Public consultation on historic proposals draws to a close, with roughly 25,000 responses from teachers, parents, healthcare professionals and public
UK in lead to be first country in the world to create a smokefree generation by phasing out the sale of tobacco
Government taking long-term decisions to protect children and an entire generation from the harms of smoking as they grow older
Plans to introduce the most significant public health intervention in a generation and phase out smoking are progressing at pace, as the Westminster government’s consultation closes today.
Amassing roughly 25,000 responses – including from healthcare professionals, public health experts, academics, teachers, parents and teenagers – officials will analyse results and ministers will set out next steps in the coming weeks, including details on the forthcoming Tobacco and Vapes Bill recently announced in the King’s Speech.
The majority of the public are behind the plans, and the government is determined to take vital action quickly to protect future generations from the harms of tobacco addiction.
The government’s response to the consultation will be published ahead of the Bill’s introduction to Parliament in the new year.
Public Health Minister, Andrea Leadsom, said: “As a former teenage smoker, these historic plans might just have prevented me from ever lighting a cigarette.
“Smoking is the biggest preventable killer in the UK, and that’s why we need to push ahead at pace with our plans to protect today’s children, and create the first smokefree generation while cracking down on youth vaping.
“We are taking the long-term health decisions needed to safeguard the next generation from the harms of smoking and risk of addiction.”
Government plans include introducing a new law to stop children who turned 14 this year or are younger from ever legally being sold tobacco in England. There is also a worrying rise in vaping among children and the government will therefore also introduce measures to reduce the appeal and availability of vapes to children, while ensuring they remain available as a quit tool for smokers.
This will prevent thousands of children from starting smoking in the coming years and potentially having their lives cut short as a result.
The UK is now proudly set to be the first country in the world to introduce such a landmark law on smoking.
Deborah Arnott, chief executive of health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), said: “With the overwhelming support of the public the UK has picked up the baton to become the first country in the world to create a smokefree generation.
“In the twentieth century the UK, home to the tobacco industry, had the highest smoking rates in the world, in the twenty first we are now on track to lead the way out of the tobacco epidemic.
“This will herald the start of a new era in tobacco control, where the end of the smoking is finally in sight.”
Smoking is the UK’s biggest preventable killer, causing around 1 in 4 cancer deaths and 64,000 deaths in England alone, costing the economy and wider society £17 billion each year. No other consumer product kills up to two-thirds of its users and the plans will save tens of thousands of lives and save the NHS billions of pounds.
People take up cigarettes when they are young.
Four in five smokers have started by the time they are 20 and although the vast majority try to quit, many due to the addictive nature of cigarettes.
Cathy Hunt, 58, is a mum of four from County Durham. She was diagnosed with lung cancer and had half a lung removed in 2015 just two days before her 50th birthday. She underwent surgery again in 2022 when the cancer returned, and in June this year had a kidney removed due to cancer.
Cathy said: “I am absolutely over the moon about the government’s plan to raise the age of sale for tobacco one year every year until we see the end of smoking, and all my family and friends are too.
“Smoking isn’t a lifestyle choice but a lethal addiction which traps hundreds of new victims in its claws every day, victims who struggle to escape. I only managed to stop once I found out I had lung cancer but wish now I could turn the clock back to the time I started smoking as a child aged 11.
“That’s also why I’m so pleased the government is providing more funding for anti-smoking campaigns, stop smoking services and enforcement to help stop the start and start the stop for those already addicted to smoking like I was.”
Gower Tan, Cancer Research UK ambassador and campaigns officer, said: “I started smoking aged 13, and this deadly addiction took me over 25 years to quit.
“Having watched my dad – a lifelong smoker – die of lung cancer, I understand the devastating harms of tobacco and I support vital legislation on the age of sale. Knowing my children and future generations will not suffer the tragic consequences caused by smoking is a legacy we could all be proud of.”
To tackle youth vaping, the government’s plans include a range of measures to reduce the appeal and availability of vapes to children, including restricting vapes flavours, regulating point of sale displays in stores that sell vapes, and regulating vape packaging.
Stakeholder reaction:
Cancer Research UK’s chief executive, Michelle Mitchell, said: “Smoking is the biggest cause of cancer in the UK, responsible for around 150 cancers a day. Raising the age of sale for tobacco products is one of the biggest opportunities we have had to help prevent cancer in over a decade.
“This consultation is a vital step on the road to the first ever smokefree generation. If the government takes decisive action in all UK nations, the UK can phase smoking out for good and protect the next generation from a potential lifetime of addiction and disease.”
John Herriman, chief executive at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, said: “It comes as no surprise that responses have been submitted in the thousands to this consultation that poses the biggest positive change to public health in our lifetime.
“Most people have been affected by smoking either directly or indirectly, and smoking related illnesses put a huge strain on the NHS. In time, this will free up much needed resources and will help safeguard future generations to come.”
“Effective policing of the age of sale of tobacco will be critical to the effectiveness of the government’s aim of eliminating smoking for future generations and Trading Standards teams working in local communities across the UK will play a central role in making this happen.
“We look forward to working with DHSC to ensure that we have the tools and resources needed to support businesses and educate consumers as the country phases out tobacco products for good.”
Henry Gregg, director of external affairs for Asthma + Lung UK: “Creating a smoke-free generation is one of the most impactful things we could do to improve the health of future generations.
“We know that many people with a lung condition and their families strongly support these proposals, to prevent others from going through what they have experienced. We urge the government to ensure these measures are implemented in full to save thousands of lives.
“Smoking remains the biggest cause of lung disease deaths in the UK, with tobacco costing the NHS £2.5 billion every year and £1.2 billion in social care costs.
“More than 8 out of 10 smokers take up smoking before the age of 20 and become addicted, so proposals to gradually increase the smoking age to stop younger people from ever taking up smoking is an opportunity for the government to lead the way on measures that will protect future generations from developing lung conditions caused by this deadly addiction”.
