Politics

The three main points from Jeremy Hunt’s speech – and what Tory conference says for stability

Published

9 months ago

October 2, 2023

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Let’s get the actual economic policy out of the way first. It shouldn’t take long.

There were three main bits of news from the Chancellor’s speech today.

The first is that the national living wage is likely to be raised above £11 an hour. This is, to be frank, not exactly a government decision.

Latest: Reaction to ‘deeply embarrassing’ HS2 decision

The level will be recommended by the Low Pay Commission in the coming weeks and, on the basis of wage growth recently, they’re likely to suggest an hourly rate of around £11.10 or a bit above.

All the chancellor is saying today is that he’ll approve their recommendation – which is precisely what everyone was expecting.

The second bit of news is that the chancellor wants to introduce further sanctions on those who are on benefits and show little inclination to look for work. Again, such sanctions already exist, but the chancellor wants to “look at the way the sanctions regime works”.

The third new measure is a freeze on civil service hiring, akin to the one George Osborne brought in during the austerity years when he was chancellor.

This wasn’t pre-flagged but generated the most applause of the entire speech.

By now you probably get the idea. Once upon a time, Tory Party conference was an important moment for this country’s economic policy.

It was the forum where previous chancellors – most notably George Osborne – announced new measures that would change the direction of UK PLC.

Those days seem to be long over: in policy terms, day one of Conservative Party conference was, to borrow American jargon, a “nothingburger”.

Of course, the real story of this conference was what was happening offstage: the Liz Truss rally and the disclosure, leaked to Sky News shortly before the chancellor’s speech, that the prime minister has indeed cancelled the Birmingham to Manchester leg of HS2.

That brings us to the wider issue here.

The slogan for the conference is “Long Term Decisions for a Brighter Future”. The government’s problem is that the more it decides to reverse long-standing government policy, whether on HS2 or on net zero, the more capricious it looks.

For most businesses trying to decide whether to invest in this country, tax rates and subsidies are only a small part of the decision-making matrix. Far more important is a sense of stability – that government will stick to its long-term decisions.

Yet that’s precisely the opposite of the impression given by the Conservative Party here in Manchester.

Politics

IRS reveals final regulations for crypto broker rules

Published

8 hours ago

June 28, 2024

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IRS reveals final regulations for crypto broker rules

The Internal Revenue Service did not include decentralized exchanges or self-custodial wallets under its broker reporting requirements.

Politics

Reform canvasser in PM racism row says he was ‘a total fool’

Published

10 hours ago

June 28, 2024

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Reform canvasser in PM racism row says he was 'a total fool'

A Reform UK canvasser who used a racial slur against Rishi Sunak has called himself a “total fool” and said he has learned his lesson.

Footage from an undercover Channel 4 reporter showed Reform campaigner Andrew Parker using a discriminatory term about the prime minister, as well as saying the army should “just shoot” migrants crossing the Channel.

Election latest: Farage on defensive after supporters caught making racist, homophobic remarks

Police are now assessing the comments to establish if an offence has been committed, while Mr Sunak said the insult directed at him “hurts and it makes me angry”.

Mr Parker, who was canvassing in Clacton, where Reform leader Nigel Farage is standing, told Sky News the sting operation had “proper taught me a lesson”.

He said: “There’s lots of old people like me who are sick to death of this woke agenda… but on that particular day, I was set up and set up good and proper.

“It’s proper taught me a lesson – I was a total fool.”

Pressed on his use of the racial slur, he said he was an “old man” and “I still use old words”.

“There’s no racism at all in it. I am a decent guy to be honest”, he added.

In the Channel 4 report, Mr Parker can be heard using offensive language about the prime minister and also discussing migrants arriving in small boats in Deal, Kent

He said: “Army recruitment – get the young recruits there, with guns, on the f****** beach, target practice. F****** just shoot them.”

He also described Islam as a “disgusting cult”.

Mr Farage said he was “dismayed” by the “appalling” comments and has sought to distance himself from the campaigner, saying he was simply “someone who turned up to help” and “has nothing to do with the party”.

He has also used reports Mr Parker was a part-time actor to suggest the incriminating film was a “total set-up” – something Channel 4 has strongly denied.

Mr Parker himself says his volunteering for Reform was separate from his acting job – and claims he was “goaded” into making the comments.

A spokesperson for Channel 4 said: “We strongly stand by our rigorous and duly impartial journalism which speaks for itself.

“We met Mr Parker for the first time at Reform UK party headquarters, where he was a Reform party canvasser.

“We did not pay the Reform UK canvasser or anyone else in this report. Mr Parker was not known to Channel 4 News and was filmed covertly via the undercover operation.”

The broadcaster’s investigation also caught another canvasser describing the Pride flag as “degenerate” and suggesting members of the LGBT community are paedophiles.

A spokesman for Essex Police said the force is “urgently assessing” the comments “to establish if there are any criminal offences”.

PM ‘hurt and angry’ over racial slur

Mr Sunak reacted furiously to the comments and said Mr Farage had “some questions to answer”.

He said: “My two daughters have to see and hear Reform people who campaign for Nigel Farage calling me an effing P***. It hurts and it makes me angry and I think he has some questions to answer.

“And I don’t repeat those words lightly. I do so deliberately because this is too important not to call out clearly for what it is.

“As prime minister, but more importantly as a father of two young girls, it’s my duty to call out this corrosive and divisive behaviour.”

Unrepentant Farage doubles down

However, Mr Farage was unrepentant when grilled on the row during a BBC Question Time leaders’ special, saying he was “not going to apologise” for the actions of people associated with his party.

Reform UK has faced a series of controversies relating to election candidates saying offensive or racist things.

Asked why his party “attracts racists and extremists”, the former UKIP leader claimed he had “done more to drive the far right out of British politics than anybody else alive” – claiming he took on the British Nationalist Party (BNP) a decade ago.

He also appeared to throw his predecessor Richard Tice under the bus when read racist and xenophobic comments made by Reform candidates, saying he “inherited a start up party” and has “no idea” why the people who said those things had been selected.