Solar farm plans submitted for Brookeville
The thoughts were gathered via a questionnaire conducted by the firm as part of a public consultation.Further afield, some people, including MPs, have expressed concerns about the number of solar projects planned for Norfolk.However, the government has said they are necessary as part of aims to cut carbon emissions and provide better energy security.
This article was written by a trusted journalist and then edited for length and style with the help of AI, before being checked again by a BBC Journalist. It's part of a pilot.
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The Independent
8 minutes ago
- The Independent
Why Starmer has more to worry about than his inability to play golf when he meets Trump at Turnberry
Keir Starmer has confided that he has never played golf before, which may prove to be a problem when he holds a bilateral with Donald Trump at the US president's Turnberry course in Scotland on Monday. The location partially explains the nervous energy around the prime minister when he discusses this last-minute arranged meeting as Trump spends a few days relaxing at his own Scottish courses. 'Golf is not something you can pick up in a weekend,' a source close to the PM said, envisaging the two holding their bilateral around 18 holes on the championship course. But a potential crash course in golf is the least of Sir Keir's concerns as he prepares for yet another crucial bilatera l with a US president he has struck up a politically unlikely friendship with. Top of the agenda will be the steel industry followed by Ukraine and Gaza - all issues where Sir Keir and Trump still seem far apart. Men of steel If sorting out the trade deal was the equivalent of a green on a golf course, Starmer would be on his third attempt with the putter trying to sink a ball which initially rolled invitingly near to the flag. Already we have effectively had two signing ceremonies for a trade agreement to tackle Trump's 'freedom day' tariffs. The first occasion in May when it was described as 'the big and beautiful deal' seemed to have resolved almost everything. Then nothing happened until the two men appeared together in Canada last month with a signed deal which the president almost immediately fumbled on to the floor. But even after that there was one crucial issue left over - steel. Trump put tariffs of 25 per cent on steel and then increased them to 50 per cent for the rest of the world, with a threat that the UK would go from 25 to 50 per cent if it did not sort the issue out. Time is running out and with the taxpayer now in hock to the future of British Steel and the entire industry staring at a precipice, Starmer needs to get the zero per cent tariff he was promised back in May. Unfortunately, there appears to be no immediate sign of that happening. Palestinian recognition There is a lot of speculation within Labour this weekend that Keir Starmer wants to recognise the state of Palestine as French president Emmanuel Macron did on Thursday. But he cannot do it until after he has had his meeting with Trump - otherwise the inevitable row over it would dominate proceedings. US secretary of state Marco Rubio made it clear that the US was disgusted with France and thought Macron was 'rewarding terrorism' by Hamas. A similar angry view would be taken with the UK. But the two do need to discuss the issues with the crisis coming to a head. Somehow Trump's enthusiasm for brokering a ceasefire there needs to be renewed and some think Starmer is the man to do that. His ability to boost the president's ego has become the blueprint for international leaders to deal with the second Trump term. Without US leadership there is a danger that the war will just go on and thousands of people trapped in Gaza will simply starve to death. In many ways Starmer will be speaking for the so-called E3 group of UK, France and Germany on the issue after the emergency phone call with Macron and German chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday. Not forgetting Ukraine The Middle East may not even be Starmer's biggest international priority in these talks. He is desperate for a solution to the Ukraine problem and recently with Macron and Merz has been pushing ahead with the 'coalition of the willing' to provide a safeguard for Ukraine after a peace deal. He and Macron announced new details and plans for the coalition of the willing after the French president's recent state visit. But they are moving ahead without the one thing they need - a promise by the US to back them up militarily if things go wrong. Trump has resisted this idea, much preferring to get a share of Ukraine's mineral resources. He has shown no interest at all in Starmer's plan. But the British prime minister needs to somehow to get him on side on Monday. The State Visit While this is a private trip for Trump to look at his personal business interests (play golf on his own courses), it is a precursor to a much bigger visit in September. The invitation for