Some People With ‘Mild’ Mental Health Problems Will Be Told To Seek Therapy And Get Back To Work Under Disability Benefit Cash Clampdown Targeting 3.5 Million

Ministers will tell people with ‘mild’ mental health problems to get therapy and get back to work this week as they seek to reduce the 3.5 million disability benefits bill.

Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride is set to announce plans to overhaul the way disability benefits work in a statement to the Commons on Monday, with proposals aimed at providing ‘more tailored support in line with their needs’. 

It’s part of what the government calls the biggest systemic reform in a generation, which may result in vouchers being given to individuals in place of regular monthly payments.

It is the latest government attempt to reduce the number of people in the UK who are registered as long-term sick and unable to work. Last week, Mr Sunak announced a clampdown on ‘sicknote culture, with changes to the way people are signed off.

Mel Stride, the Work and Pensions Secretary, suggested that some people who were labelled as having ‘serious mental health conditions’ were simply struggling with ‘the kind of ups and downs of life that is part of the human condition’.

‘We all have challenges in our lives,’ he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

‘Work being right at the centre of people’s lives is something that is really good for mental health.’ 

On the other hand, given the backlog in the NHS, concerns can be voiced over how long patients must wait for treatment.

According to NHS figures released earlier this month, 32.2 percent of patients were waiting longer than the recommended 18 weeks to begin mental health treatment in February, and 8 percent had been waiting for over a year.

In a Green Paper due to be published alongside Mr Stride’s statement, ministers will set out plans to reform personal independence payments (PIP), the main disability benefit, through changes to eligibility criteria and assessments.

The plans, which will be consulted on over the coming months, also include proposals to ‘move away from a fixed cash benefit system’, meaning people with some conditions will no longer receive regular payments but rather improved access to treatment if their condition does not involve extra costs.

In an interview with The Times, Mr Stride suggested this would mean people with ‘milder mental health conditions’ would no longer receive financial support.

Mental Health does not fit into a ‘one size fits all.’

There is a dearth of knowledge on mental health, and further study is necessary. Thus, generalisations such as the one this bonehead made are misinformed and inappropriate.

The majority of DWP employees ought to be providing assistance to others, yet the majority of them are callous and power-hungry.

The fact that people living on minimum wage are unable to even pay their rent and other expenditures is a serious issue because there are now no incentives to work; nevertheless, some may argue that this is a fact of life.

For those with lower earnings, there is, of course, Universal Credit, which is meant to top up your payments but never does. This means that people are struggling to pay their bills—no wonder people are suffering from mental illnesses, and if you work full time, that’s not fair because people should be able to afford to live. Life doesn’t need equality; it needs fairness.

A complete revamp of the system is required. Although we are aware that a large number of people abuse the system, nearly equal numbers of people depend on it to function correctly for them.

With an election approaching, Rishi Sunak must appear to be a decent person, but in reality, Rishi is only talking the talk. Instead of a power-hungry wannabe assessor, we should have a system where DWP claimants are assessed by their doctor, as they are the ones who know them well enough to make an accurate assessment.

Romany Dad: ‘We Are Not There To Cause A Crime Wave’ As Traveller Family Wins Fight To Turn A Farm Into A Gypsy Camp Despite 200 Villagers Complaining

A furious row has erupted after a traveller family won the right to turn a disused farm into a gypsy camp despite 200 objections from locals. 

Debbie Morris, who runs Beckingham Parish Council in Nottinghamshire, called the decision by Bassetlaw District Council ‘anti-democratic’.

She said: ‘Normally five objections to a planning matter is considered a red flag. 

“We have just over 600 properties in this village and there were 203 objections but it counted for nothing. ‘We all like to believe we live in a democratic society but when it comes to planning, they don’t seem bothered by what the village wants. Even if every house had objected, they would still have passed it.”

Romany Gypsy Barry Rodgers, 59, who owns the land, said it was to simply provide a home for himself, his son, daughter-in-law and five grandchildren. Mr Rodgers told MailOnline: “I have brought my kids up with morals and the locals will soon see that we are not there to cause a crime wave.

