Rachel Reeves needs to “make the case” to voters that extending the freeze on personal income thresholds was the “fairest” way to increase taxes, Baroness Harriet Harman has said.

Speaking to Sky News political editor Beth Rigby on the Electoral Dysfunction podcast, the Labour peer said the chancellor needed to explain that her decision would “protect people’s cost of living if they’re on low incomes”.

In her budget on Wednesday, Ms Reeves extended the freeze on income tax thresholds – introduced by the Conservatives in 2021 and due to expire in 2028 – by three years.

The move – described by critics as a “stealth tax” – is estimated to raise £8bn for the exchequer in 2029-2030 by dragging some 1.7 million people into a higher tax band as their pay goes up.

The chancellor previously said she would not freeze thresholds as it would “hurt working people” – prompting accusations she has broken the trust of voters.

During the general election campaign, Labour promised not to increase VAT, national insurance or income tax rates.

Sir Keir Starmer has insisted there’s been no manifesto breach, but acknowledged people were being asked to “contribute” to protect public services.

He has also launched a staunch defence of the government’s decision to scrap the two-child benefit cap, with its estimated cost of around £3bn by the end of this parliament.

‘A moral failure’

The prime minister condemned the Conservative policy as a “failed social experiment” and said those who defend it stand for “a moral failure and an economic disaster”.

“The record highs of child poverty in this country aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet – they mean millions of children are going to bed hungry, falling behind at school, and growing up believing that a better future is out of reach despite their parents doing everything right,” he said.

The two-child limit restricts child tax credit and universal credit to the first two children in most households.

The government believes lifting the limit will pull 450,000 children out of poverty, which it argues will ultimately help reduce costs by preventing knock-on issues like dependency on welfare – and help people find jobs.

Speaking to Rigby, Baroness Harman said Ms Reeves now needed to convince “the woman on the doorstep” of why she’s raised taxes in the way that she has.

“I think Rachel really answered it very, very clearly when she said, ‘well, actually, we haven’t broken the manifesto because the manifesto was about rates’.

“And you remember there was a big kerfuffle before the budget about whether they would increase the rate of income tax or the rate of national insurance, and they backed off that because that would have been a breach of the manifesto.

“But she has had to increase the tax take, and she’s done it by increasing by freezing the thresholds, which she says she didn’t want to do. But she’s tried to do it with the fairest possible way, with counterbalancing support for people on low incomes.”

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She added: “And that is the argument that’s now got to be had with the public. The Labour members of parliament are happy about it. The markets essentially are happy about it. But she needs to make the case, and everybody in the government is going to need to make the case about it.

“This was a difficult thing to do, but it’s been done in the fairest possible way, and it’s for the good, because it will protect people’s cost of living if they’re on low incomes.”

What do you do, how do you spend your time, when you’ve just lost everything you have? 

This was the dilemma for thousands today in Hong Kong.

On the whole, it seemed people chose to stay close to the scene.

Hong Kong fire block latest: More arrests in deadly tower blaze

The square that had become the heart of the community response was heaving. Many poured through the piles of clothes, blankets and other supplies.

Some simply sat and watched on, their faces blank and stunned.

Above them, the seven blackened towers are now still and quiet. The blaze is finally out.

But an unknown number are still lying somewhere inside – and the wait for news is unbearable.

“Even if they are dead, I just want to know,” cries Mr Lau, whose elderly parents lived 27 floors up. His grief is raw and unchecked.

“I want to ask John Lee [Hong Kong’s chief executive], what are you actually doing? All you did was wander around and hold press conferences. What about us?”

His questions reflect a noticeable shift in the tone here.

There is a tension emerging, an anxiety, even an anger.

Of course, people are furious with the construction company that was undertaking renovations and is accused of cutting corners.

But that is not their only target.

Many here believe the Beijing-backed government has not enforced good enough safety standards, batting away residents’ concerns and turning a blind eye to issues like overcrowding.

They say it is now too focused on deflecting the blame.

“With every building maintenance project, there are criticisms, but these criticisms are always suppressed,” explains one man who lives in the neighbourhood.

And do you think there’s corruption, I ask?

“Absolutely,” he says.

They are particularly exercised about what they see as an overfocus on the bamboo scaffolding.

Considered almost a part of Hong Kong’s cultural heritage, it was already being phased out. A convenient distraction from other failings, according to people here.

Tensions are high, too, between different groups of volunteers.

We witnessed two separate arguments where local grassroots organisers accused some who are part of a government-linked group of attempting to seize control and take the credit.

In the Hong Kong of old, there would almost certainly have been vigils here.

But after a massive crackdown on pro-democracy movements that climaxed in 2019, any mass gathering in today’s Hong Kong is seen as dangerous.

Even if it is just to honour the dead.

It feels like the resentments left over from that time are not that far from the surface.

This is still a human tragedy, but the fallout could well be political.

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Florida has shifted focus from Lane Kiffin in the school’s coaching search, as the school has sensed through irregular communication that he’s interested in other options, sources told ESPN on Friday.

Florida, which is searching for former coach Billy Napier’s successor, has interviewed roughly a dozen candidates and is optimistic about the process.

Louisville‘s Jeff Brohm, Tulane‘s Jon Sumrall and Washington‘s Jeff Fisch are believed to be among the candidates the Gators are still considering.

Florida targeted Kiffin early in the search and offered him a deal to put him among the highest paid coaches in college football, which included significant incentives.

Ole Miss officials told ESPN ahead of Saturday’s Egg Bowl against Mississippi State in Starkville that Kiffin is expected to provide them with a decision about his future on Friday night or Saturday. He’s also considering a lucrative contract offer from SEC rival LSU.

LSU also wants an answer from Kiffin, as the coaching carousel has intensified the Tigers’ search, as well as a potential one at Ole Miss if Kiffin leaves.

Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz and Vanderbilt‘s Clark Lea, two of the top candidates believed to be under consideration at either Florida or LSU, signed six-year contract extensions with their respective schools in the past 24 hours.

If the No. 7 Rebels defeat the Bulldogs on Saturday, they’ll finish 11-1 and are expected to reach the College Football Playoff for the first time. They would possibly host a first-round game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi, on Dec. 19 or 20.

If Kiffin decides to leave for LSU, the Rebels have an interim plan in place. Sources previously told ESPN that former New York Giants interim coach Joe Judge would likely serve as interim head coach.

Sources told ESPN that all options are still on the table if Kiffin decides to replace Brian Kelly as LSU’s coach-even potentially coaching the Rebels in the CFP. But sources said Kiffin sticking around after agreeing to coach at an SEC rival wasn’t an ideal scenario.

Kiffin, 50, has guided the Rebels to a 54-19 record in his six seasons — only Alabama (66-12) and Georgia (70-8) have more wins in the SEC since the start of the 2020 season. In fact, the Rebels have the eighth-most wins among power-conference teams during that stretch.