I think we are throwing the tougher immigration talk out the window. Promises made, promises....
UK visa revamp allows lower-skilled (non-graduate) office workers to come to Britain
Debt collectors, mortgage administrators and HR officers will still be able to come and work in the UK on skilled-worker visas after changes to the immigration rules that have left employers free to recruit overseas for a wide range of lower-skilled office jobs.
I have sympathy for a warehouse job turning down a graduate. We have a technician post that has had more people in the role that I've had hot dinners. Too often we go for graduates 'as the best candidate' and are horrified that (a) they are bored in the role and (b) find a better job in the first 6-9 months. I'd imagine Aldi were thinking similar.
Look at what/where she studied
“She has a degree in accounting and finance from the University of Salford and a masters in management from Manchester Metropolitan University”
Iffy book keeping roles at mediocre universities. People like her, and those skills, are first in the firing line, now. I doubt she will ever get a nice white collar job as she once hoped
This will soon apply to tens of millions of jobs and degrees. She’s saddled herself with all that student debt for nothing. Most universities are doomed
I feel very sorry for her and her generation. The best advice any parent can give an 18 year old child, now, is Give up on uni and get a trade, or, if you are really cerebral: go to a truly good university, a redbrick or better, and study what you love
At the very least you will enjoy your university years
And if more people study for a trade wages will go down for plumbers and electricians in turn as there will be less demand for their skills as more supply
The demand for builders, plumbers, electricians, roofers, etc is off the scale and £450 per day is not unusual
I doubt we will have enough for decades to meet the demand, and I would encourage all young people to get a trade, start a business, and earn lots without having student debt round their neck
University is not the pathway to success you seem to think it is
Given the time it takes to get, if I had it to do again, I would have done a CORGI and then an electricians qual - *while at uni*
Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 17m The gilt move - especially at the long end - is big and bad. No sugar coating it. That said, the thing about the Truss debacle is that we saw these sort of moves day after day. Too early to say if this is a wobble or a bigger problem.
Worth noting: the gilt move really kicked off on speculation that Reeves could be replaced. ‘Reeves being replaced’ in this case meaning ‘a loosening of the fiscal rules’.
So there you have the first problem. Cut spending - PLP won’t wear it. Increase borrowing - the gilt market pushes back. You’re left with, raise taxes - break a manifesto pledge. Option 3 likely the least painful.
Depends on which taxes are raised. IIRC Starmer and Reeves have always said that they wouldn't raise taxes of 'working people"! Hence, en passant, the inheritance tax on rural landlords. But what about people who don't work? As well the rural landlords the are other landlords, investors, speculators on the Stock Exchange and Metal (etc) Exchanges. Inheritance tax might be a goer, too, although that doesn't bring in money quickly enough.
They will freeze tax allowances, freeze the WFA threshold, and maybe row back the annual cash ISA limit
If Reeves is still in post then the assumption is on Cash Isas she will announce a cut to 5k a year limit in the Mansion House speech in 2 weeks time. Freezing personal allowances almost certain and a big rise in fuel duty i think is likely
I think the ISA policy is broadly OK, but it’s another one that’s going to get people grumpy. Particularly pensioners who use the allowance to build more “safe” income pots.
Im not a fan of it as I think encouraging investment into shitty equity funds is pointless. But as I can't have 5k a year to save right now it's not a drama for me. If banks take savings interest at source you can probably find deals that get around the lost 20%, it's not like savings produce much income with our flaccid interest rates anyway. Easiest sokution would be raise the interest limit before tax kicks in to a few thousand and scrap isas altogether
I think we are throwing the tougher immigration talk out the window. Promises made, promises....
UK visa revamp allows lower-skilled (non-graduate) office workers to come to Britain
Debt collectors, mortgage administrators and HR officers will still be able to come and work in the UK on skilled-worker visas after changes to the immigration rules that have left employers free to recruit overseas for a wide range of lower-skilled office jobs.
I think we are throwing the tougher immigration talk out the window. Promises made, promises....
UK visa revamp allows lower-skilled (non-graduate) office workers to come to Britain
Debt collectors, mortgage administrators and HR officers will still be able to come and work in the UK on skilled-worker visas after changes to the immigration rules that have left employers free to recruit overseas for a wide range of lower-skilled office jobs.
I have sympathy for a warehouse job turning down a graduate. We have a technician post that has had more people in the role that I've had hot dinners. Too often we go for graduates 'as the best candidate' and are horrified that (a) they are bored in the role and (b) find a better job in the first 6-9 months. I'd imagine Aldi were thinking similar.
Look at what/where she studied
“She has a degree in accounting and finance from the University of Salford and a masters in management from Manchester Metropolitan University”
Iffy book keeping roles at mediocre universities. People like her, and those skills, are first in the firing line, now. I doubt she will ever get a nice white collar job as she once hoped
This will soon apply to tens of millions of jobs and degrees. She’s saddled herself with all that student debt for nothing. Most universities are doomed
I feel very sorry for her and her generation. The best advice any parent can give an 18 year old child, now, is Give up on uni and get a trade, or, if you are really cerebral: go to a truly good university, a redbrick or better, and study what you love
At the very least you will enjoy your university years
And if more people study for a trade wages will go down for plumbers and electricians in turn as there will be less demand for their skills as more supply
The demand for builders, plumbers, electricians, roofers, etc is off the scale and £450 per day is not unusual
I doubt we will have enough for decades to meet the demand, and I would encourage all young people to get a trade, start a business, and earn lots without having student debt round their neck
University is not the pathway to success you seem to think it is
Given the time it takes to get, if I had it to do again, I would have done a CORGI and then an electricians qual - *while at uni*
A mate of mine shunned Uni and trained in refrigeration. Became a refrigeration engineer and has had a very good career. He also reckons not enough people are joining the profession, which helps his employability at the moment.
Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 17m The gilt move - especially at the long end - is big and bad. No sugar coating it. That said, the thing about the Truss debacle is that we saw these sort of moves day after day. Too early to say if this is a wobble or a bigger problem.
Worth noting: the gilt move really kicked off on speculation that Reeves could be replaced. ‘Reeves being replaced’ in this case meaning ‘a loosening of the fiscal rules’.
So there you have the first problem. Cut spending - PLP won’t wear it. Increase borrowing - the gilt market pushes back. You’re left with, raise taxes - break a manifesto pledge. Option 3 likely the least painful.
Depends on which taxes are raised. IIRC Starmer and Reeves have always said that they wouldn't raise taxes of 'working people"! Hence, en passant, the inheritance tax on rural landlords. But what about people who don't work? As well the rural landlords the are other landlords, investors, speculators on the Stock Exchange and Metal (etc) Exchanges. Inheritance tax might be a goer, too, although that doesn't bring in money quickly enough.
Then the next wheeze for this Government will be to raise taxes - on the unemployed only.
A poor couple of days for the Government it would seem - we'll see how long this sticks in the public memory. It could be forgotten by 2028 or it might be the defining moment of this Government.
The extent to which the Prime Minister and Chancellor have been significantly damaged by this remains to be seen but the fact remains if any kind of attempt to reduce spending is met with this kind of political resistance, it will be taxes which will have to rise (land value taxation?) and substantially if the deficit and borrowing are to be reduced.
The Conservatives, who allowed, albeit under extraordinary circumstances, borrowing and deficit levels to soar have nothing to offer but platitudes while the other parties seem convinced the party isn't yet over but it is.
Raising taxes (and all that flows from it) now seems the only game in town and we can all look forward to more pain over the coming years which I think was inevitable whoever won last year. Labour are the ones stuck holding the hand grenade with the pin out when the music stopped.
Closing off options to raise income tax, NI and VAT is in the true spirit of George HW Bush but we are past that point if we cannot even make relatively small (£5 billion is peanuts) changes to welfare. There are real questions for the Conservatives, Reform and the LDs to answer about what they would do and what they would support but they aren't the ones in charge now.
Whether today has cost Labour the next election is debatable but the overarching images aren't good for a party which promised "change". It sounds and feels like the Tories never left the building in some respects.
Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 17m The gilt move - especially at the long end - is big and bad. No sugar coating it. That said, the thing about the Truss debacle is that we saw these sort of moves day after day. Too early to say if this is a wobble or a bigger problem.
Worth noting: the gilt move really kicked off on speculation that Reeves could be replaced. ‘Reeves being replaced’ in this case meaning ‘a loosening of the fiscal rules’.
So there you have the first problem. Cut spending - PLP won’t wear it. Increase borrowing - the gilt market pushes back. You’re left with, raise taxes - break a manifesto pledge. Option 3 likely the least painful.
Depends on which taxes are raised. IIRC Starmer and Reeves have always said that they wouldn't raise taxes of 'working people"! Hence, en passant, the inheritance tax on rural landlords. But what about people who don't work? As well the rural landlords the are other landlords, investors, speculators on the Stock Exchange and Metal (etc) Exchanges. Inheritance tax might be a goer, too, although that doesn't bring in money quickly enough.
They will freeze tax allowances, freeze the WFA threshold, and maybe row back the annual cash ISA limit
If Reeves is still in post then the assumption is on Cash Isas she will announce a cut to 5k a year limit in the Mansion House speech in 2 weeks time. Freezing personal allowances almost certain and a big rise in fuel duty i think is likely
I think the ISA policy is broadly OK, but it’s another one that’s going to get people grumpy. Particularly pensioners who use the allowance to build more “safe” income pots.
Im not a fan of it as I think encouraging investment into shitty equity funds is pointless. But as I can't have 5k a year to save right now it's not a drama for me. If banks take savings interest at source you can probably find deals that get around the lost 20%, it's not like savings produce much income with our flaccid interest rates anyway. Easiest sokution would be raise the interest limit before tax kicks in to a few thousand and scrap isas altogether
Removing tax free status from savings that already have it would be WFA all over again
I’m not quite sure where the government go from here. Feels very febrile.
You have a chancellor whose future is looking increasingly unsustainable, openly weeping in the Commons while her boss fails to publicly back her.
You have a work and pensions secretary completely AWOL today whose flagship bill was gutted at the eleventh hour.
Then you have a PM who just doesn’t know which way he’s facing, and is all over the place in terms of his political positioning.
And then the news from the markets - which isn’t helpful.
Surely, surely something is going to give here. You can’t have senior members of the government in a state of such crisis. Someone’s going to have to get a grip on it, surely. Can Reeves really carry on like this? To be honest, if I were her I’d probably be quitting at this point and blaming a lack of support.
Kendall was there at PMQs just not sat on front bench.
I think we are throwing the tougher immigration talk out the window. Promises made, promises....
UK visa revamp allows lower-skilled (non-graduate) office workers to come to Britain
Debt collectors, mortgage administrators and HR officers will still be able to come and work in the UK on skilled-worker visas after changes to the immigration rules that have left employers free to recruit overseas for a wide range of lower-skilled office jobs.
I have sympathy for a warehouse job turning down a graduate. We have a technician post that has had more people in the role that I've had hot dinners. Too often we go for graduates 'as the best candidate' and are horrified that (a) they are bored in the role and (b) find a better job in the first 6-9 months. I'd imagine Aldi were thinking similar.
Look at what/where she studied
“She has a degree in accounting and finance from the University of Salford and a masters in management from Manchester Metropolitan University”
Iffy book keeping roles at mediocre universities. People like her, and those skills, are first in the firing line, now. I doubt she will ever get a nice white collar job as she once hoped
This will soon apply to tens of millions of jobs and degrees. She’s saddled herself with all that student debt for nothing. Most universities are doomed
I feel very sorry for her and her generation. The best advice any parent can give an 18 year old child, now, is Give up on uni and get a trade, or, if you are really cerebral: go to a truly good university, a redbrick or better, and study what you love
At the very least you will enjoy your university years
And if more people study for a trade wages will go down for plumbers and electricians in turn as there will be less demand for their skills as more supply
The demand for builders, plumbers, electricians, roofers, etc is off the scale and £450 per day is not unusual
I doubt we will have enough for decades to meet the demand, and I would encourage all young people to get a trade, start a business, and earn lots without having student debt round their neck
University is not the pathway to success you seem to think it is
Given the time it takes to get, if I had it to do again, I would have done a CORGI and then an electricians qual - *while at uni*
A mate of mine shunned Uni and trained in refrigeration. Became a refrigeration engineer and has had a very good career. He also reckons not enough people are joining the profession, which helps his employability at the moment.
A relative works on large CCGT projects. He is earning rather well, as few youngsters are choosing to train in the old and un-green technology, meaning there is a rather large skills shortage.
Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 17m The gilt move - especially at the long end - is big and bad. No sugar coating it. That said, the thing about the Truss debacle is that we saw these sort of moves day after day. Too early to say if this is a wobble or a bigger problem.
Worth noting: the gilt move really kicked off on speculation that Reeves could be replaced. ‘Reeves being replaced’ in this case meaning ‘a loosening of the fiscal rules’.
So there you have the first problem. Cut spending - PLP won’t wear it. Increase borrowing - the gilt market pushes back. You’re left with, raise taxes - break a manifesto pledge. Option 3 likely the least painful.
Depends on which taxes are raised. IIRC Starmer and Reeves have always said that they wouldn't raise taxes of 'working people"! Hence, en passant, the inheritance tax on rural landlords. But what about people who don't work? As well the rural landlords the are other landlords, investors, speculators on the Stock Exchange and Metal (etc) Exchanges. Inheritance tax might be a goer, too, although that doesn't bring in money quickly enough.
