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Tony Diver Political Editor |
Andy Burnham will signal the end of the pensions triple lock in his speech at the Labour Party conference, The Telegraph understands.
Later today, the Prime Minister will say that the triple lock does not work in its current form and suggest that it should be reviewed in the party’s next manifesto – a significant departure from Sir Keir Starmer’s 2024 pledge to keep the policy.
The triple lock, which requires the state pension to rise in line with inflation, wages or 2.5 per cent every year, has been in place since 2010.
Burnham is under pressure to scrap the policy to fund his social care plans, which would create a multibillion-pound, NHS-style system that would be free at the point of use, after the next election.
The Prime Minister will also outline plans to bring water and energy companies within “public control”, which could include boards to manage water companies under the authority of regional mayors.
He will unveil proposals to create GB Grid, the first publicly owned player in electricity networks since privatisation under Margaret Thatcher.
In a veiled swipe at Sir Keir, Burnham will declare that Britain needs “less drift and more direction”.
The Prime Minister will tell the conference: “I accept people will not agree with every part of it, but I believe it can turn Britain around.
“We can’t carry on as we are. Politics-as-usual has taken Britain backwards. More of the same isn’t good enough and isn’t going to get us where we need to be.”
Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, has ruled out any change to the triple lock, although some of her top team privately admit that the policy is unsustainable.
Robert Jenrick, Reform’s economy spokesman, said: “It’s frankly outrageous that Burnham is considering scrapping the triple lock when we’re wasting tens of billions of pounds on nonsense.”
Labour’s union backers have warned Burnham against scrapping the triple lock, which would provoke a backlash from pensioners.
This report is available only to subscribers. Continue reading ➤
Mahmood to water down migration reforms for social care ➤ |
Armed police at the entrance of RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire yesterday |
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Benedict Smith Washington Correspondent |
It was while answering questions in the Oval Office that Donald Trump learned the five men arrested over a suspected bomb plot at RAF Fairford had been released on bail.
The president, who had been full of praise for Britain’s response, was openly surprised at the development. “I would have said, don’t let them have bail,” he told reporters yesterday afternoon, adding: “I wouldn’t have done that.”
Trump held off from any further criticism of the British authorities, who he said had been “very good” following the incident at the base, which hosts American bombers that have carried out strikes in Iran.
“We know everything about them,” the president said of the five British nationals in their 20s. As for connections to Iran, he said: “I’d rather not say.”
The suspects were detained after a farmer driving home from a party in the early hours of Sunday morning discovered the vans and masked men, alerting police.
Some residents complained that the police’s handling of the incident had been a “farce” and questioned how long they took to respond.
Speaking outside Scotland Yard, Laurence Taylor, the assistant commissioner for special operations at the Metropolitan Police, said the force’s lines of inquiry included that “this may be activity committed by proxies, or individuals either knowingly or unknowingly working on behalf of a foreign state”.
Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, said last night there was a “foreign actor involved” without specifying details, while Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, said: “Speaking more broadly and away from this specific incident, and in terms of the general trend that we are seeing, there are hostile foreign powers that wish us ill and are trying to harm our citizens on our own soil.” Read the full story here ➤ |
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Charles Moore The Green evangelists of the Palestine cause in some ways share the ethos of Medieval crusaders Continue reading ➤
Celia Walden No, BBC. Bare nails are not racist Continue reading ➤
Tim Stanley Red Ed launches a karate battle for the soul of the nation Continue reading ➤ |
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In John Healey’s speech to the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, the Chancellor revealed he kept a miners’ lamp at home as a “symbol of hope”. He promised a “new age of industrialisation”, powered by businesses with “new levels of confidence, investment and yes, profits”. However, without the money to fund his aspirations or the energy prices that would allow a business boom, Labour’s hopes seem to have already been snuffed out. For subscribers only ➤
Tom Harris: This Healey schmaltzfest offers no solutions to Britain’s dire problems ➤ |
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Michael Sheen has played Sir Tony Blair, carried a cross through Port Talbot and campaigned against corporate wrongdoing, but his forthcoming role in Celebrity Traitors could be his toughest yet. He talks to Ben Lawrence about moving from Hollywood to Wales and the “surreal experience” of entering the Traitors castle. Continue reading ➤ |
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Housebuilding in London has collapsed to record lows. Grappling with soaring costs, red tape and strict affordable-housing targets, developers warn they can no longer invest in projects that are not financially viable. The consequences threaten to cripple the city: sky-rocketing rents, rising house prices and a mass exodus of young workers who cannot afford to live in London risk triggering a long-term fallout that will push more and more people out of Britain’s most productive region. Benedict J Smith explains how we reached this point and the crisis ahead. Continue reading ➤ |
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For some fathers, having a daughter can be transformational. It opens a window into a world they had previously only glimpsed, triggering a change in behaviour and attitude. A new survey has found that the gender pay gap narrows after the birth of a male manager’s first daughter and he is more likely to promote women to senior roles. However, it’s not just in the workplace that a change occurs. Here, five fathers reveal how having daughters changed their outlook on life. Continue reading ➤ |
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Whether you’re battling brain fog or becoming breathless more easily, many of us feel like we’re ageing before our time. The good news is that slowing this decline is possible. Functional medicine practitioners Dr Josh Axe and Dr Will Cole explain the warning signs that your organs are under strain and what you can do about it. Continue reading ➤
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This piece is part of our new weekly series, bringing you expert health advice from professionals. Prof Peter Sever is a clinical pharmacologist at Imperial College who specialises in cardiology and stroke prevention.
