News

Jeremy Hunt sets new direction for government as Truss’s credibility trashed by u-turn

Published

2 years ago

October 17, 2022

ON MONDAY, Jeremy Hunt unpicked virtually every element of Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-budget to calm financial markets and restore order to chaos.

The new Chancellor’s statement was a sobering reminder that although Prime Ministers serve with their colleagues’ consent, governments cannot survive without market confidence.

Mr Hunt said every Government’s core responsibility was to deliver economic stability.

“No government can control the markets. But every Government can give certainty about the sustainability of the public finances.”

His words were a damning implied indictment of the PM’s economic policy.

FULL REVERSE GEAR

The Chancellor’s words had an immediate effect on markets: the pound strengthened, and UK government bond yields fell to reduce the cost of government borrowing.

The statement might reduce the amount of a projected mortgage interest rise in November.

But make no mistake: the statement is a humiliation for the PM.

Every policy she’s trailed, trumpeted, and brought in has been chucked on the bin fire of her Government’s reputation.

Liz Truss sacked Mr Kwarteng because she did as she said and pursued a policy she endorsed enthusiastically.

The PM’s campaign slogan was “Trusted to Deliver”.

Her detractors pointed out that Liz Truss was pushed by the political winds and could not set her own course.

She’s tried setting her course and crashed the economy into an iceberg.

Moreover, her Cabinet colleagues must wonder whether they can trust the PM to stand behind them when they pursue a government policy she supports.

This is a government living hour-to-hour, in office but not in power, and with its key policies made by financial markets instead of ministers.

**Separate lives:** Truss and Kwarteng part ways

GOVERNMENT AIMS TO “REGAIN TRUST”

The Chancellor’s statement pulled no punches about the size of Ms Truss’s and Mr Kwarteng’s miscalculation and overconfidence.

Mr Hunt said: “The government is prepared to act decisively and at scale to regain the country’s confidence and trust.”

The painful use of the word “regain” underlines what the Government lost after September 23.

The Chancellor stated there would be “more difficult decisions” on tax and spending.

Mr Hunt is focused on lowering debt in the medium term and putting public finances on “a sustainable footing”.

Using the word “sustainable” implies the previous plan was unsustainable.

In light of this, government departments will be asked to find efficiencies within their budgets. The Chancellor is expected to announce further changes to its fiscal policy on October 31 to put the public finances on a sustainable footing.

Reversal of fortunes: Pound rebounded on announcement of U-turn

TAX CUTS SCRAPPED

The Chancellor announced a reversal of almost all of the tax measures set out in the Growth Plan that have not been legislated for in parliament.

The following tax policies will no longer be taken forward:

Cutting the basic rate of income tax to 19% from April 2023. While the Government aims to proceed with the cut in due course, this will only happen “when economic conditions allow for it, and a change is affordable”. The basic rate of income tax will therefore remain at 20% indefinitely. This is worth around £6 billion a year.
Cutting dividends tax by 1.25 percentage points from April 2023. The 1.25 percentage points increase, which took effect in April 2022, will remain in place. This is valued at around £1 billion a year.
Repealing the 2017 and 2021 reforms to the off-payroll working rules (also known as IR35) from April 2023. This will cut the Government’s growth plan’s cost by around £2 billion a year.
Introducing a new VAT-free shopping scheme for non-UK visitors to Great Britain. Not proceeding with this scheme is worth around £2 billion a year.
Freezing alcohol duty rates from February 1 2023, for a year. Not proceeding with the freeze is worth approximately £600 million a year.
This follows from the previously announced decisions not to proceed with the Growth Plan proposals to remove the additional income tax rate and to cancel the planned increase in the corporation tax rate.

The changes are estimated to be worth around £32 billion a year.

That still leaves the Government with a lot to find to plug the hole in its finances, which indicates more pain will follow in public spending.

The Government’s reversal of the National Insurance increase, the Health and Social Care Levy, and the Stamp Duty Land Tax cuts will continue to benefit millions of people and businesses.

The £1 million Annual Investment Allowance, the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme and the Company Share Options Plan will continue supporting business investment further.

ENERGY BILL SUPPORT TO CHANGE

In September, the Government announced massive financial support to protect households and businesses from high energy prices.

The Energy Price Guarantee and the Energy Bill Relief Scheme support millions of households and businesses with rising energy costs.

The Chancellor made clear they will continue to do so from now until April next year.

However, looking beyond April, the Prime Minister and the Chancellor have agreed that it would be irresponsible for the Government to continue exposing the public finances to unlimited volatility in international gas prices.