They will freeze tax allowances, freeze the WFA threshold, and maybe row back the annual cash ISA limit
If Reeves is still in post then the assumption is on Cash Isas she will announce a cut to 5k a year limit in the Mansion House speech in 2 weeks time. Freezing personal allowances almost certain and a big rise in fuel duty i think is likely
I think the ISA policy is broadly OK, but it’s another one that’s going to get people grumpy. Particularly pensioners who use the allowance to build more “safe” income pots.
Im not a fan of it as I think encouraging investment into shitty equity funds is pointless. But as I can't have 5k a year to save right now it's not a drama for me. If banks take savings interest at source you can probably find deals that get around the lost 20%, it's not like savings produce much income with our flaccid interest rates anyway. Easiest sokution would be raise the interest limit before tax kicks in to a few thousand and scrap isas altogether
Removing tax free status from savings that already have it would be WFA all over again
Scrap new ones and any further contributions I mean
Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 17m The gilt move - especially at the long end - is big and bad. No sugar coating it. That said, the thing about the Truss debacle is that we saw these sort of moves day after day. Too early to say if this is a wobble or a bigger problem.
Worth noting: the gilt move really kicked off on speculation that Reeves could be replaced. ‘Reeves being replaced’ in this case meaning ‘a loosening of the fiscal rules’.
So there you have the first problem. Cut spending - PLP won’t wear it. Increase borrowing - the gilt market pushes back. You’re left with, raise taxes - break a manifesto pledge. Option 3 likely the least painful.
Depends on which taxes are raised. IIRC Starmer and Reeves have always said that they wouldn't raise taxes of 'working people"! Hence, en passant, the inheritance tax on rural landlords. But what about people who don't work? As well the rural landlords the are other landlords, investors, speculators on the Stock Exchange and Metal (etc) Exchanges. Inheritance tax might be a goer, too, although that doesn't bring in money quickly enough.
They will freeze tax allowances, freeze the WFA threshold, and maybe row back the annual cash ISA limit
If Reeves is still in post then the assumption is on Cash Isas she will announce a cut to 5k a year limit in the Mansion House speech in 2 weeks time. Freezing personal allowances almost certain and a big rise in fuel duty i think is likely
I think the ISA policy is broadly OK, but it’s another one that’s going to get people grumpy. Particularly pensioners who use the allowance to build more “safe” savings pots.
As a pensioner, we have more than enough help from the Government. If we have to pay some tax on our savings to help others, I don’t have a problem.
The Mail (I know, I know) now suggesting Reeves had an argument with SKS before PMQs, then Hoyle having a go at her straight after that argument didn’t help matters.
What a terrible shame.
I wish Austerity Reeves well in whatever she does next.
Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 17m The gilt move - especially at the long end - is big and bad. No sugar coating it. That said, the thing about the Truss debacle is that we saw these sort of moves day after day. Too early to say if this is a wobble or a bigger problem.
Worth noting: the gilt move really kicked off on speculation that Reeves could be replaced. ‘Reeves being replaced’ in this case meaning ‘a loosening of the fiscal rules’.
So there you have the first problem. Cut spending - PLP won’t wear it. Increase borrowing - the gilt market pushes back. You’re left with, raise taxes - break a manifesto pledge. Option 3 likely the least painful.
Depends on which taxes are raised. IIRC Starmer and Reeves have always said that they wouldn't raise taxes of 'working people"! Hence, en passant, the inheritance tax on rural landlords. But what about people who don't work? As well the rural landlords the are other landlords, investors, speculators on the Stock Exchange and Metal (etc) Exchanges. Inheritance tax might be a goer, too, although that doesn't bring in money quickly enough.
They will freeze tax allowances, freeze the WFA threshold, and maybe row back the annual cash ISA limit
If Reeves is still in post then the assumption is on Cash Isas she will announce a cut to 5k a year limit in the Mansion House speech in 2 weeks time. Freezing personal allowances almost certain and a big rise in fuel duty i think is likely
I think the ISA policy is broadly OK, but it’s another one that’s going to get people grumpy. Particularly pensioners who use the allowance to build more “safe” savings pots.
As a pensioner, we have more than enough help from the Government. If we have to pay some tax on our savings to help others, I don’t have a problem.
No we don't. The Govt gives with one hand and takes more with the other.
Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 17m The gilt move - especially at the long end - is big and bad. No sugar coating it. That said, the thing about the Truss debacle is that we saw these sort of moves day after day. Too early to say if this is a wobble or a bigger problem.
Worth noting: the gilt move really kicked off on speculation that Reeves could be replaced. ‘Reeves being replaced’ in this case meaning ‘a loosening of the fiscal rules’.
So there you have the first problem. Cut spending - PLP won’t wear it. Increase borrowing - the gilt market pushes back. You’re left with, raise taxes - break a manifesto pledge. Option 3 likely the least painful.
Depends on which taxes are raised. IIRC Starmer and Reeves have always said that they wouldn't raise taxes of 'working people"! Hence, en passant, the inheritance tax on rural landlords. But what about people who don't work? As well the rural landlords the are other landlords, investors, speculators on the Stock Exchange and Metal (etc) Exchanges. Inheritance tax might be a goer, too, although that doesn't bring in money quickly enough.
They will freeze tax allowances, freeze the WFA threshold, and maybe row back the annual cash ISA limit
If Reeves is still in post then the assumption is on Cash Isas she will announce a cut to 5k a year limit in the Mansion House speech in 2 weeks time. Freezing personal allowances almost certain and a big rise in fuel duty i think is likely
I think the ISA policy is broadly OK, but it’s another one that’s going to get people grumpy. Particularly pensioners who use the allowance to build more “safe” savings pots.
As a pensioner, we have more than enough help from the Government. If we have to pay some tax on our savings to help others, I don’t have a problem.
Equities will still have a £20k allowance so it's just useless cash ISAs that get gutted so pushing more money into equity markets will be the end result which is a net positive. Should have been done years ago.
The Motability Scheme, the government-backed programme that hands out cars in exchange for PIP benefits, is back in the spotlight. Fresh figures quietly released in response to a Parliamentary Question reveal that in 2024 alone, £600 million was funnelled from the Department for Work and Pensions straight into the Scheme.
----------
Almost 130,000 households in taxpayer-subsidised homes are among the top earners in the country, Telegraph analysis shows. Official figures reveal that 3.2pc of those renting from local authorities and housing associations earned at least £71,344 last year.
Am I the only person in the country who doesn't receive any freebies / discounted living from the state?
The Mail (I know, I know) now suggesting Reeves had an argument with SKS before PMQs, then Hoyle having a go at her straight after that argument didn’t help matters.
What a terrible shame.
I wish Austerity Reeves well in whatever she does next.
That seems to be the tone of Labour MPs now. They don't want to be Blairites though that's probably what got them elected. There's a sense of "let's be damned for who we really are" and there's something to be said for that. If you're in politics, it's easier to do the things with which you feel comfortable than to live in elected purgatory doing things with which you're not.
Before she becomes PM it seems Ange will have to make a decision on the Chinese super embassy planned in London. I can't imagine we would have allowed a super Soviet embassy during the cold war so it does seem odd that the whole thing has even got this far.
In the era of Trump I'm not even sure I'd be happy with a super US embassy frankly.
The Motability Scheme, the government-backed programme that hands out cars in exchange for PIP benefits, is back in the spotlight. Fresh figures quietly released in response to a Parliamentary Question reveal that in 2024 alone, £600 million was funnelled from the Department for Work and Pensions straight into the Scheme.
To lease a new BMW on the Motability Scheme in exchange for your Mobility Allowance, simply contact a Motability Sales Specialist at your local BMW Centre, who can help find the right BMW for you, either at the showroom or in the comfort of your own home.
With one-off Advance Payments across our choice of BMW models, the benefits of choosing a BMW on the Motability Scheme include:
A new BMW every three years 60,000 mile allowance or 100,000 miles for Wheelchair Adapted Vehicles (WAV) Insurance included
I think we are throwing the tougher immigration talk out the window. Promises made, promises....
UK visa revamp allows lower-skilled (non-graduate) office workers to come to Britain
Debt collectors, mortgage administrators and HR officers will still be able to come and work in the UK on skilled-worker visas after changes to the immigration rules that have left employers free to recruit overseas for a wide range of lower-skilled office jobs.
I have sympathy for a warehouse job turning down a graduate. We have a technician post that has had more people in the role that I've had hot dinners. Too often we go for graduates 'as the best candidate' and are horrified that (a) they are bored in the role and (b) find a better job in the first 6-9 months. I'd imagine Aldi were thinking similar.
Look at what/where she studied
“She has a degree in accounting and finance from the University of Salford and a masters in management from Manchester Metropolitan University”
Iffy book keeping roles at mediocre universities. People like her, and those skills, are first in the firing line, now. I doubt she will ever get a nice white collar job as she once hoped
This will soon apply to tens of millions of jobs and degrees. She’s saddled herself with all that student debt for nothing. Most universities are doomed
I feel very sorry for her and her generation. The best advice any parent can give an 18 year old child, now, is Give up on uni and get a trade, or, if you are really cerebral: go to a truly good university, a redbrick or better, and study what you love
At the very least you will enjoy your university years
And if more people study for a trade wages will go down for plumbers and electricians in turn as there will be less demand for their skills as more supply
The demand for builders, plumbers, electricians, roofers, etc is off the scale and £450 per day is not unusual
I doubt we will have enough for decades to meet the demand, and I would encourage all young people to get a trade, start a business, and earn lots without having student debt round their neck
University is not the pathway to success you seem to think it is
Given the time it takes to get, if I had it to do again, I would have done a CORGI and then an electricians qual - *while at uni*
A mate of mine shunned Uni and trained in refrigeration. Became a refrigeration engineer and has had a very good career. He also reckons not enough people are joining the profession, which helps his employability at the moment.
Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 17m The gilt move - especially at the long end - is big and bad. No sugar coating it. That said, the thing about the Truss debacle is that we saw these sort of moves day after day. Too early to say if this is a wobble or a bigger problem.
Worth noting: the gilt move really kicked off on speculation that Reeves could be replaced. ‘Reeves being replaced’ in this case meaning ‘a loosening of the fiscal rules’.
So there you have the first problem. Cut spending - PLP won’t wear it. Increase borrowing - the gilt market pushes back. You’re left with, raise taxes - break a manifesto pledge. Option 3 likely the least painful.
Depends on which taxes are raised. IIRC Starmer and Reeves have always said that they wouldn't raise taxes of 'working people"! Hence, en passant, the inheritance tax on rural landlords. But what about people who don't work? As well the rural landlords the are other landlords, investors, speculators on the Stock Exchange and Metal (etc) Exchanges. Inheritance tax might be a goer, too, although that doesn't bring in money quickly enough.
They will freeze tax allowances, freeze the WFA threshold, and maybe row back the annual cash ISA limit
If Reeves is still in post then the assumption is on Cash Isas she will announce a cut to 5k a year limit in the Mansion House speech in 2 weeks time. Freezing personal allowances almost certain and a big rise in fuel duty i think is likely
I think the ISA policy is broadly OK, but it’s another one that’s going to get people grumpy. Particularly pensioners who use the allowance to build more “safe” income pots.
Im not a fan of it as I think encouraging investment into shitty equity funds is pointless. But as I can't have 5k a year to save right now it's not a drama for me. If banks take savings interest at source you can probably find deals that get around the lost 20%, it's not like savings produce much income with our flaccid interest rates anyway. Easiest sokution would be raise the interest limit before tax kicks in to a few thousand and scrap isas altogether
You can easily replicate the risk and return characteristics of a cash ISA within a stocks and shares ISA: short dated gilts, money market funds made up of said gilts plus other short dated debt...
Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 17m The gilt move - especially at the long end - is big and bad. No sugar coating it. That said, the thing about the Truss debacle is that we saw these sort of moves day after day. Too early to say if this is a wobble or a bigger problem.
Worth noting: the gilt move really kicked off on speculation that Reeves could be replaced. ‘Reeves being replaced’ in this case meaning ‘a loosening of the fiscal rules’.
So there you have the first problem. Cut spending - PLP won’t wear it. Increase borrowing - the gilt market pushes back. You’re left with, raise taxes - break a manifesto pledge. Option 3 likely the least painful.
Depends on which taxes are raised. IIRC Starmer and Reeves have always said that they wouldn't raise taxes of 'working people"! Hence, en passant, the inheritance tax on rural landlords. But what about people who don't work? As well the rural landlords the are other landlords, investors, speculators on the Stock Exchange and Metal (etc) Exchanges. Inheritance tax might be a goer, too, although that doesn't bring in money quickly enough.
They will freeze tax allowances, freeze the WFA threshold, and maybe row back the annual cash ISA limit
If Reeves is still in post then the assumption is on Cash Isas she will announce a cut to 5k a year limit in the Mansion House speech in 2 weeks time. Freezing personal allowances almost certain and a big rise in fuel duty i think is likely
I think the ISA policy is broadly OK, but it’s another one that’s going to get people grumpy. Particularly pensioners who use the allowance to build more “safe” savings pots.
As a pensioner, we have more than enough help from the Government. If we have to pay some tax on our savings to help others, I don’t have a problem.
