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The health secretary has said it is going to be a “great Christmas” as he defended not imposing stricter restrictions to combat the new COVID variant.

Sajid Javid told Trevor Phillips On Sunday it would be “irresponsible to make guarantees” but the measures announced this week in reaction to the Omicron variant will “buy us time” to enable scientists to assess it.

“People should continue with their plans as normal for Christmas, I think it’s going to be a great Christmas,” he said.

Mr Javid said he did not think stricter measures needed to be imposed just yet as social distancing and work from home directives “carry a very heavy price, economically, socially, in terms of non-COVID health outcomes”.

“If one was to make decisions like that they’d have to be made very very carefully, we’re not there yet, we’re nowhere near that,” he added.

The new measures are:

• Anyone arriving in the UK will have to take a PCR test and self-isolate until they get a negative result

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• From Tuesday, face coverings will also be compulsory in shops and on public transport in England

• Those who come into contact with someone who tests positive for the Omicron variant will need to self-isolate for 10 days, even if they are fully vaccinated – this will be introduced “as soon as possible”

• South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia are now on the red list so arrivals will have to quarantine in a government-approved hotel for 10 days at a cost of £2,285.

Challenged on whether people will listen to the mask mandate given a drop in the public wearing masks, Mr Javid said: “This is about protecting the progress we’ve made.

“You said in your estimation about a third of people don’t wear masks but I would think you probably haven’t been taking those soundings since people have begun to understand more about this new variant and why the government has thought these new measures are appropriate.

“I do think people will take this more seriously and I think that will apply to public transport, it will apply to shops, it will be a regulation as it has been before.

“But it’s important to react in a proportionate, and also a temporary way, I hope this is something we can remove within weeks.”

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HMRC accused of ‘airbrushing’ Loan Charge scandal amid calls for inquiry

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HMRC accused of 'airbrushing' Loan Charge scandal amid calls for inquiry

Campaigners and MPs are calling for a parliamentary inquiry into the Loan Charge scandal – accusing HMRC of “airbrushing” its approach to a harsh tax crackdown linked to several suicides.

The Loan Charge Action Group (LCAG) has hit out at the Treasury Committee after it wrote to the tax office requesting information on its approach to contractor loan schemes.

These were widely – but wrongly – promoted by employers as HMRC compliant in the early 2000s, and tens of thousands of workers who signed up for them are now facing life-ruining bills for tax on their salaries which their employer should have paid.

Campaigners said the Treasury Committee letter was “little more than a tick box exercise triggered by all of the recent coverage of the Loan Charge” and an inquiry which hears from victims and tax experts is needed.

Steve Packham, spokesperson for the LCAG, told Sky News: “It is frustrating that instead of holding a full select committee inquiry to hear evidence from those facing the Loan Charge and tax sector professionals, the Treasury select committee has merely written to HMRC.

“It seems that this is little more than a tick box exercise triggered by all of the recent coverage of the Loan Charge, allowing HMRC to pedal the usual misleading and partial responses.”

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Loan scheme causing tax turmoil

He accused the committee of a “failure of parliamentary scrutiny in the same way the Post Office were not properly challenged for too long” – in reference to the Horizon IT scandal.

“What is needed is a full select committee inquiry and we urge committee members to announce one and call a variety of witnesses, including those whose lives have been ruined by HMRC’s approach.”

Sky News has previously reported on how tens of thousands of people across the country are facing crippling tax demands from HMRC in a campaign that has been linked to 10 suicides.

What is the Loan Charge?

It all comes back to a 2016 piece of legislation that made individuals responsible for tax which their employers should have paid – the “Loan Charge”.

HMRC has been criticised by MPs and tax experts for not policing the contractor sector at the time of the schemes.

Employers were paid their salaries in loans – and it was widely marketed as HMRC compliant.

Some people facing the Loan Charge, including nurses, cleaners and teachers, have said they had no choice but to be paid this way when they accepted their jobs, while others insist they were trying to do the right thing and streamline their tax affairs following the introduction of complex self-employment rules.

No scheme promoters prosecuted

In his letter to the treasury committee, Jim Harra, the director of HMRC, confirmed that there have been no prosecutions of individuals “for the promotion and/or operation” of what it now calls Disguised Remuneration (DR) schemes – noting that “promotion or operation of mass-marketed tax avoidance schemes is not by itself a criminal offence”.

