The National Archives UK profile, No restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons
The good news is that the brothers and sisters in Labour are going to mount an effort to dislodge Keith. The bad news is that it ain’t gonna work. At least it will give us some amusement as they try to kick lumps out of each other. I wonder how serious this all is because Fatty has not published a runners and riders yet. One is left to assume the usual suspects including those who don’t have a hope in hell.
In other news so many kites have been flown regarding the plans of Rachel from Complaints to tax the living daylights out of us. The latest is 2p on income tax, against all the manifesto aspirations, and it seems this has given rise to the movement to oust Keith. It is of course well known that our beloved Chancellor is only in place until the pressure grows too great and she is sacrificed to keep Keith in Number 10. This may well happen after her November 26 mini budget. It is an open secret that she has no input to this work and is only there to read a script. The real decisions are being made in Number 10 probably guided by Torsten Bellend. The flying of kites was one of Satan Blair’s favourite tricks. He always put out his plans and then judged reaction to them.
Only a few days before the 2p on income tax story came the prediction that milk floats, aka EVs, will be taxed per mile. This is odds on to be true. The Treasury is losing billions as ever more gullible fools switch to electric. Electric vehicles are nowhere near as cheap as they say. The massive deprecation alone makes them unviable along with the most expensive electric in the world. Never mind all that, they have lost so much in fuel duty it has to be made up somehow. I am reminded of the environmental factors used during the Brownian financial terror telling us all to buy diesel vehicles only for them to be pronounced haram a few years later. The so called “dash for diesel” resulted in even more pollution. Yet even now the predictions of those in government are treated in much the same way that Moses handled his tablets.
One of the left’s perennial favourites has been a wealth tax.The calls for it are getting much louder led by the unspeakable Dale Vince and the fraud Zack Polanski (need I write NHRN). They would have you believe that the mega rich as well as being able to afford the best legal and accounting advice on the planet are willing to actually pay a percentage of their ill gotten so we can afford to treat illegals to considerable luxury. I believe the point is that if these mega rich people supinely paid their full share they would not be mega rich. I predict it’s not going to work and by now their accountants will have squirrelled much of their wealth away from HMRC’s grubby hands. They can also up sticks and go wherever their fancy takes them.
As usual pensions or, to be more correct, pension savings are going to be hit. I remember the days when we were encouraged to take out private pension plans because the state pension was costing too much. There are predictions that they will gain £2 billion with their new plans and there was me thinking the Caledonian Cyclops had left pension funds on their uppers. This comes under the heading of stealth taxes because they think we either don’t see them or take no notice of them.
Some wags have mocked and predicted a new window tax. The problem is that this government is so cash strapped it should not be ruled out.
There are also predictions that there will be yet more tweaks to National Insurance and seeing as past performance can be an indicator in this case there will definitely be some changes.
Last year in October we had a once in a generation budget that was going to fix the foundations. Taxes were increased by eye watering amounts to cover a £22 billion black hole that was as fictitious as Keir Starmer’s marriage. This time the predictions of the black hole size have ranged from £22 billion to £50 billion. It seems once in a generation is becoming once in a year.
Now the reasons for this black hole are absolutely nothing to do with messers Starmer and Reeves they assure us. Much is being blamed on Brexit, much on the Tories but there is no blame attached to the government bribing the unions to keep working. That money was of course fully funded and fully costed, only it wasn’t was it. Incidentally those same recipients of largesse are back in the queue demanding yet more. They have yet to blame the Hundred Years War or the Battle of Hastings but give it time.
One of the reasons for the black hole is that growth, you know that thing Reeves is always looking for, has been very sluggish leading to the OBR downgrading their own growth predictions. Many countries are in deep doo doo but the NI increases a year ago encouraged nobody here to take on extra workers and la Rayner’s employment bill giving workers even more rights has not helped.
In one of the most recent red on red attacks, the new Deputy Leader Lucy Powell has said Labour must stand by their promise not to raise income tax. I am not sure why because Labour love taxing people, it is in their DNA. The fallout on the evening of the 26th November is going to be epic. I recommend all puffins to stock up on popcorn and enjoy the melée.
My own point is that any among us could easily find £50 billion of savings, the green scam alone costs us more than that. On the back of the same fag packet that Rachel from Complaints uses I reckon I could find £100 billion in savings as could all of our readers.
© well_chuffed 2025