Equities will still have a £20k allowance so it's just useless cash ISAs that get gutted so pushing more money into equity markets will be the end result which is a net positive. Should have been done years ago.
The Motability Scheme, the government-backed programme that hands out cars in exchange for PIP benefits, is back in the spotlight. Fresh figures quietly released in response to a Parliamentary Question reveal that in 2024 alone, £600 million was funnelled from the Department for Work and Pensions straight into the Scheme.
----------
Almost 130,000 households in taxpayer-subsidised homes are among the top earners in the country, Telegraph analysis shows. Official figures reveal that 3.2pc of those renting from local authorities and housing associations earned at least £71,344 last year.
Am I the only person in the country who doesn't receive any freebies / discounted living from the state?
Probably but don't feel bad about it.
My current car is ex-motability and it's been very good.
Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 17m The gilt move - especially at the long end - is big and bad. No sugar coating it. That said, the thing about the Truss debacle is that we saw these sort of moves day after day. Too early to say if this is a wobble or a bigger problem.
Worth noting: the gilt move really kicked off on speculation that Reeves could be replaced. ‘Reeves being replaced’ in this case meaning ‘a loosening of the fiscal rules’.
So there you have the first problem. Cut spending - PLP won’t wear it. Increase borrowing - the gilt market pushes back. You’re left with, raise taxes - break a manifesto pledge. Option 3 likely the least painful.
Depends on which taxes are raised. IIRC Starmer and Reeves have always said that they wouldn't raise taxes of 'working people"! Hence, en passant, the inheritance tax on rural landlords. But what about people who don't work? As well the rural landlords the are other landlords, investors, speculators on the Stock Exchange and Metal (etc) Exchanges. Inheritance tax might be a goer, too, although that doesn't bring in money quickly enough.
They will freeze tax allowances, freeze the WFA threshold, and maybe row back the annual cash ISA limit
If Reeves is still in post then the assumption is on Cash Isas she will announce a cut to 5k a year limit in the Mansion House speech in 2 weeks time. Freezing personal allowances almost certain and a big rise in fuel duty i think is likely
I think the ISA policy is broadly OK, but it’s another one that’s going to get people grumpy. Particularly pensioners who use the allowance to build more “safe” income pots.
Im not a fan of it as I think encouraging investment into shitty equity funds is pointless. But as I can't have 5k a year to save right now it's not a drama for me. If banks take savings interest at source you can probably find deals that get around the lost 20%, it's not like savings produce much income with our flaccid interest rates anyway. Easiest sokution would be raise the interest limit before tax kicks in to a few thousand and scrap isas altogether
Removing tax free status from savings that already have it would be WFA all over again
I was just talking with a friend of a friend who is a left-wing Labour MP, and his prediction is that Starmer will be forced out fairly soon, the two front-runners will be Ange (God help us) and Streeting (bad but not quite so bad). To my point that Labour doesn't usually assassinate its leaders he said he'd never seen anything like how much Starmer is loathed, and, worse, despised, right across the party.
The Motability Scheme, the government-backed programme that hands out cars in exchange for PIP benefits, is back in the spotlight. Fresh figures quietly released in response to a Parliamentary Question reveal that in 2024 alone, £600 million was funnelled from the Department for Work and Pensions straight into the Scheme.
To lease a new BMW on the Motability Scheme in exchange for your Mobility Allowance, simply contact a Motability Sales Specialist at your local BMW Centre, who can help find the right BMW for you, either at the showroom or in the comfort of your own home.
With one-off Advance Payments across our choice of BMW models, the benefits of choosing a BMW on the Motability Scheme include:
A new BMW every three years 60,000 mile allowance or 100,000 miles for Wheelchair Adapted Vehicles (WAV) Insurance included
Ridiculous expenditure. What’s wrong with a car older than three years?
Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 17m The gilt move - especially at the long end - is big and bad. No sugar coating it. That said, the thing about the Truss debacle is that we saw these sort of moves day after day. Too early to say if this is a wobble or a bigger problem.
Worth noting: the gilt move really kicked off on speculation that Reeves could be replaced. ‘Reeves being replaced’ in this case meaning ‘a loosening of the fiscal rules’.
So there you have the first problem. Cut spending - PLP won’t wear it. Increase borrowing - the gilt market pushes back. You’re left with, raise taxes - break a manifesto pledge. Option 3 likely the least painful.
Depends on which taxes are raised. IIRC Starmer and Reeves have always said that they wouldn't raise taxes of 'working people"! Hence, en passant, the inheritance tax on rural landlords. But what about people who don't work? As well the rural landlords the are other landlords, investors, speculators on the Stock Exchange and Metal (etc) Exchanges. Inheritance tax might be a goer, too, although that doesn't bring in money quickly enough.
They will freeze tax allowances, freeze the WFA threshold, and maybe row back the annual cash ISA limit
If Reeves is still in post then the assumption is on Cash Isas she will announce a cut to 5k a year limit in the Mansion House speech in 2 weeks time. Freezing personal allowances almost certain and a big rise in fuel duty i think is likely
I think the ISA policy is broadly OK, but it’s another one that’s going to get people grumpy. Particularly pensioners who use the allowance to build more “safe” savings pots.
As a pensioner, we have more than enough help from the Government. If we have to pay some tax on our savings to help others, I don’t have a problem.
Equities will still have a £20k allowance so it's just useless cash ISAs that get gutted so pushing more money into equity markets will be the end result which is a net positive. Should have been done years ago.
Cah is not useless.
The economy benefits if cash is invested rather than just sitting in bank accounts. It’s how capitalism is supposed to work.
Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 17m The gilt move - especially at the long end - is big and bad. No sugar coating it. That said, the thing about the Truss debacle is that we saw these sort of moves day after day. Too early to say if this is a wobble or a bigger problem.
Worth noting: the gilt move really kicked off on speculation that Reeves could be replaced. ‘Reeves being replaced’ in this case meaning ‘a loosening of the fiscal rules’.
So there you have the first problem. Cut spending - PLP won’t wear it. Increase borrowing - the gilt market pushes back. You’re left with, raise taxes - break a manifesto pledge. Option 3 likely the least painful.
Depends on which taxes are raised. IIRC Starmer and Reeves have always said that they wouldn't raise taxes of 'working people"! Hence, en passant, the inheritance tax on rural landlords. But what about people who don't work? As well the rural landlords the are other landlords, investors, speculators on the Stock Exchange and Metal (etc) Exchanges. Inheritance tax might be a goer, too, although that doesn't bring in money quickly enough.
They will freeze tax allowances, freeze the WFA threshold, and maybe row back the annual cash ISA limit
If Reeves is still in post then the assumption is on Cash Isas she will announce a cut to 5k a year limit in the Mansion House speech in 2 weeks time. Freezing personal allowances almost certain and a big rise in fuel duty i think is likely
I think the ISA policy is broadly OK, but it’s another one that’s going to get people grumpy. Particularly pensioners who use the allowance to build more “safe” savings pots.
As a pensioner, we have more than enough help from the Government. If we have to pay some tax on our savings to help others, I don’t have a problem.
Equities will still have a £20k allowance so it's just useless cash ISAs that get gutted so pushing more money into equity markets will be the end result which is a net positive. Should have been done years ago.
Should equity ISAs have a bigger allowance than savings ones? I was chatting to a recently arrived from Hong Kong gentleman recently. He was puzzled by the lack of enthusiasm for investing among the native population here. Another sign of how the Thatcher revolution didn't really change the dial.
Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 17m The gilt move - especially at the long end - is big and bad. No sugar coating it. That said, the thing about the Truss debacle is that we saw these sort of moves day after day. Too early to say if this is a wobble or a bigger problem.
Worth noting: the gilt move really kicked off on speculation that Reeves could be replaced. ‘Reeves being replaced’ in this case meaning ‘a loosening of the fiscal rules’.
So there you have the first problem. Cut spending - PLP won’t wear it. Increase borrowing - the gilt market pushes back. You’re left with, raise taxes - break a manifesto pledge. Option 3 likely the least painful.
Depends on which taxes are raised. IIRC Starmer and Reeves have always said that they wouldn't raise taxes of 'working people"! Hence, en passant, the inheritance tax on rural landlords. But what about people who don't work? As well the rural landlords the are other landlords, investors, speculators on the Stock Exchange and Metal (etc) Exchanges. Inheritance tax might be a goer, too, although that doesn't bring in money quickly enough.
They will freeze tax allowances, freeze the WFA threshold, and maybe row back the annual cash ISA limit
If Reeves is still in post then the assumption is on Cash Isas she will announce a cut to 5k a year limit in the Mansion House speech in 2 weeks time. Freezing personal allowances almost certain and a big rise in fuel duty i think is likely
I think the ISA policy is broadly OK, but it’s another one that’s going to get people grumpy. Particularly pensioners who use the allowance to build more “safe” income pots.
Im not a fan of it as I think encouraging investment into shitty equity funds is pointless. But as I can't have 5k a year to save right now it's not a drama for me. If banks take savings interest at source you can probably find deals that get around the lost 20%, it's not like savings produce much income with our flaccid interest rates anyway. Easiest sokution would be raise the interest limit before tax kicks in to a few thousand and scrap isas altogether
Removing tax free status from savings that already have it would be WFA all over again
No-one is proposing this, or ever likely to.
1000 tax free was a lot when you were getting nothing on your savings with BOf E RATE AT 0%.. now it needs to be at least double that if not triple.
Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 17m The gilt move - especially at the long end - is big and bad. No sugar coating it. That said, the thing about the Truss debacle is that we saw these sort of moves day after day. Too early to say if this is a wobble or a bigger problem.
Worth noting: the gilt move really kicked off on speculation that Reeves could be replaced. ‘Reeves being replaced’ in this case meaning ‘a loosening of the fiscal rules’.
So there you have the first problem. Cut spending - PLP won’t wear it. Increase borrowing - the gilt market pushes back. You’re left with, raise taxes - break a manifesto pledge. Option 3 likely the least painful.
Depends on which taxes are raised. IIRC Starmer and Reeves have always said that they wouldn't raise taxes of 'working people"! Hence, en passant, the inheritance tax on rural landlords. But what about people who don't work? As well the rural landlords the are other landlords, investors, speculators on the Stock Exchange and Metal (etc) Exchanges. Inheritance tax might be a goer, too, although that doesn't bring in money quickly enough.
They will freeze tax allowances, freeze the WFA threshold, and maybe row back the annual cash ISA limit
If Reeves is still in post then the assumption is on Cash Isas she will announce a cut to 5k a year limit in the Mansion House speech in 2 weeks time. Freezing personal allowances almost certain and a big rise in fuel duty i think is likely
I think the ISA policy is broadly OK, but it’s another one that’s going to get people grumpy. Particularly pensioners who use the allowance to build more “safe” savings pots.
As a pensioner, we have more than enough help from the Government. If we have to pay some tax on our savings to help others, I don’t have a problem.
Equities will still have a £20k allowance so it's just useless cash ISAs that get gutted so pushing more money into equity markets will be the end result which is a net positive. Should have been done years ago.
Yup and if they really really want to have it in cash places like Trading 212 will put it in cash equivalents for you within an S&S ISA anyway. But we need more of an investment culture in this country, far too much is put in cash
The Motability Scheme, the government-backed programme that hands out cars in exchange for PIP benefits, is back in the spotlight. Fresh figures quietly released in response to a Parliamentary Question reveal that in 2024 alone, £600 million was funnelled from the Department for Work and Pensions straight into the Scheme.
To lease a new BMW on the Motability Scheme in exchange for your Mobility Allowance, simply contact a Motability Sales Specialist at your local BMW Centre, who can help find the right BMW for you, either at the showroom or in the comfort of your own home.
With one-off Advance Payments across our choice of BMW models, the benefits of choosing a BMW on the Motability Scheme include:
A new BMW every three years 60,000 mile allowance or 100,000 miles for Wheelchair Adapted Vehicles (WAV) Insurance included
The last car in that scheme, the i4, is a £53k car:
I think we are throwing the tougher immigration talk out the window. Promises made, promises....
UK visa revamp allows lower-skilled (non-graduate) office workers to come to Britain
Debt collectors, mortgage administrators and HR officers will still be able to come and work in the UK on skilled-worker visas after changes to the immigration rules that have left employers free to recruit overseas for a wide range of lower-skilled office jobs.
Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 17m The gilt move - especially at the long end - is big and bad. No sugar coating it. That said, the thing about the Truss debacle is that we saw these sort of moves day after day. Too early to say if this is a wobble or a bigger problem.
Worth noting: the gilt move really kicked off on speculation that Reeves could be replaced. ‘Reeves being replaced’ in this case meaning ‘a loosening of the fiscal rules’.
So there you have the first problem. Cut spending - PLP won’t wear it. Increase borrowing - the gilt market pushes back. You’re left with, raise taxes - break a manifesto pledge. Option 3 likely the least painful.
Depends on which taxes are raised. IIRC Starmer and Reeves have always said that they wouldn't raise taxes of 'working people"! Hence, en passant, the inheritance tax on rural landlords. But what about people who don't work? As well the rural landlords the are other landlords, investors, speculators on the Stock Exchange and Metal (etc) Exchanges. Inheritance tax might be a goer, too, although that doesn't bring in money quickly enough.