He said HMRC did not have figures on how many people had joined the schemes “unwittingly” but “the motives of those engaging in tax avoidance schemes do not affect whether tax is due”.

Mr Harra’s letter also revealed that the median settlement for individuals is £19,000, though noted about 40,000 people have still not settled. Approximately 50,000 people are estimated to be affected in total.

He denied accusations the department operates without scrutiny, saying it is “simply not the case that HMRC is unaccountable” and “we act under the general direction of ministers”.

Taking a firm line on recent criticism of “sinister” new tactics, he said: “We do not accept claims that we have been deliberately heavy-handed. We certainly do not intentionally write to taxpayers on specific days, such as their birthday, to increase the impact of our interventions.

“We do not play with people’s emotions. We recognise that there is a human story behind each one of these cases and we take our Charter responsibilities very seriously.”

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HMRC ‘airbrushing the whole mess’

Chair of the Treasury Committee, Conservative MP Harriett Baldwin, said: “Many of my colleagues have raised concerns about the implementation and management of the Loan Charge by HMRC. As a Committee, we believed it was important that we got answers both for our fellow MPs and their constituents.

“I hope the information contained in Mr Harra’s response makes a useful contribution to the public debate.”

However, fellow Conservative MP Greg Smith, co-chair of the Loan Charge APPG, said while it is “welcome” the committee is raising the Loan Charge “as well as writing to HMRC, it needs to also hear from victims and tax professionals who can show that so much of what HMRC says is simply not an accurate picture of the Loan Charge Scandal”.

Greg Smith. Pic: PA
Image:
Greg Smith. Pic: PA


He said: “As usual, HMRC are airbrushing the whole mess and giving the false impression that they acted at the time and warned users, when the reality is that they failed to police the contracting sector and failed to warn contractors and then invented the Loan Charge so they go back retrospectively, but targeting only the workers, not those who operated the schemes.

“With 10 confirmed suicides and 13 attempted suicides, as well as countless lives already ruined, the Treasury Select Committee should also seek evidence from other parties, to get a more realistic picture of the whole Loan Charge Scandal.”

He warned: “Without a change of approach from HMRC, we are very fearful of the consequences and we hope the Select Committee will join us in properly holding HMRC to account, before more lives are ruined”.

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK.

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New football regulator announced to vet prospective owners and prevent breakaway competitions

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New football regulator announced to vet prospective owners and prevent breakaway competitions

The government has announced its plan for an Independent Football Regulator (IFR) for the professional men’s game.

The IFR came about following a review by Tory MP Tracey Crouch, which itself was launched after the attempt by clubs to form the European Super League.

But the Premier League has responded by saying they “remain concerned” about the legislation, which they claim could unintentionally “weaken the competitiveness and appeal of English football“.

Among the measures contained in the IFR – which will be subject to parliamentary scrutiny – are:

• New “stronger tests” for new owners and directors to “stop clubs falling into the wrong hands”. They face being blocked and even struck off from future attempts;

• “Backstop powers” to sort out the financial distribution between the Premier League and English Football League, if they cannot come to an agreement themselves;

• All clubs from National League One to the Premier League will be need to be licensed to compete in competitions, following “a number of issues in recent years including financial mismanagement, breakaway plans for the European Super League, and changes to club names, badges and colours against the wishes of fans”;

More on European Super League

• New requirements to protect from “breakaway competitions” and “stadium relocations”;

• An obligation to consult fans on “key off-field decisions” will also be a requirement of the licence. This could include decisions on cub heritage and strategic direction.

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As well as statutory regulation of football clubs, the government has also announced that the IFR will produce a periodical report, called “State of the Game”, which will analyse the financial state of football.

The government says the IFR will not be “overly-interventionist”, and will instead take an “advocacy first” approach – although these will be backed by a “broad suite of powers to investigate suspected non-compliance, compel information, and enforce if necessary”.

It is also pledged that the bill will have “no input in on-field decisions and will act in a way that minimises any impact on sporting competitions”.

