Latest news with #economicplans
Times
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Times
The Talented Mr Mamdani
I know talent when I see it. Zohran Mamdani has it. He is handsome, charismatic and a smooth talker. He's got the perfect 'I've got your back' smile. But behind it? Reckless economic plans that will destroy working-class jobs and crush small businesses. Massive tax hikes that will drive enterprise businesses out. He wants to defund the police, which will no doubt increase crime in New York City, the capital of the world and the largest home to Jews outside Israel. Mamdani is slick — but not that slick. He foolishly thinks that by rubbing elbows with Jewish elected officials and business leaders last week, the rest of us are going to forget what he stands for. Not a chance. Beneath the charm and the polished exterior, Mamdani's lack of experience and radical socialist policies will be devastating for every New Yorker — and especially for the Jewish community. His entire identity is built on hatred of Israel and the movement to 'free Palestine … by any means necessary'. His record speaks for itself. He refuses to recognise Israel as a Jewish state; he falsely claims Israel is committing genocide, while he's quiet about countries like Syria that actually are. He vows to arrest Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, for war crimes if he sets foot in New York City. • Meet Zohran Mamdani, the Bernie Sanders-inspired socialist who wants to run NYC He defends the use of the slogan 'globalise the intifada', which he must know is a blatant call for violence against Jews. He sponsored a bill that would fine New York synagogues and Jewish businesses $1 million or risk legal action for raising money for Zaka and Hatzalah, Israeli emergency response organisations helping people in disputed territories. In a resurfaced music video, he rapped 'My love to the Holy Land Five', referring to a group of convicted terrorists in the largest terror financing case in US history. One of the terrorists he praised, Mufid Abdulqader, sang at an Al Sakhra production in Oklahoma City in 1992: 'We won't fear a Jew. Oh, Hamas, respond to them with force. Death is right for Jews.' I could go on. Does he really think meeting a rabbi and congregants at a synagogue on the Upper West Side will erase all of that? It's as if he's saying, 'Look, Ma! I'm not an antisemite!' Not only is it meaningless, it's also pure performance. Here is who Mamdani truly is. He chants alongside Jew-haters at rallies for Within Our Lifetime, the antisemitic group led by Nerdeen Kiswani. Meanwhile, his mayoral campaign has been quietly funded by CAIR, an organisation with alleged ties to Hamas and an unindicted co-conspirator in the 2007 Holy Land Foundation Trial and a US specially designated global terrorist. Then there is his radical father, Mahmood Mamdani, who joined Columbia University in 1999 as a Herbert Lehman professor of government. In 2014, he published the book Good Muslim, Bad Muslim, in which he wrote: 'We need to recognise the suicide bomber, first and foremost, as a category of soldier.' When NBC's Kristen Welker interviewed Zohran Mamdani in June, he declined to denounce the phrase 'globalise the intifada'. Then, at an event hosted by the Partnership for New York City last week with 100 business leaders, he backpedalled slightly, saying he would 'discourage' the use of the slogan, but not the idea behind it. He reiterated that he did not personally use the statement and that to many 'the phrase means protest against the Israeli occupation of Gaza', but his father seems to know the intifada calls for violence against Jews. His father even apparently praised the violence that broke out between Israel and Palestinians in May 2021, which left hundreds dead, saying: 'We are witnessing something far more meaningful, the birth of the third intifada against settler colonialism.' Like his dad, Zohran Mamdani talks in double-speak. When questioned by business leaders about his well-known stance on defunding the police, he instead focused on his proposal to increase mental health services. But, unfortunately for him, the internet is for ever. In 2020 he tweeted: 'There is no negotiating with an institution this wicked & corrupt. Defund it. Dismantle it. End the cycle of violence.' In the first quarter of 2025, antisemitic incidents accounted for 62 per cent of all reported hate crimes in New York City. So, how exactly does Mamdani plan to protect us? Surely not with his Department of Community Safety, filled with social workers. Ironic that he just spent more than $33,000 on private security for himself. Michelle Goldberg of The New York Times wrote that 'plenty of Jews support Zohran Mamdani', noting a poll that showed him winning the support of 20 per cent of likely Jewish voters in the Democratic primary, putting him second after the 31 per cent of Andrew Cuomo, the former New York governor who has since announced an independent campaign for mayor. But only one in five registered voters turned out for the primary. About 1.35 million New Yorkers are not yet registered to vote. The race is hardly over. Mamdani can play down his anti-Israel, anti-capitalist, anti-western rhetoric all he wants. He can host shabbat dinners with far-left Jews who call Israel a genocidal state. But nothing he says or does will pull the wool over the eyes of most Jewish New Yorkers. October 7, 2023 marked our worst day in history since the Holocaust. These are the crimes against humanity that he celebrates every time he rallies alongside his keffiyeh-wearing, Hamas-supporting fans. Zohran Mamdani is a charlatan, a Trojan horse, a political fraud dangling promises of free buses and rent freezes while he knows he can't legally deliver. But the charm, the smile, the talent! Most Jews of New York know better. Mamdani will hear us loud and clear in the general mayoral election on November 4. Aliza Licht is an award-winning marketer, author, podcaster and, as of October 7, 2023, a Jewish activist.
