LONDON: Britain’s Labour party on Thursday launches its general election manifesto, hoping that a promise to get the economy growing again will catapult it into power after 14 years in opposition.
Labour has been consistently some 20 points ahead of Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives for nearly two years, making its leader Keir Starmer a virtual shoe-in as the country’s next prime minister if polls are correct.
But Starmer, 61, still has work to do before polling day on July 4 to overcome persistent Tory claims about Labour profligacy with public finances and warnings that it will increase personal taxes.
The manifesto launch comes two days after the Tories promised voters more tax cuts, in a campaign where the affordability of the main parties’ spending plans have come under close scrutiny.
In details trailed in advance by the party, Starmer will describe Labour’s blueprint for government as a “manifesto for wealth creation” and call it “our number one priority.”
“The mandate we seek from Britain at this election is for economic growth,” the former human rights lawyer and chief public prosecutor will tell party members in Manchester, northwest England.
“Growth is our core business — the end and the means of national renewal,” he will add, promising sustained economic growth to drive up living standards.
To get there, Labour is promising to restore economic stability after the turbulence of recent years that saw inflation hit 11.1 percent in October 2022 — its highest in 40 years.
It vowed to introduce tough new spending rules to allow businesses to plan, a cap on corporation tax at 25 percent and an industrial strategy for longer-term investment, particularly in green tech and AI.
Starmer and his likely finance minister Rachel Reeves look set to have little room for maneuver, however, with the economy stagnant in April after emerging from recession in the first quarter.
Both Labour and the Tories have ruled out increasing the VAT sales tax, income tax rates and National Insurance, which pays for state health care, pensions and unemployment, if they win.
Economists said the incoming government could get some momentum from expected falls in interest rates and inflation by the end of the year.
Many Labour policies — from continued support for Ukraine and scrapping the Tories’ plan to deport failed asylum seekers to Rwanda, to recognizing Palestinian sovereignty as part of the peace process — have been drip-fed over months.
As in 1997, when Tony Blair won a landslide after 18 years of Tory rule, Starmer knows that he needs to reassure a jittery electorate that Labour can provide stability and economic competence.
At the last election in 2019, his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn stood on a radical platform that included proposals for sweeping renationalization of key industries, and tax hikes for high earners.
Starmer, who took over after Labour was routed by Boris Johnson’s Tories and has dragged the party back to the less threatening center ground, and will vow it is “pro business and pro worker.”
Britons have endured an unprecedented period of political upheaval, with five Tory prime ministers since 2010, and three in just four months in 2022.
Much of that was the result of Brexit, the country’s tortuous departure from the European Union, but also self-inflicted wounds such as Liz Truss’s short-lived tenure, when her unfunded tax cuts spooked the markets and crashed the pound.
One of Starmer’s first tasks if he finds himself in Downing Street on July 5 will be to prepare for a crunch NATO summit in Washington the following week, and to host a meeting of European leaders.
UK’s Labour pitches for power with promise of growth
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UK’s Labour pitches for power with promise of growth
- Starmer will describe Labour’s blueprint for government as a “manifesto for wealth creation”
- Economists said the incoming government could get some momentum from expected falls in interest rates
Polish FM says EU must end benefits for exiled Ukrainian men to help Kyiv's call for more troops to fight Russian forces
- Of more than 4.1 million Ukrainians on temporary protection status in the EU, 22 percent are adult males
- Many Ukrainian men have reportedly fled abroad to avoid military service by bribing their way out
KYIV: European governments should halt welfare benefits to Ukrainian men of military age who are living in their countries, Poland’s foreign minister said, a measure he said would help Ukraine call up more troops to fight Russian forces.
Following a meeting in Kyiv with his Ukrainian counterpart, Poland’s Radoslaw Sikorski said ending social benefits for Ukrainian male refugees would also benefit state finances in host countries in Western Europe.
More than 4.1 million Ukrainians had temporary protection status in European Union countries as of July this year, and about 22 percent of them were adult men, according to data from the EU statistics office, Eurostat.
“Stop paying those social security payments for people who are eligible for the Ukrainian draft. There should be no financial incentives for avoiding the draft in Ukraine,” Sikorski said at a conference of international leaders in Kyiv. “It’s not a human right to be paid to avoid the draft, to defend your country. We in Poland don’t do it.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha welcomed Sikorski’s call. “It’s time really to raise the question of the European Union developing programs to return Ukrainians home. Certainly, appropriate conditions should be created for this. But this should be on the agenda. And I support the idea of Minister Sikorski,” Sybiha said.
Nearly 31 months into the war against Russia and with Moscow’s forces slowly but steadily advancing in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv needs more soldiers to maintain its defense lines, rotate out exhausted troops and make up for losses.
Russia has a significant advantage in staff numbers and weapons on the battlefield.
Earlier this year, Ukraine adopted new legislation and implemented other measures, including lowering the call-up age for combat duty to 25 from 27 to increase the pace of mobilization into the army.
Under the new law, Kyiv ordered Ukrainian men living abroad to renew their military draft information online and encouraged them to return to Ukraine and join the fight.
Ukraine imposed martial law at the start of Russia’s invasion in February 2022, banning men aged 18 to 60 from traveling abroad without special permission and beginning a rolling mobilization of civilian men into the armed forces.
