Im supposed to protect you from all this

Rishi Sunak should use this Budget to ditch the government's pensions triple lock, lift taxes on older voters and should be wary of raising corporation taxes, according to former chancellor Ken Clarke. The intervention from Lord Clarke carries some weight, since he was the chancellor who introduced tough spending limits and tax rises in the 1990s to bring the public finances back into balance following the recession earlier in the decade. He said Mr Sunak should not feel bound by the strictures of the manifesto, including a commitment to the pensions triple lock, as well as a promise not to raise income tax, national insurance or VAT rates. Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world Speaking to Sky News, he said: "I would scrap the triple lock on pensions because while there are some elderly people who have been very badly hit by the crisis… the comfortable elderly have really done rather well. They've saved money. Advertisement "It's … [Read more...] about Budget 2021: Ken Clarke urges Rishi Sunak to protect ‘young and poor’ and ditch pension ‘triple lock’

Hurrah! The end is in sight. We now have a roadmap out of lockdown and of course I, along with everyone else, am sighing with relief. Summer might just be saved. The old normal — or at least a version of it — is on the horizon. But after all the celebration and jubilation at the announcement last week, I confess I now feel a teeny-weeny bit reticent. While I have loathed the past year, with the limitations to our freedom and the profound impact it has had on our economy, not to mention the health and wellbeing of so many, I’d be lying if I said there hadn’t been some positives. It took the prospect of this all ending for me to realise I’d actually become quite used to the new way of life we’ve had to adopt over the past year. Before Covid hit, I would be out most nights, often with several plans on the go at the same time. Drinks here, dinner there, I’d charge about, cramming people in. My life was hectic. Weeks sped past in a haze of meetings and dinners and outings. It was … [Read more...] about DR MAX PEMBERTON: I can’t be the only one who’s dreading socialising

F ield Marshal Lord Vincent of Coleshill, who has died aged 87, was successively Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, Chief of the Defence Staff and Chairman of the Nato Military Committee between 1987 and 1996; it was a decade that wrought immense changes in the balance of power in Europe, with far-reaching implications for Britain’s Armed Forces. Vincent’s appointments coincided with the demise of the USSR, the collapse of the Warsaw Pact countries, the Gulf War, the implementation of the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty and the re-unification of Germany. He also had to deal with the start of the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia and the consequent commitment of British forces to the UN’s Organisation Protection Force (Unprofor). These events raised important questions about British defence policy and structures. As the Cold War moved to its conclusion and the conflicts in the Balkans escalated, other Nato countries were reviewing their force structures, and one of … [Read more...] about Field Marshal Lord Vincent of Coleshill – obituary

A hunt continues for a person in the UK infected with a coronavirus "variant of concern" from Brazil, with the government accused of "unforgivable incompetence" in managing Britain's borders. The COVID-19 variant, first seen in the city of Manaus, is feared to spread more rapidly than the original virus and could be more capable of evading existing vaccines. Three cases of the P.1 coronavirus variant have been confirmed in England and three in Scotland, Public Health England said. Two of the cases in England come from a household in South Gloucestershire, where one person returned from Brazil in mid-February, before hotel quarantine measures were introduced. Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world Advertisement What we know about the Brazil variant Sara Blackmore, public health director for South Gloucestershire, said increased testing - including asymptomatic testing - and enhanced contact-tracing had been introduced … [Read more...] about COVID-19: Boris Johnson accused of border ‘incompetence’ – as hunt continues for mystery person infected with Brazil variant

Rishi Sunak has heavily hinted at an extension to the furlough scheme but warned of the need to "level" with the public about the economic cost of the pandemic. Speaking to Sky News' Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme ahead of Wednesday's budget, the chancellor insisted he would continue to do whatever it takes to support people and businesses in the UK through the coronavirus crisis. Mr Sunak said "there is more to come" on COVID-19 support and it was right that it "aligns" with the road map out of lockdown. Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player How can the budget fix the economy? But he refused to deny he had told MPs privately that he would raise taxes now before cutting them in a pre-election budget, leading to Labour accusations that he was "playing politics with the recovery". Advertisement Mr Sunak told Ridge: "I said at the beginning of this … [Read more...] about Rishi Sunak hints at furlough extension but says he must ‘level’ with public over pandemic toll