The Welfare Bill is too little, too late
This week, the wobbling began. In her post-spending review interview with the Today programme, Reeves initially said that she would not be reviewing the proposed changes to the criteria for claiming Personal Independence Payments (Pips), which are supposed to mean that hundreds of thousands of people are no longer eligible. Then she hinted that she would be listening to objections from within her party.
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Telegraph
a minute ago
- Telegraph
Britain's white working-class should not indulge in racial victimhood
With Labour Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson declaring that it is a national disgrace that white working-class children in Britain are being 'written off' by society, how do we get to the bottom of the underachievement which characterises this cohort? What must be resisted is indulging in racial victimhood. Many of the barriers to white-British working-class achievement in the education system are social and cultural. Within more traditional-minded ethnic minorities, families are more likely to be intact and have a strong educational ethos (this is certainly true for many of Britain's high-performing Indian, Chinese, and Nigerian communities). Civic associations within such communities continue to flourish, with places of spirituality and worship providing an uplifting sense of belonging. Intergenerational connectedness is key to young people's personal development. Growing up in my Bedfordshire hometown of Luton, whether it was at the local newsagents or the Asian greengrocers, my community 'elders' would take an interest in how I was performing at school, college, and university (and now in my professional life). Not only does this make a young person feel valued, it provides a healthy pressure where one does not want to disappoint one's own parents, but also wishes to avoid potential embarrassment in the wider local community. Personal pride and family honour are important in this context. Sadly, these social structures and cultural dynamics are virtually non-existent in many left-behind communities in Britain. There are several practical interventions which can be made – but change will not take place overnight. England remains one of the most inter-regionally imbalanced nations in the industrialised world. Regional economics and underinvestment in deindustrialised towns is a problem that needs to be fixed. Building up a local stock of high-quality teachers and maintaining them in impoverished areas will remain a major challenge, unless there is a genuine 'levelling up' of the country. This needs to be complemented with ensuring the value of vocational training and apprenticeship options which should act as springboards to higher education. The building of positive relationships between schools and families – especially in cases where parents had personally negative experiences with the education system and have a lack of confidence in it – is vital. There is also no harm in having a national curriculum which highlights England's anti-racist, working-class traditions – whether it was the 1862 Manchester revolt (where mill workers refused to work with American cotton in solidarity with the US's black slaves) or the 1943 Battle of Bamber Bridge (which saw pub landlords resist the effort of American commanders to introduce a 'colour bar' in the Lancastrian village). Surely this would be more beneficial to teach in cities such as Salford and towns like Blackpool, instead of the pseudo-intellectual theories of 'white privilege' which spread like wildfire during the era of BLM-mania? White working-class underachievement in the English education system is driven by a myriad of factors – economic, social, and cultural. It is crucial that this issue does not descend into the politics of grievance – more than ever, serious policies are needed to enable and empower young people to fulfil their potential.
Daily Record
31 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Drivers warned of £425 extra car tax charge following major change
Rachel Reeves announced changes to the Expensive Car Supplement earlier this year. British drivers are being warned over car tax changes which could see them being hit with a £425 extra charge. Rachel Reeves, the Labour Party Chancellor, announced changes to the Expensive Car Supplement earlier this year. Drivers with vehicles worth over £40,000 are liable for the expensive car supplement, also known as the luxury car tax, which amounts to £425 annually from the second to the sixth year after registration. Electric cars were previously exempt from the levy; however, this was changed on April 1. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said the extra charges have created a "brake on demand" at a critical juncture for the car sector. SMMT reports new car demand stalled, with the market posting its weakest July since 2022 and more moderate EV growth compared with the recent trend, reports Birmingham Live. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. However, drivers keen to embrace eco-friendly motoring are being handed a £1,500 incentive through a government initiative aimed at slashing electric vehicle prices. The £650million Electric Car Grant (ECG) forms part of a broader £4.5billion governmental blueprint to tackle emissions, lower driving expenses and strengthen UK manufacturing. Mike Hawes, chief executive of the SMMT, said: "July's dip shows yet again the new car market's sensitivity to external factors, and the pressing need for consumer certainty. "Confirming which models qualify for the new EV grant, alongside compelling manufacturer discounts on a huge choice of exciting new vehicles, should send a strong signal to buyers that now is the time to switch." Jon Lawes, managing director at Novuna Vehicle Solutions, explained that the new EV grant for models under £37,000 is welcome, but its rushed rollout and limited industry consultation have "caused confusion". He warned that manufacturers are "scrambling to work out which models apply while consumers are left in limbo, wondering if they'll get up to £3,750 in savings, risking a slowdown in demand, particularly in private sales, which continue to lag behind fleets". Vicky Edmonds, CEO of EVA England, says: "We are delighted to see the first qualifying models announced for the Government's new Electric Car Grant. "Our members consistently identify high upfront costs as the biggest barrier to switching, and this support will give drivers the confidence to choose electric for their next new car purchase. "With recent sales dipping as drivers waited for details of the grant, today's announcement provides a welcome boost for interest in electric vehicles. "This funding has the potential to make electric cars more affordable for those who buy new, but further demand-led policies that support drivers buying in the used EV market will be crucial in helping many other drivers to make the switch." Sue Robinson, chief executive of the National Franchised Dealers Association, added: "We are disappointed to see a reversal of the gains made in June. "Looking ahead, we are likely to see continued pressure on the new vehicle market, due to weak economic growth."
