UK politics live: Downing Street says ‘nothing off the table’ over British troops deployed to Ukraine
In her spring statement next week, the chancellor is expected to try blaming the drop on worsening global economics amid Donald Trump’s tariffs
Downing Street have said that “nothing is off the table” in terms of possible UK troop deployment for Ukraine, as Western military planning is set to intensify in London next week.
Number 10 said “thousands” of personnel would be required to support any operation whether by “sea, on land or in the air” as allies prepare “for all eventualities” amid diplomatic efforts to end the war.
Officials from the so-called coalition of the willing will “accelerate the pace and scale” of work to consolidate proposals for possible troop deployment across land, air or sea to safeguard any peace deal.
It comes after Sir Keir Starmer warned Vladimir Putin would face “severe consequences” for breaching any truce as he met defence planners for the first stage of talks at the UK’s Northwood military headquarters on Thursday.
In another setback for Rachel Reeves, UK Government borrowing soared above forecasts last month as public sector spending rose, putting pressure ahead of the spring statement next week.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said public sector net borrowing was £10.7 billion in February. This was £100 million more than the same month last year and the fourth-highest February on record.
In her spring statement next week, Rachel Reeves is expected to try blaming the drop on worsening global economics amid Donald Trump’s tariffs.
What Labour’s crackdown on government credit cards reveals about its approach to public spending
The dour Scotsman holding the title of chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Cabinet Office minister, Pat McFadden, doesn’t seem much of a space cowboy but he has in common with Elon Musk an apparent zeal to eliminate waste.
Being more sensible and considerably less excitable than his (rough) US counterpart, McFadden has not yet egregiously breached the British constitution but he has summarily abolished almost all of the civil service “credit cards”, a distinctly Doge-like action. It’s more than just a symbolic move…
What’s the problem?
Read the full article here:
What Labour’s credit card crackdown says about its public spending approach
British citizen injured in Israeli attack on UN compound in Gaza
David Lammy has confirmed that a British national was wounded in an Israeli attack on a UN compound in Gaza on Wednesday, as he said recent attacks had been an “appalling loss of life”.
The Foreign Secretary told MPs: “Yesterday morning a UN compound in Gaza was hit, I can confirm to the House that a British national was amongst the wounded.
“Our priority is supporting them and their family at this time.”
Mr Lammy added that the attacks on Gaza on Tuesday night had caused the largest Palestinian death toll on a single day since the war began.
He said: “A number of Hamas figures were reportedly killed, but it’s been reported that over 400 Palestinians were killed in missile strikes and artillery barrages. The majority of them were women and children.
“This appears to have been the deadliest single day for Palestinians since the war began. This is an appalling loss of life, and we mourn the loss of every civilian.”
Starmer ‘not doing enough to end tsunami of sick notes’ pushing up benefits claimants
Labour’s plans to cut the welfare bill do not go nearly far enough, the former minister who brought in the biggest reform of benefits since their creation in the 1940s has warned.
In a week where Keir Starmer’s government announced plans to remove disability benefits from an estimated 1 million claimants, former Tory work and pensions secretary Sir Iain Duncan Smith said more must be done to stop “a tsunami of so called fit notes signing people off work forever”.
Writing exclusively for The Independent, Sir Iain also raised problems with a culture where young people leave school “and go straight to their sick beds”.
Read the full article here:
Starmer ‘not doing enough to end tsunami of sick notes’ pushing up benefits claimants
Interest rates decision will be 'palpable letdown' to households seeking mortgage relief
Responding to today’s interest rate decision by the Bank of England, Suren Thiru, Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales Economics Director, said: “The decision to keep interest rates on hold will be a palpable letdown to those households looking for relief from high mortgage bills and businesses preparing for April’s major jump in business costs, including the national insurance hike.
“While the vote to ‘hold’ was emphatic, there was enough in the meeting minutes to suggest that rate setters remain concerned over the health of the economy, keeping the door wide open for a May interest rate cut.
“With inflation set to rise further and international headwinds growing, the path to materially lower interest rates remains filled with uncertainty. As such, rate setters will probably continue to maintain their slow and steady approach to loosening policy.”
Reeves must 'take responsible steps' to ensure interest rates cut
The Chancellor must use the coming spring statement to “take responsible steps” that will pave the way for an interest rates cut, the Tories said.
Mel Stride, the shadow chancellor, said: “Interest rates staying higher for longer will mean higher mortgages for millions of people across the country.
“Because of Rachel Reeves’ Budget, inflation is above the Bank of England’s target, making it harder to bring interest rates down.
“Next week, during her emergency budget, the Chancellor must take responsible steps on spending, borrowing and debt to allow the Bank of England to cut interest rates.”
Rachel Reeves says she is 'fighting every day' to put money in pockets of working people
In response to the Bank of England holding interest rates, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said: “We’ve had three rate cuts since the summer, but there’s still work to do to ease the cost of living.
“That’s why I’m fighting every day to put more money in the pockets of working people to deliver our plan for change, and why we protected workers’ payslips with no rise in national insurance, income tax or VAT, boosted the national living wage and froze fuel duty.
“In a changing world, I’m determined to go further and faster to kickstart growth, and bring in a new era of stability, security and renewal that protects working people and keeps our country safe.”
What the latest interest rates mean for your mortgage, savings and bills
What the latest interest rates mean for your mortgage, savings and bills
What is the impact of inflation?
When the BoE made the Bank Rate cut last month, inflation had been on the decline. However, a mid-February report showed Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation rose to 3 per cent in January, from 2.5 per cent in December.
With inflation therefore rising again - and, importantly, rising by more than expected - interest rates were always unlikely to be cut this time around.
Lower interest rates can be used to encourage businesses to resume investing as the cost of borrowing is lower, which can give the wider economy a boost.
However, it can also lead to rising prices as investment in more jobs or salaries mean people have, and spend, more money; therefore the reverse is also seen as true in that if demand is lower, it can help reduce these potential price rises - or in other words, it can help stem inflation.
The BoE have stated they’ll take a cautious approach to reducing the interest rate so as not to see a sharp spike in inflation, as was seen a couple of years ago.
Bank of England governor says UK is facing 'a lot of economic uncertainty'
Andrew Bailey, Governor of the Bank of England, said: “There’s a lot of economic uncertainty at the moment.
“We still think that interest rates are on a gradually declining path, but we’ve held them at 4.5% today.
“We’ll be looking very closely at how the global and domestic economies are evolving at each of our six-weekly rate-setting meetings.
“Whatever happens, it’s our job to make sure that inflation stays low and stable.”
Eight members of bank's Monetary Policy Committee vote to maintain base rate
The Bank of England has held interest rates after eight members of the central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted to maintain the base rate at 4.5 per cent.
One member of the committee, Swati Dhingra, voted for a sharper reduction to 4.25 per cent.
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