UK Government to introduce a plan to deliver the ‘biggest ever cut in net migration and curb abuse of the immigration system’
The Home Secretary has announced a plan to slash migration levels and curb abuse of the immigration system, delivering the biggest ever reduction in net migration. Together, this package will mean around 300,000 people who came to the UK last year would now not be able to come.
The package of measures will end the high numbers of dependants coming to the UK, increase the minimum salaries that overseas workers and British or settled people sponsoring family members must earn, and tackle exploitation across the immigration system.
The government will tighten the Health and Care visa, which has seen a significant number of visas granted to care workers and their dependants, by preventing overseas care workers from bringing their dependants to the UK.
In addition, care providers in England will now only be able to sponsor migrant workers if they are undertaking activities regulated by the Care Quality Commission.
In the year ending September 2023, 101,000 Health and Care visas were issued to care workers and senior care workers, with an estimated 120,000 visas granted to associated dependants, the majority of whom we estimate don’t work, but still make use of public services.
From next spring, the government will increase the earning threshold for overseas workers by nearly 50% from its current position of £26,200 to £38,700, encouraging businesses to look to British talent first and invest in their workforce, helping us to deter employers from over-relying on migration, whilst bringing salaries in line with the average full-time salary for these types of jobs.
The government will also increase the minimum income required for British citizens and those settled in the UK who want their family members to join them. Altogether this reinforces that all those who want to work and live here must be able to support themselves, are contributing to the economy, and are not burdening the state.
To crackdown on cut-price labour from overseas, the government will end the 20% going rate salary discount for shortage occupations and replace the Shortage Occupation List with a new Immigration Salary List, which will retain a general threshold discount. The Migration Advisory Committee will review the new list against the increased salary thresholds in order to reduce the number of occupations on the list.
The Migration Advisory Committee will be asked to review the Graduate visa route to ensure it works in the best interests of the UK and to ensure steps are being taken to prevent abuse.
This new package of measures builds on the tough action already taken to tackle the substantial rise in students bringing dependants to the UK, which will come into force in the new year.
We expect this change will have a tangible impact on net migration, with around 153,000 visas granted to dependants of sponsored students in the year ending September 2023. This, along with the changes announced today, will further protect the integrity and quality of higher education in the UK.
The measures announced today are possible because the government is prioritising growing our domestic workforce through our Back to Work Plan – a package of employment focused support that will help people stay healthy, get off benefits and move into work – as part of the Autumn Statement.
The new Back to Work Plan builds on the ambitious £7bn employment package from the Spring Budget, to help up to 1,100,000 people with long-term health conditions, disabilities or long-term unemployment to look for and stay in work.
Home Secretary James Cleverly said: “It is clear that net migration remains far too high. By leaving the European Union we gained control over who can come to the UK, but far more must be done to bring those numbers down so British workers are not undercut and our public services put under less strain.
“My plan will deliver the biggest ever reduction in net migration and will mean around 300,000 people who came to the UK last year would not have been able to do so. I am taking decisive action to halt the drastic rise in our work visa routes and crack down on those who seek to take advantage of our hospitality.”
In addition to measures to reduce migration, the UK government will make sure that migrants coming to the UK make a fair financial contribution so that public services, including the NHS, are not taken advantage of by increasing the annual Immigration Health Surcharge from £624 to £1,035.
Workers and their dependants account for some of the highest proportion of visas being issued, with Skilled Worker and Health and Care worker visas accounting for 63% of work grants, and the proportion of work-related visas being granted to dependants rising to 43% in the year ending September 2023.
The addition of carers in the UK’s immigration system was a temporary measure to fill labour shortages by responding to an urgent need into the adult social care sector following the coronavirus pandemic.
Yesterday’s measures will ensure we continue to protect our NHS and social care systems while addressing significant concerns that have emerged since the introduction of the visa about high levels of non-compliance, worker exploitation and abuse within the adult social care sector, particularly for overseas workers employed within care occupations.
Earlier this year, the UK government announced a package of measures to cut the number of student visas being issued. This included removing the right for international students to bring dependants unless they are on postgraduate research courses and removing the ability for international students to switch onto work routes before their studies are completed. This will come into force for courses starting in January 2024.
Those coming on the Health and Care visa route will be exempted from the increase to the salary threshold for Skilled Worker visas, so ‘we can continue to bring the healthcare workers that our care sector and NHS need, and we will exempt those on national pay scales, for example teachers’.
MAN ON A MISSION: Cleverley’s off to Rwanda today …
Victoria Atkins aims to make health and social care system faster, simpler and fairer for patients
Health and Social Care Secretary sets out intention to make the system faster, simpler and fairer for patients
Victoria Atkins thanks staff for a week of delivery, in which two manifesto commitments were met
Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins has thanked health, social care and research staff for delivering on patients’ priorities, as she set out her commitment to make the health and social care system faster, simpler and fairer for patients.
Her words came days after pharmacies across the country began offering new contraceptive services and additional blood pressure checks, and after a breakthrough in talks to end consultant strikes, which saw the British Medical Association Consultants committee agree to put an offer on contract reform to its members.
Health and Social Care Secretary, Victoria Atkins, said: “Since joining the department, I have been bowled over by the way health and social care staff just keep on delivering for patients. The important milestones we’ve reached this week – reaching 50,000 additional nurses and 50 million more GP appointments – demonstrate real progress.
“I have spent the past few weeks meeting doctors, nurses, GPs, pharmacists and other health workers and heard wonderful stories about how they have gone above and beyond to deliver outstanding care for patients and cut waiting lists.
“But I have also heard about their frustrations and where they feel they are not able to deliver the best possible care or where prevention or early intervention could have made a real difference. That is why I am committed to making health and social care services faster, simpler and fairer.
