Labour is cutting the monthly payment to British families housing Ukrainian refugees from £350 to £100, a drop of more than two thirds, according to an email sent to hosts yesterday afternoon by MHCLG. Despite all the backslapping over Labour’s ‘continued support’…
The letter, signed by MHCLG Director for Resettlement Josh Goodman, buries the news under two paragraphs of waffly gratitude before getting to the point:
“From 1 January 2027 the monthly UK government thank you payment will change from £350 to £100 per month. This revised amount will apply throughout the Homes for Ukraine visa period and for the first 18-months of the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme. ”
Goodman suggests sponsors who can no longer afford it consider switching their guests to “a more formal rental arrangement“, linking to the Rent a Room scheme. Expect a good number of hosts to conclude they simply can’t carry on…
Inflation rose to 3.1% in August, according to the ONS. Up from 2.9% in July…
Rising fuel costs are the largest contributing factor. The ONS points out a 6.1% rise in the cost of raw materials in the 12 months to August is an indicator of more pain to come. It can always get worse…
The Times reports this morning that yet another ‘deterioration’ in the public finances means Healey will need to find at least £10 billion in tax hikes or spending cuts at the Budget. What choice will a Labour Chancellor make? It’s really anyone’s guess…
The Guido Fawkes Show LIVE launches tomorrow at 5pm. CLICK HERE to subscribe to Guido on YouTube…
Expect all the rumours, gossip, and tittle-tattle Westminster doesn’t want you to hear.
Join Adam Cherry, Ross Kempsell, Max Young, and special guests tomorrow. You don’t want to miss it…
MPs took to Westminster Hall yesterday to debate a petition demanding a “binding national referendum” on renationalising water. The real debate is happening at the Treasury, where someone needs to explain how the Chancellor plans to pay for it…
The petition and the debate were a masterclass in leftist maths. It failed to mention that the OBR has already done the sums on what public ownership would actually cost. Buried in last year’s Fiscal Risks and Sustainability report, the watchdog warned that any “governance or policy change that increases government control” over water firms risks tipping them onto the public balance sheet. Once there, taxpayers inherit the lot. The OBR showed water companies were sitting on £91 billion of debt and other liabilities in 2023-24, against £12 billion in financial assets and £94 billion in pipes, reservoirs and other non-financial assets. Net it out and the OBR reckons public sector net financial liabilities could jump by roughly £78 billion. That’s 2.8 per cent of GDP…
Only Tory Gregory Stafford MP bothered to raise the soaring impact on the taxpayer, estimating the cost closer to £100 billion. Stafford also pointed to South Western Railway, where delays have doubled since nationalisation. Why would water function any better for consumers?
Ministers offered obfuscation rather than real figures. You’ll be waiting longer for a proper answer than you would for a South Western Rail train. That’s why Guido is launching a new campaign against Burnham’s public ownership plans, say hello to No2Nationalisation…
Dan Thomas has stepped down as Reform’s leader in Wales for “personal reasons”. He says he was reported to the police over the weekend and released without charge:
“It has been the honour of my life to have been the leader of Reform Wales and see this party go from zero to 34 elected members and become the largest opposition group in Welsh history. With deep regret, I am now standing down from this position due to personal reasons.
“Over the weekend, I was reported to the police and was released without charge. I stress that I have done nothing wrong, but I do not want the coming headlines to be a distraction from the fantastic work our Senedd team is doing in holding this government to account.
“I will continue to serve my constituents in Casnewydd Islwyn and will fully back whoever the group selects as its next leader.”
Meanwhile Reform MS Sarah Cooper-Lesadd has defected to Plaid. Read her full statement below:
Continue reading “BREAKING: Reform Wales Leader Dan Thomas Resigns”
Andy Haldane, Burnham’s recent adviser on the economy who has not taken up a No10 job, told Andrew Marr on LBC:
“The market now suspects that this is a traditional tax-and-spend socialist government with better TikTok videos…
imposing windfall taxes on oil & gas or on banks or upping capital gains tax would […] repeat the mistake that Rachel made […] The Achilles heel, the fiscal Achilles heel of this government thus far has been its unwillingness and/or inability to cut public spending.”