“The idea to convert a former strawberry field next to a dual road into a gypsy camp for two stationary and two mobile caravans was at the core of the dispute. Petitions circulated the village, warning that this was not an appropriate location for human habitation and that it just wouldn’t stop at four caravans, more would come.

The Parish Council that Mrs Morris heads listed 12 objections to the development including traffic access, noise, smell and pollution, as well as flooding and a rise in crime.

On Wednesday night, however, two members of the planning committee rejected the idea, while one member abstained. Six members supported the plan.

One 69-year-old woman, who has lived 28 years in the village, said: ‘I did object. We just think it is not a suitable place for a traveller site.

‘We think there will be a lot of crime and people are worried about that. I would not trust them to stick to the plans and I think they will be disruptive to the village school with all their coming and going.’

However, Mr Rodgers, who has lived in the area all his life, insists he has done everything legally.

‘I have owned the land for years but I have not done anything to move on before the permission was obtained,’ he said. ‘I have done it all by the book.

‘I have been approached by six traveller families wanting to buy the land off me and move onto it without proper permission but I don’t want that kind of disruption for the village. I just want somewhere my grandkids can call home.’

In Lincolnshire, Beckingham is a tidy village near Gainsborough that has a post office, a village green, and a church dating back to the thirteenth century.

Like everyone else, they should pay council tax if they choose to reside there. Living a free life does not exist, although some do choose to pay their taxes to get certain services, and he does own the land. He bought it fair and square so is entitled to do with it what he wants to.

The term ‘traveller’ implies that they travel. So why do they want to live in static caravans? Perhaps if the travellers are setting up camp, honest taxpayers should stop paying their taxes—after all, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.

 

 

Mirren Tackles ‘Profound Criticism’ Over New Role As Israeli Prime Minister Following ‘Jewface’ Controversy

Helen Mirren has spoken out about her decision to portray Golda Meir, the former Prime Minister of Israel, in the 2023 biopic Golda, amid allegations of ‘Jewface’.

The veteran English actress, 78, faced backlash for taking on the role alongside Liev Schreiber and Camille Cottin because she is not Jewish.

Mirren told The Daily Telegraph on Saturday that, although she understands both points of view, she is proud of her work in the biographical drama.

‘I think the discussion has to be had, and there are arguments on both sides. I’ve been a Mossad agent [in the 2010 movie The Debt]. You don’t get much more Jewish than that!’ she said.

Wearing a prosthetic nose and grey wig to fit the part of the late Israeli PM, Mirren seems almost unrecognisable in the film.

‘I felt like her, honestly. You’re laying yourself open to profound criticism. You could blow it terribly,’ Helen said.

She continued by recollecting Meir’s tenure as Israel’s prime minister from 1969 to 1974 and said she drew from her experience to guarantee the authenticity of her performance.

‘It was the first time a woman had led a country. And I was absolutely excited and blown away. It was like a miracle. It was fantastic.

‘Playing the role, I had to investigate it and really dive into who Golda was, what the war was, and what the implications for Israel were.’

The actress, who was born in London, continued by saying that after accepting the idea that she was only giving an interpretation of Meir, playing her became simpler.

‘I can’t be as she is. She was best at being her. Of course, she was still alive. I’m an artist and doing a portrait. It’s my artistic understanding of this person. I think that relaxed me as well with Golda.’

In an interview with Radio Times, she pointed out that it’s not the first time she’s played a Jew and revealed she is convinced she has Jewish heritage somewhere down the line.

Discussing the controversial casting, she mused: ‘The whole issue of casting has exploded out of the water fairly recently. 

‘I’ve had other Jewish roles [in Woman in Gold and The Debt], but not an uber-Jewish role like Golda Meir. 