“We face a difficult winter ahead. And though our early winter planning is seeing some results we know there is much more to do. But having seen what our excellent staff can do I am confident that with the government’s support we can continue to deliver for patients over the coming months.”
The Health and Social Care Secretary has committed to making health and social care services:
Faster for patients, by making it easier to get treatment locally, improving A&E performance and cutting waiting lists
Simpler for patients, with joined up, integrated care, and simpler for staff, by reducing bureaucracy and giving them the latest technology to free up their time to care for patients
Fairer, ensuring children are protected from health harms, that health outcomes are not determined by where you live, that government supports older people to maintain their independence for longer, and that government delivers a more productive NHS that is fairer for taxpayers.
She added that she would continue to work with the NHS to manage the ongoing winter pressures. The government prepared for winter earlier than ever before and data released by the NHS on Thursday shows the government is making good progress.
Compared to the same time last year, ambulance handover delays have fallen by 28%, thousands more 111 calls are being answered within 60 seconds, and there were nearly 1,500 more hospital beds available.
The Secretary of State said: “We face a difficult winter ahead. And though our early winter planning is seeing some results we know there is much more to do.
“But having seen what our excellent staff can do I am confident that with the government’s support we can continue to deliver for patients over the coming months.”
The Health and Social Care Secretary was appointed on 13 November. She has now set out her priorities in a week in which the government and NHS hit a number of major delivery milestones:
NHS England data published on Thursday showed there were 51,245 additional nurses in September 2023 compared to 2019 – hitting the government’s manifesto commitment to recruit an additional 50,000 nurses six months early.
NHS England data also showed that for the year to October 2023, there were 51 million additional general practice appointments delivered when compared to October 2019, meeting another manifesto commitment.
On Monday the government announced that it had put forward an offer that will modernise the consultant contract and reform consultants’ pay structure, paving the way to end consultant strikes. The British Medical Association and Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association will put the deal to their memberships in the coming weeks.
On Wednesday the Secretary of State announced funding for a research project to evaluate the rollout of the hugely successful HIV opt-out testing programme to 46 new sites across England.
On Friday 1 December pharmacies across England began offering the new contraceptive services announced recently as part of Pharmacy First. This is part of the NHS and government’s Primary Care Recovery Plan, announced by the head of the NHS and the Prime Minister in May, which committed to making it quicker and easier for millions of people to access healthcare on their high street.
Small Business Saturday returns this weekend (2 December) for its eleventh year in the UK.
Small Business Saturday is a grassroots, non-commercial campaign which highlights small business success and encourages us to ‘shop local’ and support small businesses in our communities. It takes place each year on the first weekend in December.
Edinburgh’s Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, Councillor Jane Meagher, has been out visiting small businesses and enterprises around Leith and the Shore to mark the occasion and celebrate the area’s recent recognition as ‘the best neighbourhood in the UK and Ireland’ at the 2023 Urbanism Awards.
Clockwise Serviced Offices – Located in what was originally a bonded warehouse, Commercial Quay, the building has been converted to create open-plan office space to suit any business.
Shore Deli – Recently opened under new management, The Shore Deli serves breakfast rolls, sandwiches and salads with a wide variety of coffees and cakes.
Destined for Home – An independently run interior and gift studio which places emphasis on high quality, individuality and purpose.
The ‘great neighbourhood’ award is one of five given out each year by The Academy of Urbanism, a network of built environment experts from across Europe. They recognise Britain and Ireland’s best place, street, neighbourhood and town and are based on several factors, including commercial success.
Small Business Saturday is an opportunity to showcase the great mix of independent shops that make Leith, and the rest of the city, such a special place to live, work and visit.
Councillor Jane Meagher, Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, said: “It was a pleasure to visit some brilliant local businesses in Leith as Small Business Saturday kicks off. The small businesses in and around Leith and the Shore form a huge part of what makes the area so special, and the recent award is testament to this.
“Edinburgh is home to a number of fantastic small businesses that form the backbone of our high streets. They play a key role in our communities, creating vital job opportunities and contributing to the economy.
“As we continue to feel the effects of uncertain economic times, this year more than ever we need to make sure we support small enterprises and contribute everything we can to their success. I would encourage everyone to shop local, not only this Small Business Saturday but all year round.”
Support your local shops this Small Business Saturday
Small Business Minister Kevin Hollinrake urges everyone to support their local small businesses
Targeted government intervention is addressing gaps in accessing finance from traditional lenders to help them scale up and grow
Small Business Minister Kevin Hollinrake has urged everyone to go out and support their local small businesses this Small Business Saturday.
Small Business Saturday is an initiative which encourages consumers to shop locally and support small businesses in their communities and it falls on the first Saturday of December.
In a call to action the Minister said: “I urge everyone to join me in supporting our local small businesses this Small Business Saturday. The best support we can give them is to shop local this festive season.
“Every penny spent at your local small business is an investment in your community.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak welcomed small businesses, charities and local communities to Downing Street for a Christmas Market Festive Showcase on Thursday 30th November ahead of Small Business Saturday, and Minister Hollinrake was able to meet with some of the businesses beforehand.
Engagement with Small Businesses is a government priority, and Minister Hollinrake was able to discuss the important topics of accessing finance as an SME, as well as the issue of late payments, which some of the businesses reported had improved since the Department of Business and Trade published the Prompt Payment and Cash Flow Review, signalling clear government intent to back small businesses in this issue.
Supporting small businesses to scale up and grow is a clear government priority. The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement had a clear focus on growth, creating a favourable business environment that keeps more money in consumer’s pockets and reduces costs for businesses, creating the right environment for businesses to start and scale up. The increase to the National Living Wage to £11.44 an hour, as well as cutting taxes for 29 million workers, increases consumer’ spending power, whilst businesses are supported by a £4.3 billion business rates package.