a state visit came from the King and was delivered by his prime minister but details of the political side of the historic trip will be discussed. There may be an awkward moment regarding why Macron got to address a joint sitting of the Houses of Parliament and Trump will not. The excuse that it is the day after Parliament rises does not hold water because MPs and peers came back to hear the late Pope Benedict address them in 2010 in identical circumstances. There will be no shortage of rightwing British Trump friends visiting him over the next few days, including Nigel Farage and fellow Brexit bad boy Andy Wigmore, who will point out that others were treated better. How Starmer can win over Trump It is understood that the prime minister came up with a solution to deal with the diplomatic problem of having to play golf, at a recent social event in Westminster. 'We toss a coin. If the president wins we play golf, if I win we play football,' the PM is understood to have suggested. Given how much Trump enjoyed himself with Chelsea players after presenting the World Club Cup to them, that may be a solution. But it is going to take more than a coin flip for Sir Keir to persuade the president on these other issues. The one thing that matters though is that Trump values relationships and trusts people who are straight with him and give him their trust. Back at the G7 in Canada Trump made it clear that the UK will do well with him because he likes Starmer. He said: 'The UK is very well protected. You know why? Because I like them. The prime minister has done a really good job. He has done what other people have been talking about for six years and he has done it.' Starmer is going to need all the charm that he seems to have reserved for his international duties to get what he wants on Monday. But recent history suggests that it could all be within his grasp.
The Guardian
9 minutes ago
- The Guardian
UK and Australia sign Aukus treaty to build nuclear submarines as Lammy downplays US doubts
Australia and the UK have signed a 50-year treaty to cement the Aukus pact to design and build a new class of nuclear-powered submarine. Australia's defence minister, Richard Marles, and the UK's defence secretary, John Healey, signed the deal – dubbed the 'Geelong Treaty' – in Geelong on Saturday, with Marles saying it was among the most significant treaties between the two nations. It came as the US, which is not a party to the treaty, wavers on its own role in the trilateral Aukus agreement, after the Trump administration launched a review to examine whether it aligns with his 'America first' agenda. A joint statement released by the UK and Australia said the treaty would enable cooperation on the SSN-Aukus submarine's design, build, operation, sustainment, and disposal, as well as workforce, infrastructure and regulatory systems. The SSN-Aukus is intended to incorporate technology from all three Aukus nations. It will be built in northern England for the UK Royal Navy, and Australia plans to build its own in South Australia for delivery to the Australian navy in the 2040s. The treaty is yet to be released publicly and will be tabled in parliament next week. Marles told reporters the treaty will underpin how the UK and Australia work together to deliver the submarines. He said there were three parts to the treaty, including training in the UK for Australian submariners and other required roles, and 'facilitating the development' of infrastructure at the Osborne Naval Shipyard in Adelaide. 'And finally, what the treaty does is create a seamless defence industrial base between the United Kingdom and Australia. This project is going to see Australian companies supplying into Great Britain for the building of submarines,' he said. 'It will see British companies supplying to Australia for the building of our own submarines here in Adelaide. Healey said the treaty would support tens of thousands of jobs in both Australia and the UK. 'It is a treaty that will fortify the Indo-Pacific. It will strengthen Nato and we're the politicians signing it today. But this is a treaty that will define the relationship between our two nations and safeguard the security of our country for our children and our children's children to come,' he said. Marles said the deal was 'another demonstration of the fact that Aukus is happening, and it is happening on time, and we are delivering it'. 'It's a treaty which will last for 50 years. It is a bilateral treaty which sits under the trilateral Aukus framework.' As part of the existing Aukus agreement, Australia will pay about $4.6bn to support British industry to design and produce nuclear reactors to power the future Aukus-class submarines. It will pay a similar amount to the US to support America's shipbuilding industry. Under the $368bn Aukus program, Australia is scheduled to buy at least three Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines from the US from the early 2030s. Earlier on Saturday, the UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, appeared at an event in Sydney run by the Lowy Institute. Asked by the presenter if the UK was 'coming to the rescue because America is losing interest in Aukus', he said that wasn't the case, and that the deal was about '20,000 jobs between our two countries' and a secure partnership well into the future. Lammy dismissed concerns over the Trump administration's Aukus review, saying it would 'flush out any issues for them'. He said both the UK and Australian governments had also undertaken a review of the pact. 