
Keir Starmer criticises budget watchdog OBR over welfare cuts analysis
Sir Keir Starmer has criticised the Office for Budget Responsibility for failing to 'price in' the impact of the government's welfare reforms on getting people back to work.
The prime minister said that he 'personally struggles' with the way the budget watchdog draws up its economic forecasts and assesses the impact of government policies. It is the first time that Starmer has criticised it, having given the body new powers in one of his first acts as prime minister and praising it in opposition.
Appearing before MPs on the liaison committee, Starmer also said the UK should not 'jump in with both feet' to retaliate against President Trump's trade tariffs.
He said he was not open to 'trading away' the NHS as part of a
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Daily Mail
18 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
'Disrespectful' woman blasted for charging her mother for a simple household task
A woman has received backlash after revealing that she charged her mother £40 to help set up her household bills. Laura Shahu, believed to be from the UK, has 29,000 followers on Instagram where she often posts videos about tips and tricks she's learnt on how to save cash over the years. The mother-of-two recently shared a clip in which she revealed that her mother needed assistance with setting up her household bills and wanted to get her advice on the best rate possible. Laura said: 'Am I greedy for charging my mum £40 for setting up her own bank account for her? I know what you're thinking - what kind of person charges their own mother to help them manage their bills? Well I kind of did and kind of didn't - let me explain.' She said her mother was 'not very tech savvy' and wasn't 'confident' in finding the best value for money when it came to sorting out her bills. She said the pair 'came to an agreement' that led to Laura helping her mother to find the cheapest bills - if she gave her the £40 cashback she earned as a 'thank you'. But some social media users called her a 'joker' and said that she should be willing to help her mother out for free. The content creator explained: 'In return, if I get that deal through a cashback website for her, she would give me the cashback that she otherwise would not have got if she had done it herself. 'In essence, she gets the best rate for her household bills without having to do the work to find it and if the best deal happens to be on a cashback website, I get the cashback that my mum would have otherwise gotten if she had done the work herself. 'We see it as a win-win because she gets confidence in knowing that she is getting the best rate for her bills but doesn't have to spend any time trying to search for it and I get the little bit of cashback to say thank you.' Laura asked for people's opinions on whether they would ask their parents for money in return for helping them with admin tasks. One person wrote: 'That's madness. £40 is hardly anything, your mum birthed you, you joker. Just help her.' Another penned: 'No, no, no this is so wrong after all your mum has done for you. 'Now is the time you should be helping her and showing her how to do things. If she wants to treat you for your kindness that is up to her.' A third said: 'I personally wouldn't, I'd help her and show her and let her keep the £40.' A fourth commented: 'I think this is wrong, I help my mother as much as I can, I would never want anything in return. 'To me, it feels somewhat sad how money-focused you are. Losing values such as respect for elders, family importance and giving back to the parent(s) who raised us. 'Who provided for us for decades. If you feel this is fair and justified - I wonder what morals you have in terms of finances.' But others agreed with Laura and said that she was very fair in asking her mother for the £40 cashback. One said: 'The admin I do for my mum-in-law- I should claim a salary! I just take the hugs.' Another penned: 'No, you are not, this is essentially a referral fee and you are the one referring her. This is no different to you going to a broker and they take the referral fee. 'She doesn't have to go with your choice, but if she does, you earned that cashback, if it's a large amount you may want to split it, but if you are both happy with the deal, nothing wrong with it. 'She's getting the best rate and you get compensation for your time and effort without it costing your mum anything.'


Reuters
20 minutes ago
- Reuters
European shares dip as Middle East tensions, U.S. involvement fears weigh
June 19 (Reuters) - European shares opened lower on Thursday as persistent Middle East tensions and fears of possible U.S. involvement kept investors on edge. The pan-European STOXX 600 (.STOXX), opens new tab was down 0.6% at 537.23 points at 0707 GMT. Israel and Iran's aerial attacks continued as U.S. President Donald Trump kept the world guessing about whether the U.S. would join Israel in air strikes on Tehran. Trump also said that Iranian officials wanted to hold talks, while a Reuters report said that European Union ministers were set to hold nuclear talks with the country on Friday. The week-old conflict has already impacted oil prices, higher on the day and boosting the energy sector (.SXEP), opens new tab, the only stocks trading higher, up 0.7%. Meanwhile, The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday held interest rates steady but Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said he expects "meaningful" inflation ahead due to the Trump administration's planned import tariffs. On the day, interest rate decisions are expected out of Switzerland, Norway and the UK. Among stocks, Stora Enso ( opens new tab jumped about 15% to top the STOXX 600 after the Finnish forestry group said it was initiating a strategic review of its Swedish forest assets.


Daily Mail
20 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Russian oil tycoon accused of cheating with secret second family faces jail for not paying legal fees in multi-million pound divorce fight
The wife of a Russian oil tycoon has demanded her husband go to jail after he allegedly failed to pay her legal fees amid their multi-million pound divorce. Mikhail Kroupeev, the non-executive chairman of energy company Gulfsands, appeared at the High Court in London today following the collapse of his 36-year marriage. His wife, Elena Kroupeev, discovered in 2023 her husband had been living a double life with a secret family in Russia. Mr Kroupeev now stands accused of refusing to comply with numerous court orders following the pair's 'tempestuous' separation. Elena Kroupeev began proceedings for a financial settlement in July 2024, and in February, her husband was ordered to pay just over £195,000 towards her legal fees. But her lawyers said he had failed to comply with that and other subsequent orders demanding he reveal the true extent of the wealth from his business empire. He therefore owed her more than £837,000, they said, while a freezing order had also been made covering £38million ($51 million) of his assets. Ms Kroupeev's lawyers said the judge should now issue an order for his imprisonment for contempt of court. 'It is suggested that nothing short of a period of imprisonment will be an effective punishment,' the lawyers said in their court submission. Mr Kroupeev's lawyer Michael Glaser said the allegations about their marriage and alleged affairs should not have been made. 'Not only are they not relevant, they are denied,' he told the court, saying the contested court order was subject to an appeal. However, the judge rejected his attempt to have the case adjourned. The couple, who are both Russian nationals but have British citizenship, moved to Britain in 1993. Ms Kroupeev's lawyer Justin Warshaw said Mr Kroupeev had made his fortune through his connections with Yuri Shafranik, a former Russian energy minister. As well as Gulfsands, which Ms Kroupeev's lawyers said had a contract to export oil from Syria, his business interests included Jupiter Energy, which is involved in oil and gas exports in Kazakhstan, and Waterford Finance which specialises in oil, gas and other energy projects. 'They have been a very wealthy family for a very long time,' Mr Warshaw told the court, saying they lived an 'opulent lifestyle'. The couple's assets were extensive, including a £15million house in north London, luxury homes in Portugal and Turkey, and a portfolio of properties in Russia worth 10 million pounds, her lawyers said. The couple also took luxurious holidays that involved flying by private jet, they said. 'A large motivation for travelling privately would be to ensure that the family dogs could go on holiday with the family,' her legal team said in their submission. While Ms Kroupeev was in court on Wednesday, her husband, who is in Cyprus, attended remotely by videolink. The hearing continues.