts of aid is making it into the hands of people, and the slow flow of food and medicines has prompted warnings of famine and starvation.