They will freeze tax allowances, freeze the WFA threshold, and maybe row back the annual cash ISA limit
If Reeves is still in post then the assumption is on Cash Isas she will announce a cut to 5k a year limit in the Mansion House speech in 2 weeks time. Freezing personal allowances almost certain and a big rise in fuel duty i think is likely
I think the ISA policy is broadly OK, but it’s another one that’s going to get people grumpy. Particularly pensioners who use the allowance to build more “safe” savings pots.
As a pensioner, we have more than enough help from the Government. If we have to pay some tax on our savings to help others, I don’t have a problem.
Equities will still have a £20k allowance so it's just useless cash ISAs that get gutted so pushing more money into equity markets will be the end result which is a net positive. Should have been done years ago.
Should equity ISAs have a bigger allowance than savings ones? I was chatting to a recently arrived from Hong Kong gentleman recently. He was puzzled by the lack of enthusiasm for investing among the native population here. Another sign of how the Thatcher revolution didn't really change the dial.
Yes, the first thing Sid did with his shares was take the profit and run!
Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 17m The gilt move - especially at the long end - is big and bad. No sugar coating it. That said, the thing about the Truss debacle is that we saw these sort of moves day after day. Too early to say if this is a wobble or a bigger problem.
Worth noting: the gilt move really kicked off on speculation that Reeves could be replaced. ‘Reeves being replaced’ in this case meaning ‘a loosening of the fiscal rules’.
So there you have the first problem. Cut spending - PLP won’t wear it. Increase borrowing - the gilt market pushes back. You’re left with, raise taxes - break a manifesto pledge. Option 3 likely the least painful.
Depends on which taxes are raised. IIRC Starmer and Reeves have always said that they wouldn't raise taxes of 'working people"! Hence, en passant, the inheritance tax on rural landlords. But what about people who don't work? As well the rural landlords the are other landlords, investors, speculators on the Stock Exchange and Metal (etc) Exchanges. Inheritance tax might be a goer, too, although that doesn't bring in money quickly enough.
They will freeze tax allowances, freeze the WFA threshold, and maybe row back the annual cash ISA limit
If Reeves is still in post then the assumption is on Cash Isas she will announce a cut to 5k a year limit in the Mansion House speech in 2 weeks time. Freezing personal allowances almost certain and a big rise in fuel duty i think is likely
I think the ISA policy is broadly OK, but it’s another one that’s going to get people grumpy. Particularly pensioners who use the allowance to build more “safe” income pots.
Im not a fan of it as I think encouraging investment into shitty equity funds is pointless. But as I can't have 5k a year to save right now it's not a drama for me. If banks take savings interest at source you can probably find deals that get around the lost 20%, it's not like savings produce much income with our flaccid interest rates anyway. Easiest sokution would be raise the interest limit before tax kicks in to a few thousand and scrap isas altogether
Removing tax free status from savings that already have it would be WFA all over again
No-one is proposing this, or ever likely to.
1000 tax free was a lot when you were getting nothing on your savings with BOf E RATE AT 0%.. now it needs to be at least double that if not triple.
The Motability Scheme, the government-backed programme that hands out cars in exchange for PIP benefits, is back in the spotlight. Fresh figures quietly released in response to a Parliamentary Question reveal that in 2024 alone, £600 million was funnelled from the Department for Work and Pensions straight into the Scheme.
To lease a new BMW on the Motability Scheme in exchange for your Mobility Allowance, simply contact a Motability Sales Specialist at your local BMW Centre, who can help find the right BMW for you, either at the showroom or in the comfort of your own home.
With one-off Advance Payments across our choice of BMW models, the benefits of choosing a BMW on the Motability Scheme include:
A new BMW every three years 60,000 mile allowance or 100,000 miles for Wheelchair Adapted Vehicles (WAV) Insurance included
Ridiculous expenditure. What’s wrong with a car older than three years?
My car is a 2016 model and still "new" in my mind.
Might consider it middle aged in a couple of years and allow it down the allotment.
Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 17m The gilt move - especially at the long end - is big and bad. No sugar coating it. That said, the thing about the Truss debacle is that we saw these sort of moves day after day. Too early to say if this is a wobble or a bigger problem.
Worth noting: the gilt move really kicked off on speculation that Reeves could be replaced. ‘Reeves being replaced’ in this case meaning ‘a loosening of the fiscal rules’.
So there you have the first problem. Cut spending - PLP won’t wear it. Increase borrowing - the gilt market pushes back. You’re left with, raise taxes - break a manifesto pledge. Option 3 likely the least painful.
Depends on which taxes are raised. IIRC Starmer and Reeves have always said that they wouldn't raise taxes of 'working people"! Hence, en passant, the inheritance tax on rural landlords. But what about people who don't work? As well the rural landlords the are other landlords, investors, speculators on the Stock Exchange and Metal (etc) Exchanges. Inheritance tax might be a goer, too, although that doesn't bring in money quickly enough.
They will freeze tax allowances, freeze the WFA threshold, and maybe row back the annual cash ISA limit
If Reeves is still in post then the assumption is on Cash Isas she will announce a cut to 5k a year limit in the Mansion House speech in 2 weeks time. Freezing personal allowances almost certain and a big rise in fuel duty i think is likely
I think the ISA policy is broadly OK, but it’s another one that’s going to get people grumpy. Particularly pensioners who use the allowance to build more “safe” savings pots.
As a pensioner, we have more than enough help from the Government. If we have to pay some tax on our savings to help others, I don’t have a problem.
Equities will still have a £20k allowance so it's just useless cash ISAs that get gutted so pushing more money into equity markets will be the end result which is a net positive. Should have been done years ago.
Cah is not useless.
The economy benefits if cash is invested rather than just sitting in bank accounts. It’s how capitalism is supposed to work.
If it’s sitting in your account the bank is investing it.
The Motability Scheme, the government-backed programme that hands out cars in exchange for PIP benefits, is back in the spotlight. Fresh figures quietly released in response to a Parliamentary Question reveal that in 2024 alone, £600 million was funnelled from the Department for Work and Pensions straight into the Scheme.
To lease a new BMW on the Motability Scheme in exchange for your Mobility Allowance, simply contact a Motability Sales Specialist at your local BMW Centre, who can help find the right BMW for you, either at the showroom or in the comfort of your own home.
With one-off Advance Payments across our choice of BMW models, the benefits of choosing a BMW on the Motability Scheme include:
A new BMW every three years 60,000 mile allowance or 100,000 miles for Wheelchair Adapted Vehicles (WAV) Insurance included
The last car in that scheme, the i4, is a £53k car:
I want to be indignant. But... what's the full weekly PIP worth though ? Wonder how it compares with market leasing rates for that car ?
No VAT on motability cars. So motablity are c. 20% ahead on depreciation when it comes to selling the car on. That is the reason for the low leases. The fact that motability is not for profit is probably a marginal difference these days.
The Motability Scheme, the government-backed programme that hands out cars in exchange for PIP benefits, is back in the spotlight. Fresh figures quietly released in response to a Parliamentary Question reveal that in 2024 alone, £600 million was funnelled from the Department for Work and Pensions straight into the Scheme.
To lease a new BMW on the Motability Scheme in exchange for your Mobility Allowance, simply contact a Motability Sales Specialist at your local BMW Centre, who can help find the right BMW for you, either at the showroom or in the comfort of your own home.
With one-off Advance Payments across our choice of BMW models, the benefits of choosing a BMW on the Motability Scheme include:
A new BMW every three years 60,000 mile allowance or 100,000 miles for Wheelchair Adapted Vehicles (WAV) Insurance included
The last car in that scheme, the i4, is a £53k car:
The Motability Scheme, the government-backed programme that hands out cars in exchange for PIP benefits, is back in the spotlight. Fresh figures quietly released in response to a Parliamentary Question reveal that in 2024 alone, £600 million was funnelled from the Department for Work and Pensions straight into the Scheme.
I have a relative with a car from Motability. She badly needs it due to her disability. She will be furious if it's taken from her and for very good reason
The Motability Scheme, the government-backed programme that hands out cars in exchange for PIP benefits, is back in the spotlight. Fresh figures quietly released in response to a Parliamentary Question reveal that in 2024 alone, £600 million was funnelled from the Department for Work and Pensions straight into the Scheme.
To lease a new BMW on the Motability Scheme in exchange for your Mobility Allowance, simply contact a Motability Sales Specialist at your local BMW Centre, who can help find the right BMW for you, either at the showroom or in the comfort of your own home.
With one-off Advance Payments across our choice of BMW models, the benefits of choosing a BMW on the Motability Scheme include:
A new BMW every three years 60,000 mile allowance or 100,000 miles for Wheelchair Adapted Vehicles (WAV) Insurance included
The last car in that scheme, the i4, is a £53k car:
I think we are throwing the tougher immigration talk out the window. Promises made, promises....
UK visa revamp allows lower-skilled (non-graduate) office workers to come to Britain
Debt collectors, mortgage administrators and HR officers will still be able to come and work in the UK on skilled-worker visas after changes to the immigration rules that have left employers free to recruit overseas for a wide range of lower-skilled office jobs.
I have sympathy for a warehouse job turning down a graduate. We have a technician post that has had more people in the role that I've had hot dinners. Too often we go for graduates 'as the best candidate' and are horrified that (a) they are bored in the role and (b) find a better job in the first 6-9 months. I'd imagine Aldi were thinking similar.
Look at what/where she studied
“She has a degree in accounting and finance from the University of Salford and a masters in management from Manchester Metropolitan University”
Iffy book keeping roles at mediocre universities. People like her, and those skills, are first in the firing line, now. I doubt she will ever get a nice white collar job as she once hoped
This will soon apply to tens of millions of jobs and degrees. She’s saddled herself with all that student debt for nothing. Most universities are doomed
I feel very sorry for her and her generation. The best advice any parent can give an 18 year old child, now, is Give up on uni and get a trade, or, if you are really cerebral: go to a truly good university, a redbrick or better, and study what you love
At the very least you will enjoy your university years
And if more people study for a trade wages will go down for plumbers and electricians in turn as there will be less demand for their skills as more supply
The demand for builders, plumbers, electricians, roofers, etc is off the scale and £450 per day is not unusual
I doubt we will have enough for decades to meet the demand, and I would encourage all young people to get a trade, start a business, and earn lots without having student debt round their neck
University is not the pathway to success you seem to think it is
Given the time it takes to get, if I had it to do again, I would have done a CORGI and then an electricians qual - *while at uni*
A mate of mine shunned Uni and trained in refrigeration. Became a refrigeration engineer and has had a very good career. He also reckons not enough people are joining the profession, which helps his employability at the moment.
A relative works on large CCGT projects. He is earning rather well, as few youngsters are choosing to train in the old and un-green technology, meaning there is a rather large skills shortage.
People were nudged into taking degrees and away from these vocational courses.
I’m afraid govts from Blair on have really let down the young over this.
People like that lady in the BBC article who was rejected for a job she was overqualified for at Aldi are going to learn a hard life lesson. Hopefully they are young enough to be able to adapt.
The Motability Scheme, the government-backed programme that hands out cars in exchange for PIP benefits, is back in the spotlight. Fresh figures quietly released in response to a Parliamentary Question reveal that in 2024 alone, £600 million was funnelled from the Department for Work and Pensions straight into the Scheme.
I have a relative with a car from Motability. She badly needs it due to her disability. She will be furious if it's taken from her and for very good reason
The Motability Scheme, the government-backed programme that hands out cars in exchange for PIP benefits, is back in the spotlight. Fresh figures quietly released in response to a Parliamentary Question reveal that in 2024 alone, £600 million was funnelled from the Department for Work and Pensions straight into the Scheme.
To lease a new BMW on the Motability Scheme in exchange for your Mobility Allowance, simply contact a Motability Sales Specialist at your local BMW Centre, who can help find the right BMW for you, either at the showroom or in the comfort of your own home.
With one-off Advance Payments across our choice of BMW models, the benefits of choosing a BMW on the Motability Scheme include:
A new BMW every three years 60,000 mile allowance or 100,000 miles for Wheelchair Adapted Vehicles (WAV) Insurance included
The last car in that scheme, the i4, is a £53k car:
The Motability Scheme, the government-backed programme that hands out cars in exchange for PIP benefits, is back in the spotlight. Fresh figures quietly released in response to a Parliamentary Question reveal that in 2024 alone, £600 million was funnelled from the Department for Work and Pensions straight into the Scheme.
I have a relative with a car from Motability. She badly needs it due to her disability. She will be furious if it's taken from her and for very good reason
Let's ensure the scheme continues to work for people like her then, right ?
I know 2 people with motability cars. I have deliberately not looked at the scheme in detail before because I didn't really want to dwell on my suspicion that neither of them needed a shiny new - unmodified of course - car subsidised by me.
Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 17m The gilt move - especially at the long end - is big and bad. No sugar coating it. That said, the thing about the Truss debacle is that we saw these sort of moves day after day. Too early to say if this is a wobble or a bigger problem.
Worth noting: the gilt move really kicked off on speculation that Reeves could be replaced. ‘Reeves being replaced’ in this case meaning ‘a loosening of the fiscal rules’.
So there you have the first problem. Cut spending - PLP won’t wear it. Increase borrowing - the gilt market pushes back. You’re left with, raise taxes - break a manifesto pledge. Option 3 likely the least painful.
