England v India: fifth men’s cricket Test, day three – live
New UK civil service internship scheme open only to working-class students
A new civil service internship scheme will be open only to working-class students as part of a drive to make Whitehall better reflect the country, the government has said.The programme will give students from lower-income backgrounds the chance to apply for paid government placements. The definition of working class will be based on what jobs were held by their parents when the applicant was 14 and replaces an existing programme open to all.The Cabinet Office minister, Pat McFadden, said the action was being taken because applicants from lower socioeconomic backgrounds were less likely to get a place on the so-called fast stream.“We need to get more working-class young people into the civil service so it harnesses the broadest range of talent and truly reflects the country,” he said
UK politics: Reeves refuses to be drawn on wealth tax after ex-shadow chancellor’s call – as it happened
Rachel Reeves has said the government has “got to get the balance right on taxation”, following a call by the former shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds for the Treasury to consider introducing a wealth tax.Asked about Dodds’ suggestion, the chancellor refused to be drawn on whether such a move would be introduced. She told the PA news agency:Decisions around tax are decisions that are made at a budget and we’ll make those decisions in the appropriate way, but the number-one priority of this government is to grow the economy.“And that means bringing more investment into Britain, creating more good jobs paying decent wages here in Britain.“We’ve got to get the balance right on taxation because we want that investment, we want those jobs to come here
Abstract verbs in, long descriptors out: How do you name a political party?
What’s in a name? Potentially a lot, if you are launching a movement with ambitions “to shape something truly transformative” in British politics.That’s the challenge facing Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, the former Labour MPs who announced plans last month, if not in the most coordinated fashion, to launch a leftwing political party. More than 600,000 people have already signed up for updates on the new group, which will be called … what?“The members will get to choose,” Sultana said earlier this week, as a consultation on the subject closed. It will not be called Your Party, however, despite having launched on a website with precisely that name. Her own preference is the Left Party, “because that’s what it says on the tin … We’ll obviously put that to the members and we’ll see what we get”
UK government has ‘got the balance right’ on tax, says Rachel Reeves
The government has “got the balance right” on tax, Rachel Reeves has insisted after a former Labour shadow chancellor said she should consider introducing a wealth tax.The chancellor said she had already increased taxes on the wealthiest in society with higher levies “on private jets, on second homes, and increased capital gains tax”.Speaking to reporters in Scotland, Reeves said: “In the budget last year, we got rid of the non-domicile status in our tax system, so people who make Britain their home have to pay their taxes here.“I think we’ve got the balance right in terms of how we tax those with the broadest shoulders, but any further decisions will be ones that are made at a budget in the normal way.”Reeves was speaking after Anneliese Dodds, who resigned as a Foreign Office minister earlier this year over aid cuts, said ministers should “look carefully” at proposals for a one-off levy on millionaire households
From silence to statehood: how Trump’s indifference moved the UK on Palestine
It was, in the end, an off-the-cuff remark from Donald Trump that moved the dial.“I’m not going to take a position,” the US president said when asked in Scotland about pressure on Keir Starmer to recognise a Palestinian state. “I don’t mind him taking a position. I’m looking for getting people [in Gaza] fed right now.”Within 36 hours, after an emergency meeting of his cabinet, the prime minister had set out a plan to revive fading hopes of a two-state solution – and recognise Palestine by the end of September
Family of Briton murdered in Jamaica seek answers over UK officials’ ‘indifference’
The family of a “generous and loving” British man who was murdered in Jamaica are demanding answers over the British government’s “indifferent” response after the tragedy.Delroy Walker, from Birmingham, was stabbed to death weeks after retiring to the Caribbean island where he was building his dream home. The 63-year-old charity worker was murdered by a “jealous” tradesman he employed to help decorate the property in preparation for a family visit in summer 2018.Dwayne Barton, 32, was jailed for 27 years and his accomplice, Davian Edwards, 33, for 22 years this week after being found guilty of murder in a trial at St Mary circuit court in Jamaica.Walker, who was born on the island, was 11 years old when he moved to Britain with his parents who were part of the Windrush generation
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