Well if Labour keep this up I think I’ll be voting for them at the next GE!

RubyRoobs

There's surely no way they could raise the tax threshold to 20K. they don't have enough people paying enough taxes as it is ? I guess it would reduce some of the benefits bill if people got to keep more of their earnings.

Actually, just about everybody in the UK pays taxes. It's almost impossible not to pay tax. Even if you buy something which is zero VAT, the people who have produced what you buy will have paid all sorts of taxes. Income tax accounts for only about 25% of the Treasury's income. That's why I wrote in a previous post that one way to raise taxes is to get money circulating. Every step of the production, logistics and retail process is taxed, so the more quickly money circulates - and through the maximum number of hands - the more it's taxed.

That’s the hope from Reform UK RubyRoos and why I found it an attractive proposition. I’m no economist however.

There's surely no way they could raise the tax threshold to 20K. they don't have enough people paying enough taxes as it is ? I guess it would reduce some of the benefits bill if people got to keep more of their earnings.

Blimey FGT - I might need to lie down in a darkened room
😁

Yes, Corbyn has a lot to answer for as he put a lot of people off his Labour Psrty instead of building on New Labour's ideals.

I do feel rather sorry for Rishi, though. Eclipsed by memories of Boris, struggling with the aftermath of Truss and everyone seems to have forgotten him.
I didn't feel sorry enough to vote for him, though.

Blimey FGT - I might need to lie down in a darkened room
I just hope your return doesn’t frighten some activists . I wept when John Smith died

I left after twelve months of Corbyn. Rejoined so I could vote Starmer. Work meant I followed him at the CPS, liked his approach and commitment
I know he doesn’t excite but after Johnson and on the face of Trump and his Muskateers, give me a calm, measured, clever, genuine individual any day

Anniebach

FGT you are being honest

I think FGT is always honest!

... it's just that we don't always agree with what she's being honest about...

Wow! Didn’t expect that, FGT!

I think Wes Streeting is heading in the right direction.
I agree Allira.

Strangely enough, I saw the gransnet heading - well if Labiur keep this up … etc and immediately thought Ahhh, that has to be FGT’s response to Starmer’s statement on defence and overseas aid spending. I was right 😀

Now that really did make me laugh Iam!

I’m coming back to where I always voted. I cried when John Smith died. I cried when Maggie Thatcher got in. I shook Tony Blair’s hand twice when he was elected in 1997 and he visited the hospital I worked in (Nye Bevan’s b/w photos on the walls of the corridors as it was the first NHS hospital) he had the most mega-watt smile and was so delighted to be ‘mobbed’ by staff.

And to my chagrin, I voted for Boris.
I ‘lent’ him my usual Labour vote - solely to Get Brexit Done. To be fair, he WAS the only one offering to get it past the line. In fairness, he did. But thereafter, it was disappointment all the way. Fine words butter no parsnips do they?

Never again Tories. Never again.
What’s that saying about “Fool me once” etc?

So here I am. Always a Brexiteer. I’d vote the same way tomorrow.
But no more Tory.
And no more Farage/Reform UK.

I feel I’ve ’come home’ to Labour.

Starmer you a still a boring b****ard when you get up on your hind legs. You take too long to get to the point and you love talking. You’re no orator with your adenoidal twang. Voice coaching? I’d ask for a refund mate.

But it’s actions not words that count, so keep stealing Reform’s clothes Mr. Starmer and you’ll romp the next election!

Wyllow - I agree. We are living in difficult times where least worse is the best we can hope for, beyond best intereste

I think whats good is that they will look carefully at the Aid budget when they make decisions - not slash the lot like Trump.

Some things will probably go thats a real shame. I had a look at the list and there are a number of items like joint agricultural research (just to pick one) in Kenya to make crops more productive - but they cant put those in front of direct humanitarian aid.
There is also a possible knock on effect that if we cut back in some areas we might have more people trying to head for the UK.

Allira

BevSec

Barleyfields

It’s always said that the first duty of a government is to look after its citizens. Starmer knows full well that most people won’t want to pay more tax for defence (yes I know a lot of you would, I wouldn’t) and you can bet your bottom dollar that Reeves has tax hikes in the pipeline as he will be fully aware, and he knows the consequences of adding to them.

That is a good post. You are absolutely spot on, the first duty of Government is to look after its own citizens. I assume that is what got Trump elected, America first?

Paying for defence is looking after a country's own citizens.

FGT2 I hope Starmer can learn from some of the mistakes made so far. He should not be afraid of a reshuffle if he thinks that is needed.
I think Wes Streeting is heading in the right direction.

Yes Allira, you are quite right.