The government backed British Business Bank is supporting £12.4 billion of finance to over 90,000 businesses across the UK, of which 86% are outside London. The Bank is delivering a £1.6 billion programme of Nations and Regions Investment Funds, to support growing businesses outside London and South East.
Funds covering the South West, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales have launched earlier this year, with more to follow. It has issued over 100,000 Start Up Loans since 2012 providing over £1 billion for entrepreneurs at the start of their growth journey, 40% of whom are women and 21% from an ethnic minority background.
UK Export Finance, the government’s export credit agency also provides government backed guarantees on financial products through banking partners. It was recently announced at their customer conference that it is introducing more flexible, fast-track financing for small businesses – making it easier than ever for UK firms to sell in international markets.
Scottish artisan chocolatiers spotlighted this Small Business Saturday
Business Gateway is celebrating the stories of the small business community in Scotland, including Edinburgh-based Quirky Chocolate.
The business creates and sells unique collections of artisan chocolate from a small workshop close to Arthur’s Seat. Founded in 2008 by designer, Sandra Colamartino, who was also the first captain of the Scottish women’s rugby team, the business combines her two favourite things: beautiful design and delicious chocolate.
Sandra began working with a chocolatier to create personalised chocolate bars with unique packaging, which has all been created using plastic-free packaging. Quirky Chocolate is also Fairtrade Cocoa certified, ensuring that the farmers who produce the cocoa that goes into their products are paid a fair price.
Sandra first connected with Business Gateway as she was launching the business, when her local adviser connected her with an accountant.
Having built up an established customer base, Sandra went on to create hand-rolled milk chocolate brussels sprouts in 2014, which became Not on The High Street’s best-selling product for three years in a row. The product resulted in a £1m turnover for the business alone.
Buoyed by these impressive sales, Sandra started to work on products that would sell all year long, and designed and produced the tartan collection, which includes a range of Scottish flavours such as cranachan and millionaire’s shortbread.
Sandra Colamartino, owner, Quirky Chocolate, said:“Our chocolate brussels sprouts were so well received, and generated more sales than we ever could have imagined. We needed to come up with new and exciting products to ensure this steady stream of sales continued.”
Having largely sold to a consumer audience, Sandra and the team began to move into business-to-business (B2B) sales, with a growing portfolio of top hotels in Scotland now stocking Quirky Chocolate products.
Sandra said:“It’s been healthy to have a balance of consumer, wholesale, and business-to-business. If you think of your business as a table, it makes sense that each leg symbolises a different avenue of potential income. If the table only has one leg, and something goes wrong, you’re completely out of the game.”
“The biggest challenge, no matter what field you’re in, is the multitasking element. You must become an expert at everything, whether that be working out insurance policies, how to pay an invoice, or developing a website.
“People tend to use the word ‘resilience’ when talking about setting up a new business, and I totally understand why.”
Since launching, Quirky Chocolate has grown to a team of 16, made up of chocolatiers, production staff, designers and tech gurus. The business has very recently become a living wage employer and plans to grow at a steady speed while taking their employees and freelance illustrators and artists on the journey with them.
Sandra continued:“As the business has matured, I’ve realised that there is so much support on offer from Business Gateway, which isn’t limited to start-up support.
“We’ve recently had a referral from Business Gateway and are looking forward to a member of the Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service (SMAS) speaking to our team about where we can make improvements.”
Hugh Lightbody, Chief Officer at Business Gateway, commented:“Small businesses are the backbone of Scotland’s economy. However, recent years have posed various challenges to the sector, which has contributed to Business Gateway receiving over 25,000 enquiries this year. It remains critical that we provide the necessary support.
“We know that business confidence is low in light of recent global circumstances, so it is important we take opportunities such as Small Business Saturday to highlight businesses like Quirky Chocolate, which produces some really beautiful and uniquely Scottish products.
“Our resources, workshops, webinars and network of local advisers at Business Gateway all play a vital role in guiding small business owners through every step of their journey, making sure they have the knowledge and resources needed to thrive.”
Scotland’s export estimates for 2020 and 2021 published
Total sales to England, Wales and Northern Ireland reached an estimated £48.6 billion and accounted for the majority (61 per cent) of the value of Scotland’s exports in 2021.
Scotland’s sales to the rest of the UK are worth more than three times exports to the EU, the latest annual export statistics from the Scottish Government show, demonstrating the strength and critical importance of the UK Internal Market.
There was also a 6.2 per cent increase in the estimated value of Scotland’s international exports during 2021,to £31.3 billion, although these remained lower than before the pandemic. Scotland Office Ministers have banged the drum tirelessly to promote Scotland and Scottish business overseas through the extensive network of embassies and high commissions, with trade missions this year including to the USA and Vietnam.
Scotland’s exports to the EU are valued at an estimated £15 billion, accounting for 48 per cent of Scotland’s international exports, an increase of 0.5 per cent from 2020 and 11.7 per cent lower than in 2019.
Scottish Secretary, Alister Jack, said: “The Scottish Government’s export figures show again that the rest of the UK remains by far Scotland’s most important market. England, Wales and Northern Ireland combined buy more than 60 per cent of our exports.
“This is an important reminder of the importance of the UK’s internal market and the need for us to ensure that it continues to operate freely and effectively.
“We have also seen international sales increase to more than £31 billion. With our first trade deals post-Brexit coming into effect earlier this year Scottish businesses will be able to seize those new opportunities.”
A consultation looking at whether cowardly domestic killers should receive tougher sentences if they subject their victims to a campaign of coercive and controlling abuse, has been launched by the Lord Chancellor
Public conversation launched on reforming murder sentencing
Consultation to consider raising starting points for killings with a history of coercive and controlling abuse or with a weapon
Move latest step in UK Government’s plan to tackle domestic abuse and violence against women and girls
Ministers will also consider whether murderers who use a knife or another weapon already at the crime scene to kill should also face steeper starting points – a change that could result in higher minimum terms in these cases.
