pensioners

Tories slammed over ‘divisive’ plans to remove foreign nationals’ right to social housing

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/tories-slammed-over-divisive-plans-remove-foreign-nationals-right-social-housing

 DIVISIVE: Shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately

FOREIGN nationals would lose their right to social housing in Britain if the Tories return to power, the party announced on Friday in new “divisive” plans.

Under the proposals, about 230,000 homes would become available by removing foreign nationals’ entitlement to social housing, with affected tenants required to move out within six months.

Foreign nationals with settled status, refugee status, or specific humanitarian protections currently qualify for social housing, while asylum seekers are generally ineligible.

Any single person in social housing who is not a UK, Irish or EU citizen would lose their home, the Conservatives say, including those with children.

Anyone with EU settled status would be exempt, but couples where neither partner holds British, EU or settled status would lose their entitlement.

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The plans were condemned by the housing charity Shelter.

Chief executive Sarah Elliott said: “These divisive plans would brutally kick people out of their homes, including thousands of families and pensioners who have lived in them for decades.

“And let’s not forget that social tenants pay rent, which goes back to the public purse and into society.

“It is completely senseless to ruin people’s lives, drive up homelessness and put extreme pressure on councils.

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/tories-slammed-over-divisive-plans-remove-foreign-nationals-right-social-housing

Continue ReadingTories slammed over ‘divisive’ plans to remove foreign nationals’ right to social housing

UK food shops report ‘massive’ rise in pensioner shoplifting

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Image of cash and pre-payment meter key
Image of cash and pre-payment meter key

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/may/12/uk-food-shops-report-massive-rise-in-pensioner-shoplifting

Kingdom Services boss says retailers seeing ‘different sort of shoplifter’ with more theft by people ‘who just can’t afford food’

Food retailers have seen a “massive” increase in pensioner shoplifters over the last year, according to a leading store security firm, amid the rising cost of living.

John Nussbaum, director of service for retail at Kingdom Services Group, has said his staff were seeing a “different sort of shoplifter now” as the cost of living “pushes people to something they’ve never done before”.

Kingdom, which provides services for hundreds of stores across the country, including supermarkets, convenience stores and shopping malls, has received 20 to 30 reports of shoplifting a week from across the UK involving “people who just can’t afford to buy food”, Nussbaum said.

He told PA Media: “We’ve seen a massive increase in pensioners shoplifting, putting a jar of coffee in their bag and one in the trolley, that sort of thing.”

He estimated that 5% of all those caught shoplifting by Kingdom staff on a weekly basis were aged over 50.

“For us over the last 12 months, we’ve got this different level of crime now. We’re now experiencing something different – pensioners, people who don’t normally shoplift,” Nussbaum said, adding: “We’ve had instances of mothers caught shoplifting when they’re with their kids.

“We’re used to seeing the organised gangs, that’s the norm, but the types of people being caught now has changed.

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Article continues at https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/may/12/uk-food-shops-report-massive-rise-in-pensioner-shoplifting

Keir Starmer says that the Labour Party under his leadership all feel a small part of Scunthorpe.
Keir Starmer says that the Labour Party under his leadership all feel a small part of Scunthorpe.
Continue ReadingUK food shops report ‘massive’ rise in pensioner shoplifting

Jeremy Corbyn: Keir Starmer says there’s no money – I don’t believe him

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https://metro.co.uk/2025/03/05/jeremy-corbyn-keir-starmer-says-no-money-dont-believe-22673792/

I said that I would praise Keir Starmer when I thought he was performing well (Picture: Getty Images)

‘There’s no money’. 


That always seems to be the current government’s response when asked to tackle the enormous crises affecting the UK. 

But as Keir Starmer announces he will ramp up military spending, and as Rachel Reeves plans to slash welfare budgets, we must never forget what impact government funding choices have on the most vulnerable people in society. 

As we speak, 4.3 million children in the UK are living in relative poverty. Over 350,000 people are homeless in England. 

