‘We are reversing this. I don’t care how bad it is for you’ – May ‘forced’ Hammond to ditch NIC rise ‘Philip Hammond is fighting to save his career after being forced into the most humiliating Budget U-turn in a generation. Theresa May scrapped the Chancellor’s headline policy – a hike in National Insurance contributions […]
MPs reject Lords’ amendments to the Article 50 Bill… ‘MPs last night rejected a Lords amendment to guarantee the status of EU nationals resident in the UK by a margin of 335 votes to 287, and also overturned a second amendment, which would have required the government to grant Parliament a “meaningful” vote on the […]
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Brexit 1) Is the spirit of Fountainebleau stirring? Article 50 may be moved as early as Tuesday – and May limbers up for a fight over cash… “Senior government sources say that when the prime minister triggers article 50, she will point out that Britain is entitled to the return of funds held by the […]
Budget 1) Conservatives are no longer seen as the low tax party “The Conservatives are no longer seen as a party of low taxation following Philip Hammond’s tax raid on the self-employed, a new poll for The Telegraph shows. Just one in four voters now regards the Tories as a low-tax party, while almost half […]
May delays National Insurance tax raid… “Theresa May hit the pause button on Philip Hammond’s controversial raid on the self-employed, in a bid to head off a humiliating Commons defeat by furious Tory MPs. The Prime Minister moved to delay legislation on the £2 billion hike in National Insurance on solo workers until the autumn, […]
Budget 1) Hammond cracks down on the self-employed “More than a million family-owned businesses and freelance workers will lose out because of the tax crackdown on dividend payments. They face paying up to £1,143 a year more in tax because of the way they choose to take an income. Many families who run newsagents, restaurants, […]
Budget Day 1) Higher growth won’t soften Hammond’s tax rises ‘Philip Hammond has warned Britons to prepare for tax rises by declaring that he will not shirk difficult decisions in today’s budget. The chancellor will say that he needs to protect the economy by dealing with the deficit, meaning that he will spend additional money […]
Budget 1) Money for a “new generation of grammars” “Theresa May will pave the way for a new generation of grammar schools on Wednesday, as her chancellor uses the budget to push ahead with a controversial policy that is seen as a key priority for the prime minister. Philip Hammond will plough £320m into expanding the government’s free school […]
Budget 1) No ‘denied windfall’ as Hammond builds Brexit warchest “Philip Hammond said yesterday that there would be no new money for the NHS in Wednesday’s budget, facing down pressure from Labour and brandishing his credentials as a fiscal conservative. The chancellor insisted that there would be “no spending sprees” as he promised to put […]
Budget Leak, sorry, Briefing 1) Hammond to build Brexit war chest… “Philip Hammond will use this week’s budget to build up a £60bn Brexit war chest to boost Britain’s “resilience” to economic turbulence as the UK withdraws from the European Union…An upturn in economic growth — set to hit 2% this year — higher tax […]
May tells Scottish Tories she won’t let the UK ‘drift apart’ “Theresa May yesterday heralded the UK as ‘the world’s greatest family of nations’ as she warned Scots their security could be put at risk if they break away. In an impassioned defence of the Union, the Prime Minister argued it was not a ‘marriage […]
Brexit 1) May to savage Sturgeon over ‘Brexit games’ “Theresa May will today tell Nicola Sturgeon to stop playing ‘games’ with Scotland’s future, warning that the UK needs to come ‘closer together’ with Brexit rather than further apart. The Prime Minister will say maintaining the Union is a ‘personal priority’ as she savages the First […]
Brexit 1): May to trigger Article 50 in two weeks “Theresa May has defiantly insisted her timetable for triggering Brexit will not be blown off course despite suffering her first Parliamentary defeat over the Article 50 bill. The House of Lords voted to amend the Bill to force the Government to guarantee the rights of […]
Budget 1) Treasury alleged to be considering inheritance tax hike for social care ‘A compulsory ‘death tax’ to pay for elderly care is being considered by ministers, it was claimed yesterday. Whitehall sources said the Cabinet Office is looking at imposing a levy on people’s estates to be taken after their death. Although Treasury minister […]