Brexit
Express
Kwasi Kwarteng is planning on getting rid of the European Union’s cap on banker bonuses, as well as other legislation, which may allow the new Prime Minister Liz Truss to achieve her goal of getting rid of all Brussels-derived rules by the end of 2023.
Next Friday, the newly appointed Chancellor is expected to make a fiscal announcement to the House of Commons, in which he will announce getting rid of the EU’s rule on banker bonuses, which are currently restricted to twice their salaries. Mr Kwarteng will also reveal other plans, such as a tax cut of £30billion to help with the cost of living crisis and help economic growth, which the new Government wishes to grow at 2.5 percent a year.
Mr Kwarteng is expected to announce his plans to overhaul Solvency II, which is a European Union law which harmonised insurance regulation across all countries within the EU.
The replacement of Solvency II will require support from the Bank of England’s Prudential Regulation Authority, which has concerns that protections for insurance policyholders would be reduced if the UK government were to get rid of Solvency II.
Queen’s funeral
Express
The Queen’s state funeral on Monday is expected to be the highest attended event ever in British history and television’s most watched event ever.Two million mourners are expected to be in London for the event with billions watching on television sets around the world. However, the funeral has also led to the most extensive security operation in British history, with 15,000 police officers expected to be on duty.
King Charles visited the Metropolitan Police’s Special Operations HQ in Lambeth where officers are putting the final touches to security preparations.
The monarch said it was “encouraging” that everything was running smoothly.
He said: “It’s nice to know where it all happens.
“This is the absolute hub, isn’t it?”
Along with regular police officers, there will also be specialists on duty including divers, dog-handlers, mounted cops, motorcycle outriders and firearms officers.
Undercover SAS soldiers will also be there with special forces prepared to seal off the capital if there is a major incident.
There will even be an air exclusion zone for the UK’s first state funeral since Winston Churchill’s in 1965.
More than half the population of the entire world are expected to watch on television.
Mail
SAS units will support thousands of officers in Britain’s biggest ever policing operation for the Queen‘s State Funeral on Monday.
Scotland Yard said yesterday there had already been 34 arrests as the force, swelled with reinforcements from around the country, braces for a security operation that will dwarf that of the 2012 Olympics.
At least 2,000 officers from neighbouring forces will be on duty beside their Met colleagues throughout the day to form a ring of steel around the capital.
And specialist units from the SAS are expected to be on hand to assist in the event of an attack.
Former head of royalty protection Dai Davies said: ‘The SAS and those trained in anti-terror quick reaction will also be involved.
‘They will be strategically placed in military barracks and around the capital and will be there as the ultimate line of defence should there be an attack.
‘The biggest risk will be the lone wolf or knife attacks from individuals, which are harder to predict. There is always the risk of a car attack too, though there will be barriers that make this more difficult.’
Scotland Yard would not confirm the number of officers who will be deployed across the capital but new commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said it ‘will be well beyond the total size of a force like West Midlands or Greater Manchester’.
Times
As the world’s most famous horse lover, it was only to be expected that the animals will play a prominent role in the Queen’s funeral proceedings.
Yet the four horses chosen to lead tomorrow’s coffin procession from Westminster Abbey are a living embodiment of the special bond between the late monarch and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), or Mounties, that stretches back decades.
George, Elizabeth, Darby and Sir John are the latest in a long line of horses given by Canada to the Queen and ridden by senior royals, including King Charles and the Princess Royal, during the annual ceremony of Trooping the Colour.
Guardian
Having waited hours in line to see the Queen lying in state – and with hours more left to go – well-wishers gave the new King Charles and Prince of Wales an upbeat reception during their surprise visit to the queue that in just a few days has become a London landmark.
With William telling a child “you’re over halfway” and his father telling a woman “I hope you’re not too frozen”, the royals were met with cheers and raised mobile phones as they greeted those waiting in Lambeth with smiles and handshakes.
The phenomenon of “the queue”, as it’s become known, has attracted fascination, confusion and awe around Britain and across the world.
Who would be willing to wait outdoors for as long as 24 hours , braving the elements along the Thames, for a few seconds alongside the Queen’s coffin – and why?
Now, as the Queen’s lying in state in Westminster approaches its final hours before Monday’s state funeral, researchers believe they have found the answer. A narrow majority vote Conservative, almost two-thirds backed remain and most of them are enjoying a feeling of “subdued positivity” as they wait in line for hours.
Mail
Senior palace advisers have asked the Prince and Princess of Wales to consider allowing Prince George to attend the State funeral of the Queen tomorrow because of the powerful symbolic message it would send.
At the tender age of nine, and having just overcome the daunting prospect of starting a new school, George is now the second in line to the throne.
With this in mind, aides have suggested it would be good for the public to see the young Prince – who affectionately called the Queen ‘Gan Gan’ – and is the future of the Monarchy.
