
How English are you really?
Yet the country's two mainstream but increasingly unpopular parties – a disenchantment Brits will recognise – portray the AfD as chocka with swastika-waving Nazis building scale models of Treblinka in their basements.

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Time Out
10 hours ago
- Time Out
Two of the most expensive private schools in the UK are in London
London has lots of excellent free-to-attend schools. But for some parents – particularly very wealthy ones – sending their kids to a good state school is not enough. A new ranking has revealed the 10 most expensive private schools in the UK for 2025/26, and two of them are in the capital. London is one of the most expensive cities in the world to live in, so it's not surprising that the capital is home to two of the UK's highest costing private schools. In Britain the average fee for boarding students is between £9,000 to £15,000 for the whole year. However these elite schools represent even richer class of society. We're talking the children of plutocrats, oligarchs and royalty. The kind of students who take Ubers to class on particularly cold days, and don't get drunk in field like most young Brits, but spend their rebellious years partying in ultra swish hotel rooms. Westminster School was revealed as the third most pricey school in the UK. The central London college costs up to £21,992 per term – that's £65,976 for the whole year. Some of Westminster's famous alumni include Helena Bonham Carter, Louis Theroux and former leader of the Lib Dems Nick Clegg. Also making the top 10 was northwest London's Harrow School in sixth place, costing up £21,245 per term (£63,735 for the year). This very posh all boys' school is known for producing PMs (including Winston Churchill), and was also attended by Benedict Cumberbatch, Richard Curtis and James Blunt. From January 2025 many fee-paying schools in Britain became even pricier after their exemption from paying VAT was officially scrapped. It's the first time independent schools have had to pay 20 percent VAT on fees. Chancellor Rachel Reeves said 'every single penny' from the new levy would go towards funding state schools. London's 17 best schools have been revealed by the Fairer Schools Index 2025.


Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds dismisses 'daft' wealth tax - 'be serious'
It is the first time a Government minister has explicitly ruled out a wealth tax since plans to cut disability benefits were gutted, leaving Chancellor Rachel Reeves with a battle to balance the books The Business Secretary has hit out at "daft" demands for a "magic wealth tax" to plug holes in the public finances. Jonathan Reynolds rubbished speculation that Chancellor Rachel Reeves could balance the books after U-turns on disability benefit cuts and winter fuel with a levy on the wealthiest Brits. Ms Reeves has refused to rule out a tax on wealth, which has been backed by Labour figures, including former leader Lord Neil Kinnock and Wales's First Minister Eluned Morgan. But Mr Reynolds dismissed the idea and told supporters to "be serious", in comments likely to anger some on the Labour left where support is growing for the move. It is the first time a Government minister has explicitly ruled out a wealth tax since Keir Starmer was forced to gut his plans to cut disability benefits last month. The Chancellor has been left to make up the shortfall, while battling sluggish growth and higher than expected borrowing. Experts believe she may be forced to put up taxes in the autumn if she wants to avoid making cuts to public services - triggering calls for a new tax on wealth. But Mr Reynolds told GB News: "This Labour Government has increased taxes on wealth as opposed to income - the taxes on private jets, private schools, changes through inheritance tax, capital gains tax. "But the idea there's a magic wealth tax, some sort of levy... that doesn't exist anywhere in the world. "Switzerland has a levy but they don't have capital gains or inheritance tax. "There's no kind of magic (tax). We're not going to do anything daft like that. "And I say to people: 'Be serious about this.' The idea you can just levy everyone... What if your wealth was not in your bank account, (what if it was) in fine wine or art? "How would we tax that? This is why this doesn't exist." The Chancellor recently told the Mirror that ordinary workers won't see their VAT, income tax or national insurance contributions rise. And Ms Reeves signalled a lack of enthusiasm for a dedicated wealth tax, saying she had already asked the wealthiest and businesses to pay more in last year's Budget, which included a £40billion tax raid to fund cash-strapped public services like hospitals and schools.


The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
German politician admits drawing swastika on ballot paper
A regional lawmaker in Germany has admitted to drawing a swastika next to a far-right candidate's name on a ballot paper, leading to his resignation as deputy speaker of the state legislature. The incident occurred during a vote for a regional cross-border body in the southwestern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, which includes representatives from Germany, France, and Switzerland. The Nazi symbol was discovered on Thursday, prompting an admission on Friday from the lawmaker. The far-right, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party had unsuccessfully attempted to secure the election of its nominees in the vote. Using the swastika is illegal in Germany and falls under a ban on the symbols of unconstitutional organizations. The speaker, Muhterem Aras, described the incident as 'a disgrace for this parliament.' But, since it was a secret vote, it was not immediately clear who was responsible. On Friday, Daniel Born, a deputy speaker of the legislature and member of the center-left Social Democrats, said that he had drawn the symbol next to the name of an AfD lawmaker. He described his actions in a statement as a 'serious mistake' and apologized. He said that he was stepping down as deputy speaker and leaving his party's parliamentary group. Aras called for him to give up his parliamentary seat, German news agency dpa reported. Born said that he had not intended to make out that a far-right lawmaker had drawn the symbol. 'On the contrary, in a knee-jerk reaction, I wanted to show that votes for AfD are always votes for right-wing hatred and agitation, no matter in what election," he said. AfD has firmly established itself as a force in German politics since it was formed 12 years ago, even as it has drifted steadily to the right. In Germany's national election in February, it finished second with 20.8% of the vote, and is now the biggest opposition party in Berlin. However, mainstream parties refuse to work with it. Born said in his statement that 'it no longer leaves me a minute's peace' that people are increasingly getting used to the party.