'All governments do reviews, and should do reviews, particularly when they involve big aspects of procurement and defence,' he said. Lammy said the world had entered a 'new era' of instability and that 'investing in defence is an investment in peace' because opponents 'realise that you are armed and capable'. The Trump administration's review is being headed by the Pentagon's undersecretary of defence policy, Elbridge Colby, who has previously declared himself 'sceptical' about the deal, fearing it could leave US sailors exposed and underresourced.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
How being an accidental landlord could land you with a surprise tax bill when you sell
Britons could face a large tax bill if they opt to keep a former home as an investment. Some people, particularly those moving in with a partner or spouse, decide to keep a property rather than selling it when they move - becoming an 'accidental landlord'. While it can seem like a good investment given the prospect of rental income and potential house price growth, it could inadvertently end up costing people when they do eventually come to sell in the future. This is because those who sell their main home, rather than letting it, are entitled to full Private Residence Relief (PRR), which will shield them from capital gains tax (CGT). But once they let out their property, they forfeit their right to full PRR when they sell. 'PRR is essentially your protection against capital gains tax, and while you're living in your home as your main residence, any increase in its value is completely tax-free when you sell,' says Eamon Shahir, founder of self-assessment platform Taxd. 'Here's the crucial difference: if you sell your home while it is still your main residence, you don't pay capital gains tax no matter how much it has increased in value. 'However, if you decide to start renting to tenants, you don't immediately lose all that tax protection. 'His Majesty's Revenue and Customs apportions the gain based on how long you lived there versus how long you rented it out.' What it could mean for you On residential property, capital gains tax is currently charged at 18 per cent for basic rate taxpayers, and 24 per cent for higher rate taxpayers – but with any significant gain, people are likely to pay most of it at the higher rate. This is because a capital gain is added to a person's normal income to decide the tax rate. 'A lot of homeowners think their main home is always tax-free,' said Andy Wood, international advisor at Tax Natives. 'And it is, until you move out and rent it. 'That can mean a sizeable CGT bill, sometimes tens of thousands of pounds, which often comes as a nasty surprise if you weren't expecting it.' Plenty of people choose to rent their homes out for a while, rather than sell, according to Wood. 'Maybe they've moved in with a partner, taken a job elsewhere, or just don't think it's the right time to sell,' he adds. 'It often feels like a short-term, low-risk choice. But once you move out, the tax position shifts. 'You start losing the relief you get for living there, and the longer it's rented, the more of the gain becomes taxable.' Can capital gains tax wipe out rental profit? Ask a buy-to-let investor what has made them more money over past decades: rent or house price growth? The answer will invariably be house prices. Take a city like Manchester for example. Property prices there have almost doubled over the past 10 years, rising from £131,000 in May 2015 to £257,000 in May this year, according Land Registry figures. This means the average property in Manchester has risen in value by £12,600 a year on average over the past decade. Meanwhile average rents, which were £815 a month in the city in 2015 are now £1,143 per month, according to Zoopla's data. This means the average property has gone from making £9,780 a year to £13,716 a year in rent - but that's before tax, letting agent fees and any upkeep costs. Capital gains tax can be charged on any profit made on an asset that has increased in value, when someone comes to sell. It is the gain that is taxed, not the total amount of money they receive. For example, someone who doubles their house price from £131,000 to £257,000 will pay 24 per cent CGT on the £126,000 gain, though there is a £3,000 tax free annual allowance. While the CGT bill is unlikely to wipe out all rental profits, there are situations where it might - particularly if house prices suddenly take off in an area. For example, someone who purchased in London in the aftermath of the 2008 crash, but moved in with a partner and kept their home to rent may have found themselves in this predicament. Between May 2009 and May and May 2016, average London prices rose from £321,000 to £627,000. That's a £306,000 gain over a seven-year period averaging out at £43,715 a year. Someone in this situation selling in May 2016 would have faced a 28 per cent CGT bill at that time, albeit with a £11,100 annual allowance. That means in such a scenario they would have potentially incurred a £82,572 CGT bill on the sale. 