When John Healey stood up at the Despatch Box to deliver his maiden Budget on Wednesday, he had reason to feel confident.
His morning had begun with a bacon sandwich topped with his favourite HP sauce and a positive phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was buoyed by an extra £10bn package of support to fight the war against Russia.
Yet as the dust begins to settle from the Budget, there are signs that Healey’s afterglow could soon fade.
World news
Could Africa’s Ebola outbreak reach the UK?
One of Africa’s top health officials has warned that the “unprecedented” spread of Ebola across the continent means it could reach the UK and other countries.
What you need to know
Cases pass 10,000
The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the DR Congo has risen above 10,000, according to government data shown on Tuesday.
Fears for global spread
This coincides with fears the epidemic could spread to more African countries and around the world.
Second deadliest
This Ebola outbreak is the second-largest on record – only behind the 2014 outbreak.
‘We want all countries to know that they are not safe’
Dr Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has compared the outbreak to the Covid pandemic.
“We want all countries to know that they are not safe if they don’t take appropriate measures,” reported him as saying.
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East, Central and West Africa have now been affected by Ebola, which Kaseya called “unprecedented”.
- DR Congo on 15 May said it had identified its 17th outbreak since Ebola was identified in 1976.
- Uganda reported 20 cases in May and June but has not recorded any since.
- Nigeria this week confirmed a case in the capital, Abuja. She has since been evacuated on a medical evacuation flight to Switzerland.
Case recorded outside of Africa
France is the only non-African country to have confirmed a case of Ebola so far – a doctor who had returned from DR Congo.
Kaseya said leaders around the world should realise that while cases are so far only ravaging Africa , the situation could change.
“We shouldn’t forget that at the beginning of Covid, many countries said there was zero risk of being affected, but a few months later, they became the hotspot,” he said.
“We don’t want to see the UK and other countries become the hotspot.
What is Ebola?
- Ebola is a highly contagious, severe, and often fatal illness spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, such as blood or vomit
- The Bundibugyo virus – the strand recoded in DR Congo – has no approved treatment, though vaccine trials are under way.
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How blood pressure pills could be dementia gamechanger
Vascular dementia is the second most common type of dementia and often gets overshadowed by Alzheimer’s, despite being responsible for up to 30 per cent of cases.
The latest research also suggests it is more common than is thought, often occurring alongside an Alzheimer’s diagnosis but going unrecognised.
Treatment breakthrough?
The good news is that there are several drugs already in use for other conditions that cut the odds of vascular dementia, including the humble blood pressure pill.
And there are further treatments around the corner that could be more potent still.
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What causes Vascular dementia?
- In about a third of those diagnosed with Vascular dementia, the cause is a stroke, a localised area of brain damage caused by a sudden blood clot or bleed.
- In the rest of the cases, the brain damage is spread out and has happened over many years.
- With ageing, blood vessels can become unable to widen to supply enough nutrients to the brain’s nerve cells and take away their waste.
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Drugs that could help
- Those diagnosed with vascular dementia are often told there are no treatments. This ignores the fact that, if caught early, there are known strategies for keeping blood vessels healthy.
- The most obvious step is to keep blood pressure under control, as high blood pressure further damages the brain’s small blood vessels. Blood pressure drugs were shown last year to cut dementia diagnoses.
- The Lancet Commission’s review of dementia prevention identified 14 risk factors that people could avoid, and many involved blood vessel health.
- They include standard lifestyle measures like stopping smoking, cutting alcohol, keeping fit and controlling cholesterol.
Key takeaways as Russell Brand gives evidence in rape trial
Russell Brand on Wednesday responded to allegations made by six women as he gave evidence at Southwark Crown Court, where he is on trial for accusations of rape and sexual assault.
Brand has denied all the allegations made against him.
What you need to know
Brand told the court that he had struggled
to find anyone to give evidence on his behalf, saying the consequences of the 2023 , and Channel 4 investigation into him were “devastating”.
