Liz Truss is a ‘danger’ to the economy and has ‘lost control’, says Keir Starmer
Liz Truss is a “danger” to the economy and has “lost control” after the fallout from the government’s mini-budget, Sir Keir Starmer has told Sky News.
Speaking to political editor Beth Rigby, the Labour leader stopped short of calling for the PM and her chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, to quit, saying it was a “secondary” issue.
Politics Hub: No mini-budget reversal and chancellor will not resign
“People looking at their bills and worrying today are not interested in who I’m calling for to resign,” he said.
But he said the decisions being taken in Downing Street and the Treasury meant there was “a danger” – and the pair “took a huge risk” with their plans.
“They’re gambling our money… to give tax breaks to the very rich,” added Sir Keir.
Sir Keir, who has just finished his party’s conference in Liverpool, reiterated his demand for the PM to recall parliament – echoing calls from the Liberal Democrats and SNP – and to reverse Friday’s announcements “before any more damage is done”.
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‘No reversal of policy’
Any decision to return to the Commons lies with the prime minister, who has her own party conference starting in Birmingham on Saturday, and a Treasury source told Sky News there “won’t be any reversal of policy”.
Last week’s announcements from Mr Kwarteng included a raft of tax cuts – such as removing the top 45p rate for people earning over £150,000, lowering the basic rate of income tax by 1p, and cancelling the planned increase to corporation tax.
But there was a backlash from the markets due to the level of government borrowing needed to pay for the plans.
On Tuesday, the IMF said: “The nature of the UK measures will likely increase inequality.”
And on Wednesday, the Bank of England launched a temporary bond-buying programme as an emergency measure to prevent “material risk” to UK financial stability in the wake of the so-called fiscal event.
Bank’s ‘nearly unthinkable’ intervention – economy latest
A number of Tory MPs have been up in arms about the reverberations since the event, telling Sky News political correspondent Ali Fortescue it was “utterly humiliating” and they were “shell shocked” after the Bank’s intervention.
One Conservative said: “I thought Boris’ cabinet was the worst in history. This one’s just beaten it.”
Sir Keir said the issues were “a self-inflicted wound” created in Downing Street and that “never again can the Conservative Party claim to be the party of fiscal responsibility”.
He added: “If the government tries to just walk past this and ignore it, they’re making a huge mistake.”
Sir Keir also said Ms Truss should “maybe” give the extra salary she will have from cutting the 45p income tax for high earners to charity.
As prime minister, Ms Truss earns £164,000, which puts her in the 45p income tax.
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‘Fully costed’ commitment
“If it were us, it would never have gone down this road in the first place,” said Sir Keir.
“The idea of unfunded tax cuts for those at the very top inflicting price increases on working people, and anxieties about mortgage and pensions, is something that we would never contemplate as a Labour government.”
Asked if he would consider a wealth tax to fund his own policies, Sir Keir said his team were “looking at what is a fair taxation approach” for those who earn their cash from stocks, shares, and dividends.
“I think there’s a lot of thought that if you earn your income through wages, you pay a certain rate, but if you earn it through stocks and shares and dividends, you pay a different rate,” he said.
“That is something we need to look at.”
He also promised if Labour got into power, it would stick by “very clear fiscal rules” and “every single spending commitment [would be] fully costed”.
And asked if he would be the next PM, Sir Keir said: “Yes.”
UK
13-year-old girl charged with attempted murder after two teachers and pupil stabbed at Carmarthenshire school
A 13-year-old girl has been charged with three counts of attempted murder after two teachers and a pupil were stabbed at a school.
The three people were treated in hospital for stab wounds but have now been released.
Pupils at Amman Valley School, also known as Ysgol Dyffryn Aman, went into lockdown just after 11.20am on Wednesday following the attack at the end of morning break in Carmarthenshire.
Amman Valley School, which is in the town of Ammanford, is a comprehensive with around 1,500 students aged between 11 and 18.
In a statement on the school’s website, headteacher James Durbridge said on Wednesday it had been a “very difficult day” for the school.
“It goes without saying that my thoughts are with the three individuals and their families, who have been affected by today’s incident,” he said.
“I wish to commend all staff and pupils for their calm and mature response during today’s lockdown.
“We are proud to have witnessed pupils embodying the school’s core values while supporting their peers and staff.”
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Meanwhile, a 15-year-old boy has been arrested and remains in custody on suspicion of making threats referencing the school attack, Dyfed-Powys Police has said.
Superintendent Ross Evans said: “Following [the stabbing incident], yesterday evening our control room received a number of calls reporting concerns about messages being shared on social media which had references to the incident here at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman.