‘I did tell Guy Nattiv, the Israeli Jewish director, that I’m not Jewish, in case he thought I was. I said, “If that’s an issue, I’ll step away; no problem.” But he said, “No, it’s not an issue. I want you to play Golda.” And off we went.’ 

The British actress continued by saying that she believes she has Jewish heritage and has thought about getting a DNA test to confirm it. She was born in London to an English mother and a Russian immigrant father.

Individuals these days are far too sensitive. Her part was played, and the people who created the movie were glad to have her play that part.

It would have been quite challenging to portray the character of Golda since, in addition to her political opponents, Golda was a fierce fighter against those in her own nation who did not think a woman could ever hold such a position.

It would have required much study to depict Golda respectfully and to accurately capture the period of their lives.

Regardless of her ethnic background, no actor could have performed the character of Golda as wonderfully, respectfully, and carefully as Helen Mirren could.

Pet Peacock Killed By Slingshots And Catapults—Owner Notified, ‘You’re Next’

Yobs killed a family’s beloved pet peacock by shooting it more than 20 times with slingshots and catapults, before contacting the owners to warn them, ‘you’re going to be next’.

A family was left in tears after watching River, their peacock, which they rescued from his abusive previous owners, be brutally killed by the sadistic group on CCTV footage.

River’s owner, Alison Carter, 57, posted the footage from a neighbour’s CCTV camera of the suspects on Facebook, showing five boys and one girl firing at the peacock, who was perched in a tree. 

One member of the twisted group messaged her daughter Macey, 23, threatening: ‘Your peacock is 6 feet under and you are going to be next’.

In the sickening footage, three of the boys are seen pelting River more than 20 times from the road before climbing over the fence onto the roof of a private property to carry on their assault on the innocent bird.

A petrified and injured River, who Alison says would have ‘trusted’ the group of strangers, is seen falling out of the tree, flapping around in distress and cowering in a corner.

The group keeps shooting at him from the rooftop. Suddenly, two of them run forward, seize River by the wings and present him like a prize. Afterwards, one of them tears off his feathers.

They attempted to conceal his bloody corpse behind some wood in the corner before running away like cowards.

Alison, 57, said, ‘I was devastated, and I still am. He was part of the family; he played and walked around with our dog, Ziggy.

‘He was like a dog—he would follow you around, he would come into the kitchen, he would have trusted them.’

River was found “featherless and frightened” in a little cage without sunshine when they found him about six years ago.

Alison said: ‘We built up the trust and he became tame, friendly and happy for his freedom.’

After posting a screen grab of the security camera footage on Facebook, they notified the authorities and provided the perpetrators’ identities.

Her daughter Macey, who was sent the threat from one of the group members, said: ‘We now don’t feel safe.’

Fearing that the miscreants may return, they have put a halt to their five other peacocks’ freedom to wander.

According to Alison, one of her dogs was hit by a catapult the day after River was murdered, leaving a bloody wound.

This is disgusting behaviour from a human being. It’s not just disgusting, it’s barbaric—we haven’t moved on very much from the days of being hung, drawn and quartered!

How long will it take for parents to accept accountability for their kids? To instruct children on appropriate conduct, inappropriate behaviour, and the reasons behind both. It’s no good blaming schools or society if a parent hasn’t taught their child how to behave, how to treat other people and their property, and that there will be consequences for wrongdoing.

It is the duty of those who choose to become parents to ensure that their offspring learn how to be law-abiding citizens; otherwise, this type of conduct will only continue, as we are currently witnessing.

Unfortunately, you can’t reason with those who have a mindset of immoral ways.

In our culture, we will have more socially inept youngsters who will grow up to be adults with far more serious problems, like murder, if we tolerate violence and brutality towards other living things.

The issue is that, as it has been for some time, punishment is now too light. When I was younger, my mother would yell at me for doing anything remotely wrong. However, these days, parents are afraid to discipline their kids for fear that social services will be called and the kids will be taken away. As a result, these kids don’t have strict rules, and they know that they can get away with anything they want to do because all they have to say is, “I’ll call social services or the police and have you nicked.”

