The Guardian · 3h ago
Who better to defend Reform’s latest millions than Honest Bob Jenrick? | John Crace
The man who once helped Richard ‘Dirty’ Desmond save a load of tax was wheeled out to face Laura KuenssbergYou wait years for one party donation of £36m and then two come along at once. Reform can hardly believe its luck. All hail the crypto billionaires. Tacky pale turquoise suits all round. And Nigel Farage won’t have to worry about spending any of his own money – if you can call the £5m freebie his own money – on his security. Nor do those champagne and oyster lunches to discuss loose change donations of £500k from people living overseas pay for themselves. From now on Reform won’t need to bother getting out of bed for anything less than eight figures.Fair to say that if it had been Labour or the Tories trousering £72m from Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo then Reform would be on full outrage rampage. How the political system was rigged against it and how the two main parties are hotwired cash machines. In bed with the super-rich. But since the money is heading towards its own bank account, everyone in the party is totally chilled. This is just the way life ought to be. Who wouldn’t want a country where two billionaires can attempt to buy the democratic process? Continue reading...
BBC · 3h ago
Reform confident it won't need to repay any of £72m under proposed new donor rules
Housing Secretary Angela Rayner says rule changes on donations from UK expats would apply retrospectively and anyone not complying with them would have "to return that money".
The Guardian · 3h ago
How could Reform UK spend its £72m of new billionaire donations?
Harborne and Delo’s cash could buy a massive head start in an election, but spending big has possible pitfalls Nigel Farage once said he could spend his £5m gift from Christopher Harborne on Ferraris if he wanted to, given its unconditional nature.With the new donations to his party from Harborne and his fellow crypto billionaire Ben Delo of £72m over the past weekend alone, Farage’s party now has nearly enough cash to buy a Reform UK branded Ferrari for a party organiser in each of Britain’s 632 constituencies (though that would certainly be a waste and a bit of a tax headache). Continue reading...
The Guardian · 3h ago
Reform’s Robert Jenrick ‘very confident’ £72m donations are ‘perfectly legal’ – as it happened
Party’s economic spokesperson says donations are a ‘breakthrough moment’ as Labour’s Angela Rayner warns of possible retrospective actionReform UK’s £72m donations may be caught by new bill, Rayner suggestsChristopher Harborne matches £36m Reform donation of Ben DeloAnalysis: Donations of £72m make Reform’s prospects both rosier and riskierWill also point out here that across the Sunday politics shows this morning, neither Labour nor the Tories ruled out accepting such huge sums from crypto-billionaires in the future.Nigel Farage says that donations just go to putting Reform on a “more level playing field” with the more established parties. Continue reading...
The Guardian · 5h ago
Director who oversaw Grenfell cost-cutting given senior council housing role
Fire survivors and bereaved urge Barnet Group to ‘reconsider’ appointment of Laura Johnson, who pushed for cheaper contractorGrenfell survivors and bereaved relatives have criticised the “outrageous decision” to hire a director who oversaw cost-cutting at Grenfell Tower in a £150,000-a-year senior council housing role.Laura Johnson, the director of housing at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) at the time of the 2017 Grenfell fire, has been appointed the permanent director of development and property at the Barnet Group, which manages the borough’s 13,000 council homes. Continue reading...
NPR · 6h ago
The Social Security trust fund is running out. Why is it not a top campaign issue?
Limited public discussion of the trust fund's shortfall has experts worried that most Americans don't fully understand the problems Social Security faces — or weigh in on solutions.
The Guardian · 7h ago
Only slim chance target of 1.5m new homes in England will be met, Angela Rayner says
Minister says manifesto pledge is not being dropped but focus is now on building council housesUK politics live – latest updatesThe government is unlikely to meet its target of building 1.5m homes in England, Angela Rayner has acknowledged, saying there was only a “slim chance” enough houses would be built before the next election.The manifesto pledge to build 1.5m houses by the next election was a “stretch target”, the communities secretary added, but said it was not being ditched and she was “definitely not giving up”. Continue reading...
BBC · 7h ago
'Slim chance' government will hit 1.5m new homes target, Rayner tells BBC
High construction costs and the Iran war are threatening the key manifesto pledge, the housing secretary says.
The Guardian · 8h ago
George Osborne calls for UK to rejoin EU customs union and boost trade
Ex-Tory chancellor says economy has ‘fallen off a cliff’ since Brexit but rejoining union could be ‘quite simple’The former chancellor George Osborne said Britain’s economy had “fallen off a cliff” since Brexit and that rejoining the European Union’s customs union would be the fastest route to recovery.Osborne, who was sacked as chancellor by Theresa May after being part of David Cameron’s cabinet at the time of the referendum, said it was important to rebuild links with the EU. Continue reading...
The Guardian · 9h ago
Warning: our democracy won’t survive the death of reading. Read on if you still can | John Harris
While fascists protest in UK ports and purvey nonsense and poison online, ever fewer people have the perspective or analytical tools to challenge themImagine this. Quite by chance, your TikTok feed presents you with footage of the fascists who recently took part in highly organised shows of strength in Dover and Portsmouth (and, on Wednesday, outside the London offices of the Daily Mail, demanding a new house for the mother of their leader, Daniel “Tommo” Thomas). For as long as the images hold your attention, you see and hear flashes of explanation, but then, as usual, you scroll away to someone leaping off a tall building, a fight on the London Underground, or a trick-performing dog.Hypothetically, TikTok users are able to skip through 260 videos in under 35 minutes. And it’s this distracted, quick-fire way that so many people receive information that may be responsible for a worrying statistic from YouGov last week. Its poll on the Dover and Portsmouth events showed that 53% of people aged 18-24 years old simply didn’t have a point of view on whether the masked demonstrations were “a legitimate way of protesting”. Further, 43% of those of all ages were either unaware of the story, or not following it at all. Continue reading...
BBC · 1d ago
Reform receives second £36m donation in two days as crypto investor matches record
The party says the money will allow it to fight the next election on a "level playing field", while rivals have renewed calls for donations from individuals to be capped.
NPR · 1d ago
Democrats and Republicans can agree: there should be more monetary support for child care
The Trump administration is eyeing a proposal to give childcare subsidies to married couples with a stay-at-home parent. Some Democrats have a similar proposal, with one major difference.
