Featured Newslinks Newslinks August 2025

Newslinks for Thursday the 14th of August 2025

August 14, 2025

Badenoch criticises Chancellor’s plans to widen inheritance tax

“Treasury proposals to stop parents from making unlimited tax-free gifts to their children would make the UK a “dangerous place” for wealthy people to live, tax experts have warned. Government officials are said to be examining proposals that would tighten the rules on the gifting of money and assets in an attempt to close the black hole in government finances at the autumn budget. The move has been attacked by the Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, who claimed Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, wanted to tax “what you leave your children … all to pay for [her] failures”. Badenoch said that Labour “want your savings, your pension, your home and now what you leave your children”, arguing for cutting spending rather than raising taxes.” – The Times

Inheritance tax will apply to pension pots even if workers die before retirement as Reeves tries to fill black hole – Daily Mail
Reeves inheritance raid would do little to bolster UK finances, warn economists – The i
Cash Scramble. Labour’s plot to raise inheritance tax in bid to fill £50bn black hole slammed as ‘politics of envy’ – The Sun
Reeves called cutting inheritance tax a ‘break for wealthy elite’ – Daily Telegraph
UK inheritance tax clampdown won’t spark mass sale of family farms, study shows – FT
Reeves will hike stealth taxes and sin taxes in the Budget, economists predict – The i

Comment

Labour’s class war is about to get worse. This mean and petty act takes your money from your children. Could Rachel Reeves be so stupid? Yes she could – Stephen Glover, Daily Mail
UK benefits bill will hit £100bn with one million more on Universal Credit under Labour – I know how to fix it – Iain Duncan Smith, The Sun

>Today

>Yesterday

BBC apologises after “Thought for the Day” guest brands Robert Jenrick ‘xenophobic’

“The BBC has been forced to drop a Thought for the Day segment on the Today programme in which a guest accused Robert Jenrick of xenophobia over his stance on illegal immigration. Krish Kandiah, the founder of a refugee charity, said the shadow justice secretary had fuelled “fear of the stranger” by saying illegal migrants made him fearful for his daughters’ safety. “The technical name for this is xenophobia,” Mr Kandiah added. Mr Jenrick hit back, writing on X: “On BBC Radio 4 this morning, listeners were told that if you’re concerned about the threat of illegal migrants to your kids, you’re racist. Wrong. You’re a good parent.” The BBC later withdrew the entire Today programme during which the comments were made from its Sounds service. The station’s head of editorial standards apologised to Mr Jenrick, saying the references to xenophobia would be edited out before it was reinstated” – Daily Telegraph

BBC is forced to apologise to Robert Jenrick after he was branded ‘xenophobic’ on Thought For The Day over article he wrote for the Mail On Sunday – Daily Mail
BBC apologises over Thought for the Day ‘xenophobia’ claim against Jenrick – Guardian
Beeb fury. BBC forced to edit attack on Robert Jenrick after guest said he’s ‘xenophobic’ for worrying about migrant attacks on kids – The Sun
Thought for the Day pundit who accused Robert Jenrick of ‘xenophobia’ runs refugee resettlement charity and helps them find homes in the UK – Daily Mail

Editorial

BBC’s Thought for the Day shouldn’t sell wokery – Daily Telegraph
BBC was caught out by own rank institutional bias after branding those concerned with illegal migrants as ‘xenophobic’ – The Sun

Shadow Home Secretary is threatened with a knife in Calais Migrant camp

“Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has been left “frightened for our country” after he was attacked at a migrant camp in Dunkirk. The Conservative MP was visiting the camp, known as Jungle 2, with the Express when a migrant pulled out a foot-and-a-half-long machete in what appeared to be an attempt to intimidate him. As he fled the camp, Mr Philp was also pelted with bottles of beer – one of which narrowly missed the Tory frontbencher’s head by inches. Rocks were also thrown at the Express’ vehicle. Mr Philp said he was scared that the same people who’d targeted him could potentially be boarding a dinghy for Britain in the next few days. He said: “I was concentrating on [the conversation I was having] when somebody walked past and pulled out some kind of machete, and then we had to leave pretty quickly. “It makes me feel frightened for our country. The people who pulled a knife and pelted me with bottles could be in the UK tomorrow and put up in a hotel next to your family or my family.” – Daily Express

Camp Chaos. Shadow Home Secretary ‘has knife pulled on him’ during visit to migrants at Dunkirk ‘Jungle’ camp – The Sun
Calais migrants don’t know about Home Office small boats returns deal– The i
Pass the blame. Labour say small boat chaos ‘is not our fault’… while you pay for migrants’ free swim lessons, university fees & cinema tickets – The Sun
Woman dies crossing Channel as dangerous small boat journeys hit 50,000 under Labour – The i
Illegal immigrant who taunted Brits on TikTok fled Germany for ‘soft touch’ Britain after travelling from Afghanistan – The Sun

>Today

Vice President of the United States hosts a dinner for Tories at UK holiday retreat

