Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Boris Johnson told to cut taxes if he wants to remain UK PM

A total of 17 Tories from across the party united to suggest the Prime Minister should cut taxes to boost growth.

Boris Johnson told to cut taxes if he wants to remain UK PM

There are growing calls for prime minister Boris Johnson to cut taxes to ease the cost of living burden after he managed to sail through a confidence vote.

A reduction in levies amid historic inflation levels would help reunify his traditionally low-tax Conservative Party, according to his supporters.

Health secretary Sajid Javid said the government has taken the matter seriously and "I would like to see cuts where they're possible."

Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng also expressed a similar opinion.

A BBC report citing a government source suggested the prime minister wanted to reduce the levies "in the longer term" as moving too fast could push up public borrowing and debt.

Critics have warned the political storm is far from over for Johnson after 148 Tory MPs failed to back him in the confidence vote.

"Johnson achieved a remarkable election victory in 2019. But he has let things slide since then," former cabinet member David Davis wrote in The Times.

"His victory in the vote provides his last chance to get his act together," he said.

The government had raised National Insurance to help deal with NHS backlogs and social care funding.

Trade body Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has also been urging the government to help people hit by the cost of living squeeze which has been eroding their earnings.

“There is a genuine and real cost of living crisis squeezing firms, communities and people across the UK. I am worried that having the highest tax burden in 70 years at this time will stifle our recovery and growth. Businesses are doing their level best to ease the pressure wherever they can for their employees and consumers, but firms are faced with collapse unless they cut costs and put-up prices” CBI president Lord Karan Bilimoria said at a recent event in London.

Chancellor of the exchequer Rishi Sunak had last month unveiled a multi-billion-pound support package for consumers, with help from a temporary windfall tax on oil giants.

A government package worth £15 billion would be funded in part by an exceptional levy on soaring profits enjoyed by the likes of BP and Shell that have benefited massively from surging oil and gas prices.

Sunak acknowledged inflation was causing "acute distress" for Britons and ravaged household budgets nationwide, adding: "I know they are worried, I know people are struggling."

More For You

New body led by Sir Sajid Javid aims to amplify ‘unheard’ voices
Sajid Javid

New body led by Sir Sajid Javid aims to amplify ‘unheard’ voices

A NEW independent commission to improve cohesion would engage across all nations and regions of the UK by moving beyond Westminster-centric discussions and include more diverse voices, the director of British Future thinktank has said.

Sunder Katwala said building confidence across different groups will be a priority, as economic pressures and tensions due to Middle East conflict have polarised communities in the UK.

Keep ReadingShow less
Yarl’s-Wood-detention-centre-Getty

In 2018, she was detained at Yarl’s Wood detention centre after being told she would be deported. (Photo: Getty Images)

Court awards £100,000 to Pakistani asylum seeker over unlawful detention

A PAKISTANI asylum seeker has been awarded nearly £100,000 after a UK court ruled that she was unlawfully detained and subjected to breaches of her rights by the Home Office.

Nadra Almas, who arrived in the UK on a student visa in 2004, overstayed after her visa expired. She argued that returning to Pakistan would put her at risk as a Christian.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pakistan court gives unusual punishment to Youtuber Rajab Butt for owning lion cub

Pakistani zookeeper Mohammad Amir holds the confiscated lion cub at Lahore’s safari zoo last Tuesday (28)

Pakistan court gives unusual punishment to Youtuber Rajab Butt for owning lion cub

A PAKISTANI YouTube star who was gifted a lion cub on his wedding day avoided jail after promising a judge to upload animal rights videos for a year.

Rajab Butt has one of the largest online followings in south Asia, and his week-long nuptials in December were plastered over celebrity gossip websites.

Keep ReadingShow less
Theft and violence in retail shops hit record high in 2024

The Labour government has pledged to address the rise in retail crime through stronger measures to tackle shoplifting and anti-social behaviour

iStock

Theft and violence in retail shops hit record high in 2024

THEFT and violence against retail workers in Britain soared to record levels last year, driven partly by criminal gangs, and are “out of control”, according to a report last Thursday (30).

The British Retail Consortium's annual crime survey found that more than 20 million thefts occurred in the year to August 31, 2024 – an average of 55,000 a day – costing retailers £2.2 billion.

Keep ReadingShow less
33 Gujaratis deported from US land in Ahmedabad

Indian immigrants who allegedly illegally migrated to the US arrive at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, in Ahmedabad. (ANI Photo)

33 Gujaratis deported from US land in Ahmedabad

A PLANE carrying 33 people from Gujarat, who were among 104 Indians deported from the US for illegal immigration, landed at Ahmedabad airport from Amritsar on Thursday (6) morning, officials said.

Soon after their arrival, the 33 immigrants, including some children and women, were transported to their native places in Gujarat in police vehicles, assistant commissioner of police, 'G' division, R D Oza said.

Keep ReadingShow less