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Yet the country's two mainstream but increasingly unpopular parties – a disenchantment Brits will recognise – portray the AfD as chocka with swastika-waving Nazis building scale models of Treblinka in their basements.
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Telegraph
13 minutes ago
- Telegraph
The Chagos betrayal proves Labour is lying about public spending
'Behind every great fortune there lies a great crime', wrote Honore De Balzac. In Keir Starmer's it seems to work the other way around: behind the great crime of the Chagos deal there lies an almost unfathomably colossal fortune. Thanks to the dogged reporting of this newspaper we now know that the sordid Chagos deal will, by the Government Actuary Department's admission, cost British taxpayers no less than £34.7 billion. That is more than ten times the figure originally touted by the Prime Minister. Even by Rachel Reeves's standards that makes for a staggering rounding error. I'm afraid it really confirms the Government's prior public statements on the costs of the deal were never anything more than a pack of lies. I should know: I've tried to obtain these figures since at least 28 October last year, when I tabled a written question on the matter in Parliament: 'To ask His Majesty's Government how much they will pay per annum to lease Diego Garcia; and what is the expected total cost of the financial support that the UK has agreed to give to Mauritius, including any cost of annual payments.' A few weeks later a non-answer arrived: 'Details of financial arrangements are held in the confidential exchange of letters that accompanies the draft treaty, which we do not plan to make public unless compelled to by parliament in due course'. What other gruesome financial revelations are buried within those letters, masked by endless gobbets of Whitehallese, shamelessly concealed from those of us who must pay the price? Those documents and the complete costs must now be published in full. I honestly believe that if such an absurd and costly scandal as the Chagos debacle had been presided over by an administration other than this shameless Labour junta – impregnable with its planet-sized majority in the House of Commons – then the entire UK government would have been at serious risk of collapse. From the moment Starmer came to office, the Chagos subplot has been a mind-boggling story of deranged self-harm and ministerial insouciance at best, malfeasance and deeply suspect political conduct at worst. It's patently obvious to any British taxpayer that £34.7 billion of our money would be much better spent on other things: 10 aircraft carriers for example, reversing the whole burden of recent hikes in business taxation, or increasing the schools budget by 50 per cent. So gargantuan is this quantum of public spending, if properly directed and managed, it could make a significant and lasting difference to daily life for working Brits. Instead Labour is inexplicably and voluntarily gifting it to the state of Mauritius – not just now, but for decades to come. Much of the costs of this deal are simply an enormous appropriation of British taxpayer's money into the exchequer of a third country. It represents a tax cut for ordinary Mauritians of staggering proportions. In June, after Starmer's deal was signed, Mauritius's Prime Minister announced that 80 per cent of Mauritians will be taken out of income tax altogether. Mauritius's sovereign debt is now effectively being paid down with the corporation tax and Vat bills of struggling plumbers in Leicestershire and shopkeepers in Cornwall. Labour's deal massively improved Mauritius's public sector debt position and will upgrade its sovereign credit rating. They say Keir Starmer isn't very good at his job, but he is, by some distance, the single most effective finance minister that Mauritius has ever had. The Chagos scandal is the paradigmatic example of the governing 'lanyard class' failing to deliver for the people they are paid public sector salaries to serve. The UK is faced with spurious legal, territorial and financial claims all the time. It should dismiss them out of hand. The UK is constantly criticised in multilateral fora for an entire constellation of reasons – many of them entirely spurious. The duty of any British minister or official, of whatever political hue, should be to be able to cut through this nonsense and prioritise the UK national interest above all, especially when it comes to defence and security. No doubt an enormous golden statue of Keir Starmer soon to be erected in Port Louis will serve as a constant reminder of this elite failure.
Daily Record
5 hours ago
- Daily Record
New calls to increase weekly State Pension payments to £586 for every person aged over 60
An online petition proposes a new 'universal' State Pension linked to the National Living Wage. State pension age to be reviewed by UK Government amid fears that 45% of workers are not saving A new online petition is calling on the UK Government to increase weekly State Pension payments to £586 for every person over the age of 60, including Brits living abroad in retirement. Petition creator Denver Johnson, proposes increasing payments to equal 48 hours each week at the National Living Wage rate of £12.21 per hour. The petition proposals would provide 13 million people currently on the State Pension - and those over 60 - with £2,344 every four-week payment period, some £30,476 each year. This uplift would also be applied to some 453,000 retirees whose State Pension has been frozen at the point of emigration because the country they now live in does not have a reciprocal agreement with the UK Government. The 'Give State Pension to all at 60 and increase it to equal 48 hours at Living Wage' petition has been posted on the petitions-parliament website and states: 'We want the Government to make the State Pension available from the age of 60 and increase this to equal 48 hours a week at the National Living Wage.' The petition continued: 'Hence from April 2025 a universal State Pension should be £586.08 per week or about £30,476.16 per year as a right to all including expatriates, age 60 and above. 