Jeez, the police and social services were on rapid dial! It worked for me since my kids didn’t know it was a deadline and thought I was talking to them on the phone. However, some kids, wouldn’t care and would instead require more severe punishment, such as a smack or even the cane. 

Return the cane to the classrooms. I had a pretty good hiding at home if I even looked at my mother strangely, and many other kids got canings or even had the blackboard rubber hurled across the classroom if a student was misbehaving. I was a decent citizen, kind, and respectful, and I performed well in society, so it never caused me any damage.

We now live in a ‘woke’ society where ‘you can’t say this, you can’t do that. You mustn’t do anything that will hurt your fellow human being’, but guess what? We already have!

We have been socially conditioned to believe that these things are bad, and now we have introduced the ‘woke brigade’, and hell’s bells, we are even erasing our history, and we shouldn’t be ‘woke’ we should be ‘awake’, but instead we have been mesmerised and triggered into believing that we shouldn’t do certain things, or say certain things.

It’s all mind control, folks! Induction of P syco-neuroses by Conditional Reflex under Stress. Even commercials that you watch on TV are mind conditioning; it’s just that people don’t realise it, but you are being manipulated. Their marketing and advertising are subtle, but once they get their hooks in, these commercials and other forms of mind control can reach people on an unconscious level.

M&S Charges £6 For ‘Posh’ Egg And Cress Sandwich, Which Has 51g More Filling Than Its £2.65 Standard Version

Customers have blasted Marks and Spencer for charging £6 for a ‘posh’ egg and cress sandwich that is only 51 grammes more full than its more ordinary counterpart.

A standard egg and watercress sandwich from the supermarket chain will cost you £2.65, while the “posh” version will cost you more than twice as much.

According to the description, the £6 snack consists of a whole sliced egg covered in mayonnaise and salad cream and garnished with watercress and a dash of pepper.

Encased by two slices of nine-grain bread, the ‘posh’ has 166g of filling, compared to the 115g inside the standard version. 

Many, however, are left wondering why the sandwich is so expensive and what makes it so fancy.

Consumer guru Jane Hawkes said: ‘Pushing up prices to cover costs is one thing, but taking the proverbial is another.

‘Cost-conscious customers could well decide they are happy with their favourite budget lunchbox filling—at a quarter of the price.’

Others on social media were left enraged after a picture of the £6 sandwich was posted to X, with the caption: ‘This country is finished.’

One curious customer asked: ‘Where’s the un-posh one, and is it cheaper?’ 

A second fumed: ‘Fun fact: The word posh here actually costs you an extra 3 quid!’

‘Add the word posh and you can charge what you like,’ a third jibbed.

Another chimed in: ‘£6 quid, wt*—that’s ridiculous.’

‘There’s nothing posh about egg,’ wrote one baffled user, while another exclaimed: ‘£6 for an egg sandwich! world has gone mad.’ 

The ‘posh’ egg mayo sandwich was released as part of the retailer’s deep-filled range earlier in 2024.

New additions to the café menu included a £5.50 prawn and mayo sandwich and a £6 smoked salmon and cream cheese option.

Marks & Spencer also introduced a ‘Rainbow Veg’ and avocado and a £5.25 gluten-free sandwich.

An M&S spokesperson said: ‘Our deep-filled Egg Mayo & Watercress sandwich in our M&S Café has over 150g of filling, which includes luxurious egg mayonnaise combined with salad cream and chives for a richer flavour. 

‘Paired with an extra layer of chunky slices of free-range egg, fresh baby watercress, and rocket leaves, the filling sits in between thick slices of soft 9-grain bread.

‘This indulgent lunchtime option is proving to be a real customer favourite that can be enjoyed in our cafés or on the go’. 

This comes shortly after a group of self-styled ‘Robin Hoods’ bragged on social media about stealing from Marks & Spencer to give products to food banks.