Telegraph
03-07-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Investors can't trust Labour, warns UK bond giant
Investors can no longer trust Labour after its multiple about-turns, bond giant Legal & General (L&G) has warned. Sonja Laud, the chief investment officer at L&G, said the decision to abandon key benefit reforms and reverse course on winter fuel payments had destroyed faith in the Government's economic plans. L&G is one of Britain's biggest investors, managing £1.1 trillion of assets. It is one of the biggest buyers of UK government debt. Ms Laud said: '[Markets] can't trust that what's been put forward will be put in place. You will see the adverse reaction. It was quite a big one yesterday.' It follows a dramatic day in which Rachel Reeves's tears in the House of Commons triggered a fall in the pound and a jump in borrowing costs. Investors were concerned that the Chancellor could be on the brink of leaving Downing Street, sparking fears that her fiscal rules could be abandoned. However, borrowing costs had been rising even before the Chancellor wept after Sir Keir Starmer gutted his welfare reforms on Tuesday night to avoid an embarrassing defeat on the legislation. The about-turn has blown a £5bn hole in Ms Reeves's budget. Ms Laud said: 'The changes we have seen ever since the first announcements from the Labour Party - and the intended changes they wanted to put forward - have subsequently been either watered down or changed. 'That's what the bond market does not like. The reaction in the gilt market yesterday [shows] that there clearly is an unwillingness to accept that lack of clarity.' 'Flashback to days of Liz Truss' She added that traders were still nervous after Liz Truss's mini-Budget. She said: 'There's heightened sensitivity in the UK because of what happened in 2022, where you had unfunded fiscal promises.' Ms Laud's comments come as Sir Keir and Ms Reeves scramble to repair the damage done this week. The Chancellor made a surprise appearance alongside the Prime Minister at an event on Thursday, at which she insisted she remained committed to her fiscal rules. The Prime Minister also said Ms Reeves would remain Chancellor 'for many years to come'. Borrowing costs dipped in response but remain higher than where they were just days ago. David Roberts, at Nedgroup Investments, said the bond market turmoil was a 'flashback to the days of Liz Truss'. 'Having been elected on a mandate to sort out public finances, to rein in benefit spending, it appears many in the [Labour] party have decided to return to their traditional tax and spend ideology,' he said. 'Failure to push through welfare reform whilst adhering to fiscal rules seems to leave the Government with little option other than to raise taxes.' Morgan Stanley warned that the struggling Chancellor could be as much as £30bn in the red against her fiscal rules ahead of the autumn Budget. With limited room to borrow or cut spending, 'tax hikes look most likely,' the bank said. Sir Keir's failure to grasp the nettle of welfare reform means Britain will spend £1.5bn a week on health and disability benefits for working-age adults by the end of the decade. The bill is on course to balloon to £75.7bn by 2029-30, up by one quarter from £60.4bn this year. It puts the cost of this portion of the welfare state on a par with the defence budget.
The Independent
05-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Liz Truss attacks Tories who ‘kowtowed' ahead of mini-budget apology
Former prime minister Liz Truss has criticised the Conservative Party, accusing shadow chancellor Mel Stride of undermining her economic plans. Mel Stride is set to pledge that the Conservatives will 'never again' make unaffordable spending promises, criticising Ms Truss's mini-budget for undermining economic stability. Mr Stride's speech will attack Ms Truss's premiership; her mini-budget triggered market turmoil and pound's decline against the dollar. Ms Truss defended her plan, claiming it was the only way to avoid a catastrophic defeat, and accused Mr Stride of kowtowing to 'failed Treasury orthodoxy'. Mr Stride will also target Reform UK 's economic policies, while the Liberal Democrats have criticised the Conservatives for hypocrisy and past economic damage.
