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Daily Mail
12 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Victoria Starmer received £650 tickets for Royal Ascot - despite the Prime Minister paying back more than £6,000 worth of gifts just last year, reveals Richard Eden
She's been described as a 'reluctant' political spouse because of her rare public appearances, but Victoria Starmer is, it seems, anything but reluctant when it comes to accepting freebies. Her husband, Sir Keir Starmer, has disclosed that her attendance at a horse racing event last month was thanks to a gift from Ascot Racecourse. This week, the Prime Minister updated his entry in the parliamentary Register of Members' Financial Interests to record that he accepted £650 worth of tickets from the Berkshire racecourse. The entry states: 'Name of donor: Ascot Authority (Holdings) Limited. Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Tickets and hospitality for three family members (value approximate), value £650.' Sir Keir did not join his wife at the King George Racing Weekend event. It is thought that he was preparing for his talks with Donald Trump, whom he was due to meet after the US President's trip to Scotland. Lady Starmer, 52, an NHS occupational health worker, was pictured enjoying the warm weather in a bright orange sundress as she attended The King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at the racecourse. Sir Keir's acceptance of the freebie is surprising as last October he paid back more than £6,000 worth of gifts and hospitality he had received since becoming Prime Minister, following a backlash over donations. That included nearly £2,000 for four tickets to Doncaster Racecourse, as well as six Taylor Swift tickets and a clothing rental agreement with a high-end designer favoured by Lady Starmer. It came after Sir Keir and other cabinet ministers faced weeks of criticism for accepting freebies from wealthy donors. The Prime Minister said it was 'right' for him to repay the cost of some gifts. Asked about the donations, he said his Government would bring forward new principles for donations 'as until now politicians have used their best individual judgement to decide'. He said: 'I took the decision that until those principles were in place it was right to repay these particular payments.' Sir Keir has committed to tightening the rules around ministerial hospitality and gifts to improve transparency. Earlier, a Downing Street spokesman confirmed that the ministerial code would be updated and will include 'a new set of principles on gifts and hospitality' commissioned by Sir Keir. MPs are allowed to accept gifts from donors but have to declare these on the register of MPs' interests. It's the spiritual home of cricket and now Lord's is for sale – well, at least small pieces of it. Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is offering its members the chance to buy chunks of turf from the north London pitch for £50 each. 'At the end of the 2025 season, we will be resurfacing the famous outfield on the Main Ground at Lord's for the first time in 23 years,' explains an MCC email. 'To raise funds for the MCC Foundation, and to aid future development of the cricket field, we are offering all members the chance to own a piece of Lord's turf.' One louche member tells me: 'I normally buy my grass in Camden Town.' Anneka (and jumpsuit) is back in black Anneka Rice once revealed she had a 'shrine' to the jumpsuits she used to wear on 1980s hit TV show Treasure Hunt and even hired them out for hen parties. Clearly, the presenter has saved a few of them for her own nights out. Rice, 64, slipped into a black jumpsuit for the opening night performance of Secret Cinema's Grease: The Immersive Movie Musical at Evolution in London this week. The Welsh-born presenter returned to our screens last year for the revival of 1990s reality series Challenge Anneka, but it was cancelled after just three episodes due to low ratings. Dame Mary Archer is not just 'fragrant' – as a judge called her in her husband Jeffrey's 1987 libel trial – but extremely fit as well. I hear the 80-year-old is to join five other dames in running a charity relay race next month. 'The Great Dames are dusting off their trainers… and generally limbering up to run in Cambridge's famous Chariots Of Fire race,' she says, referring to their team name. Each woman will run a 1.7-mile loop before passing over the baton. 'The beneficiary is Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity,' she says. 'The funds raised will go directly towards establishing a new Roald Dahl Nurse.' Francesca saddles up in style ITV's perkiest presenter, horse racing pundit Francesca Cumani, is determined to prove she'd be a stylish dresser whichever century she happened to be born in. The mother of two attended the Goodwood Regency Ball – where guests were transported back to the 19th century – wearing a floor-length red dress from vintage fashion for hire store Constantine Rex. 'In full costume at the Goodwood Ball with this handsome pair,' Cumani, 42, wrote of fashion stylist Sarah Byrne, pictured left, and racehorse trainer Stephanie Easterby, pictured right, next to this photograph taken at Goodwood House, the Duke of Richmond's ancestral seat in West Sussex. Middleton's answer to ruff days at work Some might say he's barking, but James Middleton has called for companies to let employees bring their dogs to work. The Princess of Wales's brother claims it would boost productivity. 'Dogs in the workplace should be a generic 'yes' unless there is a very good reason to say 'no',' says James, 38, who runs dog food firm James & Ella, named after him and his late first dog. 'I started the business during the pandemic and the whole team works remotely. 'When we all get together, there are dogs everywhere and I really believe they increase productivity. Ideas come from those 15-minute breaks, taking them out to the garden.'