Every year, around 90 people – overwhelmingly women – are killed by their current or ex-partner, with most of these murders taking place in the home. And when a weapon is used – often a kitchen knife – it is normally already at the scene.
This means that although weapons are used, these offences generally do not qualify for a higher starting point – with a discrepancy of up to ten years compared with murders where a weapon is taken to the scene.
Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said: “It is shocking that around 1 in 4 murders are committed by a current or former partner, or relative.
“This Government has already gone further than ever to protect women and girls, with tough new protection orders plus laws to ensure abusers and killers spend longer behind bars.
“To make sure sentencing policy is meeting the threat, it is right to review this complex landscape so that the scourge of violence against women is tackled as coherently and effectively as possible.”
Currently, when a knife or other weapon is taken to the murder scene with intent, the starting point is 25 years. This reflects the increased risk to the public when knives are carried on the streets. Where a knife is used, but not taken to the scene, a 15-year starting point normally applies.
Campaigners on this issue include Carole Gould and Julie Devey, whose daughters Ellie Gould and Poppy Devey Waterhouse were killed by their former partners using knives found in the home.
Justice Minister, Gareth Bacon, said: “For some evil people, murder is the brutal final act of a controlling and coercive relationship with their partner. It is only right we look at whether the sentences for these types of killings reflect this sustained and unacceptable abuse.
“This consultation builds on the action we are taking to clamp down on domestic homicide, by introducing new laws to punish abusers with longer jail terms, and better protect victims.”
The consultation reflects the Government’s determination to ensure the sentencing framework for murder properly punishes perpetrators of this horrific crime, while giving victims’ families the justice they deserve.
In response to Clare Wade’s landmark independent review of sentencing in cases of domestic homicide, the Government has introduced a raft of measures to ensure sentences reflect the seriousness of the crime.
This includes the introduction of new legislation which will make:
“Overkill” and previous controlling or coercive behaviour by the murderer a statutory aggravating factor resulting in longer sentences
A history of controlling or coercive behaviour a mitigating factor where the perpetrator was subject to this behaviour
Killing connected with the end of a relationship a statutory aggravating factor, through the Criminal Justice Bill
The Domestic Homicide Sentence Review was commissioned in 2021 to examine whether the sentencing framework should be reformed to better reflect the seriousness of domestic homicide and to identify options for improvements.
It followed a series of high-profile domestic murders and concerns from the then Victims’ Commissioner and Domestic Abuse Commissioner about how these offences are handled by the justice system.
This is the latest step in the Government’s commitment to be tough to keep the worst offenders locked up.
The UK Government has already ended the automatic release of sex and terrorist offenders, brought in a minimum 14-year jail term for anyone convicted of serious terror offences and under the new Sentencing Bill, the most horrific murderers will spend the rest of their lives locked up, including for any murder involving sexual or sadistic conduct, while criminals who commit rape and other serious sexual offences will spend every day of their sentence behind bars.
The proposals in the UK Government’s Back to Work Plan contain a confusing mixture of devolved and reserved responsibilities, which leave us slightly mystified as to exactly how this is all going to work in practice (writes Fraser of Allander Institute’s MAIRI SPOWAGE):
In his speech, the Chancellor said: “… last week I announced our Back to Work Plan. We will reform the Fit Note process so that treatment rather than time off work becomes the default.
“We will reform the Work Capability Assessment to reflect greater flexibility and availability of home working after the pandemic. And we will spend £1.3 billion over the next five years to help nearly 700,000 people with health conditions find jobs.
“Over 180,000 more people will be helped through the Universal Support Programme and nearly 500,000 more people will be offered treatment for mental health conditions and employment support.
“Over the forecast period, the OBR judge these measures will more than halve the net flow of people who are signed off work with no work search requirements. At the same time, we will provide a further £1.3 billion of funding to offer extra help to the 300,000 people who have been unemployed for over a year without having sickness or a disability.
“But we will ask for something in return. If after 18 months of intensive support jobseekers have not found a job, we will roll out a programme requiring them to take part in a mandatory work placement to increase their skills and improve their employability. And if they choose not to engage with the work search process for six months, we will close their case and stop their benefits.”
These changes have the potential to impact recipients of Universal Credit. The complication is that UC is reserved, while many elements of employment support – the “extra help” that the Chancellor talks about – is, on the whole, devolved.
Because of this, many of the support mechanisms to help people avoid sanctions in England (& Wales in most cases) generated Barnett consequentials, including:
Restart: expand eligibility and extend the scheme for two years
Mandatory Work Placements: phased rollout
Universal Support: increase to 100,000 starts per year
Talking Therapies: expand access and increase provision
Individual Placement and Support (IPS): expand access
Sanctions: closing claims for disengaged claimants & end of scheme review
Fit Note Reform trial
So, in summary, it looks like the sanctions could be applied in a reserved benefit, following support that may or may not be provided by the Scottish devolved employability system as the Scottish Government could choose to spend the money on something else.
We wait for more details from both the UK & Scottish Governments about how this is going to work in practice.
Payments of up to £600 are landing directly in the bank accounts of around 11.5 million UK pensioners for the second year running
Comes as part of extensive Government package helping people of all ages, including recent £300 Cost of Living payments to more than seven million eligible households.
After meeting our pledge to halve inflation, the UK Government this week also confirmed an 8.5 percent increase to the State Pension next year.
Pensioners across the country have started to receive up to £600 to help with energy bills this winter.
Winter Fuel Payments – boosted again this year by an additional £300 per household Pensioner Cost of Living payment – will land in bank accounts over the next two months, the vast majority automatically.
Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said: “We have delivered on our promise to halve inflation and will continue to support people right across the country, including pensioners who may be facing particular challenges over the colder months.
“As well as up to £600 to help our pensioners stay warm this winter, we’re boosting pensions through the Triple Lock – increasing the full rate of the New State Pension by over £900 next year.”