The cafés in Marks & Spencer can be somewhat expensive, but you don’t have to shop there if you don’t want to; you can go someplace else that isn’t as expensive. Places like Tesco, ASDA, and Sainsbury’s are for the peasants, while places like Marks & Spencer, Waitrose, and stores like these are for the elite, as my son would say.

I must admit that Marks & Spencer’s sandwiches are pretty tasty, but six pounds for a sarnie is pretty pricey. To be fair, you could make your own sandwiches at home for less money, but let’s be honest: who would be that desperate for an egg and cress sarnie?

What in the world are these sandwiches made of—possibly the best bread, butter, and golden-egg-laying chickens?

If people didn’t buy their food, then they wouldn’t be able to sell it, and their prices would have to come down, but sadly, there are people who will buy their food—some people have more money than sense.

A British Sitcom From The 80s Called Terry And June Is The Latest Series To Be Tagged With Trigger Warnings After Fawlty Towers, Only Fools And Horses, And ‘Allo ‘Allo

Classic 80s sitcom Terry and June has become the latest TV show to be hit with a trigger warning for ‘discriminatory language’ after Fawlty Towers, Only Fools and Horses and ‘Allo ‘Allo also fell foul of snowflakes. 

Nine series of the wildly successful programme aired on BBC1 between 1979 and 1987.

Terry Scott and Dame June Whitfield played Purley-based middle-aged, middle-class suburban couple Terry and June Medford.

Seven other authors contributed a few episodes, but John Kane wrote the majority of the 65 episodes.

ITV has now alerted viewers of the early evening classic’s “discriminatory language of the period” on its streaming service.

It follows similar warnings imposed on other classic British TV shows, including Only Fools And Horses, which had five episodes flagged in 2021 for ‘offensive racial language’.

They added in a statement on Tuesday: ‘Programming that contains potentially sensitive language has carried appropriate warnings since our launch. We regularly re-examine historical programming in order to review, re-label, provide context and ensure the right guidance is in place.’

ITV did not comment on the specific language used but a fan claimed on Twitter: ‘There’s an episode where Terry is at a work conference and puts June’s perfume on by mistake.

‘The entire episode is about how his boss hates gays and how Terry is terrified about being thought of as one. Cue every 70s homophobic comedy trope.’

Other classic shows such as ‘Allo ‘All, One Foot in the Grave and Fawlty Towers have been hit with similar trigger warnings.

Another warning over ‘offensive racial imagery’ appeared on an episode of 1970s comedy The Good Life.

In the comedy, Su Pollard played Peggy Ollerenshaw, the kooky maid who aspired to be a Yellowcoat and tried to get involved in the camp’s entertainment in any way she could.

Although the actress, who is currently 71 years old, gained notoriety for her outrageous fashion sense in real life, her character was recognised for her big glasses and frizzy hair from the 1980s.

Elsewhere in the show, RADA-trained actress Ruth Madoc received a BAFTA for playing Gladys Pugh, the Chief Yellowcoat, with the catchphrase, ‘Morning campers!’

Gladys nurtured an unrequited passion for Simon Cadell’s Jeffrey Fairbrother and describes theirs as a ‘great comedy partnership’.

Barry Howard played champion ballroom dancer Barry Stuart-Hargreaves, who died from cancer in 2016 at 78.

I enjoy having access to a growing selection of 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s TV episodes on demand, but I find it annoying when the opening commercials for these shows include the required warnings. Everything in the world they depicted was perfect. Man up, people; today’s culture is always willing to take offence.

These Gen Zers don’t know if they’re men, women, or lamppost. Actually, lamposts are useful; at least my dog seems to think so, and most people these days don’t know if they’re Martha or Arthur. They should watch ‘Love Thy Neighbour’, they would have a fit!

It was a much better world back then. Simpler and more innocent. You knew how to address people and what sex they were. Children generally had two married heterosexual parents, one of each, and people knew and accepted their roles in life, which fit together like a glove. It might not have been politically correct, but it was, without a doubt, far better than negotiating the minefield of today’s society.