Business News Wales
32 minutes ago
- Business News Wales
Chancellor Visits Port Talbot to Outline Plans for £143m Funding to Secure Coal Tips
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to use a visit to Port Talbot to outline how £143 million of UK Government funding will secure more than 130 disused coal tips in Wales. Disused coal tips present severe risks from landslides or flooding. Last November, a disused coal tip in Cwmtillery, Blaenau Gwent, partially collapsed, forcing around 40 homes and families to be evacuated. The £118 million provided at the Spending Review by the Chancellor comes in addition to £25 million from last year's Autumn Budget, amounting to £143 million to deliver funding to protect existing homes whilst enabling new areas of land to be secured for future house building by the Welsh Government. When combined with funding from the Welsh Government, £220 million has now been earmarked to make coal tips in Wales safe. These areas previously may not have been in scope for new homes due to the presence of these coal tips but by securing tips and minimising the risk of their collapse, new homes could now be built. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said: 'I know the scars that coal tip disasters have left on Welsh communities. This £143 million investment will protect families and communities from the risks posed by disused coal tips, whilst opening up sites to build new homes for hard-working Welsh families. 'These sites need to be safe, and this funding demonstrates how we are delivering our Plan for Change, putting the safety of working people first and supporting economic growth.' Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens said: 'Ensuring coal tips across Wales remain safe is of the utmost importance. We want to ensure that communities who are close to coal tips can be confident that their homes and businesses are properly protected. 'This £118 million is in addition to £25 million which has already been provided by the UK Government and is an example of how two governments working in partnership are delivering for the people of Wales.' Welsh Government Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford said: 'We welcome the extra investment from the UK Government for this vital work to protect communities living with the legacy of our industrial past. This builds upon previous years of Welsh Government funding and brings combined Welsh and UK Government funding to £220 million. We have long made the case for fair funding to address the impact of coal tips, protect homes, businesses and create new economic opportunities.' Nick Rolfe, Regional Director, Wales, Walters UK, said: 'The Walters Group is proud to be a key partner in this important work to secure, improve, and make safe disused coal tips across Wales. This significant investment from the UK Government, working alongside the Welsh Government and here at Dyffryn Rhondda with Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council, shows a strong commitment to protecting our communities and dealing with the legacy of our industrial past. 'As a proud Welsh company with a long history of working in these communities on environmental and regeneration projects, we understand how important this work is. The funding is not only crucial for keeping our environment safe and protected for future generations but also for giving local people peace of mind and confidence in the future of this area for the community and visitors that make use of the active travel routes that run the length of this project.'
Times
40 minutes ago
- Times
How will my pension be impacted by inheritance tax?
Q. I understand pensions will be brought into the realm of inheritance tax (IHT) in the next couple of years but I wondered if there was any information concerning how the value of the pension will be assessed? Other assets have a financial value which is easily understood. They may also be given away and, provided that the rules are adhered to, may avoid IHT. I do not believe the same can be said for pensions. My understanding is that they cannot be given away during your lifetime, which is why the government is looking to include them within the IHT assessment. The real value of a pension may depend on the tax treatment it will be subjected to. When a pension is assessed for IHT purposes, is it the full value of the remaining pension that becomes part of the estate for IHT? Please note I live in Scotland — will this affect the income tax charged to my beneficiaries?Neil As you note, from April 2027 the government has confirmed unspent pensions will count towards your estate for IHT purposes, meaning more people will be affected by the tax. That said, despite IHT being one of the most unpopular taxes in the UK, it is levied on a minority of households — so it might not affect you at all. About 5 per cent of deaths result in any IHT being paid, though the inclusion of pensions may double this proportion. You will need to exhaust your nil-rate band of £325,000 and main-residence nil-rate band of £175,000 (an extra allowance for those leaving their home to a direct descendant on estates worth up to £2 million) before any of your estate is exposed to an IHT charge of 40 per cent. Furthermore, if your estate, including any pensions after April 2027, is being inherited by your spouse or civil partner, there will be no IHT to pay at all. And in general terms, it is best not to let the tax tail wag the pensions or investment dog. To confirm, it will be the full value of your pension, before income tax, that is assessed for inheritance tax. Tax, including IHT, is clearly a consideration when making retirement decisions, but it should not be the only consideration. If you die before age 75 your pension, up to a limit of £1,073,100, can usually be passed without your beneficiaries having to pay income tax when they withdraw it. Above the limit they will pay tax at their normal rate. If you die after age 75, your beneficiaries will pay income tax on all of the funds at their normal rate. These rules will still apply when defined contribution (DC) pensions become subject to IHT from April 2027. For those unfamiliar with the jargon, a DC pension is a retirement pot where how much you build up is based on what you pay in and investment growth. Your contributions benefit from upfront tax relief, the growth is tax-free and your money available to access as you wish — with up to a quarter available to take tax-free — usually from age 55 (rising to age 57 from April 2028). The alternative is a defined benefit (DB) pension, where you are paid an income for life, though these are increasingly rare as they are so expensive to fund. Where it can be passed on (usually to a dependant) this income will remain free of IHT when the rules change. Annuities, an insurance product that pays an income for life, which can sometimes be passed to a named beneficiary, will also remain IHT-free. However, certain lump sum death benefits from defined benefit (DB) schemes will be subject to IHT from April 2027. Broadly, any money left in a DC pension pot on death — whether it's untouched or has been put into 'drawdown' — will count towards your estate for IHT purposes. IHT will only become a factor if passing it on to someone other than a spouse or civil partner and the total value of your estate exceeds your IHT nil-rate bands. In terms of valuing DC pensions, that shouldn't be a problem as they are all cash amounts. On gifting, there is nothing stopping you accessing your DC pension and handing the money to loved ones. Provided that you live for seven years after making the gift, this money should be IHT-free. On income tax, these proposals are UK-wide but it will be the income tax rate that applies to your beneficiaries in the country they live that will apply. Income tax rates in Scotland are different from those in England and Wales, with a lower starter rate of 19 per cent on income between £12,571 to £15,397 a year, but a number of extra income bands and a top rate of 48 per cent on income above £125,140, instead of 45 per cent. Any beneficiaries living there could pay a higher tax bill if they withdrew a large sum in one year than if they lived elsewhere. Tom Selby is the director of public policy at AJ Bell and has successfully campaigned for retirement reforms such as banning pensions cold-calling and increasing pension allowances
