OBR’s leak was the only leak Reeves wasn’t responsible for in pre-budget shambles

Just maybe Rachel Reeves had a cunning plan all along. Most budgets have a tendency to be moderately well received on the day, only to fall apart when the economist wonks have had a chance to go through the small print 24 hours later. Rachel has tried a rather different approach. The budget of dialectics. Her mission has been to get her budget to fall apart in the weeks and months before she delivered it

Starmer calls on Farage to apologise to his alleged victims of racial abuse at school

Keir Starmer has called on Nigel Farage to apologise to his school contemporaries who claim the Reform leader racially abused them while at Dulwich College.The Guardian reported last week the testimony of Peter Ettedgui, who said a 13-year-old Farage “would sidle up to me and growl: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, sometimes adding a long hiss to simulate the sound of the gas showers”.At prime minister’s questions on Wednesday, Starmer said: “[Farage’s] explanation in recent days in relation to the stories about what he may have said in the past is unconvincing to say the least.“He says he never engaged with racism with intent. ‘With intent’

Racism claims against Nigel Farage are no surprise to us | Letters

I was at a private boys’ school similar to Dulwich College, at the same time as Nigel Farage. I was also in the combined cadet force. The sorts of racist behaviour described in your article were normal (‘Deeply shocking’: Nigel Farage faces fresh claims of racism and antisemitism at school, 18 November).As the child of a refugee from the Nazis, I chose not only to ignore but even to join in with some of the antisemitism, much to my shame these days. It is striking that, with the exception of Chloe Deakin, teachers at the time seem to have viewed Farage’s behaviour as more like “high spirits” or “naughtiness”

Hereditary peers aren’t out of touch with the realities of the job market | Letter

You claim that “out-of-touch” hereditary peers in the House of Lords are blocking Angela Rayner’s controversial employment bill, which is spreading fear and anxiety throughout British business and choking the job prospects of young people in particular (‘Out of touch’ hereditary peers criticised for voting against workers’ rights, 18 November).Yet who really is out of touch with the realities of the job market? Cabinet members – none of whom has had a serious job in business? Or those you deride, many of whom have vast experience in setting up and running businesses, large and small. Unemployment has hit 5%, 1.7 million people are now on unemployment benefits, and the government’s own analysis has shown this bill will cost businesses £5,000m a year.The Lords’ stand is backed by the Federation of Small Businesses, the CBI, the Institute of Directors, Make UK, Care England and many more, including that old Guardian pin-up, Sir Tony Blair

Reeves freezes fuel duty for now as she confirms 3p-a-mile electric vehicle charge

Fuel duty will be frozen again, but only for five months until September 2026, the chancellor has announced, as she confirmed a new 3p-a-mile charge for electric cars from 2028.Rachel Reeves will freeze fuel duty in April at 52.95p a litre for petrol and diesel – a 16th successive year without a rise – but the so-called “temporary” 5p cut introduced by Rishi Sunak will be reversed in stages from September.Raising fuel duty has become politically contentious since the first freeze announced by the coalition government in 2010, but the eventual rise will help maintain a differential in running costs to encourage the transition to electric cars when the new mileage-based levy on EVs takes effect from 2028-29. Fuel duty in effect costs about 6p a mile on average for cars

Three more ex-pupils at school with Nigel Farage reject ‘banter’ claims

Three more school contemporaries who claim to have witnessed Nigel Farage’s alleged teenage racism have rejected the Reform UK leader’s suggestion that it was “banter”, describing it as targeted, persistent and nasty.One former pupil, Stefan Benarroch, claimed that people emerging from a Jewish assembly at Dulwich college had been in the sights of Farage and others for taunts while a second, Cyrus Oshidar, described as “rubbish” the claim that the Reform leader did not act with intent to hurt.“Being called a Paki isn’t hurtful?” Oshidar asked. A third, Rickard Berg, told the Guardian: “He’s now in a position where he shouldn’t be denying this. He’s straight up lying