Today’s BBC comedy shows should all include a disclaimer stating that they are unlikely to make viewers laugh.

Increase In Shoplifting Offences

Shoplifting has risen to the highest level on record amid complaints the crime has been effectively ‘decriminalised’, new data revealed today. 

In the year ending in December 2023, police registered 430,104 offences, up over 37% from 315,040 in the year prior.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) states that the number is the highest since current records started in the year before March 2003.

Retail bosses have accused ministers of allowing shoplifting to become effectively decriminalised, with many police forces failing to attend the majority of reports and failing to gather any evidence when they do.

Under 40 per cent of shoplifting reports were attended by the Met between April 2022 and April 2023, recent figures revealed. 

Other data points to a comparable, although frequently worse, scenario across the rest of the nation, with police only responding to one out of every five shoplifting-related complaints.

Out of all the forces, just six answered the Telegraph’s request for freedom of information.

Today Rishi Sunak’s spokesman said the increase in shoplifting was ‘clearly unacceptable’.

He told reporters: ‘We have seen the figures this morning and reiterate the Government is fully focused on keeping our streets safe, cutting crimes and protecting the public and this is why we’ve put more police into our communities, invested heavily in safer streets and we’ve handed out tougher sentences to the worst offenders.

‘I’d point out that in today’s statistics, we see crime is down 20% since 2019. Since 2010, violent crime is down 44% and neighbourhood crime is down 48%.

‘In relation to shoplifting specifically, shoplifting is clearly unacceptable and the Prime Minister has previously talked about it being a blight on our communities, the damage it causes to our businesses, and we’re absolutely clear that we should take a zero-tolerance approach to this crime.

‘Thanks to dedicated police officers patrolling badly-affected areas and attending more crime scenes, and retailers working closely with the police to share information such as CCTV recordings, in the last year charges were up by 46%, but we recognise there’s more to do to protect retail workers and tackle repeat offenders, which is why earlier in the month, the Prime Minister announced a new retail crime action plan.’

The spokesman added that it was the Government’s understanding an increase in shoplifting was being driven by ‘organised criminality’.

Police recorded crime data for England and Wales shows offences involving theft from the person stood at 125,563 in 2023, up nearly a fifth from 106,606 in 2022, and is the highest level since 2004 (137,154).

Robberies were up 13% year over year to 81,094 from 71,983 in 2022; nevertheless, this is still 26% fewer than the total for the year that ended in March 2003 (110,271).

Knife and sharp weapon offences increased to 49,489 in 2023 from 46,153 in 2022, a 7% increase, but a 3% decrease from the pre-pandemic total of 51,206 offences in the year ending in March 2020. Gun crime increased by 9%.

Due to issues with data recording, the offences reported by Devon & Cornwall Police and Greater Manchester Police are not included in this set of numbers.

The prisons are full, the cops have been cut to the bone, and they are busy covering up for themselves. We have the highest tax burden in living memory and nothing to show for it. The cost of living has gone through the roof, our public services and infrastructure are crumbling, and the Tories who preside over it all are living proof that crime pays—no wonder people are shoplifting!

Disused Bus Stop Turned Into Temporary Home Exposes Housing Crisis 

A group of homeless individuals converted an abandoned bus stop into a makeshift home, exposing Britain’s housing problem.

Seven months ago, Destiny Mitchell, 26, moved into a 9.8-by-3.2-foot glass and metal shelter in Selly Oak, Birmingham, with her mother, 44, and boyfriend, 31-year-old Ryan.

The trio has added cupboards, chairs, carpet, bins, bedding, and Super Mario Bros-themed makeshift curtains.

But shopkeepers who are paying thousands of pounds in business rates and locals said the shelter was attracting ‘anti-social behaviour’ from large crowds of people gathering late at night.

It comes as Birmingham is caught in the grip of a housing crisis, with more than 23,000 households waiting for a property. This figure includes nearly 5,000 people who are living in temporary accommodation. 

