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Labour taking Reform threat in Wales ‘seriously', says Morgan

Labour taking Reform threat in Wales ‘seriously', says Morgan

Western Telegraph10 hours ago
Baroness Eluned Morgan told Sky News voters in Wales needed to understand Reform as a 'threat', warning that 'things that they're used to' such as free prescriptions and free school meals for primary school children 'could be snatched away'.
She said: 'We're taking it very seriously, and we think the threat from Reform is a very serious threat.'
Her interview comes as polling by More In Common on behalf of Sky News found 28% of people in Wales would back Reform at the Senedd elections in 2026, putting the party in first place.
Mr Farage's party is targeting the Senedd as it looks to build on its success at the English local elections earlier this year, and unveiled former Wales secretary David Jones as another ex-Tory defector on Monday as part of its push.
The poll, published on Tuesday, showed Plaid Cymru in second place on 26% and Labour in third place on 23%, before a long drop to the Conservatives on 10% and the Liberal Democrats on 7%.
If the results were replicated next year, it could mean the end of Labour's 26 years of domination in Wales, where it has held power since devolution.
Baroness Morgan acknowledged there was 'a possibility' that Reform could become the largest party in the Senedd, saying it was 'really concerning', but added it would be 'difficult for them to rule by themselves'.
But she ruled out entering a coalition with the party, saying: 'I wouldn't touch Reform with a bargepole.'
The First Minister also insisted that Labour would be able to win voters back by being 'authentic' and 'clear with people about what we stand for', rather than trying to 'out-Reform Reform'.
She said: 'I think we've got to lead with our values. We're about bringing communities together, not dividing them, and I do think that what Reform is interested in is dividing people and people do need to make choices on things like that.
'So, what I won't be doing in Wales is chasing Reform down a path where we can try and out-Reform Reform. I'm not interested in that, because those aren't my values.'
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Automatic registration looking unlikely for next Senedd election
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Automatic registration looking unlikely for next Senedd election

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Readers torn on wealth tax – from ‘the only counterbalance' to ‘utterly counter-productive'
Readers torn on wealth tax – from ‘the only counterbalance' to ‘utterly counter-productive'

The Independent

timean hour ago

  • The Independent

Readers torn on wealth tax – from ‘the only counterbalance' to ‘utterly counter-productive'

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Rich individuals purchase land as a means of evading taxes, and some landowners have managed to avoid paying taxes for centuries by owning their land through trusts. Tax it. The land cannot be taken abroad, and it's a tax that cannot be avoided, irrespective of 'who or what entity owns it'. You don't tax any property itself, you tax the value of the land it sits on. Closing this loophole would raise billions. flying scot Do you think the UK should introduce a wealth tax on the super-rich to help fund public services? Share your views in the comments. Socialism exists only for the rich I get that large salaries attract the best people for certain positions, but that's not the problem. The problem is that the top 1 per cent of rich people hold more wealth than the bottom 50 per cent. The gap between the very wealthy and the working class is massive and is only getting wider. It wasn't that long ago when one decent working-class wage could buy a house, a car, and still manage to bring up a couple of kids. Socialism only exists for the rich, while the working classes, people with disabilities, and now kids with disabilities are being targeted to raise more money. Plasticpaddy How do you value a private business? The vast majority of people in the UK with personal wealth over £10 million are entrepreneurs or business founders, and almost all of their wealth is in the form of shares in their business. These businesses will mostly be privately held, so there is no market-based price discovery mechanism available to value them. So, to make this work, the government would, on an annual basis, have to accurately estimate the value of every privately owned business in the UK. They would be backed up in court for decades with appeals, because the value of a business ultimately is 'what someone else is prepared to pay for it'. There is no universally agreed-upon formula. But long before this became a problem, every single high-net-worth business owner would have re-domiciled their business overseas and left the country for good, taking all the jobs with them, most likely. sj99 Millionaires remove money from the economy Money spent on winter fuel allowance, teacher wages, and special needs support stays in the economy because it cannot be saved. Wealth accruing to millionaire CEOs leaves the economy, usually via tax-efficient schemes in foreign jurisdictions. Millionaires and billionaires remove money from our economy because they don't live paycheque to paycheque. RodyaRaskolnikov High salaries create tax, not trickle down Lord Kinnock is certainly right about one thing: a wealth tax will be highly popular among voters. Taking money off those rich so-and-so's and giving some to me – what's not to like? 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E.g. the main skill demonstrated by water company bosses seems to lie in accruing as much wealth for themselves, with the lowest benefit to anyone else. Is that what we're paying top rates for? It's funny how the same argument somehow never gets used for people who actually do something useful, like care workers. Eadwine Wealth doesn't trickle down Unfortunately, this is based purely and simply on the belief that wealth trickles down, which is largely untrue. And the 'wealth' does not benefit the country – it is spent and invested elsewhere. A tax based simply on land ownership and usage, easy to verify by drone or satellite and with clear ownership recorded by the Land Registry, resolves that, and might also put an end to leaseholds... To suggest that millionaires and billionaires should contribute more, and that all working people be paid a minimum of the living wage, and those unable to work full time be topped up from taxation on those able to pay, should not be contentious. 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Reform UK MP quits Nigel Farage's party after taking 'specialist legal advice'
Reform UK MP quits Nigel Farage's party after taking 'specialist legal advice'