New Statesman
32 minutes ago
- New Statesman
Shabana Mahmood's star is rising
Photo by Ben Whitley-Which Labour cabinet minister had the worst inheritance? Rachel Reeves, Wes Streeting and Yvette Cooper could all make plausible cases. But the person with the strongest argument of all might be Shabana Mahmood. The Justice Secretary was bequeathed a prison system close to collapse – having operated at 99 per cent capacity since the start of 2023 – by Rishi Sunak (as an independent review confirmed last week). This left her with one unpalatable move when she entered government: the early release of thousands of prisoners who had served 40 per cent of their sentence. Though Mahmood, the UK's most senior Muslim MP, blamed the Tories' 'guilty men', she could easily have become a politically toxic figure, typecast by Labour's opponents and the media as 'soft on crime'. Instead, by turning a crisis into an opportunity, she has emerged as one of the government's most effective cabinet ministers. Mahmood knew sentencing reform was unavoidable but has advanced liberal measures with a conservative face, appointing the former Tory justice secretary David Gauke to lead a review and choosing Texas as her model (rather than the Netherlands or the Nordics). Plans to expand chemical castration for sex offenders, which dominated the debate on the day Gauke published his report in May, was an act of astute media management. Over the weekend, Mahmood again demonstrated her radical streak by announcing that most foreign criminals will now face immediate deportation upon sentencing and be barred from returning. Only terrorists – for security reasons – and those on indeterminate sentences such as murderers will be exempt (the government has already increased deportations by 14 per cent). The move partly reflects the need for extra prison capacity – foreign criminals account for around 12 per cent of the inmate population – and a sea change in public opinion. 'Where once people wanted to force someone to spend time in our prisons first, now they just want them out,' says a Mahmood aide. Internal polling by Labour – which clearly stated that foreign criminals would not necessarily face imprisonment abroad – found that 80 per cent favour the policy. But for Mahmood it is also a point of principle. As the child of migrant parents, who came to the UK from rural Kashmir, she has an authentic outrage over foreign criminals. 'To be welcomed into this country, as my parents were, is to assume responsibilities as well as rights,' she wrote in the Sunday Telegraph. Mahmood, as I reported in my column last week, is one of the cabinet champions of 'contribution', an idea being discussed at the top of government that makes clearer the link between what voters put in and get out. For some, this could mean a more generous system of 'unemployment insurance' or protection from the tax rises looming in Rachel Reeves' Budget. But Mahmood has shown the tougher side of the contributory principle: those who do not live up to their responsibilities will be penalised. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Obstacles remain: foreign criminals will have the right to appeal against deportation under the European Convention on Human Rights. For this reason, Cooper's review of article 8, which protects the right to a family life and has been blamed for thwarting action, is regarded inside government as pivotal. 'We will discover after that whether domestic law can triumph over international law,' says a Mahmood ally. For now, the Justice Secretary can draw satisfaction from the praise she is attracting across the spectrum. Michael Gove, one of her predecessors, last week named her the politically sharpest cabinet minister. Charlie Falconer, who held the same role under Tony Blair and criticised Mahmood for her opposition to assisted dying, told the Guardian: 'Shabana has been an absolutely brilliant, reforming lord chancellor in enormously difficult circumstances. She is somebody whose sense of confidence about what she's doing is something the whole government should emulate.' Yet while some ponder the role Mahmood could play in a future Labour leadership contest, others ask whether she will keep her seat. Zarah Sultana, the putative co-leader of the new left party, is considering standing against her in Birmingham Ladywood (Mahmood's majority is 3,421). 'It would be a big mistake to go for Ladywood where Shabana's roots are deep and Sultana's are non-existent,' warns a Mahmood source. But whatever her future, we can already say with certainty that no one will remember Shabana Mahmood as a cabinet minister who wasted her time. This piece first appeared in the Morning Call newsletter; receive it every morning by subscribing on Substack here [See also: Israel and Benjamin Netanyahu are trapped] Related
