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Reform UK’s £72m donations may be caught by new bill, Rayner suggests
Source: The Guardian
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Only slim chance government will meet target of building 1.5m homes, minister says
Angela Rayner says manifesto pledge is not being dropped but focus is now on building council houses UK politics live – latest updates The government is unlikely to meet its target of building 1.5m homes, Angela Rayner has acknowledged, saying there was only a “slim chance” enough houses would be built before the next election. The manifesto pledge to build 1.5m houses by the next election was a “stretch target”, the communities secretary added, but that it was not being ditched and she was “definitely not giving up”. Continue reading...
BBC Politics
'Slim chance' government will hit 1.5m new homes target, Rayner tells BBC
High construction costs and the Iran war are threatening the key manifesto pledge, the housing secretary says.
BBC Politics
Reform's £72m donations 'entirely in line with law', Jenrick says
The government is trying to change the law on donations to UK political parties from British expats.
The Guardian
Reform’s Robert Jenrick ‘very confident’ £72m donations are ‘perfectly legal’ – UK politics live
Party’s economic spokesperson says donations are a ‘breakthrough moment’ as Labour’s Angela Rayner warns of possible retrospective action Reform UK’s £72m donations may be caught by new bill, Rayner suggests Christopher Harborne matches £36m Reform donation of Ben Delo Analysis: Donations of £72m make Reform’s prospects both rosier and riskier Reform has been describing these crypto billionaire donations – again the largest single gift to a British political party – as being from patriotic businessmen who “simply support our agenda”. Pressed by Laura Kuennsberg on the BBC: “And part of your agenda is being very pro cryptocurrency, which is their business?” Jenrick replies, “Um, not really”, saying first that he wants “proper” regulation of the digital currency which is a bit of a “Wild West”, and then advancing to the idea of gains for the UK in adopting crypto. Throughout this morning,
The Guardian
Carer’s allowance scandal victims could wait until 2054 for justice, charities warn
Campaigners say at current glacial pace some unpaid carers will die before receiving a refund Unpaid carers who were pursued for bills for thousands of pounds after welfare officials unlawfully changed benefit rules could wait years before learning whether they will get the money back, campaigners have warned. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is working through 200,000 cases where carer’s allowance benefit recipients were incorrectly given overpayments. An estimated 25,000 carers could receive full or partial refunds. Continue reading...
The Guardian
Warning: our democracy won’t survive the death of reading. Read on if you still can | John Harris
While fascists protest in UK ports and purvey nonsense and poison online, ever fewer people have the perspective or analytical tools to challenge them Imagine this. Quite by chance, your TikTok feed presents you with footage of the fascists who recently took part in highly organised shows of strength in Dover and Portsmouth (and, on Wednesday, outside the London offices of the Daily Mail , demanding a new house for the mother of their leader, Daniel “Tommo” Thomas). For as long as the images hold your attention, you see and hear flashes of explanation, but then, as usual, you scroll away to someone leaping off a tall building, a fight on the London Underground, or a trick-performing dog. Hypothetically, TikTok users are able to skip through 260 videos in under 35 minutes . And it’s this distracted, quick-fire way that so many people receive information that may be responsible for a worry