03 December 2015
Week in Brief: UK
AUTUMN STATEMENT: The Chancellor’s job was made much easier by a re-computation of tax take and debt servicing costs, which gave him an extra £28.5 billion over the next five years. That meant that he did not have to go ahead with the proposed elimination of tax credits for existing claimants, or cut the Universal Credit or slash the police budget. He was also able to commit an additional £3.8 billion per year to the NHS. Still, the autumn statement contained the following revenue raising or cost cutting measures:
- a levy of 05% on payroll to fund apprenticeships. The levy does not apply, however, to the first £3 million of payroll each year so many small businesses will be excluded;
- an additional 3% on the stamp duty land tax charge where a second home is being acquired. This is a further levy on the buy to let market and, quite apart from helping raise revenue, reflects government concern at a possible bubble in residential property prices;
- civil service cuts, which will still go ahead with Whitehall budgets reduced; and
- councils being allowed to raise additional council tax to help fund expenditure on elderly people.
On the basis of the autumn statement, it is projected by the Treasury that government borrowing should cease to rise in 2019/2020.
RESOLUTION TO BOMB SYRIA: Splits in both parties have emerged as the Prime Minister seeks a majority for a resolution to authorise airstrikes in Syria. Mr Cameron made his case last week, issuing a thirty-six page document in favour of joining the coalition led by France and the USA. A number of Conservative MPs are unconvinced, so he needs support from Labour MPs if his resolution is to pass. Although Mr Corbyn has made it clear that he is against intervention, he has been forced to allow a free vote so that Labour MPs can vote in accordance with their consciences. With leading members of the shadow cabinet, such as Hilary Benn (the shadow Foreign Secretary), Tom Watson (the deputy leader) and Andy Burnham (the shadow Home Secretary) in support of extending the RAF’s mission, it is expected that the government will have sufficient votes to carry the resolution. See comment article.
British Brimstone missiles would be a significant contribution to the armoury of the coalition because they are more accurate than equivalent weaponry.
Stop Press: Resolution carried by 397 votes to 223.
THE LABOUR PARTY: The dispute over whether to allow MPs a free vote over Syria represents a further step in the struggle between Mr Corbyn and the moderates in his shadow cabinet for control of the party. Although the decision not to impose the whip is seen as a defeat for Mr Corbyn, some among the party activists and the trade union movement believe that it should be followed by a shadow cabinet reshuffle which would move the balance further to the left.
It is understood that a number of Labour MPs may have taken advice as to whether Mr Corbyn can be removed from office and denied a place on the ballot paper when a new leader is selected. This would get round a concern that, if he were to stand in a real election ballot, he would gain support from the majority of the party membership.
MIGRATION: Net migration reached 336,000 in the year ended September 2015. The figures are boosted by the removal of controls on Romanians and Bulgarians coming to the UK to work.
GREEN ISSUES: The government has withdrawn its support from a scheme to develop Carbon Capture and Storage technology which involved a number of British companies. The scheme, which involved Shell and The National Grid, has been running for two years and would have been part of the UK’s efforts to reduce its carbon emissions in accordance with its international commitments.
CONSERVATIVE PARTY: The row over the behaviour of Mark Clarke, lately the chairman of the party’s youth wing “Conservative Future” and a former Parliamentary candidate, has claimed its first scalp with the resignation of Grant Schapps, the international aid minister. With the family of Elliot Johnson, whose suicide is alleged to have resulted from bullying, calling for the resignation of Lord Feldman, the party chairman, on the basis that earlier complaints were not pursued, the law firm Clifford Chance has been instructed to carry out an investigation. Lord Pannick QC, a crossbench peer, will review their findings.
DOCTORS’ STRIKE: Following five days of negotiation brokered by Acas, the strikes by junior doctors have been called off, pending six weeks of further negotiations. Meanwhile the government will not impose a new contract. By the time the strikes were called off, a total of 18,000 operations had already been cancelled. The BMA has been criticised by a number of junior doctors for calling off the strikes on the basis that this involved giving in to the Government. Mr Malawana, Chairman of the BMA Junior Doctors’ Committee, has riposted on facebook that the aim is to get the right contract, not just to deliver strike action.
HEALTH: The limits of medical confidentiality are to be tested in an appeal against a High Court decision rejecting a claim for compensation by a woman who was not told that her father suffered from Huntington’s disease. The disease is hereditary and the daughter has children. The doctor sought permission to disclose his patient’s condition to his daughter but did not do so when that permission was refused.
A study by Newcastle University presented at the World Diabetes Conference in Vancouver indicates that type 2 diabetes is linked to levels of pancreatic fat and can be cured by bypass surgery. The study claims that the disease, which was previously thought to be incurable and is a huge drain on the NHS, has been reversed in a number of patients.
Research published in BMJ Open, suggests that NHS III, the urgent care service, is sending too many patients to hospital. A GP who reviewed 1,474 referrals as part of the study considered that in only 400 cases was referral actually necessary, the others either being appropriate for out of hours GPs or, in 409 cases, needing no medical assistance at all. NHS III depends on computer analysis of symptoms rather than medically qualified staff and is said to refer more patients than the previous system, which was staffed by nurses.
The Select Committee on Health has come out with a series of recommendation to combat child obesity. These include bans on advertising for sweets and cakes before 9pm, limiting the size of certain foods and a reduction in sugar in foods.
MURDER: A man has been arrested in connection with the rape and murder of Caroline Everest, a student at Sheffield Hallam University, who disappeared after an evening at a nightclub.
LIBEL ACTION: Tim Yeo, once a minister and (until the last election) an MP, has lost his action against the Sunday Times for defamation. The newspaper had alleged that he was prepared to use his political leverage on behalf of clients in return for a fee. The judge was critical of Mr Yeo’s evidence.
TROLLS: Transport for London has said that it will not tolerate the giving out of fat-shaming cards to obese people on the public transport system. Tfl and the British Transport police have asked for incidents to be reported to them.
TENNIS: Britain has won the Davis Cup for the first time since 1936. The team was led by Andy Murray who was himself unbeaten in the tournament, winning all of his 11 matches.
Click here if you would like an email reminder when The Shaw Sheet comes out each Thursday
