John Healey upcoming Budget could do 'more damage' than Rachel Reeves, warns Kemi Badenoch
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has cast doubt on Chancellor John Healey's upcoming Budget, declaring it will do "just as much damage" as Rachel Reeves's.
Delivering a major pre-Budget keynote speech in Westminster, Central London, she said: "John Healey is not Rachel Reeves, and many people see that as an improvement.
"How could anyone do worse than £70billion in new tax rises across just two Budgets?
"However, I think that next week, John Healey will deliver a Budget that does just as much damage to our country as Rachel Reeves did. In fact, it could be even worse."
She warned that borrowing costs and spending could spiral out of control.
The Tory leader added: "We are being told next week’s Budget is going to be ‘nothing to see here’.
"That’s Whitehall code for a Budget that tries to do as little as possible... in the hope no one notices."
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Welfare must be cut to fund defence, says Kemi Badenoch
Kemi Badenoch has declared that the UK's welfare bill must be cut to fund defence.
Expressing a need to increase Britain's defence spending, the Tory leader said: "I have said before, and I will say it again and again until I'm blue in the face, Britain's national security is under threat.
"We need to cut welfare to fund defence. Cutting welfare to fund defence is our next challenge.
"Andy Burnham might think that national security can't come at the expense of social security, but John Healey resigned as Defence Secretary because he could not, in good conscience, preside over a funding settlement of less than three per cent of GDP."
Kemi Badenoch pledges £70billion in savings under Tory Government
Kemi Badenoch has pledged her party would save £70billion as part of her plans to save the UK economy.
The Tory leader declared: "Under our golden economic rule, half of those savings would go to reducing the deficit, because Conservatives believe in handing a stronger economy to the next generation.
"And that means less debt. Cuts are never easy, but they are much easier to accept if what you are doing is fair.
"Fair to taxpayers, fair to future generations, and fair to those who really do need support."
Tory leader predicts John Healey Budget could do 'more damage' than Rachel Reeves
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has cast doubt on Chancellor John Healey's upcoming Budget, declaring it will do "just as much damage" as Rachel Reeves's.
She said: "John Healey is not Rachel Reeves, and many people see that as an improvement. How could anyone do worse than £70billion in new tax rises across just two Budgets?
"However, I think that next week, John Healey will deliver a Budget that does just as much damage to our country as Rachel Reeves did. In fact, it could be even worse."
Kemi Badenoch delivers speech ahead of Labour's Budget
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has begun to deliver her keynote speech in Westminster, ahead of Chancellor John Healey's Budget next week.
Mrs Badenoch has warned that Mr Healey will not be an "improvement" on former Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
She opened her speech declaring that Britons must be able to "live within their means".
Andrew Griffith urges John Healey to 'reverse Rachel Reeves damage' ahead of Budget
Andrew Griffith has urged the Chancellor to "reversing some of Rachel Reeves's damage" ahead of the upcoming Labour Budget.
Speaking to GB News, the Shadow Chancellor accused John Healey of "maxing out the nation's credit card".
He said: "We can't have a business as usual, do nothing, kick the can down the road Budget. We need real action on defence.
"We need the Chancellor to stop maxing out the nation's credit card, building up the deficit, charging everybody more interest in their future, and action on that youth jobs emergency."
Angela Rayner responds to call from Nottingham attack families to end benefits for criminals detained in hospital
Angela Rayner has responded to the families of the Nottingham attack victims after calling to end benefits for criminals detained in hospital.
Speaking to the BBC, the Housing Secretary said there were "far too many instances recently" where people feel that the criminal justice system "has not been on the side of those that needed the protection".
She said: "That’s something obviously for the Chancellor and the Secretary of State, but I am aware that the Secretary of State has met with the families regarding this and was quite frankly astonished that the situation was as it was and that these people were receiving benefits, and that’s why the Secretary of State has taken this action, and I welcome it.
"I pay tribute to the families who have campaigned on this matter."
Downing Street hits back at Pete Hegseth after 'diminishing role' of Britain in Afghanistan
Andy Burnham has hit back at Pete Hegseth after "diminishing" the role of the UK armed forces in the Afghanistan war.
Donald Trump's Secretary of War has been criticised by Downing Street after his fresh attack on Nato allies.
Speaking to US army cadets about his time as a captain in Afghanistan, Mr Hegseth said: "It was a beautiful thing to see, 50 different countries contributing to the Nato alliance and the mission there.
"Except there were maybe five that contributed, it was actually closer to one or two that by the end were actually involved in kinetic operations."
Kemi Badenoch issues stark warning to John Healey ahead of Budget
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has warned John Healey to "stop borrowing so much" to fund the public sector, ahead of next week's Budget.
Delivering a keynote speech in London later today, the Tory leader is set to urge Prime Minister Andy Burhnham to "live within our means".
She will also accuse the Government of "taking out loans to pay the interest on our loans".
The Chancellor has ruled out calls to increase capital gains tax in his first Budget, amid fears it would limit economic growth and hinder investment.
UK wage growth at weakest level in six years, new figures show
UK wage growth has plummeted to its weakest level in six years, according to new Office for National Statistics (ONS) data.
In the three months to August, total pay growth fell from 3.9 per cent in the three months to July to 3.7 per cent.
The slump comes as the rate of UK unemployment fell to 4.7 per cent over the same period.
David Freeman, Head of Labour Market and Households Division at the ONS said: "Regular wage growth remained relatively stable though total pay - including bonuses- has eased to its lowest level in nearly six years."
Unemployment falls to 4.7% ahead of Budget
Britain's jobs market was laid bare today as new figures showed unemployment fell while wages continued to rise faster than inflation.
The unemployment rate dropped to 4.7 per cent in the three months to August, while regular pay grew by 3.7 per cent, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
After Consumer Prices Index inflation was taken into account, regular earnings were 0.8 per cent higher.
The employment rate among people aged between 16 and 64 rose to 75.3 per cent. The economic inactivity rate, covering those who are neither working nor looking for a job, fell slightly to 20.9 per cent.
Serious criminals detained in hospital to no longer receive benefits
Killers and sex offenders who are detained in hospital will no longer receive benefits under new proposals called for by victims' families.
The Government confirmed the move to end so-called "double provision" which enables offenders to claim hundreds of pounds a month for living costs while receiving NHS psychiatric treatment.
Proposals set to be laid in Parliament on Tuesday would close the loophole and prevent serious criminals receiving up to £800 a month in universal credit over several years.
This would save an estimated tens of millions of pounds annually.
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said: "We said we'd act to tackle this gross unfairness and we’re delivering on that promise.
"For too long these violent criminals have had their living costs paid by the taxpayer twice over, while their victims and families paid the price.
"That ends today because victims and taxpayers deserve a system that is fair and supports only those who genuinely need it."
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