Robin Whitefield

"None of the fundamental issues holding Britain back were addressed." Andrew Neil reacts to the latest Budget and explains why it falls far short of what the British economy actually needs.

If you tax people who work - and pay people who don’t work - you’re going to get less people working. It’s just common sense” Arthur Laffer

Update: In the 27 months since Labour came to power, we've seen; • Employer National Insurance increased from 13.8% to 15%. • The employer NI threshold cut from £9,100 to £5,000. • The freeze on Income Tax and National Insurance thresholds extended to 2031. • Capital Gains Tax increased from 10% and 20% to 18% and 24%. • Business Asset Disposal Relief increased from 10% to 14%, then 18% – and now its lifetime limit halved to £500,000. • Investors’ Relief raised to 18% and its lifetime limit cut from £10 million to £1 million. • CGT relief on sales to Employee Ownership Trusts halved. • Carried interest taxation increased and moved into the Income Tax regime. • Dividend tax rates increased by two percentage points. • Savings-income tax rates increased by four percentage points. • Property-income tax rates increased by four percentage points. • VCT income tax relief cut from 30% to 20%. • Most unused pension funds brought into the Inheritance Tax net. • Agricultural and Business Property Relief capped. • Inheritance Tax thresholds frozen until 2031. • The non-dom regime replaced with a tougher residence-based system. • VAT imposed on private school fees. • Business-rates relief removed from private schools. • The Stamp Duty surcharge on second homes and buy-to-let raised from 3% to 5%. • The Furnished Holiday Lettings regime abolished. • A new annual surcharge on homes worth £2 million or more. • Pension salary-sacrifice NI relief capped at £2,000 a year. • The bank surcharge doubled. • Capital allowances for plant and machinery cut twice. • Online gaming duty almost doubled. • The Energy Profits Levy increased and extended, and its investment allowance scrapped. • Vaping Products Duty brought in and tobacco duties increased above inflation. • Vehicle Excise Duty increased for many new cars, with electric vehicles brought in. • A pay-per-mile tax on electric and plug-in hybrid cars legislated for 2028. • Air Passenger Duty increased. • Making Tax Digital extended to more landlords and self-employed people. Together they represent one of the biggest transfers of wealth from households and businesses to the Treasury in decades – with little to show for it in public services. Whether you're a business owner employing staff, a parent paying school fees, a farmer planning succession, an entrepreneur building wealth or simply someone trying to save for your family’s future... - You keep less of what you earn. - You keep less of what you invest. - You leave less for your family. Death by a thousand cuts.

Cardiff Head Coach, Corniel van Zyl, spoke with the media ahead of our derby trip to St Helen's this Saturday. #YmlaenCaerdydd

Tomorrow, join Question Time in Warwick On the panel: Emma Reynolds, James Cartlidge, Daisy Cooper, Zia Yusuf, and Alastair Campbell Apply now: eu.castitreach.com/ag/mentor… Thurs 29th Oct, 9pm on @BBCiPlayer, @BBCSounds, and the @BBCNews channel #bbcqt

Standing charges on gas bills, which cover the cost of delivery to homes and businesses, will be scrapped from 2027, Chancellor John Healey has announced in the Budget. (28 October)

Overall, the Chancellor has focused breathing room on energy bills. Tick ✅️ But he has spread the jam thin across around 4 in 5 of households. As a result, support this winter is limited to £100 per household, with bills set to rise over £400.

John Healey is fiddling with the price of pickles while Britain burns: buff.ly/ngIWKmM

🚨 SUMMARY: The OBR forecasts following John Healey's Budget - Welfare spending will rise to £431.3bn by 2030/31 - an increase of £97.5bn a year in cash terms - This includes £209.8bn on pensioner benefits, £110.7bn on Universal Credit, £69.6bn on disability benefits, £13.9bn on Child Benefit and £27.2bn on other welfare - Inflation will peak at 3.75% in early 2027, up from the earlier prediction of 2% - UK GDP growth will slow from around 1.25% in 2026 to 1% in 2027, before climbing to 1.6% in 2031 - Average UK unemployment will rise to 5.1% across 2026 and 2027 - The Employment Rights Act will "likely" have a negative economic impact because of reduced flexibility and greater uncertainty for businesses - The landlord tax increases (property income) could contribute to a long-term rise in private rents and discourage landlords from entering the market - Real household disposable income per person will be around 0.75% lower in 2030-31 than it expected in March 2026 - Higher earnings and frozen tax thresholds will increase income tax and National Insurance receipts by £9bn in 2026-27 and around £8bn on average in subsequent forecast years compared with March - Net migration is forecast to fall to 120,000 in the year to mid-2026, then gradually rise to 230,000 by the year to mid-2031 - Nominal weekly earnings growth will slow to around 3.5% in 2026, then average roughly 2.25% a year - Andy Burnham's first-time buyer scheme could raise house prices by increasing demand without enough new homes being built

Business leaders have criticised the Chancellor for failing to deliver a Budget that meets the “big ambitions” of Andy Burnham’s Government. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) accused John Healey of delivering a “nothing” Budget on Wednesday, which did not “meet the scale of that ambition” set out by the Prime Minister when he took office in the summer. 🔗 telegraph.co.uk/business/202…

MUST WATCH: Kemi Badenoch Tears Apart Labour's Budget👇

20 million British households in council tax bands A to D will receive a £100 energy payment this winter. Chancellor John Healey said during his first budget speech that the payment will made "directly into people's bank accounts" to create financial "breathing space" for the public. He said money for the scheme would be shared with the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland governments and urged them to pass on the savings to people in their nations as well.

Budget 2026 latest: welfare bill will be cut before next election, John Healey says thetimes.com/uk/politics/art…

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Britain faces £850bn interest bill as towering debt drives up taxes and hurts public services trib.al/vG2UsES