Taxing times
TODAY, Rachel Reeves will attempt to justify the massive tax rises she is about to impose on Britain.
The Chancellor insists she is making a choice between “investment and hope, or cuts and division”.
That may appeal to Labour MPs bleeding support to a wacko coalition of Greens, Lib Dems and sectarian hard-left Corbynistas.
But it will be no comfort to households staring down the barrel of potentially more than 100 new tax and spending measures in her Budget.
Reeves will make the tired old claim that tax increases are necessary to “protect the NHS”.
But beyond looking at curbs on free Motability BMWs, the Government has walked away from welfare reform.
The State is likely to get even BIGGER under Labour.
Meanwhile, Nigel Farage IS pledging to curb the benefits bill.
But, such is the car crash state of the economy, the Reform leader yesterday junked his previous manifesto pledge to cut taxes by £90billion until public spending is back under control.
The Tories also know spending is out of control and must be the priority.
The problem is, what hard-pressed Brits — businesses, and individuals — are crying out for is to pay LESS tax.
With Labour in charge, that doesn’t look like happening any time soon.
Just start oil
THE US ambassador to Britain is as baffled as everyone else by our Net Zero policies.
Pointing out the UK is still heavily reliant on oil and gas, and still imports massive amounts of both to keep the lights on, Warren Stephens not unreasonably asks: “Why not use your own?”
It’s a fair question.
But Labour’s reckless ban on any new British oil and gas drilling remains in place.
For the first time since 1964, NO new oil wells will be drilled in the British North Sea this year.
Norway has sunk 30 new exploration wells in 2025 alone.
This ruinous stupidity will cost thousands of jobs while leaving our energy security more exposed than ever.
Lunatic asylum
FORGET the Government’s pledges to smash the gangs or stop the boats.
Last year, Britain saw asylum claims leap by a third — the biggest increase in Europe.
That there were 103,000 claims in 2024 — the highest number ever recorded — is yet further proof of the folly of scrapping the Rwanda scheme, our only proper deterrent.
Both France and Germany actually saw claims go DOWN after imposing tougher rules at the border.
Meanwhile, our soft-touch asylum system with its lavish benefits and free accommodation makes the UK more attractive to illegal migrants than ever.
