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1 week ago | 
bbc.com | Kate Whannel
We want to make it easier to have children - FarageKate WhannelWatch: BBC asks Nigel Farage if Reform UK's "numbers add up" to pay for policy plansReform UK leader Nigel Farage has said he wants to make it easier for people to have children, as he confirmed his party would back more generous tax breaks for married people and scrap the two-child benefit limit.
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1 week ago | 
bbc.co.uk | Kate Whannel
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has said he wants to make it easier for people to have children, as he confirmed his party would back more generous tax breaks for married people and scrap the two-child benefit limit. In a speech in central London, Farage said he wanted to lift the cap "not because we support a benefits culture" but because it would make things easier for lower-paid workers.
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1 week ago | 
bbc.com | Kate Whannel
Ministers considering scrapping two-child benefit capKate WhannelPA MediaEducation Secretary Bridget Phillipson has said the government is looking at scrapping the two-child benefit cap but warned it would "cost a lot of money". Speaking to the BBC, the minister said the policy - which prevents most families from claiming means-tested benefits for any third or additional children born after April 2017 - had pushed people into poverty.
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2 weeks ago | 
bbc.co.uk | Leila Nathoo |Kate Whannel
A senior No 10 source said the government was not waiting to take action to tackle child poverty, pointing to the roll out of free breakfast clubs, benefits uprating and the rise in the minimum wage. The party's work and pensions spokeswoman Kirsty Blackman accused Labour of being "more interested in imitating Nigel Farage than tackling the scourge of child poverty, which has risen to record levels on Keir Starmer's watch".
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2 weeks ago | 
sg.news.yahoo.com | Kate Whannel |Alice Cuddy
Diego Garcia, the largest island in the archipelago, was separated from Mauritius along with the rest of the Chagos Islands in 1965 and now houses a US military base [Reuters]A deal that would see the UK hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius can go ahead, the High Court has said, after lifting a temporary block on the agreement. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had been due to sign the deal at a virtual ceremony with Mauritian government representatives on Thursday.
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2 weeks ago | 
businessandamerica.com | Kate Whannel
Kate WhannelPolitical reporterThe government has temporarily been banned from concluding talks on the Chagos Islands deal by a last-minute injunction by a High Court judge. At 02:25 BST Mr Justice Goose granted “interim relief” to two Chagossian women who had brought a case against the Foreign Office. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had been expected to attend a virtual signing ceremony with representatives of the Mauritian government on Thursday morning.
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2 weeks ago | 
ca.news.yahoo.com | Iain Watson |Kate Whannel
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner's department called for Chancellor Rachel Reeves to increase taxes prior to this year's Spring Statement. A memo - seen by the Daily Telegraph - appeared to urge Reeves to raise taxes by £3bn to £4bn a year through various measures, which the chancellor did not implement. She has repeatedly pushed against raising taxes and instead announced £5bn of welfare cuts in March.
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2 weeks ago | 
yahoo.com | Iain Watson |Kate Whannel
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner's department called for Chancellor Rachel Reeves to increase taxes prior to this year's Spring Statement. A memo - seen by the Daily Telegraph - appeared to urge Reeves to raise taxes by £3bn to £4bn a year through various measures, which the chancellor did not implement. She has repeatedly pushed against raising taxes and instead announced £5bn of welfare cuts in March.
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1 month ago | 
bbc.co.uk | Jennifer McKiernan |Kate Whannel
Image source, Getty ImagesFollowing this week's local elections, Reform UK has, for the first time, won control of local councils. It is now in charge in 10 areas, and there are a further four where it is the largest party. The party also has two new mayors in Greater Lincolnshire and Hull & East Yorkshire. Having fought a successful campaign, Nigel Farage's party now has to show what it will do with its new power. Farage has said he wants to see "a Doge in every county".
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1 month ago | 
sg.news.yahoo.com | Kate Whannel |Joe Pike
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is being investigated by Parliament's standards watchdog after failing to declare on time that she received free theatre tickets. It is understood the chancellor attended an event at the National Theatre over Christmas but did not add the donation to the MPs' register of interests within the specified timeframe. The BBC has been told Reeves did declare the trip on her ministerial register, which is separate from the MPs' register.