A “shadow regulator” will be set up to run while the IFR is created, with a location, chair and board make-up all still up in the air.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “Football has long been one of our greatest sources of national pride. Up and down the country, it brings people together in celebration or commiseration.

“But for too long some clubs have been abused by unscrupulous owners who get away with financial mismanagement, which at worst can lead to complete collapse – as we saw in the upsetting cases of Bury and Macclesfield Town.

“This bill is a historic moment for football fans – it will make sure their voices are front and centre, prevent a breakaway league, protect the financial sustainability of clubs, and protect the heritage of our clubs big and small.”

Ms Crouch said that “football fans can begin to breathe a sigh of relief in the knowledge that the next steps towards protecting the long term sustainability of the pyramid have now been taken”.

In response to the announcement, a spokesperson for the Premier League said it would study the bill once it is published.

“We agree it is vital that football clubs are sustainable, remain at the heart of their communities and that fans are fundamental to the game,” it added.

“The government has consistently stated that it wishes to support the Premier League’s continued global success which generates funding to help sustain the entire football pyramid.

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“With our clubs, we have advocated for a proportionate regime that enables us to build on our position as the most widely watched league in the world.

“Mindful that the future growth of the Premier League is not guaranteed, we remain concerned about any unintended consequences of legislation that could weaken the competitiveness and appeal of English football.”

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Tories ‘have drawn a line’ under Frank Hester race row and should keep donations, Kemi Badenoch says

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Tories 'have drawn a line' under Frank Hester race row and should keep donations, Kemi Badenoch says

The government has “drawn a line” under the Frank Hester race row and shouldn’t have to give back the money he donated, Kemi Badenoch has said.

The business secretary, who was the first cabinet minister to break ranks and label his reported comments about Diane Abbott as racist last week, suggested she would be comfortable accepting further money from the Tory donor.

Politics: Sunak urges MPs to ‘stick to the plan’

Speaking to Sky News, she said she decided to condemn the remarks ahead of her colleagues because as the equalities minister and the only black woman in cabinet “this was something that it was important that I spoke up about”.

Asked if she would feel comfortable accepting further donations from Mr Hester, she said: “I think if somebody has apologised and the comments appear to have been first of all very flippant, said a long time ago, I think it is fine for us to be able to accept and forgive and draw a line under it.

“Obviously, if something else happens in the future that might be something that we reconsider.

“In regards to donations to the party, people keep asking me, ‘do you think the money should be kept’? I have been very clear that, yes, I do think so.”

More on Kemi Badenoch

Mr Hester, who donated £10m to the Tories last year, is reported to have said that left-wing MP Ms Abbott made him “want to hate all black women” and that she “should be shot”.

Ms Badenoch was the first cabinet minister to break ranks and say the comments were “racist” – though she added at the time that there should be space for “forgiveness”.

Until this point, ministers had said the comments were “wrong” but did not go as far as calling them racist.

Downing Street had also refused to call the remarks “racist”, insisting instead that they were “unacceptable”.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak later condemned the remarks as “racist and wrong”, but he has continued to face calls to return the money Mr Hester has donated and confirm whether a further £5m is in the pipeline.

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Sky News understands the government is “in talks” about this extra money which, if accepted, would take the amount Mr Hester has donated to the party in the last year to £15m.

In other media interviews this morning, Ms Badenoch branded continued interest in the story “pure media bubble speculation”, saying on BBC Breakfast that it is only dominating front pages because “you are not interested in the work that the government is doing”.

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On LBC, she said: “This was something that happened five years ago. He wasn’t talking to Diane Abbott, it wasn’t even really about Diane Abbott.”

Ms Badenoch’s remarks reflect a government determined to move on from a row that dominated what some have dubbed Mr Sunak’s worst week in office.

The embattled prime minister has also faced rumours of a plot to replace him and the defection of former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson to the Reform party.

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‘Sunak will still be Tory leader at next general election’

He is seeking to shift the political debate to the gradually improving economic outlook as he tries to shore up his leadership.

Launching a fightback last night, Mr Sunak vowed that 2024 “will be the year Britain bounces back” in comments released by Downing Street.

Later today he will set out reforms to boost apprenticeships and cut red tape for small businesses, at a conference in Warwickshire that is being hosted by Ms Badenoch.

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