That Starmer fella...

I've seen that said but couldn't find anything about it (or anything about any MPs rebelling in any king's/queen's speeches).

Have you got any links? I'm intrigued by the principle generally now but really struggling to find anything online about it at all. The only reference to anything similar is Corbyn removing some MPs from front benches after they didn't follow the whip and chose to vote for some Queen's speech amendment related to Brexit but that isn't really the same.

You think they're going to be let back in?

Isn't it a 6 month suspension?

Well yes, so I've read. But if it turns out to be much longer, for "reasons" I wouldn't be suprised, got form on this stuff.

Reeves softening up the voters for some tax rises. What a shower of lying cunts!

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Tory crying about possible tax rises shocker.

All the fucking press whinging about the tax burden when it's still only 29th on the list compared to other countries. Guess what? The country is fucked, nothing works. The reason why the services in other countries aren't falling apart is because they actually pay for them.

We've had 14 years of the magic market and slashing of services and the rivers are literally flowing with shit. Maybe wait until you hear what the actual plans are before getting upset.

Reeves has ruled out increases to income tax, VAT, national insurance and corporation tax – the taxes on working people, as they put it.

That leaves taxes on wealth - capital gains, inheritance, and removing further tax breaks for the extremely rich. I have absolutely no problem with any of it and I'm surprised anyone on the left does. The rich have spent the last decade and a half having their tummies tickled while everyone else has watched their quality of life plummet. Redress is overdue.

I think what's really interesting about it is whether they can prove the hole exists. If so, that means Hunt put tax cuts in the last budget purely as a poison chalice for Labour. It could be a very powerful political weapon in driving home the message that the Tories - even the sensible ones - cannot be trusted with the economy, because they're driven by ideology, culture war, and spite.

That leaves taxes on wealth - capital gains, inheritance, and removing further tax breaks for the extremely rich.

This seems like a no brainier, also changing how council tax is banded so London (and the south East) in general stop being disproportionately under taxed compared to the north.

There are lots of other ways we should be generating tax revenues before taxing ordinary people more but you can't get away from the fact that we don't tax enough to pay for all the services we need.

Reeves was full of fully funded pish before the election and ignored the questions raised by the IFS around public finances. To claim that there is an unforseen gap now is deeply disingenuous. Labour's spending plans included a 3% pay rise for the blob which this week rose to 5%.
The election pledges have lasted a month!

I guess the fully funded was assuming there wasn't £20Bn Tory sized hole left unaccounted for? Or at least assuming but not including it without looking at the numbers.

My issue is that by focussing on the Tories fiscal discipline aspect in the run up to the election, rather than any kind of social vision, they've effectively created this problem for themselves from a messaging position, regardless of where the hole came from

A social vision will remain just that unless the state coffers are filled. This isn't about fucking messaging.

Well let's just hope it doesn't cede space to the far right in the exact way that has happened in America and Europe.

(Also, I'm all for more taxation to spend on public services - my point is that by focusing on the fiscal vision, and not what the fiscal vision is meant to enable, Labour squandered the chance to move that conversation)

cede space to the far right in the exact way that has happened in America and Europe

Lol. What are you on about?

Who on the far right is economically right wing? They've all got the sort of fiscal policies that'd give John McD a semi.

Small state vibey cunts like me have nobody to vote for. Being othered above as a Tory would be hilarious if it wasn't so emblematic of the state we are in.

i seem to remember the IFS and other bodies notified that both labour and the tories plans on spending and taxation did not cover the existing commitments, and proposed commitments in full. this was prior to the election, with it being seen there would have to be 10-20bn of cuts and or tax raises to cover this.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/mar/07/ifs-warns-of-labour-and-tory-conspiracy-of-silence-over-future-tax-and-spending-plans

4 months ago

tax rises on non PAYE/daily spending is excellent. i love these, more of them! throw in corporation tax rises too!

although can't imagine this narrative of "no tax rises... well actually tax rises" will sit well with the struggaling 2 earner family sort of semi relient on generational wealth transferance and a few investments their new coalition is built on. hole filling certainly won't cut through to the average PAYE voter who stayed home on voting day to take their place. why they chose this path might have been out of desperation or naievity, or overconfidence, maybe all three.

it's also unlikely that reeves will use this narrative to pivot into any transformative goals as she seems to be building consent around black holes as opposed to identifying a need for investment in growth

if i was a tory i'd be saying reeves seems unable to read the OBR reports she so confidently carries around and it only proves she did not understand how hard the chancellors were working before her. luckily for labour tories seem more concerned with researching if every member of their bench can be a leader candidate.

Perhaps overly charitably, but I was reading this as a deliberate inversion of the Liam Byrne note narrative that was used to justify austerity - that it’s only once in government you can truly appraise the problem and start trying to address it.

Along with raising inheritance tax and capital gains, Reeves may also use this announcement to shift the fiscal constraints that she and the Tories have been working under.

All very good news!

shift the fiscal constraints that she and the Tories have been working under.

Then borrowing costs will rise as surely as night follows day..

Reeves has already run out of other people's money

I guess this is where your libertarian views differ from mine

It just wasn't meant to be. It's not you, it's me.

Obviously, you are not a golfer

Hhahahha last sentence honestly fantastic, well done!

UK drops challenge to ICC warrant against Netanyahu

https://www.ft.com/content/6dc54471-253a-4f16-9ada-50221192d657

found this part particularly relevant,

"A spokesman for Starmer insisted the government had not “withdrawn” the challenge, rather it was not proceeding with “a proposal by the previous government”, which was not formally submitted to the ICC before the UK election on July 4."

rishi and keir, proudly worked hand in hand on a lot of foreign policy. especially around american informed decisions, doubt this is light between them. suggests change might again come from american interests and election plans now biden is out of the way. with kamala being tokenly, more vocal on tightening the clamps on israel, it would seem that pressure has been let off. the uk doing this always did strike me as them doing lap dog stuff that would be desperately unpopular for the us to do domestically. much as we did in iraq.

regardless, great to see months of protesting paying off, people have worked hard to get the political position here, they've been called a lot of stuff over the last 9 months and seen it all off. if you'd told me this would be happening even 5 years ago i'd never have believed you.

there is long way to go. rumours of labour moving to follow the US position of imposing weapons sales bans on "offensive weapons". this move supports that rumour.

https://novaramedia.com/2024/07/25/uk-poised-to-halt-arms-to-israel-and-withdraw-objections-to-netanyahu-arrest-warrant/
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/exclusive-uk-likely-restrict-arms-sales-israel-and-drop-icc-objection

althouh the plan is a slight of hand as there is no formal discretion between the two in law, additionally, defence weapons can include any and all to protect against iran, or other neighbours. which in turn are used on gaza. material impact leaves a lot to be desired, and a lot to protest about.