His barrister Ian White asked Brand if anyone with relevant evidence would be willing to testify on his behalf or be “willing to touch [him] with a barge pole”, to which the comedian responded “no”.
‘My entire life has been consumed by these allegations’
Brand told the court that around the time of the Channel 4 documentary, which with and reported the allegations, his baby son had to have open heart surgery at the Great Ormond Street hospital in London.
- Brand told jurors that the hospital refused to let him stay with his son “due to the materials published”.
- The comedian said his “entire life has been consumed by these allegations”.
- “I have devoted myself to these matters,” he said.
Brand ‘misused’ fame for ‘reckless philandering’
Brand told the court he was “in a position of fame – a successful person” and said he “misused that commodity foolishly” and “consensually”.
He said he “was very comfortable allowing that to facilitate sexual access” and built his life around “reckless philandering”.
Brand denies allegations
Brand again denied the allegations against him. He told jurors that he believed consent was “fundamental, essential, necessary, and indeed, in many ways more important than sex itself”.
The trial will resume on Thursday with the defence’s case.
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How you could get right to see what your colleagues earn
Workers could soon have the legal right to know details of their colleagues’ salaries and bonuses under proposals from the UK equality watchdog.
What you need to know
- The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said employers should be forced to respond to questionnaires from their employees seeking information about pay if they suspect a colleague is being paid more.
- Employees could request their colleague’s basic salary, working hours, overtime and any bonuses.
- The EHCR recommended it be a legal requirement for employers to answer their workers’ query within a specified timeframe.
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Why you could expect more questionnaires at work
- The EHRC’s recommendation came as part of its response to a Government consultation on plans to overhaul equal pay legislation.
- The Government wants to reintroduce statutory questionnaires to help workers resolve disputes and work out whether they have been paid unfairly, without having to resort to lengthy and costly legal proceedings.
- Such questionnaires were previously available under the Equality Act 2010, before being abolished in 2014.
Could this lead to fairer pay?
The EHRC argued that specific pay information needed to determine whether pay discrimination has taken place is in the sole control of the employer. Disclosure through a questionnaire procedure could support early resolution of any disputes
The gender pay gap among full-time employees was 6.8 per cent in April, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Dense fog to cause chaos this week – tips for safe driving
Calmer weather may be on the way after a weekend of brutal storms, but many Britons will still have to contend with dense and stubborn fog.
What to expect
The Met Office has warned that heavy fog conditions will set in later this week.
- Some parts of the south and central parts of the UK could wake up on Thursday to some fairly dense fog patches.
- “They will be quite slow to clear,” the Met Office said.
- “We’re entering that time of year where fog can be quite stubborn to move once it’s formed.”
- After three people were killed as a result of storms over the weekend, the Met Office warned that the main risk of any disruption over the next five days would be from “dense fog patches rather than wind and rain”.
The forecast
With calmer weather, winds will be lighter, causing more mist and fog to form, especially overnight and lingering through the mornings. In some places, fog may not clear at all and make it feel quite chilly.
Much needed rain will also be in short supply. October saw an average amount of rainfall after a summer of drought. Yet some reservoirs are still exceptionally low.
Ahead of the weather, the AA has reissued advice to drivers likely to be affected by fog this week.
The AA’s advice to drivers in fog
- Use dipped headlights, wipers and demisters.
- Use fog lights when you need to, but remember to switch them off once visibility improves.
- Beware of other drivers not using headlights.
- Only drive as fast as conditions allow.
- Slow down so you can stop in the distance you can see clearly.
- Allow three seconds instead of two between you and the car in front.
- Check your mirrors before you slow down.
- Open your window to listen for traffic at junctions if you can’t see.
Tommy Robinson found guilty of harassing two journalists
Far-right activist Tommy Robinson has been convicted of harassing two journalists and causing them to fear violence.
The 43-year-old, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was labelled a “bully” by prosecutors after freelance reporter Andrew Young and editor Jacob Dirnhuber felt forced to either leave their homes or employ extra security for fear of a “vigilante” attack.