The money will appear in bank statements with the payment reference starting with the customer’s National Insurance number followed by ‘DWP WFP’ for people in Great Britain, or ‘DFC WFP’ for people in Northern Ireland.
The overwhelming majority of Winter Fuel Payments are paid automatically but some people need to make a claim, such as those who qualify but do not receive benefits or the State Pension and have never previously received a Winter Fuel Payment. The payments deliver additional support to pensioners, the majority of whom are on fixed incomes and also are unable to raise their incomes through fixed employment.
The start of the Winter Fuel Payments season comes hot on the heels of the recent £300 Cost of Living payments made by the DWP to more than seven million eligible households across the UK.
This latest payment is the second of up to three Cost of Living Payments being made this financial year. These payments – which are all tax-free and will not have any impact on existing benefit awards – demonstrate the Government’s commitment to supporting low-income families with financial pressures.
Pensioners getting Pension Credit also qualify for this extra support. The average Pension Credit award is now worth £3,900 per year and there is still time for those who are eligible to apply and receive the £300 Cost of Living payment.
This is because an eligible claim for Pension Credit can be backdated by three months provided the entitlement conditions are met throughout that time.
Including measures announced in the Autumn Statement this week, our total commitment to ease cost of living pressures has risen to £104 billion. That includes paying around half the cost of the average energy bill since last October and amounts to an average of £3,700 per household.
• The real pay crisis is intensified and now expected to last 20 years. • The politically charged National Insurance cut makes the smallest dent in the worse squeeze on household incomes since the 1950s. • While the Chancellor has enjoyed higher revenues, he has chosen to play austerity politics rather than back public services on the brink – £20 billion has been taken from public services to fund the meagre tax cut. • An ‘Autumn Budget for growth’ has meant the reduced growth in almost every year of the forecast. • ‘Full expensing’ of capital expenditure is a seriously inefficient way to boost the economy. • In spite of all the claims to the contrary, the Tories are still presiding over worst deterioration in public finances for more than 100 years.
Real wage and household disposable income crisis unended
The forecasts published alongside the statement by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) contained alarming news on real wages. According to the OBR forecasts, real wages are now not set to return to 2008 levels until 2028. The current pay squeeze will hit two decades.
This is a significant downgrade on the March forecast, when wages were returning to 2008 levels by 2026 – two years sooner than it now expects.
The forecast for broader living standards (as measured by real household disposable income per person) remains dire. After already declining in both the 2020/21 and 2022/23 financial years, further falls are expected over the next two.
While in fact a less bad forecast than March, the OBR stress that living standards “are forecast to be 3½ per cent lower in 2024-25 than their pre-pandemic level … this … represents the largest reduction in real living standards since ONS [Office for National Statistics] records began in the 1950s”.
The OBR also put into perspective the 2 per cent cut in National Insurance, reckoning it will boost living standards by around 0.5 per cent at the end of the forecast. This is a minor dent in an immense collapse, and of course as everybody has pointed out only reverses in a small way tax increases at past statements – even on their own terms the government are failing.
Minimum wage
Specifically for those on the minimum wage, the Chancellor has accepted the recommendations of the Low Pay Commission (LPC). This takes the wage floor to £11.44 an hour and extends coverage to everyone aged 21+. This is badly needed and follows pressure from unions and low-pay campaigners. But with prices sky high, and the OBR increasing its inflation forecasts, the minimum wage must be raised to £15 as soon as possible, and extended to all adult workers.
The Low Pay Commission’s recommendations take the minimum wage to 66% of median wages. This is an internationally recognised measure of relative low pay. However, the Chancellor’s claims that he has eliminated low pay should be taken with a pinch of salt. This is a measure of pay distribution which looks at how close low-paid workers are to the median worker. The floor has risen since 2010 but the middle has had no real pay rise over 13 years. The bottom has been catching up, in part, because wages are stagnant for everyone else. The government should set the LPC’s next minimum wage target at 75% of median wages, and this should be delivered alongside a plan for real wage growth for all workers.
Unemployment rise
The OBR has also predicted that unemployment will steadily rise from now until midway through 2025, estimating there will be 275,000 more people in unemployment than at the start of this year. At no point in the OBR forecasts do they predict unemployment will fall below the level at the start of the year.
It is unfair to put it mildly to penalise individuals for an economic climate which is out of their control. The Chancellor decided to support compulsory work placements, but analysis show this punitive policy does not result in an improved employment outcome.
Skills
The Government plans focus largely on reforms coming in for 16-18 year olds, overlooking the skills gap faced by those already in the labour market. On apprenticeships £50m for a 2-year pilot widely misses the mark. In 2021/22, there were approximately 349,200 apprenticeship starts in England – a 31% decline from the pre-Apprenticeship Levy figures of 509,400 starts in 2015/16 (Source: CIPD). The funds are largely directed at male-dominated sectors, according to the Women’s Budget Group. Other measures are recycled and/or small – though the increase to the pitifully low apprenticeship minimum wage is be welcomed.
Little has been done to reverse cuts to adult and further education budgets since 2010, with spending still significantly below where it was when the government took office. Celebrating an uptick in Level 4 apprenticeships just repeats the ‘virtuous cycle’ where those with the highest levels of qualification receive the most investment in their training. Graduates get most of the training as working adults, and almost half of adults from the lowest socio-economic group receive no training at all after leaving school.
Social security
It is a low bar for this Government when they boast that benefits are being uprated in line with September’s rate of inflation, which is standard practice. Though they have severed the link between inflation and the uprating of benefits numerous times since 2010 – which has slashed vital financial support for families.
And while the Local Housing Allowance has been restored to the 30th percentile after it was last frozen in 2020, it will be frozen again and support reduced for ever-increasing rental prices.
There were also significant cuts to benefit entitlements for some people with long term health conditions. They are expected to lose £400 a month compared to current system, and face the threat of sanctions to enter employment.