A Treasury-led review will therefore be launched to consider how to support households and businesses with energy bills after April 2023. The review’s objective is to design a new approach that will cost the taxpayer significantly less than planned whilst ensuring enough support for those in need.

The Chancellor also said in his statement that any support for businesses will be targeted to those most affected and that the new approach will better incentivise energy efficiency.

“CHAOS AT THE HEART OF GOVERNMENT”

Rebecca Evans, Wales’s Finance Minister, responded: “The complete unravelling of the mini-budget shows the chaos at the heart of the UK Government.
“In six short weeks, the UK Government’s reckless and flawed economic policy has caused mayhem in the financial markets, pushed up mortgage costs and stretched household budgets even further.
“Now the UK Government is rolling back on its energy price support scheme for households, which will only add to the uncertainty people face as they worry about paying their bills.
“The new Chancellor has signalled a new era of austerity to start to fill the hole in public finances.
“We will all pay for the Government’s mistakes. But this is a crisis made in Downing Street and one it needs to address.
“The Chancellor needs to use his next financial statement to provide reassurance we will not see the deep spending cuts that will affect jobs, services and our economy – and to provide support to vulnerable households who have been ignored today.”

Crime

Only 3% of sexual offences reported to Dyfed-Powys Police result in a charge

Published

3 hours ago

January 22, 2025

Tom Sinclair

MORE than 1,600 rape and sexual offences have been reported to Dyfed-Powys Police in the last year, but just three per cent resulted in a charge or summons.

New data obtained by Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice (SACA) has revealed that between September 2023 and 2024, a total of 1,686 offences were reported to the force but just 47 resulted in a charge or summons.

Sexual Abuse Claims Specialist, Ellie Lamey says it is “staggeringly low” and “it is important victims know that support is available.”

In the last year, there were 1,141 sexual offences reported to Dyfed-Powys Police as well as further 545 rapes.

Of those, just 47 resulted in a charge with 552 offences still under investigation.

According to the force, the majority of rape and sexual offence victims and alleged perpetrators were between the ages of 0-17.

Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice also obtained new data from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) – which is a government-backed organisation that can offer compensation to victims of sexual abuse.

In the last year, the CICA received 13,313 applications from alleged victims of sexual assault or abuse.

Of those, 1,763 received compensation – that’s just 13 per cent.

CICA Specialist at SACA, Ellie Lamey said: “The number of sexual assault/abuse victims who have applied for CIC is staggeringly low compared to the number of offences being reported to police forces across the UK.”

This, along with mammoth delays in the court system and the early release of prisoners is, of course, hugely concerning for victims.

SACA’s investigation revealed the main reasons why victims are rejected by the CICA. They include: the incident was not a ‘crime of violence’, the application was made outside the relevant time limit, failure to co-operate with bringing the assailant to justice and failure to co-operate with the CICA.

In the last year, the organisation paid out compensation totalling £18,463,509.85 to victims of sexual abuse.

Specialist Ellie Lamey added: “It is so important that victims know there is support available for them and not to be deterred or fearful of rejection.

“Victims should be aware that they can report historical periods of abuse/assaults to the police, regardless of the amount of time that has passed.

“Victims can avoid rejections by ensuring they fully cooperate with the police in bringing the assailant to justice as well as seeking appropriate medical attention regarding any physical or psychological injuries sustained from the assault they are a victim of.

“CICA data from 2020-2022 shows that 18 per cent of applications are submitted outside of the two-year time limit, and of these 61 per cent went on to receive an award.

“With relevant evidence, we can provide exceptional circumstances that have contributed to the delay in a victim submitting an application.”

Dyfed-Powys Police responded to the data saying that it had the second highest conviction rate for rape offences in England and Wales at 72.7% in the year to date.

However, the force said it recognises that there is still a lot more to do to ensure that all victims-survivors get the justice they deserve.

One of the force’s priorities is to provide a compassionate response to victims of rape and serious sexual assault and the relentless pursuit of offenders

The force joined Operation Sorteria Bluestone in 2022, the aim of which was to transform the policing response to rape and serious sexual offences (RASSO).

A spokesperson said: “We are committed to supporting victims-survivors of rape and sexual assault and all detectives are fully trained in the College of Policing Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Investigative Skills Development Programme (RISDP).

“We’ve revolutionised our response to rape victims-survivors by providing an option of speaking to an officer via video call utilising specialist software. This has enabled victims-survivors to have access to specialist support in an environment which is comfortable for them.