The Independent
29-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Starmer says he feared postman delivering bills through letterbox growing up
Sir Keir Starmer has revealed that he was scared of the postman delivering bills through his letterbox growing up. The prime minister made the admission amid a scathing attack on Nigel Farage, where he warned Britons against the Reform UK 's leader's 'mad' economic plans. Delivering a speech in the north west of England on Thursday (29 May), Sir Keir said that unlike Mr Farage, he knows 'what it's like when your family can't pay the bills, when you fear the postman and the bills that may be brought'. On Monday (25 May), Reform UK announced it will fully reinstate winter fuel payments and scrap the two-child benefit cap. Sir Keir slammed the party for pledging 'completely unfunded' tax cuts which would trigger economic instability.
Daily Mail
29-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Where's the cash coming from, Nige? Keir Starmer challenges Farage over Reform's £85bn spending plans - as party leader promotes Bitcoin in Vegas
Keir Starmer warned voters they cannot trust Nigel Farage with their 'future, mortgages or jobs' today as the Reform leader faced a major backlash against his party's economic plans. The Prime Minister joined the Tories in taking aim at Mr Farage's economic literacy today after he unveiled plans for an £85billion spending splurge if Reform wins power. Mr Farage has sought to woo working class Labour voters by leaning left with support for scrapping the two-child benefit cap and fully reinstating winter fuel payments. But he simultaneously backs a series of tax cuts, which left experts at the Institute for Fiscal Studies saying there could be an £85billion hole in the maths. That would dwarfs the £45billion of unfunded tax cuts announced by former Tory Prime Minister Liz Truss in her disastrous 2022 mini-Budget. Sir Keir further questioned his ability this morning, pointing out that Mr Farage, the Clacton MP, is currently in Las Vegas to speak at a conference promoting bitcoin. Speaking in Warrington Sir Keir said: Can you trust him? Can you trust him with your future? Can you trust him with your jobs? Can you trust him with your mortgages, your pensions, your bills? 'And he gave the answer on Tuesday. A resounding no.' He added: 'Apparently (Mr Farage) is in Las Vegas today at a casino, and it's not a surprise, because he said that the Liz Truss budget in his view was the best since 1986. That shows his judgment.' The Prime Minister joined the Tories in taking aim at Mr Farage's economic literacy today after he unveiled plans for an £85billion spending splurge if Reform wins power. And even Reform supporters raised eyebrows as the cost of the package announced by Mr Farage. Commentator Tim Montgomerie, founder of the Con Home political website, said: 'The sums don't add up.' Reform wants to raise the tax-free income allowance to £20,000 and pledged a transferable marriage tax allowance if his party wins the next election, aimed at incentivising marriage and encouraging people to have more children by making it more affordable. It would exempt one spouse from paying any tax on the first £25,000 of their income, as revealed by the Mail. Speaking at an event at a business in north-west England, the Prime Minister said Mr Farage would not have protected jobs in industries subject to tariffs from the US, and compared him to Ms Truss. Sir Keir said: 'We protected those jobs. Would Nigel Farage have done the same? Absolutely not.' Mr Farage insisted the pledges were 'credible' and could be paid for by scrapping the Net Zero agenda, which he claimed was costing £45billion a year. Mr Farage praised Liz Truss's mini-Budget in 2022 - which triggered a market meltdown. He said an extra £4billion annually could be saved from ditching accommodation for asylum seekers by deporting them and £7billion by ending the public sector's diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) drive. A further £65billion could be saved over five years by cutting quango bureaucracy by 5 per cent, he added, giving an average saving of £69billion annually overall. But experts said raising the basic rate of income tax threshold to £20,000 could alone cost up to £80billion. At present, workers pay the 20 per cent rate of income tax on everything between £12,570 and £50,270. Lifting the two-child benefit cap would cost an extra £3.5billion and reinstating the winter fuel allowance £1.5billion. The eagerly anticipated speech was the most policy-heavy since Reform won four million votes and five seats last July. Asked if he had a 'magic money tree', Mr Farage admitted his sums were 'slightly optimistic' but added: 'We can't afford Net Zero, it's destroying the country; we can't afford DEI, it's actually preventing many talented people from succeeding; and we certainly can't afford young undocumented males crossing the English Channel and living in five-star hotels. 'You can argue about numbers adding up. You can probably argue that at no point in the history of any form of government has anybody ever thought the numbers added up.' The Conservatives last night branded the package 'fantasy' economics and 'Corbynism in a different colour' because of the 'billions in unfunded commitments'.
