The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke to Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday.
He reaffirmed the UK’s continued support for Israel’s right to defend its people against Hamas’ terror and ensure its long-term security.
The Prime Minister said the UK was deeply concerned about the loss of civilian life in Gaza and the potentially devastating humanitarian impact of a military incursion into Rafah.
He reiterated that the immediate priority must be negotiating a humanitarian pause to allow the safe release of hostages and to facilitate considerably more aid going to Gaza, leading to a longer-term sustainable ceasefire. For there to be lasting peace, Israel’s security must be assured.
The Prime Minister highlighted the scale of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and urged Israel to fully open the Kerem Shalom crossing and allow the maritime delivery of international aid through Ashdod port, which the UK stood ready to support on.
He noted the importance of continuing to abide by International Humanitarian Law and protecting civilian infrastructure like hospitals and shelters. The Prime Minister said more must be done to ease restrictions on humanitarian supplies and ensure the UN and aid agencies can reach civilians in need throughout Gaza.
The Prime Minister updated on his recent meeting with the families of British hostages held by Hamas and they discussed urgent ongoing efforts to bring hostages safely home, as well as steps to ensure any remaining British nationals who wish to leave Gaza are able to do l’so.
Turning to wider issues, the Prime Minister said it was vital to avoid inflaming tensions and undermining security in the West Bank. In the longer term, the UK continued to believe a viable two state solution was the best means to achieve lasting peace and stability for both Israelis and Palestinians.
They agreed that Hamas can have no role in the future governance of Gaza.
The leaders also discussed regional issues, and the Prime Minister set out how the UK is supporting efforts to de-escalate the situation on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon and avoid further conflict or threats to Israeli citizens.
WILL the conversation have any influence at all on Israel’s campaign in Gaza? Don’t hold your breath …
Around 700,000 families, who receive tax credits and no other qualifying benefits, will receive their £299 Cost of Living Payment from today, 16 February 2024, to help with everyday costs.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is making the payments to eligible tax credits customers across the UK between 16 and 22 February 2024.
More than7 million eligible UK households have already received the £299 payment directly from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), which is paying its customers between 6 and 22 February 2024.
This is the third of three payments totalling up to £900 for those eligible and on means-tested benefits, such as Universal Credit, Pension Credit, or tax credits, in 2023/24 and comes as part of the UK Government’s £104 billion cost of living support package.
These payments are tax-free, will not count towards the benefit cap, and will not have any impact on existing benefit awards.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC Director General for Customer Services, said:“The £299 Cost of Living Payment will deliver further financial support to eligible tax credits customers across the UK. To make things as simple as possible, the payment is made automatically with no action required from HMRC’s customers.”
The payment from HMRC to tax credits customers will appear on bank statements as ‘HMRC COLS’, referencing Cost of Living Support. Those receiving the payment from DWP will see the payment reference as their National Insurance number followed by ‘DWP COL’.
If customers have not received the Cost of Living Payment from HMRC between the published payment dates, but believe they are eligible, they should wait until after 23 February to contact us. This is to allow time for their bank, building society or credit union to process the payment.
Receiving a previous Cost of Living Payment does not guarantee customers will get this payment. Customers must meet the individual eligibility criteria for each payment, as published on GOV.UK.
Payment from HMRC will be made automatically into the bank account where eligible customers receive their tax credits. They do not need to do anything to receive a payment. They do not need to contact HMRC or apply for the payment.
Customers should beware of scams targeting Cost of Living Payments. If someone contacts them about this payment saying they are from HMRC or DWP, it might be a scam. People can check advice on spotting scams by visiting GOV.UK and searching ‘HMRC phishing and scams’. They can also check on GOV.UK that any contact is genuinely from HMRC.
Additional information
The Cost of Living Payments – worth £900 in total in 2023/24 – come on top of a significant package of support which has been delivered since autumn 2021. Including:
Cutting taxes for over 29 million working people this year through a 2% cut to Class 1 National Insurance Contributions, worth £450 per year on average.
Cutting taxes for self-employed people by cutting Class 4 contributions, benefitting 2 million people, and abolishing Class 2 contributions, a tax cut worth an average of £350 per year.
Paying three million households the £150 Warm Home Discount this winter and 8.9 million pensioner households up to £600 in Winter Fuel Payments in December last year.
Providing the £650 Cost of Living Payments in 2022/23 and an additional cash boost on top of this payment including £300 to pensioner households; £150 to disabled individuals in 2022 and last year.
Paying around half of the typical household energy bill between October 2022 and July 2023 through our Energy Price Guarantee and £400 support scheme.
Extending the 5p fuel duty cut and cancelling the planned increase – saving the average driver £100 this year.
Increasing the Universal Credit work allowance and cutting the taper rate, which was worth an extra £1,000 a year to families on Universal Credit.
Vulnerable people will continue to be supported with the cost of living from April this year by:
Uprating benefits in line with inflation by 6.7%.
Maintaining the triple lock and increasing the state pension by 8.5% - after the largest ever cash increase last year for around 12 million pensioners.
Investing £1.2 billion to restore Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of local market rates, meaning 1.6 million private renters will see nearly £800 in additional help.
Increasing the National Living Wage by its largest ever cash amount in April – worth over £1,800 to the gross annual earnings of a full-time worker – and lowering the age threshold for eligibility by 2 years.
We encourage people in need of additional support over the winter to check their eligibility through the UK Government’s Help for Households website for the various cost of living schemes that are place.