Depends on which taxes are raised. IIRC Starmer and Reeves have always said that they wouldn't raise taxes of 'working people"! Hence, en passant, the inheritance tax on rural landlords. But what about people who don't work? As well the rural landlords the are other landlords, investors, speculators on the Stock Exchange and Metal (etc) Exchanges. Inheritance tax might be a goer, too, although that doesn't bring in money quickly enough.
They will freeze tax allowances, freeze the WFA threshold, and maybe row back the annual cash ISA limit
If Reeves is still in post then the assumption is on Cash Isas she will announce a cut to 5k a year limit in the Mansion House speech in 2 weeks time. Freezing personal allowances almost certain and a big rise in fuel duty i think is likely
I think the ISA policy is broadly OK, but it’s another one that’s going to get people grumpy. Particularly pensioners who use the allowance to build more “safe” savings pots.
As a pensioner, we have more than enough help from the Government. If we have to pay some tax on our savings to help others, I don’t have a problem.
Equities will still have a £20k allowance so it's just useless cash ISAs that get gutted so pushing more money into equity markets will be the end result which is a net positive. Should have been done years ago.
Depends which equity markets. Doesn't help London much if people use world or US trackers.
The Motability Scheme, the government-backed programme that hands out cars in exchange for PIP benefits, is back in the spotlight. Fresh figures quietly released in response to a Parliamentary Question reveal that in 2024 alone, £600 million was funnelled from the Department for Work and Pensions straight into the Scheme.
To lease a new BMW on the Motability Scheme in exchange for your Mobility Allowance, simply contact a Motability Sales Specialist at your local BMW Centre, who can help find the right BMW for you, either at the showroom or in the comfort of your own home.
With one-off Advance Payments across our choice of BMW models, the benefits of choosing a BMW on the Motability Scheme include:
A new BMW every three years 60,000 mile allowance or 100,000 miles for Wheelchair Adapted Vehicles (WAV) Insurance included
The last car in that scheme, the i4, is a £53k car:
I want to be indignant. But... what's the full weekly PIP worth though ? Wonder how it compares with market leasing rates for that car ?
Enhanced rate for mobility is just over 77 quid a week
Thanks. So when the BMW brochure says it will cost your "full allowance" it just means the £77 pw enhanced mobility allowance ?
If so that's an insanely good deal with everything that's thrown in.
There is additionally a prepayment deposit required. On the wife's WAV that was £43999 five years ago and similar DFW Wavs are about £59,999 deposit now for a 5 year lease
The Motability Scheme, the government-backed programme that hands out cars in exchange for PIP benefits, is back in the spotlight. Fresh figures quietly released in response to a Parliamentary Question reveal that in 2024 alone, £600 million was funnelled from the Department for Work and Pensions straight into the Scheme.
To lease a new BMW on the Motability Scheme in exchange for your Mobility Allowance, simply contact a Motability Sales Specialist at your local BMW Centre, who can help find the right BMW for you, either at the showroom or in the comfort of your own home.
With one-off Advance Payments across our choice of BMW models, the benefits of choosing a BMW on the Motability Scheme include:
A new BMW every three years 60,000 mile allowance or 100,000 miles for Wheelchair Adapted Vehicles (WAV) Insurance included
The last car in that scheme, the i4, is a £53k car:
I want to be indignant. But... what's the full weekly PIP worth though ? Wonder how it compares with market leasing rates for that car ?
Enhanced rate for mobility is just over 77 quid a week
Thanks. So when the BMW brochure says it will cost your "full allowance" it just means the £77 pw enhanced mobility allowance ?
If so that's an insanely good deal with everything that's thrown in.
£50k car costs motability c. £40k. Three years depreciation takes it to £30k sold to second hand dealer. Hence, lease need only be 3-4k-ish per year. Which is £77 * 52 roughly.
The Motability Scheme, the government-backed programme that hands out cars in exchange for PIP benefits, is back in the spotlight. Fresh figures quietly released in response to a Parliamentary Question reveal that in 2024 alone, £600 million was funnelled from the Department for Work and Pensions straight into the Scheme.
I have a relative with a car from Motability. She badly needs it due to her disability. She will be furious if it's taken from her and for very good reason
The claim isn't that there aren't people in need of it, it is that it has grown out of all proportion and again now includes a very wide range of applicable conditions that people would be rather surprised are eligible. There is also suspicion that the system is being played.
Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 17m The gilt move - especially at the long end - is big and bad. No sugar coating it. That said, the thing about the Truss debacle is that we saw these sort of moves day after day. Too early to say if this is a wobble or a bigger problem.
Worth noting: the gilt move really kicked off on speculation that Reeves could be replaced. ‘Reeves being replaced’ in this case meaning ‘a loosening of the fiscal rules’.
So there you have the first problem. Cut spending - PLP won’t wear it. Increase borrowing - the gilt market pushes back. You’re left with, raise taxes - break a manifesto pledge. Option 3 likely the least painful.
Depends on which taxes are raised. IIRC Starmer and Reeves have always said that they wouldn't raise taxes of 'working people"! Hence, en passant, the inheritance tax on rural landlords. But what about people who don't work? As well the rural landlords the are other landlords, investors, speculators on the Stock Exchange and Metal (etc) Exchanges. Inheritance tax might be a goer, too, although that doesn't bring in money quickly enough.
They will freeze tax allowances, freeze the WFA threshold, and maybe row back the annual cash ISA limit
If Reeves is still in post then the assumption is on Cash Isas she will announce a cut to 5k a year limit in the Mansion House speech in 2 weeks time. Freezing personal allowances almost certain and a big rise in fuel duty i think is likely
I think the ISA policy is broadly OK, but it’s another one that’s going to get people grumpy. Particularly pensioners who use the allowance to build more “safe” savings pots.
As a pensioner, we have more than enough help from the Government. If we have to pay some tax on our savings to help others, I don’t have a problem.
Equities will still have a £20k allowance so it's just useless cash ISAs that get gutted so pushing more money into equity markets will be the end result which is a net positive. Should have been done years ago.
Cah is not useless.
The economy benefits if cash is invested rather than just sitting in bank accounts. It’s how capitalism is supposed to work.
If it’s sitting in your account the bank is investing it.
Well it helps the bank meet its reserve requirements. One of the many disappointments post 2008 is how we haven't thought again about how banking should operate. It astonishes me that banks are allowed to extend credit as they please, creating money at the push of a button.
To get on the motability scheme you need to be in receipt of the higher rate for mobility with at least 12 months left of your award before review. It would have been unaffected by the 4 point rule thing which was for daily living aspect only
The Motability Scheme, the government-backed programme that hands out cars in exchange for PIP benefits, is back in the spotlight. Fresh figures quietly released in response to a Parliamentary Question reveal that in 2024 alone, £600 million was funnelled from the Department for Work and Pensions straight into the Scheme.
I have a relative with a car from Motability. She badly needs it due to her disability. She will be furious if it's taken from her and for very good reason
90% of motability cars are unmodified.
We have an ex-motability car (privately owned) with full modifications for ramp etc for getting elderly parents around. It isn't exactly trendy or flash (the gearbox is dreadful) but does work perfectly well for getting people in a wheelchair moved.
I think it is what people imagine a motability vehicle should be, rather than a flash, unmodified, BMW.
I think we are throwing the tougher immigration talk out the window. Promises made, promises....
UK visa revamp allows lower-skilled (non-graduate) office workers to come to Britain
Debt collectors, mortgage administrators and HR officers will still be able to come and work in the UK on skilled-worker visas after changes to the immigration rules that have left employers free to recruit overseas for a wide range of lower-skilled office jobs.
I have sympathy for a warehouse job turning down a graduate. We have a technician post that has had more people in the role that I've had hot dinners. Too often we go for graduates 'as the best candidate' and are horrified that (a) they are bored in the role and (b) find a better job in the first 6-9 months. I'd imagine Aldi were thinking similar.
Look at what/where she studied
“She has a degree in accounting and finance from the University of Salford and a masters in management from Manchester Metropolitan University”
Iffy book keeping roles at mediocre universities. People like her, and those skills, are first in the firing line, now. I doubt she will ever get a nice white collar job as she once hoped
This will soon apply to tens of millions of jobs and degrees. She’s saddled herself with all that student debt for nothing. Most universities are doomed
I feel very sorry for her and her generation. The best advice any parent can give an 18 year old child, now, is Give up on uni and get a trade, or, if you are really cerebral: go to a truly good university, a redbrick or better, and study what you love
At the very least you will enjoy your university years
And if more people study for a trade wages will go down for plumbers and electricians in turn as there will be less demand for their skills as more supply
The demand for builders, plumbers, electricians, roofers, etc is off the scale and £450 per day is not unusual
I doubt we will have enough for decades to meet the demand, and I would encourage all young people to get a trade, start a business, and earn lots without having student debt round their neck
University is not the pathway to success you seem to think it is
Given the time it takes to get, if I had it to do again, I would have done a CORGI and then an electricians qual - *while at uni*
A mate of mine shunned Uni and trained in refrigeration. Became a refrigeration engineer and has had a very good career. He also reckons not enough people are joining the profession, which helps his employability at the moment.
Cool job!
He used to get loads of foreigners from local pubs and businesses asking him to look at their ice machines and the like for some cash, don’t trouble the taxman.
I had a chance of an apprenticeship in that industry but went into mechanical engineering. My idiot Mother put me off telling me I’d spend most of my time in Morgues. He’s never been in one in his life.
The Motability Scheme, the government-backed programme that hands out cars in exchange for PIP benefits, is back in the spotlight. Fresh figures quietly released in response to a Parliamentary Question reveal that in 2024 alone, £600 million was funnelled from the Department for Work and Pensions straight into the Scheme.
I have a relative with a car from Motability. She badly needs it due to her disability. She will be furious if it's taken from her and for very good reason
The claim isn't that there aren't people in need of it, it is that it has grown out of all proportion and again now includes a very wide range of applicable conditions that people would be rather surprised are eligible. There is also suspicion that the system is being played.
It's a classic government scheme.
Introduced for good reasons. Played by people to get car cheaply. Governmet introduces new checks that fall heaviest on those who actually need Motability. Everyone upset.
Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 17m The gilt move - especially at the long end - is big and bad. No sugar coating it. That said, the thing about the Truss debacle is that we saw these sort of moves day after day. Too early to say if this is a wobble or a bigger problem.
Worth noting: the gilt move really kicked off on speculation that Reeves could be replaced. ‘Reeves being replaced’ in this case meaning ‘a loosening of the fiscal rules’.
So there you have the first problem. Cut spending - PLP won’t wear it. Increase borrowing - the gilt market pushes back. You’re left with, raise taxes - break a manifesto pledge. Option 3 likely the least painful.
Depends on which taxes are raised. IIRC Starmer and Reeves have always said that they wouldn't raise taxes of 'working people"! Hence, en passant, the inheritance tax on rural landlords. But what about people who don't work? As well the rural landlords the are other landlords, investors, speculators on the Stock Exchange and Metal (etc) Exchanges. Inheritance tax might be a goer, too, although that doesn't bring in money quickly enough.
They will freeze tax allowances, freeze the WFA threshold, and maybe row back the annual cash ISA limit
If Reeves is still in post then the assumption is on Cash Isas she will announce a cut to 5k a year limit in the Mansion House speech in 2 weeks time. Freezing personal allowances almost certain and a big rise in fuel duty i think is likely
I think the ISA policy is broadly OK, but it’s another one that’s going to get people grumpy. Particularly pensioners who use the allowance to build more “safe” savings pots.
As a pensioner, we have more than enough help from the Government. If we have to pay some tax on our savings to help others, I don’t have a problem.
Equities will still have a £20k allowance so it's just useless cash ISAs that get gutted so pushing more money into equity markets will be the end result which is a net positive. Should have been done years ago.
Depends which equity markets. Doesn't help London much if people use world or US trackers.
Well there is that issue of course. What is the tax relief for ? I thought it was just to encourage us to be less of a burden on the state by increasing long term personal saving, but if RR is going to justify any changes as supporting British business then she is going to have to be a lot more micromanagey than just squeezing the cash ISA limit. Not enough to restrict to UK listed shares even. Many FTSE100 companies have most of their profit centres ex-UK, I think.
The Tories two cuts to NI really does seem to be incredibly reckless now. Labour have themselves to blame for the current situation but their legacy from the Tories was a real hospital pass.
The Motability Scheme, the government-backed programme that hands out cars in exchange for PIP benefits, is back in the spotlight. Fresh figures quietly released in response to a Parliamentary Question reveal that in 2024 alone, £600 million was funnelled from the Department for Work and Pensions straight into the Scheme.
I have a relative with a car from Motability. She badly needs it due to her disability. She will be furious if it's taken from her and for very good reason
I wonder if there is a link in here to bus services. They've been cut by 50% since 2010, so the transport options available to people have been severely curtailed. Hence the increasing reliance on very expensive motability schemes? We know there is a strong correlation with income and car mileage, and an inverse one with using buses.
Now they want to get rid of the state pension triple lock.and replace it with a 4 point guarantee which inevitably will be worth less. These politicians are duplicitous nssty people.. trust none of them. Do they really think.people will be deceived?
The Motability Scheme, the government-backed programme that hands out cars in exchange for PIP benefits, is back in the spotlight. Fresh figures quietly released in response to a Parliamentary Question reveal that in 2024 alone, £600 million was funnelled from the Department for Work and Pensions straight into the Scheme.
