News Round-Up

• “IMF warns Reeves could have to hike taxes again to balance the books” – The IMF has warned Rachel Reeves that she could have to increase taxes again to balance the books despite a marginally improved economic outlook, reports the Mail.
• “IMF urges Reeves to rein in power of OBR” – Rachel Reeves has been urged by the IMF to curb the power of the Office for Budget Responsibility by “refining” the fiscal rules, says the Telegraph.
• “Graduate roles plummet as Reeves’s job tax bites” – Graduate job openings have plummeted by more than 20% as Rachel Reeves’s tax raid prompts businesses to cut back hiring for entry level positions, reports the Telegraph.
• “Labour’s war on landlords sends rental property supply to an all-time low” – The rental market is experiencing a supply crisis as landlords sell up amid an increasingly hostile business environment, says the Telegraph.
• “Families face shock £2 million death tax bills on gifts gone wrong” – Thousands of families have been hit with shock tax bills of up to £2 million after relatives died less than seven years after making a gift, reports the Telegraph.
• “Number of council tax dodgers soars to highest level since 2009” – The number of households not paying their council tax has risen to 4.4 million, the highest amount in 14 years, says the Telegraph.
• “Reeves’s vindictive attacks on business will cost us all” – Out of all her ideologically driven economic policies, one is particularly prejudiced, writes Dia Chakravarty in the Telegraph – her Business Property Relief reforms, which include the family farm death tax.
• “Tories signal they are ready to pull out of ECHR” – The Tories are prepared to quit the European Convention on Human Rights after nine European leaders attacked it for preventing the deportation of foreign criminals, reports the Telegraph.
• “Nigel Farage may have an unlikely ally against the ECHR” – Nigel Farage may find unexpected allies in Europe, as leaders increasingly frustrated with the ECHR consider backing a major shake-up, says the Telegraph in a leading article.
• “The welfare state is Nigel Farage’s new battleground” – It is one thing to talk about pro-family policies, such as scrapping the two child benefit cap, writes James Heale in the Spectator. Paying for it is quite another.
• “Britain can’t afford another spendthrift chancer in Downing Street” – If Farage really is serious about tackling our existential challenges, he needs better policies than this, says William Atkinson in the Telegraph.
• “Only a very clever man like Lord Sumption could be so stupid when it comes to Lucy Connolly” – A cold application of the law has clouded the judgment of one of our finest minds, writes Allison Pearson in the Telegraph.
• “‘Banter ban’ will have chilling effect on our free speech” – In the Express, Toby warns that Labour’s proposed ‘banter ban’ – a clause in the Employment Rights Bill – will create a chilling effect on free speech by forcing pubs, bars and restaurants to police overheard conversations lest they offend their employees.
• “Should we tolerate the intolerant?” – Could a free society destroy itself if it upholds the right to oppose freedom? asks Andrew Doyle on his Substack.
• “Gary Lineker shows Palestine support just hours after leaving BBC” – Gary Lineker embraced his first day of post-BBC freedom by defiantly sharing a poem of support for Palestine, reports the Mail.
• “Veteran gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell ‘arrested for anti-Hamas sign’” – Veteran human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell says that he was arrested for carrying an anti-Hamas slogan in a “frightening” attack on freedom of speech, according to the Times.
• “London Congestion Charge to increase 20% to £18 a day next year” – Transport for London has announced a 20% rise in the Congestion Charge, with drivers in Central London set to pay £18 per day from January 2026, reports This is Money.
• “Data centre blitz threatens Labour’s Net Zero hopes” – Campaigners have warned that Sir Keir Starmer’s bid to boost the economy with a slew of data centres threatens to undermine Labour’s Net Zero goals, says the Telegraph.
• “Cabinet minister breaks ranks to condemn assisted dying legislation” – Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has warned that assisted dying laws are being rushed through Parliament with too little time for proper scrutiny, reports the Mail.
• “It’s okay to work from home to supervise gardeners, tribunal says” – The Employment Tribunal has suggested it may be OK for managers who need to supervise workers to work from home, even if it means attending important meetings remotely, according to the Guardian.
• “Double trouble – the ‘fluvid’ vaccine” – In TCW, Dr Roger Watson argues that the new combined flu and Covid vaccine doubles the risks of side effects and repeats past mistakes.
• “Trump ‘considering lifting all restrictions on Ukraine’s fighting’” – Donald Trump is said to be “seriously considering” lifting all restrictions on how Ukraine uses US supplied weapons against Russia, reports the Mail.
• “Biden health scandal cover-up ‘worse than Watergate’” – CNN’s Jake Tapper has admitted that the cover-up of Joe Biden’s cognitive decline in the White House may have been even “worse than Watergate”, says the Mail.
• “Tesla’s European sales halve in a month as Musk boycott bites” – Tesla’s European sales tumbled by more than half last month as drivers continue to boycott the company over Elon Musk’s alliance with Donald Trump, reports LBC.
• “Quakers accused of ‘destroying’ reputation with trans-inclusive lavatories” – Quakers have been accused of “destroying” their reputation as pioneers on women’s rights by refusing to prevent biological males accessing ladies lavatories, says the Telegraph.
• “‘I faced a hostile mob and lost multiple friends when I changed my mind on trans rights’” – In the Telegraph, human rights lawyer Robert Wintemute recounts how backing women’s rights over trans demands cost him friends, allies – and his former convictions.
• “The NHS must stop wasting our money on trans surgery” – In the Telegraph, Michael Deacon says the NHS shouldn’t be spending £20 million on trans surgeries, calling it a waste of money that even trans activists should question.
• “Films have gone PC – and this expert can prove when it started” – A study of over 50,000 films has revealed a sharp rise in overtly political, socially conscious storytelling since the 2000s, reports the Telegraph.  
• “‘I don’t want to live in a world that criminalises unconventional sex’” – The trial of two women who promote ‘orgasmic meditation’ risks creating a society where we aren’t responsible for our questionable choices, warns Rowan Pelling in the Telegraph.
• “The woker sex are turning Britain Left-wing” – HR departments are doing nothing to promote true equality by relentlessly feminising the workplace, says Annabel Denham in the Telegraph.
• “China stages first robot kickboxing match” – Chinese-built humanoid robots have shown off their ability to throw punches and dodge right hooks at the world’s first robotic kickboxing tournament, according to Asia Times.
• “‘Whitey McWhiteface, a white man, has been arrested’” – Sergeant Constable Detective Officer Peter Pisspot (aka comedian Andrew Lawrence) explains why police have been so quick to release details of the suspect arrested for the carnage in Liverpool.

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