Keir Starmer should be bold and consider a wealth tax, Neil Kinnock says
Keir Starmer’s government is suffering from a “lack of narrative” about what it is trying to achieve and should be more fiscally bold and consider a tax on wealth, Neil Kinnock has said,The former Labour leader said too many of the government’s achievements were being overshadowed,A year after a landslide election win, the party is struggling in the polls and has U-turned on policies including cuts to winter fuel payments and welfare,“It’s not a mess, but what has gone wrong is really the lack of a narrative, a story of the objectives of the government and where they’re working towards it and how they’re working towards it,” Kinnock, who led Labour into to two elections, said,The government had implemented “a series of really commendable and absolutely essential policies”, he said, but that they had been obscured by controversies over things such winter fuel and welfare, “all those negative things that really are heartily disliked across the Labour movement and more widely”.
“And that means that, apart from the distaste for undertaking those policies, the cloud hangs over the accomplishments of the government, which are substantial and will become greater,”Kinnock was scathing about the move by Jeremy Corbyn and other former Labour MPs to set up their own leftwing party,“I understand the difficulty of thinking up a name, and in a comradely way, I’d suggest one: It would be the Farage Assistance Group,”Amid increasing speculation that the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, will have to raise taxes at the autumn budget, Kinnock said Labour’s election focus on fiscal discipline was vital for restoring credibility, but “it did mean that they depressed expectations and limited themselves by saying they were going to rigidly stick to fiscal rules”,He said there was a risk of the government being “bogged down by their own imposed limitations” and he believed a number of cabinet ministers would want more fiscal boldness.
One option, he said, would be a form of wealth tax, which would be useful not just to raise revenue but as “a gesture, or a substantial gesture in the direction of equity fairness would make a big difference” at a time when “earned incomes have stagnated in real terms while asset values have zoomed”,He said such a policy should target wealth above £6m or £7m, where a 2% tax would raise £10bn or £11bn a year,“That’s not going to pay all the bills, but it does two things,One is to secure resources, which is very important,But the second thing it does is to say to the country: we are the government of equity, and this is a country which is very substantially fed up with the fact that whatever happens in the world, whatever happens in the UK, the same interests come out on top, unscathed all the time, while everybody else is paying more for gutted services.
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Alcaraz marches past Rublev while Khachanov and Fritz ease into Wimbledon last eight
Every point in tennis is worth the same as the next, but some are more valuable than others. At 3-3 in the third set here on Sunday, after two and a half sets of outrageous hitting, Carlos Alcaraz held a break point to finally move ahead in the match for the first time. He then produced the kind of athleticism and shot-making that make him such an incredible champion, going side to side, sliding across the court and ripping an unstoppable forehand past the onrushing Andrey Rublev.Until that point, the Russian had played outstanding tennis, testing the Spaniard with big serving, huge ground strokes and staying calm, which has not always been the case. But Alcaraz, like all great champions, has an uncanny ability to turn it on when he needs to and from that point on, he pulled away for a 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory that takes his winning streak to 22 matches and secures a clash with Britain’s Cameron Norrie
Lando Norris savours ‘dream’ British GP win but Piastri left hurt and confused
Lando Norris said his maiden victory at the British Grand Prix was everything he had dreamed of and a special moment to savour at his home race. However, his furious McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri, who finished second, was convinced he had been unfairly denied by a controversial stewards’ decision.Norris, now in his sixth season in F1, took the victory after Piastri had been given a 10-second penalty while leading but the 25-year-old still produced an assured drive in treacherous wet conditions to become the 12th British driver to win their home race since it was first held in 1950.It is the one grand prix Norris wanted more than any other and he revelled in his success. “This victory is everything I dreamed of,” he said
Wimbledon 2025: Alcaraz beats Rublev, Norrie through to quarter-finals, Kartal bows out – as it happened
Here’s today’s reports from Wimbledon from our writers.Carlos Alcaraz speaks: “He’s pushing you to the limit with every ball. I think I played very intelligent, very smart. It’s about belief in yourself. Tennis it can change in one point
Cameron Norrie sinks Jarry in five-set Wimbledon epic to set up Alcaraz quarter-final
Cameron Norrie was desperately fighting for his survival by the final set of an agonising duel over four hours and 27 minutes on his beloved No 1 Court. As he watched ace after ace fly past him from one of the world’s most destructive servers, Norrie’s momentum had disappeared along with his two-set lead and match point.The Briton has been on a purposeful journey over the past few years and, after enduring one of the most difficult periods of his career, he has rebounded with even greater courage and self-belief. He drew upon those qualities in the final moments of one of the most significant wins of his career as he held his nerve to close out a 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (7), 6-7 (5), 6-3 win over the qualifier Nicolás Jarry.The victory marks Norrie’s second grand slam quarter-final, having reached his first en route to the semi-finals at the All England Club in 2022
England call up Gus Atkinson to bolster bowling ranks after India defeat
England have called up Gus Atkinson for Thursday’s third Test against India as they seek to refresh a bowling group that toiled through 234 overs at Edgbaston in a losing cause.Ben Stokes admitted his side’s travails on the way to a humbling 336-run defeat had left them needing to repair both their bodies and their morale, with barely 72 hours in which to do it. “We’re disappointed, but we’ve got three days to turn around, so we need to get over this one just like we got over the enjoyment and the excitement of winning the first game – we need to flip our heads around,” the England captain said.Atkinson’s own fitness is not entirely certain, although he should certainly not be fatigued: the 27-year‑old has not played since May, having sustained a hamstring strain during England’s one-off Test against Zimbabwe.A tight turnaround before the series resumes at Lord’s – the team will have only two days off, though many plan to play golf together on Tuesday before a single day’s training before the next game – leaves little time for recuperation
Sabalenka ousts former doubles partner Mertens to reach Wimbledon quarter-finals
Tennis players often say it’s hard to play against a friend, the killer instinct never quite as easy to call on as it might be against someone else. Aryna Sabalenka, the world No 1, has rarely had that problem, but she was pushed hard by her former doubles partner Elise Mertens before winning through 6-4, 7-6 (4) to reach the quarter-finals.Mertens had won just two sets in their past nine matches but played as good a match as she has ever done at Wimbledon, and still came out on the wrong side. Sabalenka hit 36 winners and made just 18 unforced errors, coming from 3-1 down in the second set to set up a quarter-final against Laura Siegemund of Germany.“It’s tough to play against someone you know quite close,” Sabalenka said
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