Latest news with #RichardTice
Telegraph
3 hours ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Reform to end gold-plated pensions for council workers
Reform UK has unveiled plans to reduce gold-plated staff pensions at the councils it won from Labour and the Tories at the local elections. Richard Tice, the party's deputy leader, said it would take an axe to final salary schemes, describing them as unaffordable and an 'outrage'. Speaking to The Telegraph, he said Reform-controlled authorities would stop offering such generous terms to new recruits. He added that staff on existing contracts would have to accept lower annual pay rises to balance out the huge cost of funding their retirement. Nigel Farage's party won control of 10 councils across England last month, marking its major electoral breakthrough. It did so on a pledge to find huge savings, promising to end local authority focus on diversity and inclusion schemes and hitting net zero targets. 'Country is going bust' Mr Tice is fronting efforts to free up money that could be reinvested in improving services like bin collections or used to freeze council tax. He has identified wasteful and underperforming pension schemes as an area where Reform councils can save hundreds of millions of pounds. 'Whether people like it or not we should not be employing people on defined benefit contribution schemes,' he told The Telegraph. 'It's an outrage – the public can't afford it. It's absolutely ludicrous, and this is why the country is going bust and it's all got to stop. 'We're going to have to go to war with these people. Our job is to wake people up as to where their money is going and why we're all being ripped off.' Mr Tice said under many gold-plated pension schemes councils were having to contribute up to 30 per cent of their officials' salaries. Such final salary schemes are substantially more generous than those in the private sector. He said that if staff are on such terms 'then candidly that has to be taken into account when you look at people's annual pay rises'. 'You look at the overall cost of employment and if they're not prepared to then a whole load of people are going to have to be made redundant,' he warned. 'Councils are going bust all over the country – the country's going bust, and until we've come along no one dared admit it.' Last year it emerged that a quarter of council tax revenue was now being spent on pension schemes that are 'unjustifiably generous'. It means the average household is now contributing £230 a year to the retirement plans of officials who, on average, earn nearly £40,000 a year. Last year local authorities contributed almost £7 billion to staff pension pots, The Times revealed, making them one of their highest costs. Mr Tice said that, as well as the generous contributions, many councils were also investing in 'woke' pension funds that were underperforming. He said Reform would be examining how much money was being put into net zero funds and whether they were making below average returns. The councils controlled by the party could also save upwards of £200 million a year just by renegotiating the investment fees they are charged, he added. 'I can smell the taxpayer being ripped off,' he said. 'Their council tax is being gobbled up by pension fund contributions because they're overgenerous and they've been badly managed for decades.'
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Anas Sarwar: 'Reform's gang of snake-oil salesmen not on the side of the people'
It's an honour to be asked to write for this paper, which has a long and proud history of speaking up for the people of Britain. From campaigning journalism that uncovered scandals in public life to holding politicians to account, this paper has been on the side of the people for decades. And that is needed now more than ever. Because things are changing. Once it was clear who was on the side of the people – and who was not. But now, all across Britain, Reform UK are presenting themselves as champions of working want to pretend they are on the side of workers, of taxpayers and the people who keep this country running. But they are not. Nigel Farage, Richard Tice and Zia Yusuf – all they are is a bunch of right-wing Tories, desperate to spread division. They claim to support our NHS, but Nigel Farage has called for an insurance-based system for health that would end the NHS as we know it. They claim to stand up for taxpayers – but Richard Tice has funnelled a fortune into a family trust to avoid being double taxed on his international investments. They claim they want to bring our country together – but all they want to do is to pit community against community to win while Russia wages war against Ukraine in Europe, Nigel Farage has blamed the West for provoking the war. Follow our Mirror Politics account on Bluesky here. And follow our Mirror Politics team here - Lizzy Buchan, Mikey Smith, Kevin Maguire, Sophie Huskisson, Dave Burke and Ashley Cowburn. Be first to get the biggest bombshells and breaking news by joining our Politics WhatsApp group here. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you want to leave our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Or sign up here to the Mirror's Politics newsletter for all the best exclusives and opinions straight to your inbox. And listen to our exciting new political podcast The Division Bell, hosted by the Mirror and the Express every Thursday. That's a funny kind of patriot. The truth is that Farage, Tice and co are political conmen. All they peddle is more division and decline. They have no answers – only more people to blame. This gang of snake-oil salesmen is not on the side of the people of Britain. The only thing they stand for is their own self- interest. Fourteen years of Tory chaos left our country on its knees and 18 years of SNP incompetence has held Scotland back. And all throughout this time, Reform members were active in support of the Tories or pushing them even further to the right. They are on the side of the millionaires not the millions of British workers that keep this country going. And they are nothing less than the latest publicity vehicle for Nigel Farage and his cronies. That's why it's so important that we rally against Reform. And the way to do that is to make life better for the people of Britain. That's why this Labour government has got to work to put money into workers' pockets, tackling illegal immigration and fixing our NHS and our schools. This is the difference that politicians that are on your side make. Like millions of Brits, I've watched the situation unfolding in Gaza with horror. There is no excuse for the breaking of international law, for shelling hospitals or for bombing schools. That's why I have long called for an end to the conflict with an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages and a pathway to a two state solution. And this week I was very happy to see our Prime Minister Keir Starmer send a message to the Netenyahu Govermment that enough is enough - aid must be allowed into the Gaza Strip and that further military escalation must cease. This is the moral leadership on the international stage that we need to deliver peace in the Middle East. But ultimately that peace will only come when we regard every life as equal. Up here in Scotland, we are less than a fortnight away from a by-election in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse. And while we got rid of the Tories at Westminster, Scotland is still held back by the SNP. This election is a two-horse race between Scottish Labour and the SNP. The choice is between the SNP who have broken our NHS and run down our public services, or a new direction with Scottish Labour's local champion Davy Russell. ,... Delighted for Ange Postecoglu - a manager who honed his skills in Glasgow - winning the Europa League with Spurs. If only politicians could get away with being as blunt and straight talking as he is!