“Officers swiftly carried out a warrant at the home of the person believed to be responsible for this content and a 15-year-old male has been arrested.
“He also remains in police custody while we investigate these allegations.”
Two horses which bolted and charged through central London are in a “serious condition”, a minister has said.
The Household Cavalry said the animals – which were taking part in what the Army called a “routine exercise” in the Belgravia area on Wednesday – were spooked by builders dropping rubble from a height “right next to them”.
Two horses bolted through the streets of London. Pic : PA
Defence minister James Cartlidge told Sky News on Thursday morning: “There were five horses. They have all been recovered.
“Three of them are fine, two of them are unfortunately in a relatively serious condition and obviously we will be monitoring that condition.”
He added: “They are in a serious condition, but as I understand, still alive.”
The minister also confirmed the names of the two animals, Vida and Quaker.
He stressed while the footage that emerged of the horses running through the capital was “dramatic”, it was “a very exceptional event”.
“This is extremely unlikely, this scenario,” he told LBC.
“Unfortunately we have seen what has happened, but all I can say is the crucial thing… no serious injuries to the public as far as we aware, and of course we will be keeping an eye on the situation.”
A map of where the horses travelled
Four service personnel were thrown from their horses and the animals that ran loose smashed into vehicles, including a taxi and a tour bus.
Paramedics treated four people in three separate incidents in Buckingham Palace Road, Belgrave Square, and at the junction of Chancery Lane and Fleet Street, in the space of just 10 minutes.
Some of the soldiers were taken to hospital for treatment for their injuries, which were not thought to be serious.
Pic: Alice Porter
Pic. PA
One witness got off a bus and described seeing two horses, one black and the other white, “flying past”.
“The white one was drenched in blood from the chest down and they were galloping through the traffic at speed,” she said.
“People were stopping in the street shocked. The horses were running into fast-moving traffic and seemed terrified. Some unmarked police cars were chasing after them, which didn’t seem to be helping.
“I felt shocked. It was pretty gruesome. Felt like a weird dream.”
The horses were eventually recaptured by City of London Police and taken away to be assessed by Army vets.
The animals are all receiving care from vets at Hyde Park barracks.
Commanding Officer of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment Lieutenant Colonel Matt Woodward said in a video statement posted on X the unit exercises around 150 horses on the roads and in parks every morning, partly to help desensitise them to city noise.
He said the “shock” of building materials being dropped from a height near them caused the horses to bolt and unseat some riders
He added: “Thankfully, considering the frequency of exercise and numbers of horses involved, this type of incident is extremely rare, we continue to strive to minimise the risk of this recurring.
“As ever we are grateful for due consideration given by the members of the public to not making loud noises around our horses.”
When temperatures hit nearly 22C in parts of England earlier this month, people might have thought that spring had finally sprung.
But with May fast approaching, temperatures have suddenly dropped, forcing some back into their winter coats and others to switch the heating on once again.
So what has caused the mercury to drop to near-freezing in some parts?
According to Sky News weather presenter Jo Wheeler, an area of high pressure to the west of the UK is behind it.
UK weather: The latest Sky News forecast
Temperatures were as low as 3C this morning in parts of the UK
“High pressure to the west of the UK and Ireland gave hopes for a few days of settled weather, even though it was forecast to be a ‘cloudy high’,” she says.
“And that is pretty much what we have seen, although the positioning of the high brought cold northerly winds – and eastern counties can vouch for this.
“The high was also weak enough to allow frontal systems (a collision of cold and warm air) to move through it, so we didn’t see entirely dry weather either.
“And, winds were strong enough to give a significant wind chill along the North Sea coasts, which was pretty bitter.”
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That, she says, has resulted in temperatures dropping a few degrees below the April average, though, according to Ms Wheeler “not by much”.
So when will temperatures rise again?
“We’re just a few days from May now, and a change is on the way,” she adds.
“Low pressure, spreading from the south at the weekend, will bring milder conditions but also some rain and fresher winds.”
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However, the next few days could still be relatively cold, particularly overnight on Friday and potentially Saturday, when temperatures in parts of northern and eastern England could drop to near or even below freezing, according to the Met Office.
And while they say temperatures are likely to “trend upwards” from Sunday, rain and cloudier weather is set to dominate next week, particularly in the south.
According to the Met Office’s forecast for next week, there will be drier weather in northern parts of the UK and a chance of rain or even thundery showers for a time in the east.
“Temperatures [are] likely to trend upwards, with the chance of a warm to very warm spell in some southern and eastern parts, before conditions probably turn drier, cooler and more settled from the west towards the end of the period,” they say.
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