One insider said: ‘Courtiers are keen for Prince George to be at the funeral in some capacity, if only to reassure the nation of the order of succession.’
Another palace source added: ‘It’s currently under discussion. No decision has been made yet.’
The children of the Prince and Princess of Wales have yet to be seen in public since the Queen’s death was announced on Thursday September 8.
Energy
Independent
Liz Truss’s energy plans show the UK has effectively abandoned net-zero targets just three years after its world-leading commitment to cutting emissions, the government’s former chief scientific adviser has said.
A major new fossil fuels campaign, including lifting the ban on fracking and expanding drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea, has already been announced by the new prime minister’s administration.
But the drive for more oil and gas production was “completely at odds” with the UK’s legally binding net-zero target, said Sir David King, head of the Climate Crisis Advisory Group, who was chief scientific adviser to the government between 2000 and 2007.
Furthermore, it would bring large quantities of greenhouse gas-emitting fossil fuels to the market directly ahead of the 2050 deadline for reaching zero, he told The Independent.
He said the plans, announced last week by the prime minister’s new energy secretary, Jacob-Rees Mogg, were “extremely alarming”.
Guardian
Liz Truss is facing a political and economic baptism of fire this week with warnings of mass bankruptcies across the economy – even as the new prime minister prepares to lead the nation in a minute’s silence on Sunday night to honour the Queen’s legacy.
Before the Queen’s funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday and her burial at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, Truss will appear on the steps of No 10 on Sunday night at 8pm as part of a final national “moment of reflection” on the monarch’s life and legacy.
Downing Street is hoping that people will take part in their homes and on their doorsteps across the UK. Sailors, soldiers and air crews from the armed forces stationed overseas will also pause, including on ships and in bases, in what government officials believe could become a global event.
But with the period of national mourning ending after the funeral, when Truss will fly to New York to attend the UN general assembly, and with MPs returning to Westminster on Wednesday or Thursday, the transition back to normal politics will be sudden and potentially bruising for a prime minister who had only been in office for two days before the Queen’s death.
On Saturday night, leading UK business organisations were renewing pressure on ministers for “absolute clarity” on what help government would offer them with their energy bills and warning of dire consequences if they continued to be left in limbo over the level of support in the medium term.
Investment zones
Sun
LIZ Truss has drawn up plans to slash taxes for Brits who work in deprived parts of Britain where she is creating new ‘investment zones’.
The Sun on Sunday can reveal the radical proposal is being discussed at the top of government as they finalise their ‘mini Budget’ – announced this Friday.
Ms Truss wants to turbocharge the economy by slashing taxes – including scrapping the NICs and corporation tax hikes.
She will also announce new ‘investment zones’ – ultra low tax and low regulation areas of the country.
Businesses that move to and invest in these areas will have their levies slashed and be freed from red tape – like overzealous eco rules that can block new development.
The Sun on Sunday can exclusively reveal that No10 is also considering slashing personal taxes for workers who live and work in these areas.
Personal taxes are things like income tax and workers’ NICs contributions.
If No10 goes ahead with the plan, it would be a hugely radical shake-up of the tax system and is likely to spark massive controversy.
Senior Cabinet ministers backing the personal tax cuts believe it will kick start growth in poor areas, create jobs and help level up Britain.
But Ms Truss and her Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng are still thrashing out the details.
The national mourning period finishes after the Queen’s funeral tomorrow on Monday – starting the firing gun on a four day policy blitz.
ITV News
Liz Truss is considering plans to slash personal taxes in addition to business levies in new “investment zones” as she seeks to set the wheels of her economic strategy in motion.
Those who live and work in the low-tax areas envisaged by the prime minister could see their own contributions cut, with the burden also lightened for firms – although no decisions have yet been made, it is understood.
The proposed “investment zones”, dubbed “full fat freeports”, were a staple of Ms Truss’s campaign for the Tory leadership.
Under her plan, she said these areas would benefit from a low-tax burden, reduced planning restrictions and regulations tailored on a case-by-case basis.
The Sun on Sunday reported that the new PM is now weighing up whether personal taxes could be cut for people working there.
NHS
Independent
Therese Coffey is considering abolishing four-hour A&E waiting time targets as part of her “emergency plan” to tackle the NHS.
The new health secretary is understood to be looking at a range of measures to address the growing crisis in the NHS, understood to be announced next Thursday.
But a source close to the discussions told The Independent getting rid of the four-hour waits – first suggested in March 2019 – would have to be given the green light by the new prime minister Liz Truss.
The announcement will focus on the health secretary’s “ABCD” priorities – standing for “ambulances, backlog, care, dentists and doctors” – with improvements to mental health services as an addition.