The rate at which prices are increasing may have slowed, but families are still struggling with the essentials. Over the last two years the cost of energy has increased by 49 percent while food prices have increased by 28 percent.
Energy prices
And energy bills are a glaring omission from this Autumn Statement.
Household energy bills remain 50% higher than they were in the winter of 2021-2022 (approximately £600 higher for an average household). This means that an estimated 6.3 million households are in fuel poverty (spending more than 10% of their income on energy), and more than 1 million households are in extreme fuel poverty (spending 20% or more of their income on energy). (Estimate by Friends of the Earth and National Energy Action as government data are not yet available.)
Energy prices are expected to remain high or increase. Ofgem today raised the domestic energy price cap by 5%, based on wholesale price volatility.
Many employers will also struggle with rising and volatile energy bills. The UK consistently has some of the highest electricity prices for business in Europe, affecting the ability of UK manufacturers to compete internationally. Unions representing manufacturing workers have consistently campaigned alongside employer bodies for measures to rein in excessive and volatile wholesale energy prices – but these issues seem to be far from the list of priorities of the current Government.
Public services and public finances crises continue
As the OBR gently warn, “it is worth dwelling for a moment on something the Chancellor didn’t announce in his Autumn Statement – which is any major change to departmental spending plans despite significantly higher inflation”.
The government has added “just” £5 billion a year in cash terms to departmental budgets, and this means that “the real spending power of these budgets is eroded by around £19 billion” relative to the previous forecast (as on their chart below).
In 2023-24 the increased budget is allocated for public sector pay increases (£3.9 billion for the NHS in 2023-24, and £0.4 and £1.4 billion for other departments in 2023-24 and 2024-25, respectively). Overall, the OBR have departmental spending growing by 0.9 per cent a year in real terms, down from 1.1 per cent at the March Budget.
Given the government’s political priorities on spending, the OBR stress that unprotected departmental spending is projected to fall by between 2.3 and 4.1 per cent a year in real terms from 2025-26. They wryly observe this (austerity) would “present challenges” and cite the Institute for Government’s recent report finding that “performance in eight out of nine major public services has declined since 2010”. Plainly there is no intention to resolve the crisis in public services and public service recruitment. And ultimately
The public finances overall
For the public finances as a whole, the government has enjoyed a momentary windfall – with less bad than expected growth outturn and higher inflation meaning tax gains (especially with tax thresholds not being uprated) outweighing higher interest and other costs. This has been spent on the NI cut and expensing.
But the Chancellor has made hollow boasts about the improved condition of the public finances. The overall management of the economy for 13 years has meant a disastrous failure for them. Immediately less bad GDP outcomes (next section) have meant marginally improved ratios for this statement. But overall the Conservatives have presided over a huge increase in debt from 65 per cent of GDP in 2009-10 to 98 per cent of GDP in the current financial year. This is an unprecedented deterioration relative to all economic cycles for more than a century.
Growth crisis unended
At the end of his speech the chancellor proclaimed an “Autumn Statement for Growth”. But nothing announced yesterday changed the bottom line. While the forecasts reflected ONS revisions to GDP data and a less bad than expected 2022, growth over the next two years is revised steeply down. And on a medium term view the OBR warn:
“we have revised DOWN our estimate of the medium-term potential GROWTH rate of the economy to 1.6 per cent, from 1.8 per cent in March” (our emphasis)
Of the onslaught in policy measures, the most prominent was making permanent the full expensing of business capital investment. The Chancellor chose to disregard OBR analysis showing both precursor measures (the super-deduction and temporary full expensing in the March 2021 and March 2023 Budgets) had a lower impact on investment levels than predicted (see OBR, Economic and Fiscal Outlook, November 2023, pp 33 – 34).
Introducing full expensing is forecast by the OBR to lead to an increase in business investment of £14 billion between now and 2028-29 and to cost £29.5 bn over the same period. This would appear then to be an extremely inefficient means of increasing business investment, reflecting huge ‘deadweight’ effects, whereby businesses gain generous tax relief on investment that would (likely) have taken place anyway.
The OBR estimates that the measure will raise the capital stock by 0.2 per cent by 2028-29 – a positive, but small, and very costly impact.
Pension saving
The chancellor also had high hopes for the role workers’ £2.5tn of pension savings could play in boosting our flagging economy. But while there were some welcome steps such as setting up a new growth fund through the British Business Bank the plans rely mostly on merging pension schemes in ways that are unlikely to be in the interests of their members, and leaning on funds to put more money into global private equity. These measures were also over shadowed by a poorly thought through proposal to upend the workplace pension system. See our fuller commentary here.
Industrial strategy?
As the Chancellor noted, the lack of long-term certainty over policy decisions (including industrial strategy, taxes, and climate commitments) is a drawback to business decisions to invest. But there was no reassurance in the Autumn Statement that the Government would provide that certainty. While reannouncements of investment commitments to support the automotive, advanced manufacturing, and energy sectors – amounting to £4.5 billion are welcome, this represents only a small proportion of the investment requirements of the Biden-style industrial strategy that the UK needs.
Ending the failure
The failure – as Labour have repeatedly identified – is still a failure of growth. The government need to invest in a stronger economy where growth and fairness go hand in hand, where decent pay means workers spend and businesses produce to meet that spending. A virtuous cycle comes when businesses invest in the face of expansion and optimism, and stronger public services re-enforce the upward dynamic. Fairer and sustainable growth will then support the public finances.
Yet the government continues to take us in the wrong direction. Yesterday’s Autumn Statement showed more strongly than ever why it is time for a change.