“Rape and sexual offences investigations can be complex and due to their very nature can take longer than 12 months to investigate thoroughly.

“The Government’s review also acknowledged that not all victims-survivors who report incidents to the police want to proceed with a criminal justice outcome.

“As such, measuring charge rates within a 12-month period against the volume of crime reported can be sometimes misleading.”

The police spokesperson added: “We would urge anyone who has been a victim-survivor of a sexual offence to please come forward and get the support they rightly deserve.

“Whether a victim-survivor chooses to involve the police or not, support is available to everyone. New Pathways is the largest sexual violence support provider in Wales, with extensive experience of delivering specialist support to adults and children affected by the trauma of rape, sexual assault or sexual abuse.

“We would also encourage victims-survivors of sexual assault to seek help through sexual assault referral centres (SARCs). SARCs provide a safe space and dedicated care for people who have been raped, sexually assaulted or abused, and are here for everyone.”

Visit New Pathways on www.newpathways.org.uk, or to find a SARC go to collaborative.nhs.wales/SARCs
For details of support services and how to report a sexual offence, including non-recent incidents, visit https://bit.ly/reportsexualoffences
If you have been a victim of a crime, report it to Dyfed-Powys Police, either online at: https://bit.ly/DPPContactOnline, by emailing [email protected], or by calling 101. If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech impaired text the non-emergency number on 07811 311 908.
Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555111, or visiting www.crimestoppers-uk.org

Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice (SACA) also offers a specialist service for anyone looking for support and advice after being affected by rape or sexual assault.

They operate a 24-hour helpline and live chat service which you can access on their website.

Crime

Homeless man jailed for broom attack on good Samaritan

Published

16 hours ago

January 21, 2025

Court Reporter

A HOMELESS man who attacked a good Samaritan with a broom, fracturing her elbow, has been jailed despite her act of kindness in offering him shelter.

Swansea Crown Court heard that Regan Boswell, 52, assaulted his friend at her home in Hakin on October 29, 2023, after she allowed him to stay the night.

Prosecutor Dean Pulling explained that Boswell, who was homeless, had knocked on the victim’s door asking for a place to stay. Out of compassion, she welcomed him in, hoping to help.

Initially, the arrangement was peaceful, Mr. Pulling said. However, Boswell left to purchase alcohol and later became agitated. While the victim was watching videos on her phone in the living room, Boswell suddenly entered, armed with a broom, and lashed out.

“He complained about the noise from her videos and struck her with the broom,” Mr. Pulling told the court. The attack was so forceful that the broom broke upon impact with her elbow. Boswell then used the broken handle to strike her in the stomach.

In his rage, Boswell also smashed the victim’s phone, damaged an extension cord, and overturned cans of lager in the house. Terrified, the victim fled to seek help from neighbors but found no assistance. She eventually left the building entirely until Boswell vacated the area.

The victim later attended Withybush Hospital, where doctors confirmed she had sustained a fractured elbow. In a statement read to the court, she described being deeply shaken by the violence. “I’ve never experienced anything like this before,” she said, adding that the betrayal by someone she considered a friend made it all the more distressing.

Boswell, who has no fixed address, was located by police at a spot where he had been sleeping rough. The court was told he has a long criminal record, including 98 prior offences, with 15 relating to violence and 19 involving property damage.

Defence counsel Dan Griffiths acknowledged Boswell’s extensive history of offending and attributed his actions to excessive alcohol consumption. “He admits he has a pattern of destructive behaviour,” Mr. Griffiths said, adding that Boswell’s guilty pleas were his only substantial mitigation. “He was making efforts to stay out of trouble and avoid prison.”

Judge Huw Rees condemned Boswell’s actions, highlighting his inability to control his temper or respect women. “Your actions were entirely unjustifiable,” the judge said.

Boswell was sentenced to 21 months in prison after admitting to charges of inflicting grievous bodily harm and criminal damage. Additionally, a seven-year restraining order was imposed to protect the victim.

Crime

Attempted burglary at the Welsh Bakery, Milford Haven

Published

22 hours ago

January 21, 2025

Tom Sinclair

POLICE are investigating an attempted burglary at the flat above the Welsh Bakery on Robert Street, Milford Haven. The incident is believed to have occurred between 4:30pm on Saturday, January 18, and 8:45am on Monday, January 20, 2025.

It is understood that force was used in an attempt to gain access to the upstairs flat.

Anyone with information that could assist the investigation is urged to contact PC 865 Andy Baxter at Haverfordwest police station. You can reach out via:

Online: Dyfed-Powys Police Contact Form