Former IFS chief Paul Johnson warns Labour’s planned council tax surcharge on £2m-plus homes is a sticking plaster that risks mishandling and may not raise the hoped-for £400m. Around 100,000 households could face about £4,500 extra. He says the council tax system needs full reform.
Reeves will propose a £600m levy on universities’ income from international student fees in Wednesday’s Budget, redirecting the money to means‑tested grants for poorer UK students to tackle living costs and widen access to higher education.
Days before the Budget, discipline is fraying as the PM struggles to keep Labour MPs in line. Sources say the Chief Whip is reluctant to continue. MPs and ministers demand stronger cost‑of‑living support, with hints of lifting the housing allowance cap.
An official inquiry finds Johnson’s government responded too late in early 2020. It says imposing lockdown a week earlier might have saved 23,000 lives in England, condemns a toxic, sexist and chaotic culture in No 10, notes all UK nations were ill-prepared, and criticises senior officials.
Ministers plan a funding overhaul letting councils in London and the South East raise council tax by about 10%, above the usual cap, to cover lost grants. Funds would be shifted to higher‑need areas in the North and Midlands, with cities like Manchester and Wolverhampton expected to benefit.
The Chancellor signalled a Budget plan to levy an annual charge on the highest‑value homes, with a council tax revaluation under review and safeguards for asset‑rich, cash‑poor owners. The aim is to shift more of the tax burden to wealthier households, with details due next week.
Home Sec Shabana Mahmood unveils a major migration clampdown: removal for families with rejected claims, time‑limited refugee status alongside new legal routes, and visa bans for unco‑operative states. Facing Labour dissent, the Tories and Reform signal support to pass it.
Shabana Mahmood will unveil plans for a 20-year wait before asylum seekers can gain settlement, alongside tighter asylum appeals, limits on family reunions and curbs on disputed slavery claims. Protests continued at the Crowborough accommodation site in East Sussex.
Shabana Mahmood will set out Denmark‑style migration laws, tightening asylum rules and family reunion. Measures include curbing use of Article 8 to stop removals and modelling Danish limits on reunification. Ministers say it’s the toughest package yet to deter illegal entry.
Ministers and MPs are blaming the PM’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, for an alleged operation targeting Health Secretary Wes Streeting. The row has unsettled No 10 days before the Budget. McSweeney denies plotting, while Streeting condemns a toxic culture and allies say the gambit has backfired.