I have a relative with a car from Motability. She badly needs it due to her disability. She will be furious if it's taken from her and for very good reason
The claim isn't that there aren't people in need of it, it is that it has grown out of all proportion and again now includes a very wide range of applicable conditions that people would be rather surprised are eligible. There is also suspicion that the system is being played.
Apparently there are chronic alcoholics that have a state subsidised car. You couldn’t make it up.
The Tories two cuts to NI really does seem to be incredibly reckless now. Labour have themselves to blame for the current situation but their legacy from the Tories was a real hospital pass.
Why do you think I’ve continually bleated on about reversing that with 3p on income tax softened by retaining the WFA
The Tories two cuts to NI really does seem to be incredibly reckless now. Labour have themselves to blame for the current situation but their legacy from the Tories was a real hospital pass.
The government had a small window to say we have a big mandate, finances are far worse than we thought, sorry we are going to have to break promises. Tories did it with VAT in 2010, nobody remembered that by 2015.
They would have got lots of incoming about lying, but 4-5 years down the line if the public finances were in better shape people will continue to buy the initial claims of action had to be taken that we didn't want to take.
The Motability Scheme, the government-backed programme that hands out cars in exchange for PIP benefits, is back in the spotlight. Fresh figures quietly released in response to a Parliamentary Question reveal that in 2024 alone, £600 million was funnelled from the Department for Work and Pensions straight into the Scheme.
To lease a new BMW on the Motability Scheme in exchange for your Mobility Allowance, simply contact a Motability Sales Specialist at your local BMW Centre, who can help find the right BMW for you, either at the showroom or in the comfort of your own home.
With one-off Advance Payments across our choice of BMW models, the benefits of choosing a BMW on the Motability Scheme include:
A new BMW every three years 60,000 mile allowance or 100,000 miles for Wheelchair Adapted Vehicles (WAV) Insurance included
The last car in that scheme, the i4, is a £53k car:
I want to be indignant. But... what's the full weekly PIP worth though ? Wonder how it compares with market leasing rates for that car ?
Enhanced rate for mobility is just over 77 quid a week
Thanks. So when the BMW brochure says it will cost your "full allowance" it just means the £77 pw enhanced mobility allowance ?
If so that's an insanely good deal with everything that's thrown in.
Yes but you will have an advance payment to pay with higher end models.
In the case of that BMW, it's £6k. About the same ballpark as a typical initial payment on a 9 or 12+35 lease I might take out. But my ongoing payments would be way over £77 a week on a car like that, even before insurance, maintenance.
Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 17m The gilt move - especially at the long end - is big and bad. No sugar coating it. That said, the thing about the Truss debacle is that we saw these sort of moves day after day. Too early to say if this is a wobble or a bigger problem.
Worth noting: the gilt move really kicked off on speculation that Reeves could be replaced. ‘Reeves being replaced’ in this case meaning ‘a loosening of the fiscal rules’.
So there you have the first problem. Cut spending - PLP won’t wear it. Increase borrowing - the gilt market pushes back. You’re left with, raise taxes - break a manifesto pledge. Option 3 likely the least painful.
Depends on which taxes are raised. IIRC Starmer and Reeves have always said that they wouldn't raise taxes of 'working people"! Hence, en passant, the inheritance tax on rural landlords. But what about people who don't work? As well the rural landlords the are other landlords, investors, speculators on the Stock Exchange and Metal (etc) Exchanges. Inheritance tax might be a goer, too, although that doesn't bring in money quickly enough.
They will freeze tax allowances, freeze the WFA threshold, and maybe row back the annual cash ISA limit
If Reeves is still in post then the assumption is on Cash Isas she will announce a cut to 5k a year limit in the Mansion House speech in 2 weeks time. Freezing personal allowances almost certain and a big rise in fuel duty i think is likely
I think the ISA policy is broadly OK, but it’s another one that’s going to get people grumpy. Particularly pensioners who use the allowance to build more “safe” income pots.
Im not a fan of it as I think encouraging investment into shitty equity funds is pointless. But as I can't have 5k a year to save right now it's not a drama for me. If banks take savings interest at source you can probably find deals that get around the lost 20%, it's not like savings produce much income with our flaccid interest rates anyway. Easiest sokution would be raise the interest limit before tax kicks in to a few thousand and scrap isas altogether
You can easily replicate the risk and return characteristics of a cash ISA within a stocks and shares ISA: short dated gilts, money market funds made up of said gilts plus other short dated debt...
The Motability Scheme, the government-backed programme that hands out cars in exchange for PIP benefits, is back in the spotlight. Fresh figures quietly released in response to a Parliamentary Question reveal that in 2024 alone, £600 million was funnelled from the Department for Work and Pensions straight into the Scheme.
To lease a new BMW on the Motability Scheme in exchange for your Mobility Allowance, simply contact a Motability Sales Specialist at your local BMW Centre, who can help find the right BMW for you, either at the showroom or in the comfort of your own home.
With one-off Advance Payments across our choice of BMW models, the benefits of choosing a BMW on the Motability Scheme include:
A new BMW every three years 60,000 mile allowance or 100,000 miles for Wheelchair Adapted Vehicles (WAV) Insurance included
The last car in that scheme, the i4, is a £53k car:
I want to be indignant. But... what's the full weekly PIP worth though ? Wonder how it compares with market leasing rates for that car ?
Enhanced rate for mobility is just over 77 quid a week
Thanks. So when the BMW brochure says it will cost your "full allowance" it just means the £77 pw enhanced mobility allowance ?
If so that's an insanely good deal with everything that's thrown in.
There is additionally a prepayment deposit required. On the wife's WAV that was £43999 five years ago and similar DFW Wavs are about £59,999 deposit now for a 5 year lease
DFW is drive from wheelchair btw and gives Mrs BJ a lot of independence and requires a lowered floor. This type of vehicle are all on 5 year terms.
A poor couple of days for the Government it would seem - we'll see how long this sticks in the public memory. It could be forgotten by 2028 or it might be the defining moment of this Government.
The extent to which the Prime Minister and Chancellor have been significantly damaged by this remains to be seen but the fact remains if any kind of attempt to reduce spending is met with this kind of political resistance, it will be taxes which will have to rise (land value taxation?) and substantially if the deficit and borrowing are to be reduced.
The Conservatives, who allowed, albeit under extraordinary circumstances, borrowing and deficit levels to soar have nothing to offer but platitudes while the other parties seem convinced the party isn't yet over but it is.
Raising taxes (and all that flows from it) now seems the only game in town and we can all look forward to more pain over the coming years which I think was inevitable whoever won last year. Labour are the ones stuck holding the hand grenade with the pin out when the music stopped.
Closing off options to raise income tax, NI and VAT is in the true spirit of George HW Bush but we are past that point if we cannot even make relatively small (£5 billion is peanuts) changes to welfare. There are real questions for the Conservatives, Reform and the LDs to answer about what they would do and what they would support but they aren't the ones in charge now.
Whether today has cost Labour the next election is debatable but the overarching images aren't good for a party which promised "change". It sounds and feels like the Tories never left the building in some respects.
Labour lost the election months ago. Probably a few months into their first year. People chucked the Tories overboard hoping/praying that would miraculously fix the pitiful state of Britain, and sharpish. Both parties are now equally loathed. We're on for a muddled hung parliament or narrow Reform victory whenever the election is held.
And to think Alastair Campbell was on the BBC on election day +1 revelling in thoughts of another Blair/Brown-esque managerial 13 years. His ilk are dinosaurs from a lost epoch.
Government, whoever is in power, has lost legitimacy.
Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 17m The gilt move - especially at the long end - is big and bad. No sugar coating it. That said, the thing about the Truss debacle is that we saw these sort of moves day after day. Too early to say if this is a wobble or a bigger problem.
Worth noting: the gilt move really kicked off on speculation that Reeves could be replaced. ‘Reeves being replaced’ in this case meaning ‘a loosening of the fiscal rules’.
So there you have the first problem. Cut spending - PLP won’t wear it. Increase borrowing - the gilt market pushes back. You’re left with, raise taxes - break a manifesto pledge. Option 3 likely the least painful.
Depends on which taxes are raised. IIRC Starmer and Reeves have always said that they wouldn't raise taxes of 'working people"! Hence, en passant, the inheritance tax on rural landlords. But what about people who don't work? As well the rural landlords the are other landlords, investors, speculators on the Stock Exchange and Metal (etc) Exchanges. Inheritance tax might be a goer, too, although that doesn't bring in money quickly enough.
They will freeze tax allowances, freeze the WFA threshold, and maybe row back the annual cash ISA limit
If Reeves is still in post then the assumption is on Cash Isas she will announce a cut to 5k a year limit in the Mansion House speech in 2 weeks time. Freezing personal allowances almost certain and a big rise in fuel duty i think is likely
I think the ISA policy is broadly OK, but it’s another one that’s going to get people grumpy. Particularly pensioners who use the allowance to build more “safe” savings pots.
As a pensioner, we have more than enough help from the Government. If we have to pay some tax on our savings to help others, I don’t have a problem.
Equities will still have a £20k allowance so it's just useless cash ISAs that get gutted so pushing more money into equity markets will be the end result which is a net positive. Should have been done years ago.
Cah is not useless.
The economy benefits if cash is invested rather than just sitting in bank accounts. It’s how capitalism is supposed to work.
If it’s sitting in your account the bank is investing it.
I am aware of that but it’s not really participating in capitalism the way it is supposed to work and you never get any real growth of your capital in the bank, the interest rate will nearly always be below inflation.
The Motability Scheme, the government-backed programme that hands out cars in exchange for PIP benefits, is back in the spotlight. Fresh figures quietly released in response to a Parliamentary Question reveal that in 2024 alone, £600 million was funnelled from the Department for Work and Pensions straight into the Scheme.
To lease a new BMW on the Motability Scheme in exchange for your Mobility Allowance, simply contact a Motability Sales Specialist at your local BMW Centre, who can help find the right BMW for you, either at the showroom or in the comfort of your own home.
With one-off Advance Payments across our choice of BMW models, the benefits of choosing a BMW on the Motability Scheme include:
A new BMW every three years 60,000 mile allowance or 100,000 miles for Wheelchair Adapted Vehicles (WAV) Insurance included
The last car in that scheme, the i4, is a £53k car:
I want to be indignant. But... what's the full weekly PIP worth though ? Wonder how it compares with market leasing rates for that car ?
Enhanced rate for mobility is just over 77 quid a week
Thanks. So when the BMW brochure says it will cost your "full allowance" it just means the £77 pw enhanced mobility allowance ?
If so that's an insanely good deal with everything that's thrown in.
There is additionally a prepayment deposit required. On the wife's WAV that was £43999 five years ago and similar DFW Wavs are about £59,999 deposit now for a 5 year lease
I'm hoping you've added an extra 9 in those numbers ?!
Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 17m The gilt move - especially at the long end - is big and bad. No sugar coating it. That said, the thing about the Truss debacle is that we saw these sort of moves day after day. Too early to say if this is a wobble or a bigger problem.
Worth noting: the gilt move really kicked off on speculation that Reeves could be replaced. ‘Reeves being replaced’ in this case meaning ‘a loosening of the fiscal rules’.
So there you have the first problem. Cut spending - PLP won’t wear it. Increase borrowing - the gilt market pushes back. You’re left with, raise taxes - break a manifesto pledge. Option 3 likely the least painful.
Depends on which taxes are raised. IIRC Starmer and Reeves have always said that they wouldn't raise taxes of 'working people"! Hence, en passant, the inheritance tax on rural landlords. But what about people who don't work? As well the rural landlords the are other landlords, investors, speculators on the Stock Exchange and Metal (etc) Exchanges. Inheritance tax might be a goer, too, although that doesn't bring in money quickly enough.
They will freeze tax allowances, freeze the WFA threshold, and maybe row back the annual cash ISA limit
If Reeves is still in post then the assumption is on Cash Isas she will announce a cut to 5k a year limit in the Mansion House speech in 2 weeks time. Freezing personal allowances almost certain and a big rise in fuel duty i think is likely
I think the ISA policy is broadly OK, but it’s another one that’s going to get people grumpy. Particularly pensioners who use the allowance to build more “safe” savings pots.
As a pensioner, we have more than enough help from the Government. If we have to pay some tax on our savings to help others, I don’t have a problem.
Equities will still have a £20k allowance so it's just useless cash ISAs that get gutted so pushing more money into equity markets will be the end result which is a net positive. Should have been done years ago.
Depends which equity markets. Doesn't help London much if people use world or US trackers.
Well if London was more investible people would be putting their money in it.
The S&S ISA is not there to help the FTSE, it’s there for the investor.
Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 17m The gilt move - especially at the long end - is big and bad. No sugar coating it. That said, the thing about the Truss debacle is that we saw these sort of moves day after day. Too early to say if this is a wobble or a bigger problem.
Worth noting: the gilt move really kicked off on speculation that Reeves could be replaced. ‘Reeves being replaced’ in this case meaning ‘a loosening of the fiscal rules’.
So there you have the first problem. Cut spending - PLP won’t wear it. Increase borrowing - the gilt market pushes back. You’re left with, raise taxes - break a manifesto pledge. Option 3 likely the least painful.