What you need to know
Jurors at Southwark Crown Court found Robinson guilty of both charges of harassment causing fear of violence.
His trial heard how the anti-migrant activist “retaliated” after the and published a story about him “stoking riots from his sunbed” during unrest in the UK in August 2024 following the murders of three girls in Southport.
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The back story
- Robinson made a series of posts
about the unfolding situation while
on holiday in Cyprus, prompting the newspaper to send Young and a photographer to the island. - After the published its story, Robinson posted criticisms of Young and Dirnhuber on his X account.
A quick guide to this year’s Budget
This is a Budget for the working people.
Chancellor John Healey today unveiled the long-anticipated Budget, the first for Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Healey called it a Budget “for the working people” as he announced details.
So what are the key takeaways?
Cheaper energy
- This winter, 20 million households in council tax bands A to D will receive a £100 energy payment paid directly into people’s bank accounts – a £2.6bn scheme.
- Gas standing charges will be removed from next year, and similar reforms will follow for electricity.
- The Chancellor says he will remove some levies on energy bills.
- He also extended a VAT cut on electricity to July 2027, cutting £50 off the annual price cap.
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Savings and pensions
- The tax-free limit on cash ISAs will stay at £20,000, abandoning plans to reduce it to £12,000.
- “To make the investment more accessible, I will work with the sector to create a new starter ISA to reward first-time investors,” Healey said.
A new pension tax allowance will be introduced. “Pensioners with income up to the value of the full new state pension will not pay income tax in this parliament,” Healey said.
Benefits and paternity leave
- A benefits rule that punished unpaid carers for earning too much is being abolished. Now, if they earn any amount above the threshold set by means-testing (£204 a week), they lose the whole carer’s allowance.
- This will be replaced, Healey announced.
- Self-employed dads and same-sex partners will also be eligible for two weeks’ support worth up to £194 a week.
3.9%
The Chancellor announced a rise in the minimum wage by nearly 3.9 per cent, the same rate for workers aged 18 to 20 years old and those aged 21 and over.
The Chancellor promises to reform non-compete clauses in contracts.
- Healey also said he will extend the fuel duty cut until July 2027.
- Workers using their car to get to work can be reimbursed a greater amount by their employers tax-free – the higher mileage rate will increase from 25p to 35p per mile.
The threshold for small business rate relief will increase from £12,000 to £18,000 for retail, hospitality and leisure.
Healey will also raise taxes on the gambling industry to pay for the changes. A £10m alcohol duty relief will be provided for around 2,000 small British brewers and cider makers.
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While many Labour MPs were jubilant that there was a surprise cost of living giveaway for millions of people in the so-called “squeezed middle” – a £100 energy bills payment this winter for 20 million homes in council tax bands A to D – some questioned the lack of “ambition” in the package.
Despite the feel-good factor from the energy giveaway, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) issued a grim assessment of Britons’ living standards, which will have only improved by a meagre 1 per cent over the decade since the start of the pandemic.
There are also signs that another surprise announcement – that landlords will face a 4 per cent hike in tax on rental income from next year – will backfire.
Tax hike on landlords risks hurting renters
The OBR has warned that this tax on landlords will be passed on to private renters, who are already feeling squeezed. The fiscal watchdog also cautioned that fewer landlords in the market will give those that remain greater “price-setting power” and flexibility to raise rents.
A Treasury insider had revealed before the Budget that there was one announcement they had been concerned about – prompting speculation that it was the tax hike for landlords.
And ministers are likely to face further stinging criticism from their opponents this week over the spiralling benefits bill.
The small print of the Budget revealed that the Government will be spending £8bn more on welfare by 2030 than had been forecast back in March, due to higher benefit uprating. Treasury sources have blamed rising inflation due to the war in Iran for the higher spending.
Defence spending row
Healey could also come under attack over defence spending. The Conservatives have claimed that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) budget is being cut by £1bn in day-to-day funding over the next two years, compared to what had been pledged in June.
