Labour backs new ‘respect orders’ to fight anti-social behaviour – but isn’t yet sure how they will work

Published

10 months ago

September 10, 2024

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Labour has defended the concept of new ‘respect orders’ for fighting anti-social behaviour – but admitted the details are still unclear.

In its manifesto, the party said it would give powers to “ban persistent adult offenders from town centres, which will stamp out issues such as public drinking and drug use”.

The Blair government previously spearheaded ASBOs – anti-social behaviour orders – now regarded by many as a failure.

Half were breached, two-thirds were breached more than once, and Labour never reached its target of reducing re-offending. They were scrapped in 2014.

Respect orders appear to have a very similar remit to ASBOs – and policing minister Dame Diana Johnson told Sky News the process of how they will work is still being developed.

She instead restated the general ambition of the new scheme.

“[They] will be about preventing those prolific offenders who are causing anti-social behaviour in our communities up and down the land from going into areas like town centres, or other public spaces like parks,” said Dame Diana.

“There’ll be consequences for their actions,” she added. “It’s likely that will lead – if they are breached – into criminal sanctions.”

Dame Diana admitted the last Labour government didn’t get everything right on the issue, but said it “identified a problem and tried to deal with it” through more police on the streets and legislation to take people to court.

The MP for Hull North said the situation had become “a lot worse” under the Tories.

She told Sky News: “The focus that Labour had on neighbourhood policing, on providing the powers for policing, that wasn’t a priority for them for the last 14 years.”

Following criticism from the victims’ commissioner, Dame Diana said many who suffer from anti-social behaviour are still being let down by police and councils.

She said it was “depressing” that progress appeared not to have been made over the last few decades and that a more coordinated approach was vital, with better support for victims.

“I’ve had constituents say to me, ‘I’ve rung the council or I’ve rung the police, nobody comes and nothing is done’,” said Dame Diana.

“So I think it is about recognising we need to get much better at this joined-up approach to dealing with what’s going on in communities and tackling the individuals who are causing the problems to families.”

The new government has also promised to bring 13,000 more neighbourhood police officers, police community support officers (PCSOs) and special constables to the streets.

The minister denied that PCSOs are often ineffectual at combatting anti-social behaviour.

Dame Diana said their presence “walking the beat, engaging with local communities, talking to people, [is] a presence that is really welcomed”.

However, she couldn’t yet say how many of the promised 13,000 will be full-time police officers with comprehensive powers, and how many will be PCSOs.

“I don’t know the exact figure yet,” she said. “But I obviously want to see that 13,000 on our streets as soon as possible,” said the minister.

“And it will be a mix, because we recognise that PCSOs have a very valuable role to play on the streets, in communities, as do the warranted officers as well.”

She said she had only been in the job two months and establishing the precise figures was one of her priorities.

Politics

What is a wealth tax, how would it work in the UK and where else has one?

Published

2 hours ago

July 9, 2025

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What is a wealth tax, how would it work in the UK and where else has one?

The idea of a wealth tax has raised its head – yet again – as the government attempts to balance its books.

Downing Street refused to rule out a wealth tax after former Labour leader Lord Kinnock told Sky News he thinks the government should introduce one.

Sir Keir Starmer’s spokesman said: “The prime minister has repeatedly said those with the broadest shoulders should carry the largest burden.”

While there has never been a wealth tax in the UK, the notion was raised under Rishi Sunak after the COVID years – and rejected – and both Harold Wilson’s and James Callaghan’s Labour governments in the 1970s seriously considered implementing one.

Sky News looks at what a wealth tax is, how it could work in the UK, and which countries already have one.

What is a wealth tax?

A wealth tax is aimed at reducing economic inequality to redistribute wealth and to raise revenue.

It is a direct levy on all, or most of, an individual’s, household’s or business’s total net wealth, rather than their income.

The tax typically includes the total market value of assets, including savings, investments, property and other forms of wealth – minus a person’s debts.

Unlike capital gains tax, which is paid when an asset is sold at a profit, a wealth tax is normally an annual charge based on the value of assets owned, even if they are not sold.

A one-off wealth tax, often used after major crises, could also be an option to raise a substantial amount of revenue in one go.

How could it work in the UK?

Advocates of a UK wealth tax, including Lord Kinnock, have proposed an annual 2% tax on wealth above £10m.

Wealth tax campaign group Tax Justice UK has calculated this would affect about 20,000 people – fewer than 0.04% of the population – and raise £24bn a year.