But many men of military age have still fled abroad to avoid the draft amid reports of corruption in the army recruitment system, allowing some men to bribe their way out of army service.
Nigerian army rescues 13 hostages from extremist group
- Kidnappings have become common in parts of northern Nigeria, where dozens of armed groups take advantage of a limited security presence to carry out attacks in village
ABUJA, Nigeria: Nigerian troops have rescued 13 hostages who were kidnapped by an extremist group in the northwestern state of Kaduna, the country’s army said on Saturday.
The army said in a statement that “the troops successfully overwhelmed the terrorists, forcing them to abandon their captives.”
Several kidnappers were killed and others captured, the military added. It didn’t specify what armed group the kidnappers belonged to.
The rescued hostages were taken to a military facility for a medical assessment before being reunited with their families. Weapons, ammunition, solar panels and cash were also discovered during the rescue operation.
Kidnappings have become common in parts of northern Nigeria, where dozens of armed groups take advantage of a limited security presence to carry out attacks in villages and along major roads. Most victims are released only after the payment of ransoms that sometimes run into the thousands of dollars.
At least 1,400 students have been taken from Nigerian schools since the 2014 kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls by Boko Haram militants in the village of Chibok in Borno state shocked the world.
Boko Haram, Nigeria’s homegrown jihadi rebels, launched its insurgency in 2009 to establish Islamic Shariah law in the country. At least 35,000 people have been killed and 2.1 million people displaced as a result of the extremist violence, according to UN agencies in Nigeria.
G7 foreign ministers condemn Iran’s export of ballistic missiles to Russia
- Iran has provided Russia with a large number of powerful surface-to-surface ballistic missiles
ROME: The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized powers condemned on Saturday “in the strongest terms” Iran’s export and Russia’s procurement of Iranian ballistic missiles.
Iran has provided Russia with a large number of powerful surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, deepening the military cooperation between the two countries, which are both under US sanctions.
“Iran must immediately cease all support to Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable war against Ukraine and halt such transfers of ballistic missiles, UAVs (drones) and related technology, which constitute a direct threat to the Ukrainian people as well as European and international security more broadly,” the G7 ministers said in a statement.
“We remain steadfast in our commitment to hold Iran to account for its unacceptable support for Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine that further undermines global security. In line with our previous statements on the matter, we are already responding with new and significant measures.”
Italy currently holds the presidency of the G7 group of wealthy nations which also includes the United States, Japan, Germany, Britain, France and Canada.
British PM breached parliament’s rules over clothing donations to wife — Sunday Times
- Sunday Times said those donations were declared but the clothes given to his wife were not
LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has breached parliamentary rules by not declaring a wealthy businessman and Labour Party donor bought high-end clothes for his wife Victoria, the Sunday Times reported on Saturday.
According to the Sunday Times, Starmer, in power since July, faces an investigation after “neglecting to disclose” that major Labour donor Waheed Alli covered the cost of a personal shopper, clothes and alterations for his wife.
The premier’s registered financial interests, listed on the parliament’s website, show that he has received several donations from Alli, including multiple pairs of glasses, work clothes and accommodation.
The Sunday Times said those donations were declared but the clothes given to his wife were not.
A spokesperson for 10 Downing Street said in a statement sent to Reuters that Starmer and his team had sought advice from authorities on coming to office, and believed they had been compliant.
“However, following further interrogation this month, we’ve declared further items,” the spokesperson said.
Alli is British media entrepreneur and former chairman of the online fashion retailer ASOS.
Under the House of Commons code of conduct, members of parliament have to provide information about financial interests which might reasonably be thought to influence their work.
A Conservative Party spokesperson called for a full investigation over “apparent serious breaches of parliamentary rules.”
Pope Francis calls for lasting solution to Palestinian cause
- Pope commended King Abdullah’s ongoing diplomatic efforts
LONDON: Pope Francis has reiterated the need for a just and lasting resolution to the Palestinian issue, warning that failure to achieve this goal would only lead to continued violence and instability in the region, it was reported by the Catholic Center for Studies and Media in Jordan on Saturday.
The pope highlighted the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the West Bank, and praised Jordan’s King Abdullah II’s support for the Palestinian people.
The king has facilitated daily humanitarian aid to the area, delivered by the Jordan Armed Forces via air and land, since the conflict between Israel and Hamas broke out in October.
The pope commended King Abdullah’s ongoing diplomatic efforts, noting his active role in international forums where he consistently advocates for Palestinian rights.
According to Pope Francis, the king has repeatedly warned that true peace, security, and prosperity in the Middle East can only be achieved by resolving the Palestinian issue, including the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
Pope Francis also lauded Jordan’s clear and firm stance on the Palestinian cause, highlighting the country’s efforts to keep global attention on the issue and to condemn violations against the Palestinian people under occupation.
He also expressed deep concern over the prolonged war on Gaza. He voiced regret over the international community’s failure to take meaningful action to end the war and achieve peace.
Addressing Israel’s bombing of schools that sheltered displaced civilians, the pope condemned the attacks, particularly when such strikes are justified by the presumption of fighters being present.
“It is bad, it is bad, it is bad,” he said. The pope also rejected the argument that the ongoing war is purely defensive, highlighting the number of children among the victims.
