Beth Rigby looks back as Keir Starmer reaches one year as prime minister
Friday 4 July 2025 04:24, UK
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Telegraph
22 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Slash welfare for migrants to save the taxpayer
After a year in office, the travails of Sir Keir Starmer's Government can be summarised neatly in two words: 'benefits' and 'migration'. The British state has proven unable to tackle either, and the associated costs are proving ruinous, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves now looking at further tax rises as a result of Labour's welfare U-turn. These issues, too, are compounding one another. Rising worklessness feeds demand for migration even as Britain's apparent desire to act as the world's welfare state aids in fuelling the supply. With his half-hearted attempt at addressing one of these issues shredded by militant Left-wing backbenchers, Sir Keir now appears utterly devoid of ideas for addressing either. The Conservative Party is not, and is now calling on the Government to bar non-citizens from claiming the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and sickness top-ups to Universal Credit, with an exemption for those EU citizens given special status under the Brexit deal. The savings could prove to be substantial, with recent figures showing that the cost of benefits claims by households with at least one foreign national have doubled in recent years to nearly £1 billion a month. The overall bill for PIP, and its predecessor the Disability Living Allowance, is set to reach £28 billion a year by 2028-29. With the British state under increasing fiscal strain, and taxpayers in turn shouldering an ever greater burden for the maintenance of the welfare state, it is evident to all but the Labour backbenches that something must be done to rein in eligibility. Some of these measures should target the criteria through which conditions become eligible for payment – some 122,855 people were receiving enhanced PIP mobility payments in March for mixed anxiety and depressive disorders, figures which are hard to credit as a legitimate reflection of need – but others should look to reassert the idea that the welfare state is for the welfare of Britain and not the wider world. If they do not, we will find that we implicitly accept the inexorable growth of the state, and its demands on those generous enough to work to fund it. It is quite clear which direction Sir Keir's government is heading in, with Labour signing Britain up to a United Nations pact which makes 42 references to taxation, including specific mentions of 'high-net-worth individuals' and 'progressive tax systems'. While not a binding commitment on the behalf of this country, it is a strong indicator of where this Government's instincts lie – and where, come the Autumn Budget, the blow to taxpayers is likely to fall. The Conservatives deserve credit for being willing to push for a viable alternative.
The Sun
22 minutes ago
- The Sun
Dramatic new jetski tactic used by French cops to stop migrant dinghies sailing to Britain revealed
FRENCH cops have secretly been using jet skis to lay nets in the sea to stop migrant boats sailing to Britain. The new tactic involves netting that jams a dinghy's propeller and brings it to a safe stop in shallow water. 2 It was part of a trial which also saw police wade into the water to puncture a migrant boat with a knife on Friday. The moves come ahead of a state visit by French President Emmanuel Macron this week. He will announce strategies to allow cops to enter shallow water to stop the boats at a summit with Sir Keir Starmer on Thursday. Measures will be put into practice within weeks and eventually become a daily activity for officers. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: 'Over the last few months, we have been working together on new ways to crackdown on the criminal gang operations, with the French now bringing in important new tactics to stop boats that are in the water. 'We need to stop at nothing to boost our border security.' The Tories had first planned to use jet skis in 2021 but the idea to intercept boats in British waters and spin them back to France was considered too dangerous. Whackier ideas discussed in previous years include wave machines, a floating 'wall' in the Channel and moving migrants to decommissioned oil platforms. Ms Cooper is also looking at cracking down on illegal work after the French blamed the UK's black market economy as a pull on migrants. Pressure is on after the number of people who have arrived in the UK by small boat this year passed 20,000 — despite £500million handed to France to curb crossings. French cops SLASH small boat & drag it to shore as conveniently placed BBC crew film scene And despite the tougher methods by the French this week boats have continued to set sail for Dover. A deal to return migrants to France in a 'one in, one out' scheme is still being worked out days before Mr Macron lands in the UK. It could see Channel migrants sent back to France and swapped for asylum seekers with family connections in the UK. 2
Sky News
23 minutes ago
- Sky News
Elon Musk says he's created his own political party - the 'America Party'
Elon Musk says he has created a new political party - the America Party - after asking his followers if he should do so in an online poll. It follows his public falling out with Republican President Donald Trump. On Friday, he had asked his followers on X whether a new US political party should be created. On Saturday evening he wrote on the same platform: "By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it! "When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy. "Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom."