Millions are worried about the cost of heating their home, braced for yet another hike in energy bills. Meanwhile, billionaires are richer than ever. 

So what is the government doing? 

They could lift children out of poverty, if they wanted to, by scrapping the two-child benefit cap. 

STEADFAST DART 25 (STDT25), the principal NATO exercise for 2025, will be the first large-scale deployment of NATO?s Allied Reaction Force (ARF) exercise conducted across various geographical locations within SACEUR?s area of responsibility. It is the largest NATO exercise in 2025, with approximately 10.000 soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines from 9 Allies, and it will be based on NATO?s new defence plans. NARRATIVE In response to an evolving and unpredictable security environment, NATO has implemented the biggest increase in collective defence since the Cold War. NATO has a new generation of defence plans, and is integrated with national military planning like never before. These defence plans make the Alliance stronger and better able to deter and, if necessary, defend against any potential adversary in any domain, and at any time. A critical component of NATO?s plans, which are designed to safeguard the Euro-Atlantic?s one billion inhabitants, is having high-readiness forces across all domains able to rapidly respond to any emerging or known threat. NATO?s new robust and agile Allied Reaction Force is central to this. Throughout January and February 2025, NATO will conduct Exercise Steadfast Dart in order to test and train the operational deployment of the Allied Reaction Force and rapid reinforcement of NATO assets located along its eastern flank. Steadfast Dart 25 is an alert and deployment exercise, and the first time the Allied Reaction Force will exercise an operational deployment since the Force?s establishment on July 1, 2024. The exercise will demonstrate NATO?s ability to activate the Allied Reaction Force, and coordinate its swift transit to where it can deliver strategic deterrence effects by bolstering forces already situated in location. Steadfast Dart 25 will showcase the Allied Reaction Force as a strategic, high-readiness, multi-domain and multinational capability that can be deployed and employed rapidly to strengthen deterrence in peacetime and crisis, and support the Alliance?s defence in conflict. NATO exercises such as this are defensive, transparent and proportionate, and conducted in full respect of our international obligations. Exercise aim: Exercise Steadfast Dart 2025 is the first large-scale deployment of NATO?s Allied Reaction Force (ARF). The aim is to test the deployable capabilities and procedures as well as the interoperability among the troop contributors and host nations. The NATO Allied Reaction Force (ARF) is a strategic, high-readiness, multi-domain capable force. It provides multi-domain forces from across the Alliance to produce effects at shorter notice than has previously been possible. STDT25 will demonstrate NATO's ability to rapidly deploy forces to reinforce NATO assets located along its eastern flank. This reinforcement will occur during a simulated emerging conflict scenario with a near-peer adversary. It will show that NATO Allied Reaction Force (ARF) can conduct and sustain complex operations across thousands of kilometers in the Eastern Europe, and in any condition. STDT25 will be a clear demonstration of NATO?s unity, strength and determination to continue to do all that is necessary to protect each other, our common values and the rules-based international order. NATO exercises are defensive, transparent, proportionate, and conducted in full respect of our international obligations.
Keir Starmer says that a changing world means we have to increase defence spending (Picture: Ministry of Defence)

They could help pensioners with energy bills, if they wanted to, by restoring universal winter fuel allowance. 

They could ensure nobody had to sleep rough on the streets, if they wanted to, by launching a massive council-house-building programme.  

Instead, they have signed off on a 13.4 billion increase in military spending. With that money, the government could scrap the two-child benefit cap 10 times over. 

Now, today, we’re told the government is preparing to cut billions from welfare budgets. 

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GAZA CITY, GAZA - FEBRUARY 25: Palestinian Ismail Barud, whose house in Bureij Refugee Camp was completely destroyed in the Israeli attacks, tries to rebuild a house as his daily life, taking care of the 3 children of his brother who lost his life in the attack, and his family, continues in Gaza City, Gaza on February 25, 2025. Barud struggles to live under extremely difficult conditions in the midst of destruction. (Photo by Moiz Salhi/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Even David Lammy admits Gaza is in ‘rubble’ (Picture: Getty Images)

Put simply: there is never any money for the poor, but always enough money for war. I just wish the government was honest about that. 