'We think that Government policy seems intent on the State Pension being a benefit not paid to all, while ever increasing the age of entitlement. We want reforms to the State Pension, so that it is available to all including expatriates, from age 60, and linked to the National Living Wage, for security.' At 10,000 signatures, the petition would be entitled to a written response from the UK Government. At 100,000 it would be considered by the Petitions Committee for debate in Parliament - read it in full here. Annual State Pension uprating Under the Triple Lock measure, State Pensions increase each year in-line with whichever is the highest of average annual earnings growth from May to July, Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation in the year to September or 2.5 per cent. The New and Basic State Pension increased by 4.7 per cent in April, which means someone on the full New State Pension currently receives £230.25 per week, or £921 every four-week pay period. Those on the full Basic State Pension receive £176.45 each week, or £705.80 every four-week pay period. State Pension uprating predictions for 2026/27 The Triple Lock is currently on track to be determined by the earnings growth element which is currently at 5.2 per cent (excluding bonuses). However, this figure may go up or down and isn't the final metric that will determine the level of uprating. The CPI figure for June was 3.6 per cent with the July figure due to be published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on August 20. That being said, a 5.2 per cent increase on the current State Pension would see people receive the following amounts. Full New State Pension Weekly: £242.90 Four-weekly pay period: £971.60 Annual amount: £12,630.80 Full Basic State Pension Weekly: £186.25 Four-weekly pay period: £744.60 Annual amount: £9,679.80 The annual uprating won't be confirmed until the Autumn Budget, but pensioners - and those due to retire next year - can start to plan their finances by following the Triple Lock measurements. The September CPI figure will be published in mid-October, but the wages growth figure is usually published in August. State Pension and tax The Labour Government confirmed earlier this year that the Personal Allowance will remain frozen at £12,570 until April 2028. If the New and Basic State Pension increased by the lower measure of the Triple Lock (2.5%), it would see the full New State Pension exceed the income tax threshold by nearly £79 in the 2027/28 financial year (£12,578.80). While the amount of State Pension to be taxed may seem relatively small - tax is only paid on the amount over the Personal Allowance - older people with other income streams could find themselves having to part with more cash to pay a tax bill - if it's not automatically deducted from private or workplace pensions through PAYE. And remember, that figure is based on the lower measure of the Triple Lock. Using the current projections, more pensioners could be dragged into the retirement tax net sooner, especially if they have additional income through a private or workplace pension. What is taxed Guidance on states: 'You pay tax if your total annual income adds up to more than your Personal Allowance. Find out about your Personal Allowance and Income Tax rates. Your total income could include: the State Pension you get - Basic or New State Pension Additional State Pension a private pension (workplace or personal) - you can take some of this tax-free earnings from employment or self-employment any taxable benefits you get any other income, such as money from investments, property or savings Check if you have to pay tax on your pension Before you can check, you will need to know: if you have a State Pension or a private pension how much State Pension and private pension income you will get this tax year (April 6 to April 5) the amount of any other taxable income you'll get this tax year (for example, from employment or state benefits) You cannot use this tool if you get: any foreign income Marriage Allowance Blind Person's Allowance Use this online tool at to check if you have to pay tax on your pension. The full guide to tax when you get a pension can be found on here.
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
National security warning as union warns critical jobs are set to be cut
Jobs are expected to be shed at UK Security Vetting (UKSV) and among staff who advise the Cobra emergency committee - sparking a warning from the PCS union National security could be damaged by cuts to government vetting teams, unions have warned. More than 100 jobs are expected to be shed at UK Security Vetting (UKSV), while the team supporting the UK's emergency Cobra committee also face cuts. It comes as part of a wider effort to slim down the civil service. The Cabinet Office proposes reducing UKSV to 780 roles, down from over 900, it is understood. And 10 staff specialising in chemical, biological and radiological threats are also at risk, on top of around 20 Cobra support workers. It comes as Rachel Reeves gives update on wealth tax calls as pressure mounts to target richest Brits READ MORE: Fury as small boat detentions begin amid threat of human rights legal challenges Fran Heathcote, general secretary of the PCS union, said: "It is now evident that these cuts will undermine the delivery of essential public services and compromise key government functions, including those critical to national security and emergency preparedness." UKSV vets people before they take up sensitive roles in the Ministry of Defence and Foreign Office, as well as those who apply for Parliamentary passes. Around 110 jobs are expected to be cut, but insiders insiders insist no final decisions have been made. Most of the cuts are expected to come through voluntary redundancy or by not replacing people who leave. Some civil servants will be redeployed elsewhere, it is believed. It has sparked concerns about the impact on UKSV's work. It was heavily criticised by the National Audit Office in 2023 over delays carrying out checks that, the watchdog said, risked hampering work on national security. Writing in Civil Service World last year, UKSV's chief executive Trish Deghorn said the organisation had managed to turn itself around - in part due to increased staffing levels. A source told the PA news agency that the Cabinet Office had argued back-office staff working on UKSV's recovery were no longer required and the organisation's headcount could now be cut. The cuts to Cobra follow a merger of Cabinet Office directorates working on crisis response and resilience, the source said. Ms Heathcote said the union had warned officials had "failed to distinguish between back-office and frontline roles". She said the union "will continue to stand firmly with our members in opposing these damaging cuts". And she added: "We will defend their job security and the vital work they do to keep the country running safely and effectively." A Government spokesman said: "We don't routinely comment on national security staffing. More broadly, we are making the department more strategic, specialist and smaller, helping existing teams better serve the public and deliver the plan for change." Alex Burghart, Tory shadow chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, said it "beggars belief" that the Government is "cutting back on our national security and emergency infrastructure".