'This catches more people out than you might think,' says Andy Wood of Tax Natives. 'If your rental income's been fairly low, but the property's gone up in value, you could still face a large CGT bill when you sell. 'We've seen cases where landlords earned £3,000 a year in rent but paid £30,000 or more in tax when they sold. That's enough to wipe out all the rental gains – and then some. 'Lettings relief used to help with this, but it was heavily cut back in 2020. Now, most of the gain will be taxed at 18 per cent or 24 per cent, depending on your income. 'That's a big hit for something that might have started off as a more of a stopgap solution.' However, it's worth pointing out that when someone moves out of their main home, they won't forfeit all their CGT relief. They will lose it for the years the property is let out, so when they sell they'll need to work out the proportion of time they lived in the home compared to the years it was let out. PRR also applies in full for the last nine months of ownership, whether or not someone lives at the property - provided the property was their main residence at some point. For example, if someone bought a property in 2010 and sold it in 2025, that's 15 years or 180 months in total. If they lived there for 10 years (120 months), they'd get PRR relief for 129 months (the 120 they lived there plus nine bonus months). That means 71 per cent of any gain would be completely tax-free. If they decided not to sell the property and rent it out, then only the remaining 29 per cent of the gain, representing the rental period, would be subject to capital gains tax. Eamon Shahir, founder of the online accountancy service Taxd Can it still make sense to let out your previous home? Ultimately, avoiding a potential CGT bill should not be the main reason for making a decision about whether to keep a property, rather than selling it. If someone could benefit from the rental income and feel the home will increase in value in the future, then there is arguably a strong reason to keep it as an investment. 'CGT is not necessarily a deal-breaker,' says Shahir of Taxd. 'It really depends on each person's specific situation, and once you understand how CGT works, keeping a property as a rental can still make perfect financial sense. 'And, with CGT, you're only ever taxed on the gain in the property's value, so you're never actually worse off for having owned it. 'The question is whether the rental income plus remaining capital growth makes it worthwhile. He adds: 'It often works well to let your property if you expect continued property price growth, rental yield after tax looks attractive, or you bought the property years ago and have already banked significant tax-free gains having lived there. 'On the other hand, it might not work if your property has already seen most of its gains and values are now stagnant or rental yields are poor.' There are also certain rule quirks that will benefit some people more than others, according to Shahir. 'Expats have a major advantage as CGT is only calculated on gains since 2015, which can make huge savings,' he says. 'And, if you move abroad for work, and then come back to live in your property - you will still qualify for PRR. 'For most people it depends on the long term goal. Holding the property and letting it out can be good as additional rental income, and potential CGT or PRR relief is available. Each individual should analyse, evaluate or seek tax support.' Best mortgage rates and how to find them Mortgage rates have risen substantially over recent years, meaning that those remortgaging or buying a home face higher costs. That makes it even more important to search out the best possible rate for you and get good mortgage advice, whether you are a first-time buyer, home owner or buy-to-let landlord. > Mortgage rates calculator > Find the right mortgage for you To help our readers find the best mortgage, This is Money has partnered with the UK's leading fee-free broker L&C. This is Money and L&C's mortgage calculator can let you compare deals to see which ones suit your home's value and level of deposit. You can compare fixed rate lengths, from two-year fixes, to five-year fixes and ten-year fixes. If you're ready to find your next mortgage, why not use This is Money and L&C's online Mortgage Finder. It will search 1,000's of deals from more than 90 different lenders to discover the best deal for you.
