MVG retweeted
What a heartbreaking week it has been. Sir Patrick Stewart was a friend, a colleague, and a magnificent actor. From the stage to the bridge of the Enterprise, he brought intelligence, grace, and a deep sense of humanity to everything he did. Captain Picard stood for the best of us, and so did the man who played him. I was filled with affection and admiration for him and his work.
My heart goes out to Sunny and his family. He will be deeply missed.
MVG retweeted
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to:
Johns Hopkins Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Fund
alzresearch.org/giving/
Alzheimer’s Foundation of America Caregiver Resources
alzfdn.org/donate/
Photo Credit: Tommy Garcia
MVG retweeted
You are a liar Caroline.
The footage shows you making what looks like a nasty comment into his ear and then you clearly shoving past him.
MVG retweeted
The Cost of Britain 🇬🇧
Here is the single MADDEST number in today’s Budget - and the Chancellor didn’t mention it once in his speech 👀
From April, the National Living Wage rises to £13.21 an hour.
For a full-time 40-hour week, that is £27,477 a year.
That’s GREAT right?? 🤔
At the same time, today’s Budget leaves the 40% Higher Rate tax threshold FROZEN at £50,270 right through until April 2031.
Do the maths on that:
In Britain today, earning just 1.8x the minimum wage now classes you as a Higher Rate taxpayer.
When the 40% tax band was created, it was meant for the top 3.5% of earners - bank directors and senior executives.
Today, a skilled tradesperson, experienced nurse, police sergeant or salaried worker earning 1.8x the legal minimum wage hands over:
❌ 42p of every extra pound to HMRC (40% Income Tax + 2% NI)
❌ 51p of every extra pound if they have a student loan
That single threshold freeze is quietly pulling an extra £34 billion a year out of working people’s pay packets - without the government ever having to announce a headline tax rise.
Pushing minimum wage up from the bottom
Whilst freezing the 40% tax trap at the top
How can earning 1.8x minimum wage possibly be classed as a “higher earner” in 2026?
MVG retweeted
UPDATE: The @CPSUK has decided NOT TO CHARGE this YouTuber Harry Marsh. This is yet another appalling decision that sends the message harassing Jews is a free crime. I am FURIOUS.
MVG retweeted
🇬🇧 The OBR just dropped 200 pages on Healey's first Budget.
I read it so you don't have to.
Tax is at a record 37.9% of GDP by 2027-28, past the old high of 37.2%.
Then it climbs every single year to 38.6%.
Frozen thresholds are doing way too much to workers since they get a pay rise, hand more of it over.
1.8x the national minimum wage now classes you as a higher tax rate payer - what the fuck?
Borrowing @ £133bn this year. In March they said £115bn. Seven months later it's £18bn worse. And it's higher than March in every year of the forecast because neither the OBR nor treasury has a clue what they’re doing.
Debt interest at £39bn in 2019-20.
£109bn last year 😩
£160bn by 2031-32 😩😩£15bn of this year's bill is extra bc inflation's pushing up index linked gilts, and we know the uk has a structural inflation problem, partly due to the relationship between treasury and BoE.
Headroom is £14.5bn, down from £21.7bn at the last Budget.
Keep the fuel duty freeze going and it's £10.2bn.
The OBR gives Healey a 56% chance of hitting his OWN FUCKING rule.
Debt will peak at 97.3% of GDP, still 95.6% in 2031-32. Five years and it barely moves which is completely against his fiscal demands.
How it affects you?
Growth 1% next year with gdp per capita basically the same as it has been since 2019
Inflation 3.4% when March said 2%.
Zero real pay growth in 2027.
Living standards in 2030-31?
Just 2% above pre-pandemic.
But don't worry. You're getting a £100 council tax rebate.
Jesus Christ.
MVG retweeted
BREAKING: The OBR predicts households will be worse off in every single year of the 5 year forecast, compared to March.
It will take until 2029 to get back to 2019 levels of prosperity.
Labour’s handling of the economy is screwing working people.
MVG retweeted
Everything she has just written here is wrong. And she’s the head of our Foreign Affairs Committee.
Israeli Exit Polls show Netanyahu's been defeated.
Israel has rejected his dark vision, forever war & cruel, dystopic, authoritarian policies.
But to succeed, the anti Netanyahu block needs to work with the Israeli Arab parties.
I dearly hope this great chance isn't wasted
Readers added context they thought people might want to know
Exit polls did not show Netanyahu has been defeated. Major Israeli television networks projected a deadlock, with neither Netanyahu's bloc nor the opposition securing the 61 seats needed for a majority. asia.nikkei.com/politics/israe… reuters.com/world/middle-e…
MVG retweeted
Britain is broke. And to fix it, we need to start growing again.