Depends on which taxes are raised. IIRC Starmer and Reeves have always said that they wouldn't raise taxes of 'working people"! Hence, en passant, the inheritance tax on rural landlords. But what about people who don't work? As well the rural landlords the are other landlords, investors, speculators on the Stock Exchange and Metal (etc) Exchanges. Inheritance tax might be a goer, too, although that doesn't bring in money quickly enough.
They will freeze tax allowances, freeze the WFA threshold, and maybe row back the annual cash ISA limit
If Reeves is still in post then the assumption is on Cash Isas she will announce a cut to 5k a year limit in the Mansion House speech in 2 weeks time. Freezing personal allowances almost certain and a big rise in fuel duty i think is likely
I think the ISA policy is broadly OK, but it’s another one that’s going to get people grumpy. Particularly pensioners who use the allowance to build more “safe” savings pots.
As a pensioner, we have more than enough help from the Government. If we have to pay some tax on our savings to help others, I don’t have a problem.
Equities will still have a £20k allowance so it's just useless cash ISAs that get gutted so pushing more money into equity markets will be the end result which is a net positive. Should have been done years ago.
Depends which equity markets. Doesn't help London much if people use world or US trackers.
Well there is that issue of course. What is the tax relief for ? I thought it was just to encourage us to be less of a burden on the state by increasing long term personal saving, but if RR is going to justify any changes as supporting British business then she is going to have to be a lot more micromanagey than just squeezing the cash ISA limit. Not enough to restrict to UK listed shares even. Many FTSE100 companies have most of their profit centres ex-UK, I think.
Yes, I'd assumed ISAs were to encourage saving rather than spaffing money on exotic holidays and exotic cars once middle-aged, upper middle class sorts got a sudden influx of money once their mortgages were paid off. £20,000 a year looks about right for that.
To get motability as stated you need 12 points in mobility, meaning you need to demonstrate
1. Planning and following journeys. Can plan and follow the route of a journey unaided. 0 points. Needs prompting to be able to undertake any journey to avoid overwhelming psychological distress to the claimant. 4 points. Cannot plan the route of a journey. 8 points. Cannot follow the route of an unfamiliar journey without another person, assistance dog or orientation aid. 10 points. Cannot undertake any journey because it would cause overwhelming psychological distress to the claimant. 10 points. Cannot follow the route of a familiar journey without another person, an assistance dog or an orientation aid. 12 points.
2. Moving around. Can stand and then move more than 200 metres, either aided or unaided. 0 points. Can stand and then move more than 50 metres but no more than 200 metres, either aided or unaided. 4 points. Can stand and then move unaided more than 20 metres but no more than 50 metres. 8 points. Can stand and then move using an aid or appliance more than 20 metres but no more than 50 metres. 10 points. Can stand and then move more than 1 metre but no more than 20 metres, either aided or unaided. 12 points. Cannot, either aided or unaided, – stand; or move more than 1 metre. 12 points.
Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 17m The gilt move - especially at the long end - is big and bad. No sugar coating it. That said, the thing about the Truss debacle is that we saw these sort of moves day after day. Too early to say if this is a wobble or a bigger problem.
Worth noting: the gilt move really kicked off on speculation that Reeves could be replaced. ‘Reeves being replaced’ in this case meaning ‘a loosening of the fiscal rules’.
So there you have the first problem. Cut spending - PLP won’t wear it. Increase borrowing - the gilt market pushes back. You’re left with, raise taxes - break a manifesto pledge. Option 3 likely the least painful.
Depends on which taxes are raised. IIRC Starmer and Reeves have always said that they wouldn't raise taxes of 'working people"! Hence, en passant, the inheritance tax on rural landlords. But what about people who don't work? As well the rural landlords the are other landlords, investors, speculators on the Stock Exchange and Metal (etc) Exchanges. Inheritance tax might be a goer, too, although that doesn't bring in money quickly enough.
They will freeze tax allowances, freeze the WFA threshold, and maybe row back the annual cash ISA limit
If Reeves is still in post then the assumption is on Cash Isas she will announce a cut to 5k a year limit in the Mansion House speech in 2 weeks time. Freezing personal allowances almost certain and a big rise in fuel duty i think is likely
I think the ISA policy is broadly OK, but it’s another one that’s going to get people grumpy. Particularly pensioners who use the allowance to build more “safe” savings pots.
As a pensioner, we have more than enough help from the Government. If we have to pay some tax on our savings to help others, I don’t have a problem.
Equities will still have a £20k allowance so it's just useless cash ISAs that get gutted so pushing more money into equity markets will be the end result which is a net positive. Should have been done years ago.
Depends which equity markets. Doesn't help London much if people use world or US trackers.
Well if London was more investible people would be putting their money in it.
The S&S ISA is not there to help the FTSE, it’s there for the investor.
Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 17m The gilt move - especially at the long end - is big and bad. No sugar coating it. That said, the thing about the Truss debacle is that we saw these sort of moves day after day. Too early to say if this is a wobble or a bigger problem.
Worth noting: the gilt move really kicked off on speculation that Reeves could be replaced. ‘Reeves being replaced’ in this case meaning ‘a loosening of the fiscal rules’.
So there you have the first problem. Cut spending - PLP won’t wear it. Increase borrowing - the gilt market pushes back. You’re left with, raise taxes - break a manifesto pledge. Option 3 likely the least painful.
Depends on which taxes are raised. IIRC Starmer and Reeves have always said that they wouldn't raise taxes of 'working people"! Hence, en passant, the inheritance tax on rural landlords. But what about people who don't work? As well the rural landlords the are other landlords, investors, speculators on the Stock Exchange and Metal (etc) Exchanges. Inheritance tax might be a goer, too, although that doesn't bring in money quickly enough.
They will freeze tax allowances, freeze the WFA threshold, and maybe row back the annual cash ISA limit
If Reeves is still in post then the assumption is on Cash Isas she will announce a cut to 5k a year limit in the Mansion House speech in 2 weeks time. Freezing personal allowances almost certain and a big rise in fuel duty i think is likely
I think the ISA policy is broadly OK, but it’s another one that’s going to get people grumpy. Particularly pensioners who use the allowance to build more “safe” savings pots.
As a pensioner, we have more than enough help from the Government. If we have to pay some tax on our savings to help others, I don’t have a problem.
Equities will still have a £20k allowance so it's just useless cash ISAs that get gutted so pushing more money into equity markets will be the end result which is a net positive. Should have been done years ago.
Cah is not useless.
The economy benefits if cash is invested rather than just sitting in bank accounts. It’s how capitalism is supposed to work.
If it’s sitting in your account the bank is investing it.
I am aware of that but it’s not really participating in capitalism the way it is supposed to work and you never get any real growth of your capital in the bank, the interest rate will nearly always be below inflation.
Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 17m The gilt move - especially at the long end - is big and bad. No sugar coating it. That said, the thing about the Truss debacle is that we saw these sort of moves day after day. Too early to say if this is a wobble or a bigger problem.
Worth noting: the gilt move really kicked off on speculation that Reeves could be replaced. ‘Reeves being replaced’ in this case meaning ‘a loosening of the fiscal rules’.
So there you have the first problem. Cut spending - PLP won’t wear it. Increase borrowing - the gilt market pushes back. You’re left with, raise taxes - break a manifesto pledge. Option 3 likely the least painful.
Depends on which taxes are raised. IIRC Starmer and Reeves have always said that they wouldn't raise taxes of 'working people"! Hence, en passant, the inheritance tax on rural landlords. But what about people who don't work? As well the rural landlords the are other landlords, investors, speculators on the Stock Exchange and Metal (etc) Exchanges. Inheritance tax might be a goer, too, although that doesn't bring in money quickly enough.
They will freeze tax allowances, freeze the WFA threshold, and maybe row back the annual cash ISA limit
If Reeves is still in post then the assumption is on Cash Isas she will announce a cut to 5k a year limit in the Mansion House speech in 2 weeks time. Freezing personal allowances almost certain and a big rise in fuel duty i think is likely
I think the ISA policy is broadly OK, but it’s another one that’s going to get people grumpy. Particularly pensioners who use the allowance to build more “safe” income pots.
Im not a fan of it as I think encouraging investment into shitty equity funds is pointless. But as I can't have 5k a year to save right now it's not a drama for me. If banks take savings interest at source you can probably find deals that get around the lost 20%, it's not like savings produce much income with our flaccid interest rates anyway. Easiest sokution would be raise the interest limit before tax kicks in to a few thousand and scrap isas altogether
You can easily replicate the risk and return characteristics of a cash ISA within a stocks and shares ISA: short dated gilts, money market funds made up of said gilts plus other short dated debt...
For some values of ‘easily’.
Fair. I am now imagining explaining to my parents in law how Vanguard's short term £ MM fund held through XYZ's online investment platform is "just like" the cash ISA they were going to open at the PoOst Office down the road.
The Motability Scheme, the government-backed programme that hands out cars in exchange for PIP benefits, is back in the spotlight. Fresh figures quietly released in response to a Parliamentary Question reveal that in 2024 alone, £600 million was funnelled from the Department for Work and Pensions straight into the Scheme.
To lease a new BMW on the Motability Scheme in exchange for your Mobility Allowance, simply contact a Motability Sales Specialist at your local BMW Centre, who can help find the right BMW for you, either at the showroom or in the comfort of your own home.
With one-off Advance Payments across our choice of BMW models, the benefits of choosing a BMW on the Motability Scheme include:
A new BMW every three years 60,000 mile allowance or 100,000 miles for Wheelchair Adapted Vehicles (WAV) Insurance included
The last car in that scheme, the i4, is a £53k car:
I want to be indignant. But... what's the full weekly PIP worth though ? Wonder how it compares with market leasing rates for that car ?
Enhanced rate for mobility is just over 77 quid a week
Thanks. So when the BMW brochure says it will cost your "full allowance" it just means the £77 pw enhanced mobility allowance ?
If so that's an insanely good deal with everything that's thrown in.
There is additionally a prepayment deposit required. On the wife's WAV that was £43999 five years ago and similar DFW Wavs are about £59,999 deposit now for a 5 year lease
I'm hoping you've added an extra 9 in those numbers ?!
No that is what the deposit on a VW Transporter was in 2020 for a driver from conversion. There are currently no equivalents but a Ford replacement is due out very shortly and the wife has been told the upfront payment is likely in the region of £59,999
Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 17m The gilt move - especially at the long end - is big and bad. No sugar coating it. That said, the thing about the Truss debacle is that we saw these sort of moves day after day. Too early to say if this is a wobble or a bigger problem.
Worth noting: the gilt move really kicked off on speculation that Reeves could be replaced. ‘Reeves being replaced’ in this case meaning ‘a loosening of the fiscal rules’.
So there you have the first problem. Cut spending - PLP won’t wear it. Increase borrowing - the gilt market pushes back. You’re left with, raise taxes - break a manifesto pledge. Option 3 likely the least painful.
Depends on which taxes are raised. IIRC Starmer and Reeves have always said that they wouldn't raise taxes of 'working people"! Hence, en passant, the inheritance tax on rural landlords. But what about people who don't work? As well the rural landlords the are other landlords, investors, speculators on the Stock Exchange and Metal (etc) Exchanges. Inheritance tax might be a goer, too, although that doesn't bring in money quickly enough.
They will freeze tax allowances, freeze the WFA threshold, and maybe row back the annual cash ISA limit
If Reeves is still in post then the assumption is on Cash Isas she will announce a cut to 5k a year limit in the Mansion House speech in 2 weeks time. Freezing personal allowances almost certain and a big rise in fuel duty i think is likely
I think the ISA policy is broadly OK, but it’s another one that’s going to get people grumpy. Particularly pensioners who use the allowance to build more “safe” savings pots.
As a pensioner, we have more than enough help from the Government. If we have to pay some tax on our savings to help others, I don’t have a problem.
Equities will still have a £20k allowance so it's just useless cash ISAs that get gutted so pushing more money into equity markets will be the end result which is a net positive. Should have been done years ago.
Cah is not useless.
The economy benefits if cash is invested rather than just sitting in bank accounts. It’s how capitalism is supposed to work.
If it’s sitting in your account the bank is investing it.
I am aware of that but it’s not really participating in capitalism the way it is supposed to work and you never get any real growth of your capital in the bank, the interest rate will nearly always be below inflation.
That’s your problem, not the economy’s
No it’s the economy’s problem because if people are encouraged to grow their own capital they become more self sufficient. They can even spend more in the future, so more economic activity in the real economy. Money in banks just allows banks to spend money.
To get motability as stated you need 12 points in mobility, meaning you need to demonstrate
1. Planning and following journeys. Can plan and follow the route of a journey unaided. 0 points. Needs prompting to be able to undertake any journey to avoid overwhelming psychological distress to the claimant. 4 points. Cannot plan the route of a journey. 8 points. Cannot follow the route of an unfamiliar journey without another person, assistance dog or orientation aid. 10 points. Cannot undertake any journey because it would cause overwhelming psychological distress to the claimant. 10 points. Cannot follow the route of a familiar journey without another person, an assistance dog or an orientation aid. 12 points.
2. Moving around. Can stand and then move more than 200 metres, either aided or unaided. 0 points. Can stand and then move more than 50 metres but no more than 200 metres, either aided or unaided. 4 points. Can stand and then move unaided more than 20 metres but no more than 50 metres. 8 points. Can stand and then move using an aid or appliance more than 20 metres but no more than 50 metres. 10 points. Can stand and then move more than 1 metre but no more than 20 metres, either aided or unaided. 12 points. Cannot, either aided or unaided, – stand; or move more than 1 metre. 12 points.
