Speaking to a group of 50 voters and supporters in the Downing Street rose garden, the prime minister hinted at more spending cuts and tax rises to come as his party attempts to close a £22bn black hole they claim to have found in the public finances.
He warned that “things are worse than we ever imagined” because of a £22bn “black hole” in the public finances, claiming to have found out last week that the Tories had borrowed almost £5bn more than the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) expected.
While he insisted that his top priority is still wealth creation, it is now widely expected that his government will hit a number of taxes including capital gains and inheritance tax to fill the gaps in public spending.
He said: “There is a Budget coming in October, and it’s going to be painful. We have no other choice, given the situation that we’re in. Those with the broadest shoulders should bear the heavier burden, and that’s why we’re cracking down on nondoms. Those who made the mess should have to do their bit to clean it up – that’s why we’re strengthening the powers of the water regulator and backing tough fines on the water companies that let sewage flood our rivers, lakes and seas.”
It came as Sir Keir defended his chancellor Rachel Reeves’s decision to means test winter fuel allowance payments to pensioners, which Age Concern has warned will leave thousands at risk this winter.
He said: “I didn’t want to have to deal with the winter fuel allowance for pensioners ... We have to fix the NHS, we have to fix our homes, our schools, and pensioners rely on them in the same way as everybody else does, so I’m not going to pre-empt the Budget, but I am absolutely not going to accept that the inheritance that we have is anything other than dire – a £22bn black hole.”
Bu hikaye The Independent dergisinin August 28, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye The Independent dergisinin August 28, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
President-elect chooses Pentagon and CIA chiefs
President-elect Donald Trump moved to build out his foreign policy team yesterday, announcing he is nominating Fox News host and army veteran Pete Hegseth to serve as his defence secretary and John Ratcliffe, former director of National Intelligence, to lead the Central Intelligence Agency.
Shell wins appeal against landmark emissions ruling
A Dutch court has overturned a landmark ruling ordering fossilfuel giant Shell to significantly cut its carbon emissions, in a blow to climate campaigners. In the original 2021 ruling, hailed as a monumental victory” by activists, Shell was ordered to cut its carbon emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 compared to 2019 levels in line with the Paris climate accords.
Azerbaijan points finger at West as it defends Cop29
President Ilham Aliyev says oil is 'gift from God' and that country should host summit. Stuti Mishra reports from Baku
Edinburgh students told not to be 'snobs' to poorer peers
Edinburgh University has warned privileged students not to be \"snobs\" towards their working-class peers. The university has admitted there is a problem of class-related prejudice on campus, with poorer students being \"inadvertently or deliberately shamed by more privileged students\".
Harvey wins Booker Priz for space novel 'Orbital'
Samantha Harvey has won the Booker Prize for her poignant novel, Orbital. Ina ceremony held at Old Billingsgate, London last night, the writer was presented the award by last year’s winner, Irish author Paul Lynch.
Frank Auerbach, renowned post-war painter, dies at 93
Frank Auerbach, the renowned figurative painter who fled Nazi Germany as a child, has died aged 93. Having escaped to Britain via the Kindertransport scheme, Auerbach enjoyed a highly acclaimed career spanning seven decades, with his works displayed at every major national gallery around the world.
Campaign to return bible to Salisbury receives £10k gift
A campaign to return a 13th-century copy of the Bible to its ancestral home in Salisbury Cathedral has been hailed by the culture secretary as an example of our country at its best” as it received a 10,000 donation.
NHS pill to help thousands.avoid death from smoking
A daily pill designed to help people give up smoking will soon be rolled out on the NHS as experts hope it could prevent thousands of smoking-related deaths a year.
Hospital league tables to return in NHS reforms
Failing hospitals will be named and shamed in league tables and NHS managers sacked if they cannot improve patient care and take control of finances, the health secretary will say today.
Gray rejects offer of envoy job in fresh blow to Starmer
Sue Gray has turned down Sir Keir Starmer's offer to become the prime minister's envoy for the nations and regions, No 10 said, in yet another blow to the prime minister as questions continue about his Downing Street operation.