That’s why Reform’s Economic Rescue Plan includes these 64 pro-growth measures I’d take if I were Chancellor:
𝗨𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝗲𝗮
1. Approve Rosebank
2. Restart oil and gas licensing
3. Legalise onshore exploration
4. Abolish the Energy Profits Levy
5. Restore maximum economic extraction as the North Sea regulator's objective
𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻
6. Abolish the Emissions Trading Scheme
7. Halt the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism
8. Repudiate AR7 contracts for difference and scrap AR8
9. Implement the Fingleton Review on nuclear in full
10. Automatically approve French and South Korean nuclear designs
𝗚𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀
11. Cut affordable housing requirements on brownfield sites
12. Permitted Development Right for brownfield housing
13. Repeal Biodiversity Net Gain
14. Exit the Aarhus Convention
15. Repeal and reform the Habitats Regulations, including Nutrient Neutrality
16. End the boiler ban
17. Legalise air conditioning to meet overheating rules
18. Remove mandatory EPC improvements
19. Revoke the Future Homes Standard
20. Repeal the Renters' Rights Act
𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲
21. Legislate approval for new runways at Heathrow and Gatwick
22. Auction airport landing slots
23. End 'target-consistent' carbon pricing in project evaluation
24. Ban carbon emissions considerations in planning applications
25. Fast-track all water reservoirs as nationally significant projects
26. Make Development Consent Orders a true one-stop shop
27. Restrict judicial review of ministerial planning decisions
28. Scrap Net Zero construction rules
29. Scrap the social value test in procurement
30. Lift launch limits at SaxaVord Spaceport
31. Open completed sections of East-West Rail
𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
32. Review regulatory barriers to AI adoption
33. Permit on-site gas generation for data centres and industry
𝗥𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀
34. Cut Employer NI back to 13.8%
35. Introduce a migrant worker levy
36. Repeal the Employment Rights Act
37. Clarify that workplace rights don't require mandatory training courses
38. Let experienced tradesmen work on government contracts without CSCS qualifications
𝗨𝗻𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆
39. Review bank capital requirements to boost lending
40. Rule out Net Zero in financial regulators' remits
41. Repeal climate-related financial disclosure rules
𝗚𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴
42. Scrap airport 'surface access strategies'
43. Abolish the electric vehicle mandates
44. Apply domestic GB hours to all UK HGV trips
45. Ban Low-Traffic Neighbourhoods
46. Back the M4 Relief Road
47. Move a new car's first MOT to four years
48. Abolish the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation
𝗨𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗼𝗺𝘀
49. Replace GDPR with a New Zealand-style Privacy Act
50. Fully re-legalise Imperial units
51. Review all unchanged EU law
52. Automatically repeal remaining EU law in 5 years unless retained
𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀
53. Make quarterly Making Tax Digital reporting voluntary
54. Reduce legal obligations on SME Non-Executive Directors
55. Double permission-free event days from 28 to 56
56. Make pavement dining licences automatic and permanent
57. Let shops open until 10pm, except Sundays
58. Repeal board diversity and inclusion rules
59. Remove the Sustainable Aviation Fuel mandate
60. Abolish the packaging tax
61. Scrap BBC and Channel 4 priority on streaming platforms
62. Remove the Public Sector Equality Duty
63. Five-year sunset on all QUANGOs
64. Five-year sunset clause on all new regulations
And there are more to come!
Britain’s full potential is waiting to be unleashed 🚀
MVG retweeted
Reform will raise the VAT threshold to £150,000 a year and scrap tax on overtime.
Small businesses and grafters are the backbone of our economy.
Labour are failing them. We will back them.
MVG retweeted
I earn £100 grand a year.
I have a detached house. 2 cars and my wife is a full time home maker.
I can just about afford this. I probably couldn’t afford the house I own if I was buying for the first time today.
My salary puts me in the top 5% of earners in the UK.
Top 5% to have a similar standard of living to Homer Simpson.
That is a disgrace.
We have a flatter salary distribution than Soviet Russia and the highest taxes and borrowing costs we’ve seen in generations.
Success is almost impossible because our tax system means hard work makes you a stressed out tax cow, not wealthy and certainly not free.
We need something radical.
Less state.
More family.
Less handouts.
More reward for risk.
Instead. Tomorrow, Labour will offer another batch of policies which will send one message to aspirational Brits: why bother.
I read a piece in the FT this week about the price of being middle class in Britain now and it said a couple earning £436,000 combined take home £216,000. That’s a crazy amount of tax, and it doesn't include VAT on purchases, council tax, stamp duty or other taxes (I think does include pension contributions). I can’t stop thinking about it.
MVG retweeted
This year alone, more Christians have been killed by Muslims in Nigeria than Gazans in three years of war.
Not a single Muslim or pro-Palestinian activist has protested like they do for Gaza. Weird.
MVG retweeted
'So, Chancellor. Are you going to cut taxes, reduce red tape, shrink the bloated public sector and get the economy moving again?'
Even better than that, dear...GHERKINS!