You can only score once from each section
Mrs U could get 12 points on that, despite being in perfect physical and mental shape.
Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 17m The gilt move - especially at the long end - is big and bad. No sugar coating it. That said, the thing about the Truss debacle is that we saw these sort of moves day after day. Too early to say if this is a wobble or a bigger problem.
Worth noting: the gilt move really kicked off on speculation that Reeves could be replaced. ‘Reeves being replaced’ in this case meaning ‘a loosening of the fiscal rules’.
So there you have the first problem. Cut spending - PLP won’t wear it. Increase borrowing - the gilt market pushes back. You’re left with, raise taxes - break a manifesto pledge. Option 3 likely the least painful.
Depends on which taxes are raised. IIRC Starmer and Reeves have always said that they wouldn't raise taxes of 'working people"! Hence, en passant, the inheritance tax on rural landlords. But what about people who don't work? As well the rural landlords the are other landlords, investors, speculators on the Stock Exchange and Metal (etc) Exchanges. Inheritance tax might be a goer, too, although that doesn't bring in money quickly enough.
They will freeze tax allowances, freeze the WFA threshold, and maybe row back the annual cash ISA limit
If Reeves is still in post then the assumption is on Cash Isas she will announce a cut to 5k a year limit in the Mansion House speech in 2 weeks time. Freezing personal allowances almost certain and a big rise in fuel duty i think is likely
I think the ISA policy is broadly OK, but it’s another one that’s going to get people grumpy. Particularly pensioners who use the allowance to build more “safe” income pots.
Im not a fan of it as I think encouraging investment into shitty equity funds is pointless. But as I can't have 5k a year to save right now it's not a drama for me. If banks take savings interest at source you can probably find deals that get around the lost 20%, it's not like savings produce much income with our flaccid interest rates anyway. Easiest sokution would be raise the interest limit before tax kicks in to a few thousand and scrap isas altogether
Removing tax free status from savings that already have it would be WFA all over again
No-one is proposing this, or ever likely to.
It was my misunderstanding the proposal to “scrap isas altogether” in the post prior.
Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 17m The gilt move - especially at the long end - is big and bad. No sugar coating it. That said, the thing about the Truss debacle is that we saw these sort of moves day after day. Too early to say if this is a wobble or a bigger problem.
Worth noting: the gilt move really kicked off on speculation that Reeves could be replaced. ‘Reeves being replaced’ in this case meaning ‘a loosening of the fiscal rules’.
So there you have the first problem. Cut spending - PLP won’t wear it. Increase borrowing - the gilt market pushes back. You’re left with, raise taxes - break a manifesto pledge. Option 3 likely the least painful.
Depends on which taxes are raised. IIRC Starmer and Reeves have always said that they wouldn't raise taxes of 'working people"! Hence, en passant, the inheritance tax on rural landlords. But what about people who don't work? As well the rural landlords the are other landlords, investors, speculators on the Stock Exchange and Metal (etc) Exchanges. Inheritance tax might be a goer, too, although that doesn't bring in money quickly enough.
They will freeze tax allowances, freeze the WFA threshold, and maybe row back the annual cash ISA limit
If Reeves is still in post then the assumption is on Cash Isas she will announce a cut to 5k a year limit in the Mansion House speech in 2 weeks time. Freezing personal allowances almost certain and a big rise in fuel duty i think is likely
I think the ISA policy is broadly OK, but it’s another one that’s going to get people grumpy. Particularly pensioners who use the allowance to build more “safe” savings pots.
As a pensioner, we have more than enough help from the Government. If we have to pay some tax on our savings to help others, I don’t have a problem.
Equities will still have a £20k allowance so it's just useless cash ISAs that get gutted so pushing more money into equity markets will be the end result which is a net positive. Should have been done years ago.
Cah is not useless.
The economy benefits if cash is invested rather than just sitting in bank accounts. It’s how capitalism is supposed to work.
If it’s sitting in your account the bank is investing it.
I am aware of that but it’s not really participating in capitalism the way it is supposed to work and you never get any real growth of your capital in the bank, the interest rate will nearly always be below inflation.
That’s your problem, not the economy’s
No it’s the economy’s problem because if people are encouraged to grow their own capital they become more self sufficient. They can even spend more in the future, so more economic activity in the real economy. Money in banks just allows banks to spend money.
If no one deposited money in the bank I’m sure the current system would rapidly fall apart. Banks wouldn’t have any capital to lend to businesses etc.
The Motability Scheme, the government-backed programme that hands out cars in exchange for PIP benefits, is back in the spotlight. Fresh figures quietly released in response to a Parliamentary Question reveal that in 2024 alone, £600 million was funnelled from the Department for Work and Pensions straight into the Scheme.
To lease a new BMW on the Motability Scheme in exchange for your Mobility Allowance, simply contact a Motability Sales Specialist at your local BMW Centre, who can help find the right BMW for you, either at the showroom or in the comfort of your own home.
With one-off Advance Payments across our choice of BMW models, the benefits of choosing a BMW on the Motability Scheme include:
A new BMW every three years 60,000 mile allowance or 100,000 miles for Wheelchair Adapted Vehicles (WAV) Insurance included
The last car in that scheme, the i4, is a £53k car:
I want to be indignant. But... what's the full weekly PIP worth though ? Wonder how it compares with market leasing rates for that car ?
Enhanced rate for mobility is just over 77 quid a week
Thanks. So when the BMW brochure says it will cost your "full allowance" it just means the £77 pw enhanced mobility allowance ?
If so that's an insanely good deal with everything that's thrown in.
There is additionally a prepayment deposit required. On the wife's WAV that was £43999 five years ago and similar DFW Wavs are about £59,999 deposit now for a 5 year lease
I'm hoping you've added an extra 9 in those numbers ?!
No that is what the deposit on a VW Transporter was in 2020 for a driver from conversion. There are currently no equivalents but a Ford replacement is due out very shortly and the wife has been told the upfront payment is likely in the region of £59,999
Wow. So very different numbers to the unmodified BMWs that I'm trying not to get indignant about
So in the scheme you're looking at, maybe a dumb question but do you get some of that money back at the end of the lease ? Doesn't seem like a great deal otherwise.
To get motability as stated you need 12 points in mobility, meaning you need to demonstrate
1. Planning and following journeys. Can plan and follow the route of a journey unaided. 0 points. Needs prompting to be able to undertake any journey to avoid overwhelming psychological distress to the claimant. 4 points. Cannot plan the route of a journey. 8 points. Cannot follow the route of an unfamiliar journey without another person, assistance dog or orientation aid. 10 points. Cannot undertake any journey because it would cause overwhelming psychological distress to the claimant. 10 points. Cannot follow the route of a familiar journey without another person, an assistance dog or an orientation aid. 12 points.
2. Moving around. Can stand and then move more than 200 metres, either aided or unaided. 0 points. Can stand and then move more than 50 metres but no more than 200 metres, either aided or unaided. 4 points. Can stand and then move unaided more than 20 metres but no more than 50 metres. 8 points. Can stand and then move using an aid or appliance more than 20 metres but no more than 50 metres. 10 points. Can stand and then move more than 1 metre but no more than 20 metres, either aided or unaided. 12 points. Cannot, either aided or unaided, – stand; or move more than 1 metre. 12 points.
You can only score once from each section
If you 'Cannot follow the route of a familiar journey without another person, an assistance dog or an orientation aid.' how are you expected to cope with roundabouts?
Comments
If banks take savings interest at source you can probably find deals that get around the lost 20%, it's not like savings produce much income with our flaccid interest rates anyway.
Easiest sokution would be raise the interest limit before tax kicks in to a few thousand and scrap isas altogether
"Get a job, you wasters..."
A poor couple of days for the Government it would seem - we'll see how long this sticks in the public memory. It could be forgotten by 2028 or it might be the defining moment of this Government.
The extent to which the Prime Minister and Chancellor have been significantly damaged by this remains to be seen but the fact remains if any kind of attempt to reduce spending is met with this kind of political resistance, it will be taxes which will have to rise (land value taxation?) and substantially if the deficit and borrowing are to be reduced.
The Conservatives, who allowed, albeit under extraordinary circumstances, borrowing and deficit levels to soar have nothing to offer but platitudes while the other parties seem convinced the party isn't yet over but it is.
Raising taxes (and all that flows from it) now seems the only game in town and we can all look forward to more pain over the coming years which I think was inevitable whoever won last year. Labour are the ones stuck holding the hand grenade with the pin out when the music stopped.
Closing off options to raise income tax, NI and VAT is in the true spirit of George HW Bush but we are past that point if we cannot even make relatively small (£5 billion is peanuts) changes to welfare. There are real questions for the Conservatives, Reform and the LDs to answer about what they would do and what they would support but they aren't the ones in charge now.
Whether today has cost Labour the next election is debatable but the overarching images aren't good for a party which promised "change". It sounds and feels like the Tories never left the building in some respects.
I wish Austerity Reeves well in whatever she does next.
----------
Almost 130,000 households in taxpayer-subsidised homes are among the top earners in the country, Telegraph analysis shows. Official figures reveal that 3.2pc of those renting from local authorities and housing associations earned at least £71,344 last year.
Am I the only person in the country who doesn't receive any freebies / discounted living from the state?
In the era of Trump I'm not even sure I'd be happy with a super US embassy frankly.
To lease a new BMW on the Motability Scheme in exchange for your Mobility Allowance, simply contact a Motability Sales Specialist at your local BMW Centre, who can help find the right BMW for you, either at the showroom or in the comfort of your own home.
With one-off Advance Payments across our choice of BMW models, the benefits of choosing a BMW on the Motability Scheme include:
A new BMW every three years
60,000 mile allowance or 100,000 miles for Wheelchair Adapted Vehicles (WAV)
Insurance included
My current car is ex-motability and it's been very good.
So it will have to be another massive increase in employers NI and possibly also fuel duty as car drivers can't really be considered a specific group.
Or compulsory health insurance. We have to get real.
https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/i4/hatchback/35-702kwh-m-sport-gran-coupe-5dr-electric-auto-edrive-286-ps/version
I want to be indignant. But... what's the full weekly PIP worth though ? Wonder how it compares with market leasing rates for that car ?
I just can't keep up with all these forecasts. Has the FT article been written by an AI intern?
Might consider it middle aged in a couple of years and allow it down the allotment.
If so that's an insanely good deal with everything that's thrown in.
I’m afraid govts from Blair on have really let down the young over this.
People like that lady in the BBC article who was rejected for a job she was overqualified for at Aldi are going to learn a hard life lesson. Hopefully they are young enough to be able to adapt.
90% of motability cars are unmodified.
I know 2 people with motability cars. I have deliberately not looked at the scheme in detail before because I didn't really want to dwell on my suspicion that neither of them needed a shiny new - unmodified of course - car subsidised by me.
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2025/07martin-lewis-cash-isa-limit/
It would have been unaffected by the 4 point rule thing which was for daily living aspect only
I think it is what people imagine a motability vehicle should be, rather than a flash, unmodified, BMW.
I had a chance of an apprenticeship in that industry but went into mechanical engineering. My idiot Mother put me off telling me I’d spend most of my time in Morgues. He’s never been in one in his life.
Introduced for good reasons.
Played by people to get car cheaply.
Governmet introduces new checks that fall heaviest on those who actually need Motability.
Everyone upset.
Do they really think.people will be deceived?
They would have got lots of incoming about lying, but 4-5 years down the line if the public finances were in better shape people will continue to buy the initial claims of action had to be taken that we didn't want to take.
And to think Alastair Campbell was on the BBC on election day +1 revelling in thoughts of another Blair/Brown-esque managerial 13 years. His ilk are dinosaurs from a lost epoch.
Government, whoever is in power, has lost legitimacy.
https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2025/06/26/voting-patterns-in-the-2024-election/
The S&S ISA is not there to help the FTSE, it’s there for the investor.
1. Planning and following journeys.
Can plan and follow the route of a journey unaided. 0 points.
Needs prompting to be able to undertake any journey to avoid overwhelming psychological distress to the claimant. 4 points.
Cannot plan the route of a journey. 8 points.
Cannot follow the route of an unfamiliar journey without another person, assistance dog or orientation aid. 10 points.
Cannot undertake any journey because it would cause overwhelming psychological distress to the claimant. 10 points.
Cannot follow the route of a familiar journey without another person, an assistance dog or an orientation aid. 12 points.
2. Moving around.
Can stand and then move more than 200 metres, either aided or unaided. 0 points.
Can stand and then move more than 50 metres but no more than 200 metres, either aided or unaided. 4 points.
Can stand and then move unaided more than 20 metres but no more than 50 metres. 8 points.
Can stand and then move using an aid or appliance more than 20 metres but no more than 50 metres. 10 points.
Can stand and then move more than 1 metre but no more than 20 metres, either aided or unaided. 12 points.
Cannot, either aided or unaided, –
stand; or
move more than 1 metre. 12 points.
You can only score once from each section
What a horrid job.
Sympathy for someone should cut across political lines. Eg I felt very sorry for Theresa May when she was ousted.
So in the scheme you're looking at, maybe a dumb question but do you get some of that money back at the end of the lease ? Doesn't seem like a great deal otherwise.