The council previously warned its waiting list for social housing could be closed to new applicants because of a backlog. 

Nationally, around 1.3 million households across England are waiting for a property. Meanwhile, 109,000 households in England, including 142,000 children, were in emergency housing between June and September last year. 

Additionally, according to government statistics, 3,898 people slept on the streets in 2023—a 27 percent yearly increase and the highest number since 2015.

The highest number of rough sleepers in 2023 were in Westminster (277) and Camden (121), and the biggest year-on-year increases were in Kingston upon Hull (290 percent), Ealing (121 percent), Redbridge (89 percent), and Leeds (32 percent).

A council leader explained to MailOnline how the problem was putting additional strain on local government.

Seán D T Woodward, of Fareham Borough Council in Hampshire, said: ‘There is a huge and increasing cost on all councils who are housing authorities to accommodate those at risk of homelessness.

‘In Fareham a few years ago, that cost was around £100,000 annually. It has now risen to £2,000,000 as various factors bite, including the cost of mortgages and rent, especially in the south-east. 

‘In Fareham, nobody needs to sleep on the street, and when any homeless people engage with the Council via Fareham StreetAid, there is always room for them. 

Destiny stated that although the municipality in Birmingham has offered to give temporary housing, she does not want to be apart from her mother, who has autism.

The 26-year-old added, ‘When we found this place, it was my idea to create this living space.

‘Before I lived in a bus stop, I was sleeping in a blanket on the floor, but I didn’t feel safe.

For anyone, living in a bus shelter is hardly the ideal circumstance. It results in disorder and disturbance, drinking, drug usage, and fighting and yelling at one another at all hours of the day and night.

The housing problem can be resolved in certain ways. Restart the construction of prefabricated homes or construct them using shipping containers. These should be constructed by councils using money from the sale of council houses. Make land banks’ holdings of developers constructed, or else they risk losing them. Divide the large home-building conglomerates into smaller businesses. Prohibit foreign investors from storing their funds offshore. Put an end to immigration altogether. Return the 1.5 million people who have no right to be here. Assess a high tax rate on the 1.5 million second homes and impose fines on authorities for houses that remain unoccupied for extended periods.

We currently have an excessively large and unsustainable population due to the majority of the newcomers to our country being a burden on the state and economy, but all these sensible measures seem to elude our political parties.

A Judge Rules Marshmallows Are Not Sweets After Finding The Treats Can Be Roasted And Eaten Off A Stick And Are Therefore VAT Exempt

A judge’s decision that marshmallows are not sweets because they may be roasted and consumed off of a stick has resulted in a confectionery company winning a significant tax dispute. 

It means one of Britain’s top confectionary firms, Innovative Bites Ltd., can dodge a £470,000 value-added tax bill.

The firm that imports American ‘sweets and treats’ including Twinkies and Reeses into the UK has successfully battled HMRC in a six-figure fight against paying tax on its Baking Buddy Mega Marshmallows.

The company is part of the Leicestershire-based World of Sweets group, which also owns cornershop bagged sweets line Bobby’s and the traditional confectionary brand Bond’s of London.

It beat the taxman in a tribunal in 2022 over a demand for a £472,928 VAT payment, successfully arguing that the giant marshmallows should be zero VAT rated because they are ‘ingredients’ for cooking on a barbecue, rather than sweets.

HMRC was not satisfied with that decision, however, and went on to challenge the ruling in the Upper Tribunal, arguing that the giant marshmallows are still ‘confectionery’ and liable for tax even if they are normally cooked because they are a sweet treat ‘eaten with the fingers’.

However, judges have now ruled in favour of the marshmallow importers a second time, maintaining the decision that the confections are free from taxes as they are frequently consumed roasted off a stick and more packets are sold during the summer grilling season.

Judge Phyllis Ramshaw said: ‘Confectionery is not generally used in cooking, or itself subject to cooking, in order to be enjoyed as intended.’

