Sir Keir Starmer has given us an idea of who he wants to protect in the budget – but is Rachel Reeves on the same page?
Who counts as a working person will matter a lot next week when the new Labour government unveils what is being billed as a historic budget.
Sir Keir Starmer used the phrase “working people” repeatedly in the general election as he sought to reassure voters he wasn’t going to raise their taxes.
But as this bumper budget comes around, it’s clear that someone’s taxes are going to go up, despite the prime minister repeatedly refusing to acknowledge this in our interview at the Commonwealth leaders summit in Samoa on Thursday. The closest he got was telling me “we’re not going back to austerity” which means no to big spending cuts.
Treasury insiders tell me that the government has to find £40bn to plug gaps in the public finances, and that means tax rises and spending cuts are on the way.
Politics latest: Tories accuse government of ‘broken promises’ over budget rule change
So taxes are going up, and there are a couple of supplementary questions to this: Who is going to be hit by tax rises?
And, given pretty much all of us with a job might count ourselves as “working people”, are lots of you going to feel let down by the new Labour government should you find yourselves caught in tax rises?
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
PM questioned on tax rises
On Thursday, I did get a more contoured definition of who the prime minister really means when he talks about working people.
For a start, he was clear to me that someone who gets their income from assets, such as shares and property, as well as work, wouldn’t come within” Sir Keir’s definition of a working person.
This is a strong hit that rises in capital gains taxes could be on the way and also leans to a bigger point that Sir Keir thinks the wealthy – workers or not – should pay more tax.
Working people are, in his “mind’s eye”, the people who have a “sort of knot in the bottom of the stomach, which if push comes to shove and something happens to me and my family, I can’t just get a cheque book out, even though maybe [I’ve] got a bit of savings”.
“They are the people that, in a way, I came into politics to try and make sure they had secure jobs and didn’t have the anxiety of public services not working, and felt genuinely better off with better opportunities. That’s who I have in my mind’s eye.”
Who might those people be?
Is it a “white van man” hoping that fuel duty won’t go up, or a nurse worried that her council tax could go up?
Is it the millions of workers on the basic rate of income tax that could find themselves dragged into higher tax bands should the chancellor decide to extend the Conservatives’ freezing of tax bands?
The chancellor could raise £7bn a year from that if she extends that beyond 2028. But if she does that on Wednesday, millions of those workers in Sir Keir’s “mind’s eye” might feel let down by this government.
Read more from Sky News:
Apology for slave trade ‘not on the agenda’
Sale and supply of single-use vapes to be banned
In the election, it helped the prime minister to have a broad definition of a working person because it meant he could talk to lots of groups of voters.
But now, as we get to the nuts and bolts of who is going to shoulder the burden of plugging gaps in the public finances, the “difficult decisions” as he puts it, are going to bite.
We do now have, at least, a better sense of who he wants to protect in this budget from tax rises. But will his chancellor follow through?
Lucy Letby suggested she could give “tips” to a colleague on how to get away with murder, a public inquiry has heard.
The child serial killer exchanged WhatsApp messages in 2017 with union rep Hayley Griffiths about the US legal drama How To Get Away With Murder.
The discussion took place a year after the neonatal nurse was moved to clerical duties at the Countess of Chester Hospital following concerns she may have been deliberately harming babies.
In a message to Letby, Ms Griffiths wrote: “I’m currently watching a programme called how to get away with murder. I’m learning some good tips.”
Letby replied: “I could have given you some tips x”
Ms Griffiths said: “I need someone to practice on to see if I can get away with it.”
Letby wrote: “I can think of two people you could practice on and will help you cover it up x”
Ms Griffiths replied: “Deal. I will get thinking of a plan. Get the cruise booked as our getaway.”
The pair were working in the hospital’s risk and patient safety department a year before Letby was arrested on suspicion of multiple murders by Cheshire Police.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
How the police caught Lucy Letby
Ms Griffiths said she was aware of the concerns of foul play and the connection to Letby by September 2016.
Shahram Sharghy, representing some of the families of Letby’s victims, asked: “Given the severity of the allegations that were made, and would you agree they are possibly the most serious allegations that anybody could make against a healthcare professional, were you making light of those allegations when you were referring to potentially committing a crime?”
Ms Griffiths answered: “No.”
Mr Sharghy asked: “Can you even begin to imagine and put yourself in the position of the families of the babies who were harmed when they see those messages?”
Ms Griffiths said: “I know… I am so remorseful. As soon as I saw them myself I was upset and I can’t begin to imagine… I can only apologise and say I have learned. I can’t go back in time but I have reflected absolutely on it.”
