Reeves used a letting agency. Surely it is reasonable to expect an agency to check that everything is done within the law, particularly with a high-profile client.

7 hours ago, Suedehead2 said:

Reeves used a letting agency. Surely it is reasonable to expect an agency to check that everything is done within the law, particularly with a high-profile client.

Looks like I was right. The letting agency has apologised for screwing up. Shame the Daily Mail didn’t ask the same questions.

I think they knew but reported it anyway to make her look bad.

10 hours ago, Steve201 said:

I think they knew but reported it anyway to make her look bad.

Of course a complete none story.

Reeves is also considering raising income tax but lowering national insurance. I think this is actually a good idea, but I'm sure Reform will exploit it. Just not sure I feel the same levels of sympathy for Pensioners with the Triple Lock whom Parties know it would be politically damaging to address that.

Weird as Labour have actually done a lot of good stuff so far, but the messaging is poor. Really think they are missing a trick with social media.

7 hours ago, Rooney said:

Of course a complete none story.

Reeves is also considering raising income tax but lowering national insurance. I think this is actually a good idea, but I'm sure Reform will exploit it. Just not sure I feel the same levels of sympathy for Pensioners with the Triple Lock whom Parties know it would be politically damaging to address that.

Weird as Labour have actually done a lot of good stuff so far, but the messaging is poor. Really think they are missing a trick with social media.

I saw the tax rise with lower NI, that's potentially good too. I'm not sure how much it will raise as the difference hits a small group of people, but mostly those who can afford it. Reeves really has such a tight job within her rules, she needs to be more radical and indeed, getting the reasonings behind what they're doing out there.

Trouble is, not a lot of it sells very well, because it isn't bold and because it doesn't fix everything immediately.

Bunch of educational reforms just announced:

The government announced last night the first reform to the national curriculum in over a decade. Changes include:  

Primary School: 

• Media literacy - children will learn to spot fake news and online misinformation for the first time. 

• Financial literacy - more focus on understanding money from primary age. 

• Citizenship becomes compulsory including climate education, democracy, and rights.   

Secondary school: 

• New Year 8 reading test to catch struggling readers early (currently 1 in 4 leave primary unable to read properly). 

• EBacc removed and reforms to Progress 8 to incentivise schools to encourage broader subject choices. 

• More focus on practical computing skills, data science and AI. 

• Supporting all schools to offer triple science. 

• Arts GCSEs given equal status to humanities and languages. 

All ages: 

• New focus on oracy (speaking skills) alongside reading and writing. 

• Core enrichment entitlement - guarantees every child access to sport, arts, outdoor activities, and life skills regardless of school. 

Full press release here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-curriculum-to-give-young-people-the-skills-for-life-and-work

Very much on board with the majority of these, much needed updates to the school curriculum.

Rumours of 1p on basic rate of tax now and an overhaul of the Council Tax system. A Band G house may go up 2 bands, almost doubling their payments but these are million pound plus houses. No valuations have been done since '91. Time for every house to be valued again but it would cost too much they think.

On 05/11/2025 at 17:18, CRAZY CHRIS said:

Rumours of 1p on basic rate of tax now and an overhaul of the Council Tax system. A Band G house may go up 2 bands, almost doubling their payments but these are million pound plus houses. No valuations have been done since '91. Time for every house to be valued again but it would cost too much they think.

At some point, the council tax system needs re-designing. It is the easiest way to support local services, but totally agree the cost is expensive. But longer term, the cost will pay off.

On 05/11/2025 at 17:10, Iz 🌟 said:

Bunch of educational reforms just announced:

Very much on board with the majority of these, much needed updates to the school curriculum.

Yeh they all seem to focus on things I wasn’t great at so you know the education Secretary was educated in the same era as myself!

If this rumoured NI savings on pension contributions over £2k happens then I really don’t know. I’ve been supportive of Labour generally, but this is a really dumb thing to do.

The government has announced that they will be abolishing Police and Crime Commissioners when their term expires in 2028. Good. They were introduced under the Coalition government with the Lib Dems agreeing to support them despite thinking they were a stupid idea. Good riddance to them.

What do they actually do?

Reeves has allegedly now ruled out income tax rises, now the speculation seems to be about tax thresholds. Think it is inevitable at this point the current bandings get frozen again and certain quarters seem to think the current tax bandings might get lowered. If that's a case, all seems a bit daft to me as surely anyone with a brain can see that is tax rise.

I'll be glad when we're out of the pre-Budget journalist speculation era. It seems very febrile this time around, not helped by the delay.

Income tax may genuinely have never been on the cards, it felt way more like someone or other floating it and gauging reaction (or a press hallucination from an off-hand comment). But first the papers get to do a round of 'they're coming for your pockets', and now there's an apparent U-Turn, they get to play the game of 'Investors spooked by U-Turn as Reeves loses control'.

Ah investors, love those guys!

Labour MP Clive Lewis has offered to resign his seat so that Andy Burnham can replace him and then challenge Starmer for the leadership. If there was a more certain method of losing a byelection, I can't think of it. That's even assuming Burnham would contest the nomination and that Lewis's constituents would select him as their candidate. Why are so many Labour MPs intent on destroying their own government and potentially handing power to a hard-right nut job?

12 hours ago, Suedehead2 said:

Labour MP Clive Lewis has offered to resign his seat so that Andy Burnham can replace him and then challenge Starmer for the leadership. If there was a more certain method of losing a byelection, I can't think of it. That's even assuming Burnham would contest the nomination and that Lewis's constituents would select him as their candidate. Why are so many Labour MPs intent on destroying their own government and potentially handing power to a hard-right nut job?

I'd say that given Shabana Mahmood's tour of cruelty and harsh anti-refugee rhetoric over the last week, the Home Office part of the government is already in the hands of a far-right nutjob. Labour capitulation to Reform narratives is absolutely going to be their biggest weakness going forward. Even if Mahmood gets to look confident on the circuit in the short-term.

Clive Lewis' announcement looks inconsequential tbh, obviously Burnham would never take him up on it, and based on how the BBC initially reported it it seemed nothing more than some offhand comment Lewis made. His public statements do have him defending the idea though and I agree with the thrust of the argument, electoral logistics aside, the government probably would be in a better place and stand a better chance of combattng the right if Burnham were leader and making a stronger case for popular left politics.

My former Labour MP Lloyd Russell Moyle, who was dumped by Labour HQ after last year's election was called, has joined the Green Party.

Former Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle joins Green Party - BBC News

Two-child benefit cap reporting to be scrapped in the Budget! Excellent.

Also rail fares frozen for the first time in 30 years.

On 20/11/2025 at 22:13, Suedehead2 said:

My former Labour MP Lloyd Russell Moyle, who was dumped by Labour HQ after last year's election was called, has joined the Green Party.

Former Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle joins Green Party - BBC News

Isn’t it sad for Labour that their left wing voices have to move parties in 2020s!