Autumn Statement ‘ushers in new era of welfare reform’
A ‘bold new vision for welfare’ backed by nearly £30 billion has been set out by Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride
Millions of people will benefit from next generation of welfare reforms and extra support for those most in need, announced at Autumn Statement
Benefits increased by 6.7% and pensions by 8.5%, maintaining commitment to seeing the country through cost of living pressures
DWP Secretary Mel Stride heralds new era offering a “brighter future for millions”
The plans offer unprecedented employment and health support to help over a million people, while protecting those in most need from cost of living pressures – including raising pensions and benefits and increasing help with housing costs.
Long term decisions to provide unprecedented help for people to move off welfare and into work were at the heart of the Government’s plan for growth set out at the Autumn Statement.
While unemployment has been almost halved since 2010, the £2.5bn Back to Work plan will help thousands of people with disabilities, long-term health conditions and the long-term unemployed, to move into jobs. This comes alongside new guarantees for those on the highest tier of health benefits around keeping benefit support to cushion those who try work.
The transformative employment programme comes as the Government continues to protect the most vulnerable, delivering a Triple Lock-protected boost for pensioners and raising benefits in line with inflation next year, worth £20bn taken together.
The changes mean the full rate of the new State Pension will go up by £17.35 per week, while families on Universal Credit will be on average £470 better off next year.
Around 1.6 million households will also benefit from an increase to the Local Housing Allowance – and will be around £800 a year better off on average. Worth more than £7bn over five years, this commitment will support low-income families in the private rented sector with rent costs and help prevent homelessness.
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Mel Stride MP said: “Work changes lives. With the next generation of welfare reforms, we will help thousands of people to realise their aspirations and move off benefits into work, while continuing to support the most in need.
“We are taking long term decisions that will build a brighter future for millions, offering unprecedented support to open up opportunity and grow the economy, building on our record that has seen almost four million more people in work since 2010.
“Our reforms will remove the barriers to work that we know some people still face, while we’re boosting benefits and pensions to help with cost of living pressures.”
Welfare reforms announced at the Autumn Statement include:
Uprating working age benefits in line with September’s CPI index figure of 6.7%.
Uprating state pensions in line with September’s earnings figure of 8.5%.
Increasing the Local Housing Allowance to cover the 30TH percentile – worth an average of £830 per year.
Expanded jobcentre support including intensive help for those on Universal Credit
Introducing the Chance to Work Guarantee, which will tear down barriers to work for millions of claimants to try work with no fear of reassessment or losing their health benefit top-ups.
Increasing mental health support for jobseekers by expanding NHS Talking Therapies treatment and the Individual Placement and Support programme, supporting almost 500,000 over five years.
Matching 100,000 people per year with existing vacancies and supporting them in that role through Universal Support.
Rolling out WorkWell to support people at risk of falling into long-term unemployment due to sickness or disability.
Reforming the Work Capability Assessment for new health benefit claimants to better reflect the opportunities available in the modern world of work.
Stricter sanctions for people who should be looking for work but aren’t engaging with jobcentre support.
Building on the Mansion House reforms with further steps to improve private pension returns and grow the economy.
Introducing new Government powers to request data from organisations such as banks when accounts are showing signals of fraud and error.
The Government’s ‘radical new plan’ will stem the flow people falling out of work and onto inactivity benefits due to physical or mental health problems, as it takes the long-term decisions to help people realise their dreams to find a job and build a better life.
With this unprecedented level of employment support comes tougher enforcement of sanctions for fit and able people who should be looking for work but aren’t.
Work coaches will use tools to track people’s attendance at jobs fairs and interviews, and close benefit claims of those able to work who have been sanctioned and no longer receiving money after six months.
Taken together, the package will make sure those who are vulnerable or on the lowest incomes are protected, with intensive support to get them back into work, while ensuring fairness to the taxpayer.
Foreign Secretary announces further funding to tackle growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza
On day two of a visit to Israel and the OPTs, Foreign Secretary David Cameron – Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton’ – announces further UK funding to tackle the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
In meetings in Israel, Foreign Secretary pressed to open up greater access for lifesaving support including medical supplies and fuel.
As the fourth UK aircraft of humanitarian aid arrives in Egypt, the UK pledges £30 million additional aid funding for Gaza.
Following a series of meetings with senior Israeli politicians on Thursday, the Foreign Secretary’s talks today will focus on how UK efforts can help alleviate the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
He will also discuss supporting the Palestinian Authority, including through training and capacity building, and look towards a long-term political solution to the crisis.
The Foreign Secretary will also meet aid agencies delivering UK-funded humanitarian support in Gaza.
The Foreign Secretary has announced that the UK will provide a further £30 million in humanitarian aid which will support trusted partners, including UN agencies on the ground, to deliver lifesaving aid to people in Gaza.
It brings to £60 million the additional aid announced by the UK for Palestinian civilians since the crisis started in October.
Foreign Secretary, David Cameron said: “We are hopeful that today will see the release of hostages, and I am urging all parties to continue to work towards the release of every hostage. A pause will also allow access for life-saving aid to the people of Gaza.
“I am proud that a fourth UK flight carrying critical supplies landed in Egypt today, and I can announce new £30m of funding which will be spent on vital aid such as shelter and medical provisions.
“It is vital to protect civilians from harm, and we are urgently looking at all avenues to get aid into Gaza, including land, maritime and air routes.”
Today’s additional funding comes as the fourth UK aircraft carrying humanitarian aid landed in Al Arish, Egypt, for onward transfer to Gaza. The RAF flight carried 23 tonnes of humanitarian aid, including 4,500 blankets and 4,500 sleeping mats for distribution by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said: “The RAF continues to deliver on the UK’s commitment to helping those in need by operating flights into the region to provide urgent humanitarian support which will save civilian lives.
“The UK is driving international efforts to support the humanitarian response in Gaza, working closely alongside partners and allies to de-escalate the situation.”
During his visit, the Foreign Secretary continued to urge all parties to make progress on the agreement between Israel and Hamas, brokered by Qatar and Egypt, to allow the release of a number of hostages and a pause in the fighting and ensure the agreement is adhered to in full.