The Upper Tribunal heard that after being handed a massive tax bill for the period June 2015 to June 2019, the Loughborough-based firm went to a tax tribunal to argue the large marshmallows were in fact ‘ingredients,’ sometimes used for s’mores, an American treat where roasted marshmallows are sandwiched between chocolate biscuits.

Confectionery is subject to VAT, however, goods used for cooking, such as cooking chocolate, may qualify for a zero-rated tax.

The firm’s lawyers said Mega Marshmallows were 5cm in height, compared to 2.5cm for regular marshmallows and intended for roasting rather than eating out of the bag as snacks.

HMRC lawyers argued the Mega Marshmallows could still be eaten ‘on the go’ like a bag of sweets, so should incur VAT.

Mar Bars can also be deep-fried and eaten; therefore, they should be VAT-exempt as well, and Marshmallows are common at BBQs.

Since we already pay taxes on everything we purchase, everything we buy really shouldn’t be subject to further taxes, but our government wants to do so out of sheer avarice.

VAT has not disappeared and never will, so what is our government doing with all of the money that has been pilfered?

Isn’t it great to see the tax man getting beaten, especially when we see the way the governments of today waste our money once they get their hands on it, although I’m not suggesting any criminal acts here.)

The Moment Albanian People Traffickers Used WhatsApp To Organise 31 Small Boat Crossings For Migrants, Including Children

This is the moment a ‘prolific’ Albanian people trafficker, who used WhatsApp to organise 31 small boat crossings for migrants, including young children, is arrested.

Mustaf Cunaj was given a nine-year prison sentence for his role in the smuggling of migrants on inflatable boats for thousands of pounds each.

The 41-year-old was part of a trafficking network that brought almost 10,000 illegal immigrants into the United Kingdom.

Recently, surveillance footage of the smuggler’s arrest has surfaced, showing Cunaj being approached by nighttime plainclothes police.

The trafficker, wearing an orange hoodie, then speaks to the officers, who tell him that he ‘conspired to facilitate an immigration breach’.

The pair of officers then take Cunaj along the pavement, each holding one of his arms, before putting him into a black vehicle which is waiting down the road.

The trafficker’s phone was found after his arrest. Two videos that were saved on the device showed migrants wearing life jackets aboard a boat at sea and a boat being launched from a beach.

Several images sharing map locations in Calais and Dunkirk were also discovered on his phone, with one showing two users’ locations in the Channel and the North Sea.

Cunaj, who used the alias ‘John Brown’ in WhatsApp conversations with migrants and smugglers, arranged the crossings for five weeks between July and August 2022.

In one conversation with another smuggler, he arranged a crossing for a woman and two children, aged five and nine, for £7,500 each.

In another message, Cunaj talked about buying inflatable boats for between £4,000 and £4,500 per boat.

He also asked about lifejackets, telling his contact, ‘I have five people, they don’t know how [to wear a lifejacket] as they are small children’.

Cunaj was detained once previously in October 2022, released under investigation, and then arrested once more in September 2023 on suspicion of people-smuggling charges.

In the beginning, the trafficker denied any involvement in immigration crimes, saying he only connected family members with those who could be interested in visiting the UK.

He later admitted conspiring to facilitate illegal immigration at Kingston Crown Court and was jailed for nine years.

Cunaj’s smuggling network was connected to Hewa Rahimpur, a 30-year-old Iranian who managed the circle from his residence in Ilford, east London. Rahimpur sourced vessels in Turkey and sent them to Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

A sentence of nine years isn’t much of a deterrent. How about a minimum of one year for every person they illegally smuggled in and endangered their lives? He will be out of prison in about four and a half years. His money will be waiting for him and he will most likely carry on as before. He should have been sentenced to the full arm of the law, his money taken from him and immediate deportation on release is what should happen, but it won’t because the UK is beyond a joke.

Although his capture is a positive development, there will undoubtedly be successors.

British authorities’ token pre-election activities! And no matter which way this goes, it’s the good old British taxpayer that ends up paying. Enough is enough.

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