Ministers are also said to be considering changes to NHS pension rules, in the hope that it will prevent nurses and doctors from retiring early. However, any changes will need Treasury approval.
Mirror
One in three NHS nurses are so tight for cash they use payday loans to feed their families.
A survey shows 34% borrow money on crippling short-term repayment rates that can top 1,300% annually.
Almost half admitted skipping meals because they are so hard up – and one in 10 used a food bank in the past year.
The revelations will raise fresh concerns over staff being well enough to maintain high standards of patient care.
Tonight, unions called for urgent support for those who put their lives on the line in the pandemic.
One health worker, who fears ending up homeless, said they are “merely existing” as they battle to stay afloat.
Global warming
Mirror
Science boffins have proposed re-freezing the north and south poles in an attempt to combat climate change.
The ambitious plan, called ‘stratospheric aerosol injection’ (SAI), would see microscopic particles of aerosol released into the air at an altitude of over 8 miles high.
The idea is that this would create ‘shade’ as the particles drift towards the poles, allowing the conditions in which the ice caps can refreeze, to combat rising seas.
This would be done during the time when days are longer in spring and summer.
Particles would be dropped on a latitude of 60 degrees north and south. In the north of the planet, this latitude line darts across parts of Shetland Islands, Alaska, Russian and Canada.
In the south, the line is below the bottom tip of South America and is close to the islands of South Georgia and the South Sandwich islands.
The practicalities of the plan would involve specially designed aircraft, with already existing military planes deemed unsuitable for the task.
The ‘SAIL-43K’ plane, which would release its own emissions if used, was identified in the study as a high-altitude refuelling tanker that could be put to the job and 125 of them would be needed.
National insurance
Telegraph
Liz Truss’s National Insurance cut will take effect in workers’ November payslips, Kwasi Kwarteng is expected to announce this week, as he ditches the Coalition-era focus on “sharing the proceeds of growth”.
In a statement to Parliament on Friday, the Chancellor will seek to deliver on the Prime Minister’s pledge during the Conservative leadership contest that her tax cuts would provide “immediate” help to families and businesses – with the scrapping of the health and social care levy now due to benefit employees and employers within weeks.
Mr Kwarteng is expected to be unapologetic about scrapping the levy, despite criticism of the benefit of such a move to wealthier people.
Senior figures see the move as part of a shift away from George Osborne’s overarching mantra of sharing the proceeds of growth, to instead focusing on increasing growth. A source said that Ms Truss and Mr Kwarteng were “focused on growing the size of the pie so everyone gets a bigger slice, rather descending into a redistributive fight over how we slice and dice the pie”.
Mr Kwarteng’s statement on Friday will follow a separate business support package due to be unveiled on Wednesday by Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Business Secretary. The plan was being finalised this weekend in talks involving Number 10, the Treasury and business department.
Covid
Mail
This year’s flu season could be bigger and worse as it combines with Covid to create a dangerous ‘twindemic’, doctors have warned.
There are now concerns that the simultaneous onslaught of flu and Covid could overload the NHS, which is already trying to cope with record backlogs.
Figures from the Southern Hemisphere, which usually foretell what will happen in the UK, indicate a flu surge two months earlier than normal, mostly driven by under-30s.
It suggests that a spike in flu hospital admissions in Britain could begin as early as October, also including many children.
One estimate suggests that the flu season could be twice as large as normal.
Sir Peter Horby, professor of emerging infectious diseases at Oxford University, told the Mirror: ‘It could come earlier and bigger, then you have a ‘twindemic’ with Covid-19 and that could put real pressure on the NHS.’
In a typical flu season there are between 15,000 and 30,000 hospitalisations due to the virus.
ITV News
Total Covid-19 infections in the UK have dropped to their lowest level for nearly a year.
Some 881,200 people in private households are estimated to have had coronavirus in the week to September 5, according to the Office for National Statistics.
That’s down seven per cent on the previous week and is the lowest UK-wide total since the week to September 25 2021, when the number stood at 837,800.
It’s possible the UK is starting to see the affect of fresh booster vaccines, which have been offered to vulnerable people.
Recently, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the chief of the World Health Organization, said the end of the pandemic was “almost” in sight.
However, the downward trend in some parts of the country is uncertain, with increased numbers in Scotland.
The overall number of infections has been on a downwards path since early July, when the total hit 3.8 million at the peak of the wave caused by the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variants of the virus.
There are also contrasting trends among UK nations and regions.
Extinction Rebellion
Mail
Extinction Rebellion protesters who brought London to a standstill and blocked London Fire Brigade HQ cannot use the Human Rights Act to avoid prosecution a judge ruled today.
Emma Cooper, 31, Jamie Russell, 48, and Luke Mallett, 25, were part of a 300-strong march that blocked Vauxhall Bridge on April 10 this year, Westminster Magistrates Court heard today.
