Connect with us

Published

on

Sir Keir Starmer paid £67,033 to HMRC in the last financial year, his tax returns show.

The Labour leader published the details after Rishi Sunak released his on Wednesday, following months of political pressure.

Sir Keir’s document shows he paid £67,033 in total tax for the 2021/22 financial year, and £51,547 the previous year.

It revealed that he made capital gains of £85,466 in the financial year 2021/22, on which he paid £23,930 in capital gains tax.

Notes made in the return said the capital gains tax reflected his share of the capital gains when his sister decided to sell a house he helped her to buy.

As leader of the opposition Sir Keir took home £126,154 in the same year.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Wednesday that he was “glad” to publish his financial affairs, which showed he paid £432,493 in tax in 2021/22.

More on Keir Starmer

That included £325,826 in capital gains tax and £120,604 in UK income tax on a total of £1.9m in the last tax year, the documents showed.

Sir Keir Starmer's total income figures
Image:
Sir Keir Starmer’s total income figures

Sir Keir welcomed the move by Mr Sunak and pledged to publish his own.

He would not comment on the contents of Mr Sunak’s, saying it is for “others to analyse”.

(L-R) Figures for 2020/21 and 2021/22
Image:
(L-R) Figures for 2020/21 and 2021/22

Following the release of Mr Starmer’s tax return, tax consultant Ray McCann told Sky News: “This is even less interesting than the prime minister!

“It is clear that both the prime minister and Sir Keir have provided only a summary and have not ‘published their tax returns’.

“The capital gains tax computation may also be abridged as there is no indication that he has utilised the annual exempt capital gains tax amount so the chargeable gain may be net of that.

“No charitable donations but I suspect that these may have been left out of the summary. Without a calculation of the tax, it is impossible to be sure.

“Otherwise fairly routine and would not give rise to any concerns.”

Dan Neidle, the founder of Tax Associates, said the details released by Mr Starmer were “slightly more interesting” than the prime minister’s.

He pointed out that the tax the Labour leader paid on the capital gains made from his sister’s house sale should have been £20,486, given he is entitled to a £12,300 allowance with the rest taxed at 28%.

Mr Neidle said it appears Mr Starmer actually paid £23,930 in capital gains tax because he chose not to use the allowance.

Mr Sunak said he had published his tax returns “in the interests of transparency, as I said I would, and I’m glad to have done that”, adding he did not think the public was that interested.

The publication of the Labour leader’s tax return comes after it was reported that he enjoyed a special “tax-unregistered” pension scheme meaning that the lifetime allowance did not apply to his contributions as Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) between 2008 and 2013.

Shadow justice secretary Steve Reed rejected allegations that Mr Starmer was a hypocrite, telling Sky News: “It wasn’t Keir Starmer as Director of Public Prosecutions who set his own pension.

Read more:
Sunak releases tax details showing income while chancellor and PM
Starmer to promise Labour will halve levels of violence against women and girls

“That was set by the Conservative government at the time so if people have problems with it they really need to speak to David Cameron and George Osborne,” he said.

A key part of Jeremy Hunt’s budget last week was his decision to abolish the lifetime allowance on pension savings, meaning people will now be allowed to put aside as much as they can in their private scheme without being taxed. The threshold had been £1m.

The Labour Party has pledged to reverse the plans if it wins power, calling it “a Tory tax cut for the rich”.

The party released analysis saying the policy proposed in Mr Hunt’s budget will save the wealthiest 1% of pensioners £45,000 when they retire.

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves told Sky News it was “the wrong priority” amid the ongoing cost of living crisis.

Continue Reading

UK

Rival groups face off outside migrant hotel – as asylum seekers ‘blow kisses’ at protesters

Published

on

By

Rival groups face off outside migrant hotel - as asylum seekers 'blow kisses' at protesters

Several demonstrators have been detained after rival groups faced off over a hotel accommodating asylum seekers in north London, with police breaking up brief clashes.

The Metropolitan Police has since imposed conditions on the protest and counter-protest outside the Thistle City Barbican Hotel in Islington.