Read more from the inquiry:
‘Cold’ Lucy Letby failed final year student nurse placement
‘Breathing tubes dislodged’ during Letby shifts
Nurses who worked with Letby ‘were thinking the unthinkable’
Earlier, Ms Griffiths told counsel to the inquiry Rachel Langdale KC: “It was nothing more than a conversation. However, I truly and deeply regret having started that conservation… this is completely unprofessional, poor judgement on my behalf and completely insensitive. And for that, I can only apologise from the bottom of my heart.”
Letby, 34, from Hereford, is currently serving 15 whole-life orders.
She was convicted at Manchester Crown Court of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder six others between June 2015 and June 2016.
The Thirlwall Inquiry into the events surrounding her crimes is expected to sit until early 2015. The findings are expected by late autumn that year.
UK
Newcastle: Three men arrested in connection with deadly house explosion and on suspicion of cannabis production
Three men have been arrested in connection with a deadly house explosion in Newcastle.
Seven-year-old Archie York and Jason Laws, who was in his 30s, were killed following the blast in Violet Close, in the Benwell and Elswick area of the city in October.
Police said at the time that six others were taken to hospital “with varying injuries” after the blast and subsequent fire.
Three men – two in their 30s and one in his 50s – have been arrested on suspicion of two counts of manslaughter, and the production of a Class B drug, namely cannabis, Northumbria Police said.
They all remain in police custody.
Detective Chief Inspector Katie Smith said: “This has been a truly tragic incident which resulted in the loss of two lives.
“As a result of our ongoing enquiries, three men have today been arrested in connection with the explosion.
“Our investigation will remain ongoing as we seek to provide answers to what has happened.
“We would continue to ask people to avoid speculation surrounding this incident both online and in the community.”
Read more UK news:
Disguised MP jailed for trying to kill mother’s partner
Bonfire Night disorder across Edinburgh
Starmer and Badenoch lead British congratulations as Trump wins
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
From October: Deadly blast destroys Newcastle house
The blast tore through a row of six properties divided into two flats each.
Drone footage showed how six flats in the middle of the building appeared to have been completely destroyed by the explosion and fire, while piles of debris could be seen in the street outside.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Superintendent Darren Adams, from Northumbria Police, said on the day of the fire: “As a result of the incident in the early hours of this morning, a seven-year-old boy has sadly passed away.
“Despite the efforts of the emergency services, he tragically died at the scene.
“This is a truly devastating outcome.”
Prince William has given an update on the Princess of Wales’s health, describing her as “amazing”.
Ahead of tonight’s Earthshot Prize awards in Cape Town, he was asked how his wife Kate was doing and replied: “She’s doing really well thanks. Hopefully she’s watching tonight and cheering me on.
“She’s been amazing this whole year and I know she’ll be really keen to see tonight be a success.”
Kate revealed in March she was having preventative chemotherapy following the discovery of pre-cancerous cells.
In September, she announced she had completed her treatment and said her focus now is on “staying cancer free”.
Throughout the year, Prince William hasn’t discussed his wife’s diagnosis, despite still continuing with his own public duties.
William and Kate at a community engagement last month. Pic: Andrew Parsons/Kensington Palace
William answered questions after taking part in rehearsals for tonight’s Earthshot Awards, the environmental prize he launched in 2021 to try to inject some optimism into the climate crisis debate.
Since he’s been in Cape Town he’s been spotted wearing a bracelet with the word ‘papa’ on it, given to him by his daughter Princess Charlotte.
He explained: “This is a relic from a Taylor Swift concert that my daughter decided that she wanted to create a bracelet for, and she gave it to me when I came away so I’ve promised her that I’d wear it and try not to lose it while I was out here.”
He also shared how he’s trying to make sure his three children feel involved in his environmental work, including doing things around the house.
The Prince of Wales in Cape Town today. Pic: PA
The prince said: “Every family tries to do what they can to help with the environment and we go through the basics of recycling and making sure we minimise water use, turning lights off when you leave the house. We’re sensible with what we do around the environment. I think every family has those conversations.
“The Earthshot is trying to be more global than that – we’re trying to do big-scale ambition and business. I’ve brought the children along on that journey and I hope they’re proud of what we are trying to do here which is to galvanise that energy and enthusiasm to make real impact.”
Read more:
William’s ‘milestone’ moment in South Africa
Kate hugs teen with rare form of cancer
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Asked about the tough political climate for the environment right now, Prince William didn’t make any comment about the US election result and Donald Trump’s climate credentials, but said: “Everyone wants some hope and some optimism and Earthshot comes with urgent optimism.
“And as you’ll see tonight the amount of youth from Africa who will be in here – they’ll be letting you know and letting everyone know that it matters to them.
“Without them, the future is looking pretty bleak so these are the game changers, the innovators, the inventors who are going to make the world a better place for us in future.”
The annual Earthshot Prize awards five entrepreneurs, innovators, startups or conservationists with £1m each to help scale their ideas to tackle some of the world’s most pressing environmental issues.
This is the fourth year the awards have been held.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports7 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Environment1 year agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway