A Bangladeshi court has sentenced British MP Tulip Siddiqui to two years in prison after a judge ruled that she was involved in corrupt land deals with her aunt, the country’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Hannah Ellis-Peterson There is a story.
Good morning. There used to be a theory about budgets at Westminster that, if they were well-accepted on the day, they would be frowned upon later, but those that were widely criticized at the time would become good budgets. However, this doesn’t help Rachel Reeves’ budget, as its reception has been very mixed. On the day it was popular with Labor MPs and the bond markets, two important audiences for the Treasury. But the public at large believed this was inappropriate, and as a result Reeves’s approval ratings among voters, already very low, dropped even further.
And that was before a major controversy erupted over whether Reeves had misled voters about the extent of the “black hole” in the national finances.
This means that, when Keir Starmer gives a speech defending the budget today, he will have to respond to Tory claims that he should be sacked for lying – not the best backdrop for a Prime Minister trying to sell the budget to the public.
Starmer outlines what he would say in an article for the Guardian Kiran Stacey It’s written here in our splash story.
Judging by his article, Starmer will attempt to reframe the budget message by partly addressing the two criticisms that were leveled at it last week. First, it was pointed out that Reeves had little to say about promoting development, even though it is reportedly a top priority for the government. Today Starmer will emphasize his commitment to deregulation as a pro-growth initiative.
And, second, Reeves was criticized for increasing welfare spending without combining it with announcements of welfare reform. Today, without giving details, starmer He will stress that his commitment to welfare reform remains strong. Referring to the need to prevent young people from falling into the trap of illness or disability benefits, he will say:
We have to face the reality that our welfare state is not only trapping people in poverty but also making them unemployed. Especially young people. And that is poverty of ambition. And so we will invest in apprenticeships and make sure every young person without a job gets a guaranteed offer of training or work.
We must also reform the welfare state – this is what renewal demands. Now – this is not about propagating the broken status quo.
No, it’s about capacity. Because if you are ignored at the beginning of your career. If you are not given the help you need to overcome your mental health issues, or if you are dismissed simply because you are neurodivergent or disabled, it can trap you in a cycle of underemployment and dependency for decades.
It costs the country money, it is bad for our productivity, but most importantly it costs the country opportunity and potential.
This is an excerpt from a speech already released by Number 10.
But, without specific details, Starmer will not stop the media from asking him about claims that the Treasury’s pre-budget message was misleading. According to a news in Times, some ministers are also saying this in private. The Times story included this quote.
a cabinet minister Said: “Why did Keir and Rachel allow the country to believe for so long that we would break our manifesto by raising income tax by 2p, when they knew that was not true?
“Cabinet was not told at any time about the reality of the OBR forecasts. Had we been told, we would have been in a position to advise against fudging income tax and giving the public the impression that we are negligent about our manifesto commitments. The management of this budget has been a disaster from beginning to end.”
darren jonesThe Cabinet Office minister and chief secretary to the Prime Minister are defending the Chancellor in an interview this morning. His line is the same as Reeves’s yesterday; He did not mislead anyone about the black hole, because even if the Treasury did not tell the public that the problems caused by productivity decline (which Reeves talked about) were offset by higher than expected tax revenues (which he did not talk about), they still needed to raise taxes to create reasonable headroom. Reeves and Jones said the surplus revealed by the OBR on Friday would not be enough.
Here is the agenda for the day.
10 am: Kemi Badenoch speaks at a quiz in London. It is being hosted by broadcaster Liam Halligan, and shadow chancellor Mel Stride and shadow business secretary Andrew Griffiths are also taking part.
10.30 am: Keir Starmer delivers budget speech in London.
1.30 pm: Lord Mann, the government’s independent adviser on anti-Semitism, gives evidence to the Commons Home Affairs Committee about the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from a Europa League match in Birmingham. At 2.30pm Chief Constable Craig Guildford of West Midlands Police, Assistant Chief Constable Mike O’Hara of WMP, and West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster; And at 3.30pm Police Minister Sarah Jones gives evidence.
2.30 pm: The Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, takes questions in the Commons.
After 3.30 pm: A Minister may need to answer an urgent question about the OBR’s statement it made to the Treasury about its pre-Budget forecasts.
3.45 pm: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
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