The protest was organised by local residents under the banner “Thistle Barbican needs to go – locals say no”.

The group of several hundred people waved union flags and banners, and one man chanted: “Get these scum off our streets.”

Anti-immigration protesters outside the Thistle City Barbican Hotel in central London, which houses asylum seekers. Pic: PA
Image:
Anti-immigration protesters waved Union Jack flags. Pic: PA

A larger group staged a counter demonstration to voice support for asylum seekers, bearing a banner that read: “Refugees are welcome.”

People inside the hotel, believed to be migrants, watched on, with some waving and blowing kisses from the windows.

More on Migrant Crossings

People believed to be asylum seekers waved from the windows of Thistle City Barbican Hotel. Pic: PA
Image:
People believed to be asylum seekers waved the hotel windows. Pic: PA

Pro-immigration protesters gather outside the Thistle City Barbican Hotel in central London, which houses asylum seekers. Pic: PA
Image:
Pro-immigration protesters gathered by the Thistle City Barbican Hotel. Pic: PA

A man wearing an England football shirt was detained by police after getting into an altercation with officers.

There have been nine arrests so far, seven of which were for breaching conditions police put on the protests under the Public Order Act.

Rival groups separated by police

Another protest was scheduled in Newcastle on Saturday, outside The New Bridge Hotel, as anti-migrant sentiment ripples through some communities around the country, also flaring up recently in Epping.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Last week: Protesters divided over migrant hotels

The counter-protest in London was organised by local branches of Stand Up To Racism, and supported by former Labour leader and Islington North MP Jeremy Corbyn.

Other community groups including Finsbury Park Mosque and Islington Labour Party were also involved.

Groups online that backed the original protest include “Patriots of Britain” and “Together for the Children”.

At one point, a large group of masked protesters dressed in black, calling themselves anti-fascists, appeared from a side street and marched towards the rival group outside the hotel.

The two groups briefly clashed before police rushed in to separate them.

Masked protesters gather outside the Thistle City Barbican Hotel in central London, which houses asylum seekers. Pic: PA
Image:
Pic: PA

Supporters of local protest group "Thistle Barbican needs to go - locals say no" gathering outside the Thistle City Barbican Hotel. Pic: PA
Image:
Supporters of local protest group ‘Thistle Barbican needs to go – locals say no’. Pic: PA

Why are asylum hotels used?

The government is legally required to provide accommodation and subsistence to destitute asylum seekers while their claims are being decided, most of whom are prohibited from working.

A jump in the use of hotels since 2020 has been attributed to the impacts of the COVID pandemic, a backlog in unresolved asylum cases, and an increase in the number of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats.

However, the number of asylum seekers living in hotels has fallen recently, from 38,079 at the end of 2024 to 32,345 at the end of March 2025, according to the Refugee Council.

How police tried to keep groups apart

The police imposed conditions on both groups in London to prevent “serious disorder” and minimise disruption to the community.

Those in the anti-asylum hotel protest were told to remain within King Charles Square, and to gather not before 1pm and wrap up by 4pm.

Those in the counter-protest were to required to stay in an area in Lever Street, and assemble only between 12pm and 4pm, but were still in eye and ear shot of the other group.

Chief Superintendent Clair Haynes, in charge of the policing operation, said: “We have been in discussions with the organisers of both protests in recent days, building on the ongoing engagement between local officers, community groups and partners.

“We understand that there are strongly held views on all sides.

“Our officers will police without fear or favour, ensuring those exercising their right to protest can do so safely, but intervening at the first sign of actions that cross the line into criminality.”

Meanwhile, the protest in Newcastle was promoted by online posts saying it was “for our children, for our future”.

The “stop the far right and fascists in Newcastle” counter-protest was organised by Stand Up To Racism at the nearby Laing Art Gallery.

Continue Reading

UK

Jon Ruben remanded into custody on child cruelty charges after children fell ill at summer camp

Published

on

By

Jon Ruben remanded into custody on child cruelty charges after children fell ill at summer camp

A man has been remanded into custody charged with child cruelty offences after allegedly lacing sweets with sedatives.