Daily Mirror

time2 hours ago

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Reform UK MP quits Nigel Farage's party after taking 'specialist legal advice'

He will continue to sit in the Commons as an independent after questions about his businesses from before he was an MP An MP who 'suspended himself' from Reform UK over questions related to Covid loans has left Nigel Farage's party. James McMurdock, the MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock "removed the party whip from himself" last week pending the outcome of an investigation relating to allegations around "business propriety during the pandemic". ‌ The Sunday Times published a story on Saturday which alleged two businesses connected to Mr McMurdock took out Covid-19 loans totalling £70,000 during the pandemic, one of which had no employees. ‌ Today, he said he "had a chance to take specialist legal advice from an expert in the relevant field" since the loans came to light. Writing on social media site X, he added: "In light of that advice, which is privileged and which I choose to keep private at this time, I have decided to continue my parliamentary career as an independent MP where I can focus 100% on the interests of my constituents." It leaves the party with just four sitting MPs, following the departure of Rupert Lowe earlier this year in a furious dispute with Mr Farage and the party's chairman Zia Yusuf. ‌ The Sunday Times reported allegations Mr McMurdock's firms, JAM Financial Ltd and Gym Live Health and Fitness Ltd, borrowed £70,000 in Covid Bounce Back loans in 2020, at the height of the pandemic. In 2020, it's claimed, JAM Financial - which had no employees until the pandemic - took a loan of £50,000 - the maximum available for medium-sized businesses. Mr McMurdoch transferred his shares in the firm to his mother and resigned as a director in 2021. ‌ Gym Live, which was dormant until January 2021, borrowed £20,000 over the same year. Both firms were in the process of being struck off the Companies House register - but on the same day in February 2023 the move was halted after the regulator received an objection from a third party, according to the Sunday Times. In his statement, Mr Anderson wrote: "I have today received a call from James McMurdock who has advised me, as Chief Whip, that he has removed the party whip from himself pending the outcome of an investigation into allegations that are likely to be published by a national newspaper." ‌ He added: "The allegations relate to business propriety during the pandemic and before he became an MP. At Reform UK we take these matters very seriously and James has agreed to cooperate in full with any investigation. "We will not be commenting further at this moment." Mr McMurdock has not publicly commented on the suspension or allegations, but is reported to have told the Times to "be very careful". ‌ He was elected MP for South Basildon & East Thurrock after getting 98 more votes than Tory Stephen Metcalfe in July's election. It later emerged he had been jailed for repeatedly kicking his former girlfriend in 2006. James McMurdock had previously claimed he was sent to a young offenders' institution for "pushing" the victim on a drunken night out. But court documents obtained by The Times reveal the reason given for his sentence was 'kicking to victim on around four times'. ‌ A sentencing report said the crime "requires immediate punishment", while a pre-sentence report suggested there was a "lack of willingness to comply". The victim's mum claimed the attack "left marks on her body" and said it took two security guards to pull Mr McMurdock off her. When his conviction came to light shortly after the general election Mr McMurdock disputed the details and said some might see it as a "teenage indiscretion". The assault happened at the end of a night out in 2006. Mr McMurdock was sentenced to 21 days after admitting the attack. His conviction came to light when the victims' mother contacted the Daily Mail voicing her anger that he had been allowed to stand.

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