Latest news with #craved
Sky News AU
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
Brooklyn Beckham and wife Nicola Peltz kept in the dark about David Beckham's knighthood: sources
Brooklyn Beckham and his wife Nicola Peltz were kept in the dark about his father David Beckham's long-awaited knighthood finally happening, sources tell Page Six. The couple only 'found out through the media' about David's much-desired knighthood — which is set to be announced as part of King Charles' annual birthday honors list this Friday. 'Brooklyn is so happy for his dad as he knows it was something important to him, but there was no communication and no one from the family reached out,' a close source told us. But sources close to David and Victoria said Brooklyn has not been in contact with his family. As Page Six previously revealed, Brooklyn, 26, is not talking to his parents amid a feud over his closeness with his in-laws, billionaire Nelson Peltz and his wife Claudia. It remains to be seen whether he'll join his family when David collects his royal honor. Brooklyn and Nicola, 30, used the excuse of the Met Gala to skip David's celebrity-packed 50th birthday dinner in London last month. Sources said the young couple, who live in Los Angeles, claimed they had to be in NYC for a fitting for Nicola's outfit ahead of the event on May 5, while David's dinner was on May 3. It turned out, however, they were not invited to the gala. Page Six has reached out to reps for David and Victoria Beckham and Brooklyn Beckham. David has long, and famously, craved knighthood. He was reportedly first put forward for it in 2011, after helping London win its bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games. However, he was reportedly blocked after being implicated in a tax avoidance scheme, which he was cleared of four years ago. The soccer star, who captained England for six years, was one of 140 celebrities allegedly caught up in the 2013 Ingenious tax avoidance case, which resulted in the company being blacklisted. Sources insisted he had no knowledge of the scheme, while Ingenious was successful in appealing against HMRC (the British version of the IRS) in 2021. At the time, David was so furious that he was passed over for knighthood that he reportedly called the honors committee 'old unappreciative c****,' in a leaked email to his rep. In addition to his athletic endeavors, David is well known for his charity work, much of which is focused on improving the lives of underprivileged children. He has been a Unicef special ambassador for 20 years and this year collected the World Economic Forum crystal award for work on children's rights. His knighthood means that his wife will truly, finally be posh as she will be known as Lady 51, received an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in 2017 from Prince William for her contributions to the fashion industry and her charity work. Former England soccer captain David got the same award in 2003. David has always had a close relationship with Prince William, who was President of the Football Association until he stepped down last July. He's also grown incredibly friendly with King Charles, and the pair have even swapped beekeeping tips. The Beckhams were invited to Buckingham Palace in December for the Qatari state dinner, and joined the monarch and Queen Camilla at his country retreat, Highgrove House, for an Italian-themed dinner in February alongside Dame Helen Mirren, Stanley Tucci and Donatella Versace. In a post shared on her Instagram account, Victoria showed off her white floor-length gown and David's traditional black tuxedo and bow tie. 'A truly wonderful dinner at Highgrove this evening. Thank you to the @kingsfdn for welcoming us,' Victoria captioned her post. 'Kisses @davidbeckham x.' The Beckhams were reunited with Charles and Camilla at the Chelsea Flower Show last month when Charles was seen asking David got his birthday gift. 'It was incredible,' Beckham told the king. 'Thank you, it was very kind.' Originally published as Brooklyn Beckham and wife Nicola Peltz kept in the dark about David Beckham's knighthood: sources
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
At last the ‘Iron Chancellor' has turned, but the cost could be fatal
While Rachel Reeves has often invoked the soviet nickname embraced by Baroness Thatcher, she has typically struggled to live up to the 'Iron Chancellor' moniker she craved. Where Thatcher declared 'the lady's not for turning', Reeves has more frequently been found flip-flopping. We now have details of the latest volte-face, and a rough value has been ascribed to the political capital Labour burnt during its first major fiscal event. The price of all goodwill afforded to a new government? £450m, or 0.05pc of the total tax take. Since the winter fuel payment was first scrapped for all pensioners except those in receipt of pension credit, we've been patiently expecting this about-turn, which doesn't scream confidence in government policy. At midday yesterday, HM Treasury confirmed that a new arbitrary figure had been laid down to determine the deserving/undeserving old, this time set at £35,000. Those below this line of personal income will be entitled to £200 per household (up to £300 if all residents are over 80), while those above it are not entitled to keep the money. Yes, that is a personal income allowance to judge a household payment. On £35,001 and live alone? Not a penny. Two of you on £35,000 for a total household income of £70,000? The full amount. One of you above and one below? The payment will be split, and the one earning above the threshold will have to pay theirs back. Will it rise in line with the triple lock? No clue. Where does £35,000 come from as a limit? Well it's less than average earnings and nowhere near any tax bracket, so answers on a postcard please. Will the Government ensure only those entitled to the benefit receive it? No. It will be paid to all and clawed back through PAYE or self-assessment tax returns. Sound complicated? It sure does – and complicated generally means expensive administration. High street accountancy firms will leap on the confusion, but I'm not sure this is the productivity boost Reeves dreamed of. So far, nobody has cobbled together any estimates for how much this system will cost HMRC to develop and implement, but it's not zero. Don't forget, the previous eligibility criterion of being a pension credit recipient has already sparked its own costs. According to former pensions minister, Sir Steve Webb, the flurry of new applicants has already added a £200m annual cost, reducing the benefit to Treasury coffers to just £250m, not £450m, before any admin costs are factored in. That's 0.03pc of the total tax take. He explained: 'These changes wipe out most of the extra revenue which the Government was expecting to get from the winter fuel payment policy. 'Not only has the Government knocked more than a billion pounds off the expected revenue but it has also had to find more than £200m per year extra because of the surge in pension credit claims. 'Overall, the amount raised looks tiny relative to the political damage which the whole episode has caused to the Government.' But it's not just political damage – in the immediate wake of the news, gilt yields rose. Certainly, some element of this is simply factoring in the lower revenues the Government can now expect, but more critically, it is shifting perceptions. The long shadow of Liz Truss's mini-Budget continues to haunt Labour, and they are likely to be undone by their own political spin. Reeves et al oversimplified what happened in September 2022 and tied their hands in the process. Changing policy is a natural part of government and waiting for the next Budget isn't always possible, but when you tell the nation (and markets) that it's fiscally irresponsible to do so, you cannot be surprised when eyebrows are raised. Reeves's Spring Statement already effectively broke her promise of one major fiscal event per year – yesterday's revelation has broken most of the others. The policy is not accompanied by an Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecast (although one is promised for the next Budget), and weren't we told the cut was necessary to fill the black hole? Before the changes, ING's James Smith, a developed market economist focused on the UK, had already predicted that Reeves would have no fiscal headroom – now she'll miss it by at least another £1.25bn. With the two-child benefit cap also likely to be axed, which will add another £3.5bn to the outgoings side of the balance sheet, not to mention the £17bn cost of boosting defence spending to 3pc, Reeves is more likely to have a sore neck than any headroom. But the Chancellor keeps painting herself into a corner – she has once again recommitted herself to not raising income tax, National Insurance or VAT. She has doubled down on her 'non-negotiable' fiscal rules and respect for the OBR, forcing her to fiddle with the margins every time the bond markets hiccup. We'll have to wait and see what happens with Wednesday's spending review, but something will have to give soon, and it's looking more likely than ever that it will be Reeves. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