‘Extinction Rebellion started from 10am that morning. Approximately 200 to 300 were marching and split between Vauxhall bridge and London Bridge,’ said prosecutor Aaron McCalister.
‘Both bridges were blocked. These are critical transport infrastructure links into London.’
Access to both the London Fire Brigade Headquarters and St Thomas’s Hospital were blocked.
‘National rail and transport hubs became congested as a result. Officers had been trying to understand the intentions of the protesters to mitigate their actions. Extinction Rebellion were not forthcoming.
‘Protesters sat across all carriageways of the bridge and monopolised use of the highway to them.
‘By 16:00 hours police were operating with 92 bus routes along with other public transport infrastructure that transports 3,000 passengers per hour.’
Just seen on Reuters- In a first, European Union moves to cut Hungary funding over damaging democracy
Seems that keeping illegal immigrants and suchlike out were bad enough but homosexuals . . .! Now they are looking after their own buying gas from Roccia. Must not be allowed.
Reasons? Hungary must be fined for, um, um, um, um, poor timekeeping, turning up late to kiss the feet of Vander Laydown, and the dog ate my homework was not acceptable to brussels.
Energy:
We need rid of the ridiculous “net-zero targets” for good and a commitment from government at all levels to remove all compliance with the various globalist organisations supporting them. After all we are supposed to have a British Government, not a vipers nest of those working to globalist diktats.
Brexit:
We certainly need rid of any and all vestige of EU rules but why should bankers be allowed extravagant bonuses paid for by the account holders?
How do you expect the Tory Party to keep raking in donations if bankers are not allowed to reward themselves with huge bonuses? The Tory Party is a business not a charity!!!!
“Global warming”
Those “science boffins” are either insane or under globalist control, including plans for depopulation. They need to be stopped from pursuing their stupid experiments.
Extinction rebellion should be made extinct with holding cells for as long as it takes.
Drilling for gas and oil does not mean we’ll be using more.
Just using gas and oil from a different source.
Anybody that uses payday loans is clearly brain dead. In fact, borrowing money for any purpose is foolish. There’s too many parasites in this country makes a living out of other people’s debt instead of having a proper creative job
Only gambling is more foolish.
Voting for establishment parties is pretty close to the top of the brain dead league table too!
Indeed Jake but we need those parties to cooperate, not compete, to defeat the common enemy.
Jack at 2-15. ???
Jack, you are completely right there, but who is going to take the initiative and make this happen? It only takes one leader of the many centre right parties to get the ball rolling by making an approach to other parties to discuss this and get things moving in that direction, but I just cannot see it happening any time soon as there are too many egos and probably too many differences of opinion. Campaigning alone and against each other other will just result in cancelling each other out. There is only one person who has the capacity, calibre, pulling power and natural charisma to get this moving, and that person is Nigel Farage, no if’s and no but’s. The big problem there is that he would have to really want to do it, and I am no longer convinced that he would want to return to frontline politics and take on a role such as this at the expense of his well paid media work. And even if he did, he would probably prefer Reform UK to take the leading role with Richard Tice the present leader of that party at the helm. For me at least he would be the wrong person to lead such a loose coalition of parties, as he is too bland. None of the parties are big enough, have sufficient financial clout, or have the activist base and local branch infrastructure to really make a proper fist of it and provide the electorate with a proper choice at the next general election which will probably be held within the next two years
I agree we need Nigel Farage.
Harryagain……….’borrowing money for any purpose’ would obviously include borrowing money via a mortgage from a Bank or Building Society to buy a house or flat. How do you suppose the average person will be able to afford buy a home outright especially in this day and age without a mortgage, I mean come on be realistic. Are you honestly suggesting that you have never borrowed money yourself including a mortgage, and that you purchased your Castle, Estate, roof solar panels and all those window boxes where you grow your vegetables entirely out of your own monies. Sorry, but I just don’t believe it.
The Mirror: “One in three NHS nurses are so tight for cash they use payday loans to feed their families”. According to the Royal College of Nursing average pay for nurses is over £33K. A newly qualified nurse starts on £27K. Most nurses with families will be earning more than £33K.
Even if one in three nurses uses payday loans – I do not believe it – it means they have used one at some point in their lives, not taking a loan every month. If follows that they are managing on their pay. The mirror is claiming, in effect, that nurses are too stupid to negotiate a temporary overdraft, or switch to a credit card with an introductory deal, for the inevitable time when extra is needed for that holiday in Tenerife or a new car, but instead go to, in effect, loan sharks.
What is the average pay of partners’ spouses or other household earners? Nurses of all people know about contraception. If they got knocked up out of wedlock that is on them.
Our media have become propaganda outlets for interest groups. One day they’ll say something we really need to believe but won’t because they cried wolf too often.