“JD Vance was introduced to a string of Conservatives tipped for future leadership positions at his Oxfordshire summer retreat by George Osborne this week. The US vice-president spent 90 minutes enjoying drinks, nibbles and discussions about politics on Tuesday night with a crowd assembled by Mr Osborne, the former Tory chancellor. A dozen or so guests were invited to the 18th-century home Mr Vance is renting for a holiday with his family in the Cotswolds village of Dean. Among them were four current Tory MPs, all aged under 50 – Robert Jenrick, 43, Laura Trott, 40, Chris Philp, 49, and 34-year-old Katie Lam. Mr Osborne, who has a friendship with Mr Vance stretching back long before his campaign to become vice-president last year, is understood to have pulled together the invitation list. The decision to connect Mr Vance with the rising stars of the Conservative Party rather than the most famous names of past Tory governments is notable.” – Daily Telegraph

>Today

Meanwhile, Lammy could face fine for fishing with Vance …as other Labour MPs get caught in a net

“The foreign secretary could be facing a fine of thousands of pounds for going fishing with the vice-president of the United States without a licence. David Lammy and JD Vance were pictured last week with rods in the grounds of Chevening, the grace-and-favour country estate used by foreign secretaries, during the vice-president’s family holiday to the UK. The two men confirmed they had been fishing for carp, along with their children, but said that the adults had failed to catch anything. At the start of their meeting, Vance said: “Unfortunately, the one strain on the special relationship is that all of my kids caught fish, but the foreign secretary did not.” It is a requirement in England and Wales for individuals over the age of 13 to hold a rod licence to fish, even on private land. It is understood neither Lammy or Vance held a licence at the time.” – The Times

Trout of Order. Lammy facing hefty fine for illegally fishing with Vance on UK trip months after taxi fare debacle – The Sun
Tulip Siddiq ‘used influence over her aunt to acquire land for family’ – The Times
Pressure is building on Sir Keir Starmer to sack his trade envoy to Turkey over trip to northern Cyprus – Daily Mail

Former Olympic Swimmer could join Conservatives in the House of Lords

“British Olympic swimming hero and gender-critical campaigner Sharron Davies is set to become a Conservative peer. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch will reportedly appoint the 62-year-old to the House of Lords alongside columnist Simon Heffer and Graham Edwards, the Tory party treasurer and mega-donor. Ms Davies has become an outspoken advocate for women’s rights in sport in recent years, amid concerns that transgender athletes self-identifying is a risk to sporting integrity. She became involved in the debate after winning silver for Great Britain in the 400m individual medley at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, losing to East Germany’s Petra Schneider who later admitted to taking testosterone as part of a state-sponsored doping programme. After the landmark Supreme Court ruling earlier this year defining a woman as a biological female, Ms Davies wrote in the Daily Mail: ‘Women and girls should never have had to fight for their right to play football, run, swim – whatever their choice of sport is – in a fair and safe way.” – Daily Mail

>Yesterday

Trump warns Putin there will be ‘VERY severe consequences’ if Russia does not stop the war in Ukraine

“Donald Trump has warned Vladimir Putin ‘there will be very severe consequences’ if Russia does not agree to stop the war in Ukraine after their meeting on Friday. The US President took a tougher tone against the dictator today saying he was yet to be convinced he would be able to persuade Putin to stop killing civilians. European leaders also said Mr Trump had agreed to make an immediate ceasefire at the start of negotiations a priority – something that will be painful for Moscow which is gaining territory by the day. n more encouraging news for Ukraine, the US President said tomorrow is only ‘setting the table’ for a second meeting where Volodymyr Zelensky will be present. Mr Trump cautioned that if he ‘doesn’t get the answers’ he needs on Friday ‘then we’re not going to have a second meeting’.” – Daily Mail

Putin faces ‘very severe consequences’ if no Ukraine truce agreed, Trump says – Guardian
Zelenskyy faces his ‘moment of maximum pressure’ – FT
Britain plans scaled-back ‘reassurance force’ in Ukraine – The Times

>Today

Angela Rayner’s plan to stop workers getting hot and bothered

“Angela Rayner was one of the five cabinet ministers to support the introduction of mandatory maximum working temperatures. The deputy prime minister told the previous government to roll out “urgent guidance” on safe working temperatures during the heatwave in 2022. Employers would be required by law to control temperatures at work by providing extra breaks, ability to work flexible hours or to finish early if temperatures were exceeded. Wes Streeting, the health secretary, has also expressed support for the suggestion. On July 18, (2022) she posted on social media: “We need urgent guidance for safe indoor working temperatures and the government must ensure employers allow staff to work flexibly in this heat. Where is their plan to keep people safe?” She shared the message alongside a link to a Guardian article with the headline: “Unions call for maximum UK workplace temperature as heatwave descends.” Unions are once again reported to be in talks with ministers to introduce a legal limit of 27C for manual jobs.” – The Times