Jon Ruben, 76, of Ruddington, Nottinghamshire, appeared at Leicester Magistrates’ Court on Saturday after youngsters fell ill at a summer camp in Stathern, Leicestershire.

He has been charged with three counts of wilfully assaulting, ill-treating, neglecting, abandoning or exposing children in a manner likely to cause them unnecessary suffering or injury to health.

The charges relate to three boys at the camp between 25-29 July.

A general view of the scene in Stathern, Leicestershire, after a 76-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of administering poison at a summ
Image:
The scene in Stathern, Leicestershire. Pic: PA

Ruben spoke only to confirm his name, age and address.

Police received a report of children feeling unwell at a camp being held at Stathern Lodge, near Melton in Leicestershire, last Sunday.

Officers said paramedics attended the scene and eight boys – aged between eight and 11 – were taken to hospital as a precaution, as was an adult. They have since been discharged.

Read more from Sky News:
Couple relive watching Rotherham riots unfold
Why the Oasis reunion tour is ‘catastrophic’ for Edinburgh Fringe

Police said the “owners and operators of Stathern Lodge are independent from those people who use or hire the lodge and are not connected to the incident”.

Leicestershire Police has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, after officers initially reported the incident as having happened on Monday, only to later amend it to Sunday.

It is still unclear when officers responded and whether that is why the watchdog referral has been made.

Ruben will next appear at Leicester Crown Court on 29 August.

Continue Reading

UK

‘This shouldn’t have happened’: Bishop who interrupted church choir in dressing gown apologises

Published

on

By

'This shouldn't have happened': Bishop who interrupted church choir in dressing gown apologises

A bishop who interrupted a church concert in his dressing gown – and told singers to “leave his house” – has formally apologised to the choir.

Jonathan Baker was filmed standing barefoot at a microphone as he criticised performers for making a “terrible racket” at St Andrew’s Church in central London.

Addressing the City Academy Voices choir directly, the bishop of Fulham said: “I write to apologise for the distress and offence I caused in bringing the concert to a premature end.

“This should not have happened … I also apologise for remarks which were made in haste, and which have understandably caused hurt and distress.”

The bishop, in his dressing gown, gave the choir a dressing down
Image:
The bishop, in his dressing gown, gave the choir a dressing down

Mr Baker had demanded for the performance to stop because it was 10pm – and says he didn’t realise the choir had booked the church until 11pm.

In the statement obtained by Sky News, he added: “I have lived here on site at St Andrew’s for 10 years, for much of which City Academy has rehearsed and performed here.

“You have been, and continue to be, welcome – and I hope that you will be able to continue the relationship with us.

More from UK

“I can give you every assurance that the events of Friday evening will not recur, and I apologise again to performers (especially those unable to perform at the end of the evening) and the audience alike.”

The choir performed their last song
Image:
The choir performed their last song

The choir was performing to a 300-strong audience in Holborn when the lights were suddenly turned off, with Mr Baker declaring the concert was “over”.

A church employee then asked the crowd to leave quietly and for the musicians to step down from the stage, attracting boos from the audience.

The choir went on to perform one last song, an A cappella version of ABBA’s Dancing Queen, before bringing their show to a close.

Read more from Sky News:
Why Oasis tour is ‘catastrophic’ for Fringe performers
North Korea opens its doors to Russian tourists

Bishop
Image:
Jonathan Baker has apologised

One member of the audience, who was attending with his 10-year-old daughter, told Sky News he initially thought the interruption was a staged joke.

Benedict Collins had told Sky News: “This work deserves respect, not to be disparaged as a ‘terrible racket’. The people here had put their heart and soul into it.

“The bishop cut them off in midstream, preventing soloists who had worked their hardest from singing – and preventing the audience, which included people of all ages, from enjoying it to the end.”

The choir told Sky News it was “upsetting” that they were unable to finish their show as planned, but “hold no hard feelings and wish the bishop well”.

A spokesperson added: “If anyone is thinking of joining one of our choirs, the City Academy Voices rehearse on Mondays in central London. Dressing gowns optional.”

Continue Reading

Trending