Rishi Sunak pledges to get rid of 'rip-off' degree courses after it emerges that some courses at certain universities aren't producing the skilled workers Britain needs

In 2010 just under half of pensioners paid income tax. Over 60% now. That is mainly because the income tax personal allowance for pensioners has been cut by a good 10% since 2010. Proposed policy will undo only part of that cut.

Wow. I remember when there were two London paid for evening papers - standard and news - six days a week as I recall. Now there will be just free Metro.

State pension factcheck. At May 2023 (the latest figures)
1,670,258 people on new state pension got LESS than the standard amount
910,589 got the standard amount
826,784 got MORE than standard amount of whom 162,352 got over personal tax allowance so tax would be due on excess

My face is my go to jail card - only sometimes it finds the wrong person bit.ly/4aEA6ci one in 40 alerts are wrong though claims only 1 in 33,000 IDs is wrong.

Have you noticed how 'spouting' is always used before policies and people the speaker hates or despises - 'spouting racist nonsense' or 'spouting Marxist dogma' - often by people who don't understand racism or Marxism! It is never 'spouting sensible plans to...'

This headline is simply wrong. 1.5mn pensioners already have a state pension above the tax threshold in 2023/24 and this year it will be more - well over 2 million I estimate.

Below is from Conservative release yesterday. Can anyone explain how this can be right? The reality is that the personal allowance for pensioners has been cut by c.11% since 2010/11.

My guess is they forgot there used to be a higher allowance for pensioners which they abolished

Manchester police drop enquiries about Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner and where she lived, saying the complaints are outside its jurisdiction bit.ly/452lMZW

For all those arguing about the rules on microchipping your cat (in England only) here's the actual law bit.ly/4bPVo7O and remember ignorance is no defence. If you have a cat that is older than 20 weeks it MUST be microchipped by 10 June or face a fine up to £500.

NEW: I can reveal Labour’s investigation into suspended MP Diane Abbott’s racism comments finished 5 months ago

A source says she was given a ‘formal warning’ in Dec ‘23

Ms Abbott was required to do an online ‘anti semitism course’ - which she did in Feb

Yet source says she

Sue Premier Inn for the amount of the fine if this has happened to you - adapt my Get That Refund post here bit.ly/3dWvGjK

In case you were wondering…Reuters: La Repubblica and Corriere della Sera, Italy's largest circulation dailies, both quoted the pope as saying seminaries, or priesthood colleges, are already too full of 'frociaggine', a vulgar Italian term roughly translating as 'faggotness'.