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Original article at https://metro.co.uk/2025/03/05/jeremy-corbyn-keir-starmer-says-no-money-dont-believe-22673792/

Keir Starmer says pensioners can freeze to death and poor children can starve and be condemned to failure and misery all their lives.
Keir Starmer says pensioners can freeze to death and poor children can starve and be condemned to failure and misery all their lives.
Keir Starmer justifies why he has to travel abroad so much
Keir Starmer justifies why he has to travel abroad so much

Continue ReadingJeremy Corbyn: Keir Starmer says there’s no money – I don’t believe him

Surprise energy bill rise set to hit families and pensioners the hardest

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Image of cash and pre-payment meter key
Image of cash and pre-payment meter key

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/surprise-energy-bill-rise-set-to-hit-families-and-pensioners-the-hardest

PRIME Minister Sir Keir Starmer was told to apologise after Ofgem approved a surprise 6.4 per cent rise in average energy bills set to hit working families and pensioners the hardest yesterday.

Sir Keir was accused of breaking general election pledge to slash bills by £300 after the energy regulator announced a rise of £111 from April to £1,849 a year for the typical household.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said the third consecutive increase in the cap on gas and electricity charges “is a cruel increase which is going to hit the elderly and low-paid workers the hardest.

“How can this be acceptable when energy companies are making billions in profits and millions of people are struggling to keep warm?

“The government should be making sure that everyone in the UK is able to stay warm, not making it harder.

“It can start by reversing its disastrous policy of cutting the winter fuel allowance and by returning key energy companies to public ownership, starting with the National Grid.”

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/surprise-energy-bill-rise-set-to-hit-families-and-pensioners-the-hardest

Keir Starmer says pensioners can freeze to death and poor children can starve and be condemned to failure and misery all their lives.
Keir Starmer says pensioners can freeze to death and poor children can starve and be condemned to failure and misery all their lives.
Continue ReadingSurprise energy bill rise set to hit families and pensioners the hardest

SNP vow to ‘sabotage’ Labour’s ‘watered-down’ House of Lords reforms

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/snp-vow-sabotage-labours-watered-down-house-lords-reforms

King Charles III reads the King’s Speech, as Queen Camilla sits beside him during the State Opening of Parliament in the House of Lords, London, July 17, 2024

THE SNP has vowed to “sabotage” Labour’s “watered-down” House of Lords reforms with a deluge of amendments.

Labour’s House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill, aiming to exclude the last remaining 92 hereditary peers from the legislature, faces its third reading in the House of Commons today.

But SNP MP Pete Wishart has tabled amendments ranging from abolishing the institution altogether to making peers’ £342 daily allowance liable for income tax.

Pointing to the “egregious example” of £18,808 paid to private healthcare tycoon Lord Hameed of Hampstead last year, despite him playing no role and failing to vote even once, Mr Wishart argues that taxing the £20 million paid out in allowances last year could generate over £9m — enough to restore Winter Fuel Payments to more than 22,000 pensioners in Scotland.

Urging Scottish Labour MPs to “at least” back him on taxing allowances, Mr Wishart commented: “That’s the only viable option for anyone who believes in democracy.

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“The Labour Party has repeatedly broken its promise to abolish the House of Lords for more than a century and, frankly, this embarrassingly limited Bill is 114 years too little, too late.

“The undemocratic House of Lords is an archaic institution of the kind you’d find in a banana republic and it’s second only in size to the Congress of China costing taxpayers more than £200m a year.

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/snp-vow-sabotage-labours-watered-down-house-lords-reforms

Continue ReadingSNP vow to ‘sabotage’ Labour’s ‘watered-down’ House of Lords reforms