Because of how few people would pay it, Tax Justice says that would make it easy for HMRC to collect the tax.

The group proposes people self-declare asset values, backed up by a compliance team at HMRC who could have a register of assets.

Which countries have or have had a wealth tax?

In 1990, 12 OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries had a net wealth tax, but just four have one now: Colombia, Norway, Spain and Switzerland.

France and Italy levy wealth taxes on selected assets.

Colombia

Since 2023, residents in the South American country are subject to tax on their worldwide wealth, but can exclude the value of their household up to 509m pesos (£92,500).

The tax is progressive, ranging from a 0.5% rate to 1.5% for the most wealthy until next year, then 1% for the wealthiest from 2027.

Norway

There is a 0.525% municipal wealth tax for individuals with net wealth exceeding 1.7m kroner (about £125,000) or 3.52m kroner (£256,000) for spouses.

Norway also has a state wealth tax of 0.475% based on assets exceeding a net capital tax basis of 1.7m kroner (£125,000) or 3.52m kroner (£256,000) for spouses, and 0.575% for net wealth in excess of 20.7m kroner (£1.5m).

The maximum combined wealth tax rate is 1.1%.

The Norwegian Labour coalition government also increased dividend tax to 20% in 2023, and with the wealth tax, it prompted about 80 affluent business owners, with an estimated net worth of £40bn, to leave Norway.

Spain

Residents in Spain have to pay a progressive wealth tax on worldwide assets, with a €700,000 (£600,000) tax free allowance per person in most areas and homes up to €300,000 (£250,000) tax exempt.

The progressive rate goes from 0.2% for taxable income for assets of €167,129 (£144,000) up to 3.5% for taxable income of €10.6m (£9.146m) and above.

It has been reported that more than 12,000 multimillionaires have left Spain since the government introduced the higher levy at the end of 2022.

Switzerland

All of the country’s cantons (districts) have a net wealth tax based on a person’s taxable net worth – different to total net worth.

It takes into account the balance of an individual’s worldwide gross assets, including bank account balances, bonds, shares, life insurances, cars, boats, properties, paintings, jewellery – minus debts.

Switzerland also works on a progressive rate, ranging from 0.3% to 0.5%, with a relatively low starting point at which people are taxed on their wealth, such as 50,000 CHF (£46,200) in several cantons.

Politics

Jingye and Whitehall officials hold talks over British Steel future

Published

5 hours ago

July 9, 2025

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Jingye and Whitehall officials hold talks over British Steel future

The Chinese owner of British Steel has held fresh talks with government officials in a bid to break the impasse over ministers’ determination not to compensate it for seizing control of the company.

Sky News has learnt that executives from Jingye Group met senior civil servants from the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) late last week to discuss ways to resolve the standoff.

Whitehall sources said the talks had been cordial, but that no meaningful progress had been made towards a resolution.

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Jingye wants the government to agree to pay it hundreds of millions of pounds for taking control of British Steel in April – a move triggered by the Chinese group’s preparations for the permanent closure of its blast furnaces in Scunthorpe.

Such a move would have cost thousands of jobs and ended Britain’s centuries-old ability to produce virgin steel.

Jingye had been in talks for months to seek £1bn in state aid to facilitate the Scunthorpe plant’s transition to greener steelmaking, but was offered just half that sum by ministers.

British Steel has not yet been formally nationalised, although that remains a probable outcome.

Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, has previously dismissed the idea of compensating Jingye, saying British Steel’s equity was essentially worthless.

Last month, he met his Chinese counterpart, where the issue of British Steel was discussed between the two governments in person for the first time.

Jingye has hired the leading City law firm Linklaters to explore the recovery of hundreds of millions of pounds it invested in the Scunthorpe-based company before the government seized control of it.

News of last week’s meeting comes as British steelmakers face an anxious wait to learn whether their exports to the US face swingeing tariffs as part of US President Donald Trump’s trade war.

Sky News’s economics and data editor, Ed Conway, revealed this week that the UK would miss a White House-imposed deadline to agree a trade deal on steel and aluminium this week.

Jingye declined to comment, while a spokesman for the Department for Business and Trade said: “We acted quickly to ensure the continued operations of the blast furnaces but recognise that securing British Steel’s long-term future requires private sector investment.

“We have not nationalised British Steel and are working closely with Jingye on options for the future, and we will continue work on determining the best long-term sustainable future for the site.”