Newslinks for Thursday 21st August 2025

More Tory councils consider hotel legal action after Badenoch says ‘we back you’

“Labour councils are among dozens across Britain poised to take legal action to shut down migrant hotels after a landmark High Court ruling. Ministers are scrambling to devise contingency plans to house asylum seekers as 80 Labour, Conservative and Reform councils consider their legal positions. The Conservative-run Epping Forest district council was granted a temporary injunction blocking the Bell Hotel from being used to house migrants on Tuesday. It risks collapsing the government’s asylum accommodation system as councils around the country explore their own legal options. In a sign of a growing rebelling against the government, two Labour-run councils — Tamworth and Wirral — confirmed they were considering different approaches, while an MP in the party expressed support for closing hotels “as quickly as possible”. The Tory leader Kemi Badenoch on Wednesday wrote to all 65 Conservative councils celebrating the “victory” and encouraging them to “take the same steps” to “protect your community” after consulting planning officers. The injunction related to The Bell was granted on the basis that the hotel failed to apply for planning permission for a “material change” in its use.” – The Times

• Badenoch calls on Tory councils to take legal action against asylum hotels – Financial Times
• Tory Councillors Launch Bid To Close Down Cheshire Asylum Hotel After Epping Ruling – PoliticsHome
• Labour revolt on migrant hotels: After shock Epping court ruling, Left-wing councils poised to defy Starmer by seeking to remove asylum seekers too – Daily Mail
• Councils consider legal bids as ministers face Epping hotel ruling aftermath – The Standard
• Kent barracks and student halls – where asylum seekers could go if hotels are emptied – The i

Comment:

• I know the Home Office is hiding the real costs of asylum – Nick Timothy, Daily Telegraph
• Epping’s win over asylum hotel is glorious but I know where they’ll put evicted migrants & it’s bad news for some Brits – Rod Liddle, The Sun
• Look to Sweden for bold policies on migrants – Rohan Silva, The Times
• Closing down the Epping asylum hotel is the first great thing Nimbyism has achieved – Tom Jones, Daily Telegraph
• Migrant hotel ruling is actually a total disaster and your town is about to find out why – Mieka Smiles, Daily Express

> Today: From Epping to everywhere? Conservative councillors urged to consider legal battles

Clare Golby: Councillors have a duty to protect their residents from asylum hotels

> Yesterday: Holly Whitbread: Epping shows Conservative councils how to fight back

Reeves’ tax hunt looks to pensioners

“Rachel Reeves is to consider cutting the tax-free pension lump sum in a move that would be expected to raise more than £2bn a year. The Telegraph understands the idea is to feature on an extensive list of money-raising proposals that civil servants will present to the Chancellor ahead of the Budget, as she battles a hole in the public finances of up to £50bn. Industry insiders said there was widespread speculation she will cut the maximum amount people can withdraw from their pension without paying tax. At present, pensioners are allowed to withdraw as much as 25 per cent of their pot tax-free upon retirement, up to a cap of £268,000. Reducing this cap would allow the Treasury to raise billions of pounds a year. The Treasury did not deny that a change would be considered, though one Whitehall official cautioned that the Chancellor was not prioritising pension reforms and said they thought it “unlikely”. Experts claimed that Ms Reeves may have no choice but to act given the scale of the challenge facing the public finances. The Chancellor is also thought to be considering a raid on the sale of high-value homes, as well as a further crackdown on inheritance tax, in a scramble to balance the books. John Havard, a consultant at tax firm Blick Rothenberg, said: “Rachel Reeves has taken all her easy choices for increasing tax revenue off the table by sticking with her manifesto promises. But one option that remains open to her is targeting pension tax reliefs.” Torsten Bell, the pensions minister, has previously advocated cutting the tax-free lump sum limit to just £40,000. Mr Bell stoked speculation of a raid in an interview in July, when he suggested that there were no plans for pension savings to be “taxed twice” – a form of words that experts said left the door open for a raid on lump sums because they are not taxed at all. Pension industry figures fear Ms Reeves could launch a raid on wealthier retirees as she struggles to find enough cash to meet her fiscal rules.” – Daily Telegraph

• Rachel Reeves warned that new taxes will hit living standards – The Times
• Rachel Reeves handed dire property tax warning over ‘wealth exodus’ fears – Daily Express
• OBR should be scrapped, Rachel Reeves told – The Times
• All the new tax raids Rachel Reeves is planning on your cash to fill £50bn blackhole – how to protect yourself – The Sun

Comment:

• Rachel Reeves is preparing the ground for the extinction of the middle class – Allister Heath, Daily Telegraph
• Labour want to use you & your home as cash cows – so council spending can keep spiralling and migrants can keep coming – Ross Clark, The Sun
• Rachel Reeves took your pensions, savings and inheritance. Now she’s after your home – Harvey Jones, Daily Express
• Reeves has no choice but to prolong this century’s biggest tax betrayal – James Bater-Derrington, Daily Telegraph
• Rachel Reeves’ mansion tax will be a massive blow to older people – Hamish McRae, The i

> Yesterday: John Redwood: This Budget will tell us whether or not Reeves has learned her lesson

State has ‘failed white working-class children’, as VAT raid on private school adds pressure

“A failure to ensure that white working-class children succeed is holding back Britain, the Education Secretary has said. Ahead of GCSE results day on Thursday, Bridget Phillipson warned that four-fifths of children from white working-class backgrounds were falling short in the English and maths skills required to get on in life. She said the demographic had been “let down” and said the UK’s productivity was suffering as a result. Writing for The Telegraph (read the article below), Ms Phillipson said: “There is one statistic that stands above the rest. In 2024, only 19 per cent of white British, working-class children achieved a strong pass in maths and English GCSE. This data goes back to 2017. Alarmingly, it looks almost identical today to how it did then. It’s appalling, and I won’t stand by and watch those numbers continue to grow. It’s not just the life chances of those children that are being damaged – it’s also the health of our society as a whole. Swathes of human capability and productivity lost.” Last week, the Education Secretary said she was concerned that white working-class children were being “written off” by society. Her latest comments go further, suggesting that the impact of failure among the demographic is hurting the economy.” – Daily Telegraph

• Teenagers face missing out on their place in oversubscribed sixth forms amid ‘fierce competition’ following Labour’s VAT raid on private schools – Daily Mail
• Rachel Reeves tax raid blamed for doubling the number of schools going bust – Daily Express

Comment:

• It is not just the state that is failing white kids, it is Labour – Nick Gibb, Daily Telegraph
• Affordable private education is possible. This is what the Government needs to know – James Tooley, Daily Telegraph

News in brief:

• Capital gains tax would be a gift to the Tories – John Oxley, Unherd
• We are being governed by economic illiterates – Tim Worstall, The Critic
• Labour’s incompetence exposes their election strategy – Joseph Dinnage, CapX
• Nigel Farage is banking on a political sea change – James Heale, The Spectator

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