The Sun
23-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Nigel Farage plans to shred costly Net Zero rules on first day if he becomes Prime Minister
NIGEL Farage plans to shred costly Net Zero rules on the first day if he gets into No10. The Reform UK leader would instead hand out new licences for oil and gas drilling in return for a stake in North Sea companies. 1 The pledge came as US President Donald Trump launched a savage attack on our Government's eco policies. Reform deputy leader Richard Tice told The Sun: 'We are going to hit the ground running and take small stakes in firms just like they do in Norway. "There will also be extra investment for companies if they venture into riskier locations that haven't yet been drilled. 'It's the fastest way for jobs, growth and lower bills. It will be taxpayers then who can share in the profits.' Energy Secretary Ed Miliband's bid to reach Net Zero emissions by 2050 has blocked the issuing of new licences. Instead, a host of green levies have been added to bills to support solar, wind and renewable projects. But Mr Trump said yesterday that new North Sea drilling would see energy costs in the UK come 'way down'. The Government should 'stop with the costly and unsightly windmills, and incentivise modernised drilling', he said, adding: 'The old-fashioned tax system disincentivises drilling.' WECA candidate Arron Banks on net zero and immigration
The Guardian
23-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Reform UK promise to reverse ban on North Sea oil drilling if elected
Reform UK has promised to reverse the government's ban on fresh North Sea oil and gas drilling as a 'day one' priority if elected to power, with the taxpayer taking a stake in the new projects. Richard Tice, the party's deputy leader, has met with senior UK oil executives in recent weeks to pledge the party's support for the industry, which has been hard hit by the government's windfall tax and moves to block fresh North Sea exploration licences. Tice told the energy bosses to expect a reversal of the government's ban alongside billions of pounds of public investment in their projects if the party comes to power in the 2029 election. The public investments would effectively hand taxpayers an equity stake in North Sea fossil fuel developments, which have stalled in recent months after Labour swept to power with a manifesto that promised to end fresh exploration licences for new oil and gas fields. 'As long as there's oil in the North Sea, we should be drilling for it,' a spokesperson for Reform UK said. 'There are clear benefits for securing jobs and energy independence.' Reform's early move to curry favour with the UK's oil industry, first reported by the Financial Times, has coincided with calls from Donald Trump for the UK government to 'get their energy costs down' by ending 'costly and unsightly windmills' and 'incentivise modernised drilling in the North Sea, where large amounts of oil lay waiting to be taken'. The US president's claims have been rebuffed by green groups, which argue that volatile global energy market prices are at the root of the UK's high energy costs, while renewable energy can offer a cheaper alternative to fossil fuel generation. Reform said it would reveal further details of the party's energy policies at a later date. These could include plans to reverse all renewable energy subsidies, the spokesperson said. This would effectively dismantle the government's net zero agenda which includes goals to double onshore wind, triple solar power and quadruple offshore wind capacity by the end of the decade. 'If people want to invest in renewables without subsidies they'd be welcome to do that,' the Reform spokesperson added. Tice warned earlier this month that the party plans to block 'net stupid zero' infrastructure including renewable energy projects in areas of Lincolnshire where the party took control of the county council in the recent local authority elections. 'We will attack, we will hinder, we will delay, we will obstruct, we will put every hurdle in your way. It's going to cost you a fortune and you're not going to win. So give up and go away,' Tice said. The party founded by the former Ukip leader Nigel Farage has gained popularity in recent months on its twin pledge to take a hard line against immigration and net zero policies. Tice told the Financial Times: 'There's about to be a sea change in less than four years.' He added that the executives 'should be getting their licence applications ready for Reform to fast-track when it comes into government … I want these firms to know they are working with a shadow government that is willing to tick the box as soon as we get in.'
Spectator
21-05-2025
- Business
- Spectator
Portrait of the week: Starmer's EU deal, Lineker's BBC departure and an outbreak of camel flu
Home Sir Keir Starmer was joined by EU representatives in London to celebrate new agreements with the bloc. EU access to British fishing grounds would now be in place until 2038, but it would be easier to export fish from Britain. The government said agreements on food exports and energy trade would benefit Britain by £8.9 billion a year by 2040 – 0.3 per cent of GDP. The government emphasised a defence and security pact and gave a lunch aboard the frigate HMS Sutherland. Use of e-gates by British travellers would in future be decided by each EU state. A youth mobility scheme transmogrified into a youth experience scheme and remained to be agreed. Richard Tice of Reform UK said: 'It's a huge betrayal; it's surrender on steroids.' Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, also used the word 'betrayal'. Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, was reported by the Telegraph to have pressed for tax rises on savers, by measures such as reinstating the lifetime pension allowance limit. Inflation rose from 2.6 to 3.5 per cent. GDP grew by 0.7 per cent in the first quarter of 2025. Thames Water decided to 'pause' its scheme to pay out big 'retention' payments to senior executives. Gary Lineker was to leave the BBC without a payoff on 25 May. One in ten adults have no savings, according to the Financial Conduct Authority. Westminster council ordered the owner of a house in Mayfair to refill a sub-basement housing a cinema, gym and sauna, excavated without planning permission. Sir Keir Starmer, on an official visit to Albania, said Britain was in talks to set up overseas 'return hubs' for failed asylum seekers; Albania ruled out the idea.