👏👏👏 Iam

Strangely enough, I saw the gransnet heading - well if Labiur keep this up … etc and immediately thought Ahhh, that has to be FGT’s response to Starmer’s statement on defence and overseas aid spending. I was right 😀

My support for Starmer is no secret on gransnet. I know this decision, like others he’s made won’t be universally popular with some Labour people. My question is where else is he to get the money from? Our military and defence has been decimated. Given the US understandable demand that Europe increases its defence budgets and the threats we face, Starmer had to increase defence

I do hope he’s beginning to convince the voting public that he’s a patriot. I know that statement can be torn apart but I remember the Corbyn years when voters told us they didn’t trust Corbyn to defend us. Neither did I.

Yeu FGT - good OP

LizzieDrip

^”My vote’s in the bag for Labour if Starmer capitulates over the Chagos Islands”^

Oh FGT … thought it was too good to be true🙈

Don’t think that’s going to happen.

Afaik USA doesn't want any change in the Chagos Islands because of Diego Garcia? They took it all the way to the Supreme Court. DG is basically run by the US.

I'd like Islanders to be able to return - a lot - but no sure of the how's and earning a living.

Of course it is. And that duty comes before any duty to people in other countries who have been accustomed to receiving aid from the UK.

I think FGT’s Damascene conversion will be short-lived! 😄.

BevSec

Barleyfields

It’s always said that the first duty of a government is to look after its citizens. Starmer knows full well that most people won’t want to pay more tax for defence (yes I know a lot of you would, I wouldn’t) and you can bet your bottom dollar that Reeves has tax hikes in the pipeline as he will be fully aware, and he knows the consequences of adding to them.

That is a good post. You are absolutely spot on, the first duty of Government is to look after its own citizens. I assume that is what got Trump elected, America first?

Paying for defence is looking after a country's own citizens.

FGT2 I hope Starmer can learn from some of the mistakes made so far. He should not be afraid of a reshuffle if he thinks that is needed.
I think Wes Streeting is heading in the right direction.

No, it’s not.

”My vote’s in the bag for Labour if Starmer capitulates over the Chagos Islands”

Oh FGT … thought it was too good to be true🙈

Don’t think that’s going to happen.

Or Trump to Starmer!
My vote’s in the bag for Labour if Starmer capitulates over the Chagos Islands.
😁

Interesting to hear what Starmer has to say to Trump on Thursday.

Hillmoi

Re. the comment on foreign aid.................

A lot of aid is used for soft diplomacy with various countries, particularly Commonwealth.

The Foreign Office policy statement 2022-2024:
Championing 7 key initiatives that matter to our partners.
We identified 7 initiatives, critical to delivering the Strategic Development Goals, on which the UK wants to make a difference. They are:

1.reforming and greening the global financial system – to ensure the international financial institutions and capital markets are better equipped to meet the needs of developing countries in dealing with the economic, debt, climate and nature crises.
2.championing global efforts to make global tax systems fairer – ensuring revenues and assets lost are identified and recovered, so countries can self-finance their development
3. delivering clean, green infrastructure and investment through British Investment Partnerships, by leveraging the support of capital markets and the private sector.
4. conducting a campaign to improve global food security and nutrition, including increasing the availability of malnutrition treatment and prevention, driving the shift to sustainable agriculture, making greater use of research and development, and anticipatory action on famine risk.
5.delivering a global campaign on ‘open science for global resilience’, ensuring low- and middle-income countries have access to knowledge and resources for progress.
6. catalysing international work to prevent the next global health crisis, brokering more ambitious international agreements on pandemic preparedness and response, strengthening health systems, driving more equitable access to affordable vaccines, drugs and diagnostics, and tackling antimicrobial resistance.
7. coalescing a collective response to the accelerating, well-financed and organised attacks on the rights of women and girls, including online. Working to improve education, health and rights, support empowerment, reduce gender-based violence, and amplifying the role of women’s rights organisations.

Precisely.

If people like Trump Farage Bannon et al hadn’t spent the last few years empowering Putin we wouldn’t have to now be increasing defence spending. Or if the last few Conservative governments hadn’t reduced it. It’s a short term fix for a long term problem. Overseas aid isn’t all about basket weaving. Amongst other things it’s soft power. Countries like China will probably fill the gap.

A good move by Starmer today and one which I agree with.
In the next Parliament it should go up to 3%.While DT is so uninterested in Europe we need to arm ourselves well, tho it goes beyond that.

Of course the personal allowance won't go up to £20K - the cost would be enormous. Nail bar gossip and wishful thinking.

Reeves will be putting up Tax not reducing it.

Starmer should be increasing the Defence budget to 2.5% in the next financial year and 3% minimum by the end of parliament, not having to wait until 2027 it's needed now.

As for Pritchard going, Good.