MoD sources said this claim was untrue, and that there was a “technical adjustment” equal to the amount departments no longer need to spend on pensions.
The insiders said that critically, this did not affect the MoD’s spending power or Nato targets, and that the department’s budget is rising from £68.4bn this year to £73.9bn the next.
Nevertheless, the Labour chair of the Commons defence committee, Tan Dhesi, criticised the Chancellor’s “lamentable delay” in setting out a precise pathway to spending 3 per cent of GDP on defence by 2030.
“There is a cost to inaction. Investment in our nation’s defence and security cannot be kicked into the long grass. Our adversaries are not bound by fiscal years and spending cycles,” the senior Labour MP said.
“We need to urgently rebuild our capabilities now, or we risk leaving ourselves seriously vulnerable in the event of a major conflict.”
Healey’s core messages to voters
The key messages Healey wanted to land for voters today were offering “breathing space” on the cost of living and getting some of the big changes under way, such as new directions on energy and housing, in order to give people hope for the future.
Offering to put £100 directly into people’s bank accounts this coming January, just as fuel bills are set to rise under the new energy price cap – is being presented as a deliberate decision to help not only those on low incomes who are struggling to pay their energy bills, but a broader constituency of the “squeezed middle”.
The payment will help 88 per cent of the “fuel-stressed”, who face punishing energy costs, and will help households in the lowest 30 per cent of incomes.
But Treasury insiders say the payment was also designed to help middle earners who are feeling the pinch. Offering help to only those on benefits and low incomes would have created a “cliff edge” for those just above the threshold – as happened when Reeves cut the winter fuel payment for millions of pensioners.
A Treasury source told The i Paper: “Everybody is being squeezed by the cost of living crisis and by rising energy bills. Everyone is aware that the energy price cap will go up quite significantly.”
Labour MPs pleased but want to see more ‘ambition’
Rachael Maskell, the Labour MP who led the backbench rebellion against Reeves’s controversial winter fuel payment cuts, said the £100 payment will “take pressure off people this winter” in “challenging global circumstances”.
She told The i Paper: “Alongside this there was some serious re-engineering with the 3 per cent tax on the banks to indicate a shift to redistribution of wealth, while his energy reforms will provide more support as we decouple from reliance on fossil fuels and the global energy market.”
But Maskell wants to see more ambition and “major reforms” from the Chancellor in next year’s Spending Review, adding: “We need to drive more ambition into growth, invest to save across our public services and ensure that people and communities are well supported.”
Another Labour backbencher said Healey had delivered a “good speech” and that they were “delighted it’s focused on the cost of living.” “People in my constituency will be very pleased with the extra energy bills support – 93 per cent of houses are band A-D in my patch,” they said. “[I’m] also happy gambling taxes are helping town centres.”
A third praised Healey’s performance as “comfortable and positive”.
‘All a bit meh?’
However, not all Labour MPs were won over. One MP said: “Well, that was all a bit meh?”
Another said: “It wasn’t the kind of Budget speech if you were going to call an election tomorrow.”
The left-wing Labour MP Jon Trickett said: “Every step, however small, to help with the cost of living is welcome. But what the country needs is an end to stale Treasury orthodoxy which has done so much damage to the country, especially to the North. This is what the Budget could and should have delivered.”
Despite grumbling from some MPs, Healey will sleep well tonight knowing his reputation remains intact in military and defence circles.
The Chancellor, who quit as Sir Keir Starmer’s defence secretary over his frustration at inadequate funding settlement, pledged to raise defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP by 2030, as a stepping stone towards Nato’s 3.5 per cent target by 2035.
The move was hailed by senior defence figures. Nato secretary general Mark Rutte welcomed the “clear path” to 3 per cent by 2030, while Lord Robertson, a co-author of the Strategic Defence Review, said Healey was “acting in the national interest”.
The increase, from 2.6 per cent today, will be financed through what ministers describe as “creative” investment mechanisms, including state-backed lending to the National Wealth Fund and British Business Bank, and a new defence financing taskforce aimed at attracting private and international capital.