For 40 years, I spent one day a week in a high blood pressure clinic at the Hammersmith Hospital, seeing around 20 patients each week.
People frequently came in with the preconception that if we put them on a blood pressure medication, they would automatically experience side effects. These are often caused by the power of suggestion, which can sometimes be heightened by things people encounter on social media.
This type of scaremongering makes me furious. There are, I’m sorry to say, medical professionals whose reckless pursuit of fame and attention has resulted in people dying uneccessarily from heart attacks and strokes because misleading information about side effects has led them to stop taking their prescribed drugs.
These effects are less common than we expect and, if and when they do crop up, it’s perfectly possible to mitigate them by changing the dose or the drug, under the guidance of your cardiologist. Continue reading ➤ |
Aisle get that for youEvery weekday, Orlando Bird, our loyal Reader Correspondent, shares an off-piste topic that has brought out the best of your opinions and stories. Orlando writes: In recent days, there’s been much talk on the Letters page about a matter of shopping etiquette. “When I am in supermarkets,” confessed Susan Whitehead, “I lurk next to the item on the top shelf that I am unable to reach until, on spotting someone tall enough to get it for me, I request help. It is usually a young man, and I am delighted to say that they have never refused and are always charming.”
A cheering comment, I think, on the state of the nation. Who says chivalry’s dead?
Mat Newman recognised the scenario, but from the vantage point of 6ft 5in, he wrote: “I am one of those shoppers who is asked to retrieve items from higher shelves.” He too had a confession: “I often picture myself lifting up the person who made the request so that they can help themselves – but, alas, have yet to do this in reality.”
One day, perhaps. Rosemary Upshall, meanwhile, challenged the idea of a one-sided relationship between tall shoppers and shorter ones: “I am just under 5ft, and frequently have to find a tall person to help fetch items that are high up. I repay the kindness by asking whether there is anything they want from the bottom shelf, as I am closer to the floor than they are.”
Richard Nicholl (6ft 4in) had another question: “Why do clothing and footwear stores put the small sizes on the top shelves and the larger ones at the bottom? Logically, and to make it easier for everyone, it should be the other way round.”
There is, of course, another option, as described by Denise Hopper: “Being vertically challenged, and finding that there rarely seems to be a tall person available to help me access goods from high shelves in supermarkets, I have solved the problem by always carrying a
small, lightweight step-stool in my shopping bag.” Sound familiar? Send your responses here, and the best of the bunch will feature in a future edition of this newsletter.
Please confirm in your reply that you are happy to be featured and that we have your permission to use your name. |
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1829 | First units of the London Metropolitan Police appear on the streets of the British capital
1923 | The British Empire reaches its geographical peak with the Palestine Mandate coming into force
1979 | Pope John Paul II becomes the first pope to visit Ireland (see our front page from the following day below)
1997 | Robbie Williams releases his first solo album Life thru a Lens, featuring the single Angels
Birthdays: Robert Webb (54), Mackenzie Crook (55), Sebastian Coe (70), Ian McShane (84)
Plus, where was Ed Miliband when he was accosted by pro-Palestine activists yesterday?
1. in Wetherspoons
2. in Pizza Express
3. in Tesco Express
4. at the Labour Party conference
Click on one of the above options to reveal the answer |
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Find as many words as you can in today’s Panagram, including the nine-letter solution. Visit Telegraph Puzzles to play a range of head-scratching games, including PlusWord, Sorted, and Quick, Mini or Cryptic Crosswords.
Yesterday’s Panagram was GRAPHICAL. Come back tomorrow for the solution to today’s puzzle. |
Thank you for reading. Have a fulfilling day and I hope to see you tomorrow. Chris Evans, Editor
P.S. I’d love to hear what you think of this newsletter. You can email me your feedback at fromtheeditor@telegraph.co.uk. |
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