Boris Johnson has refused to rule out further tax rises during a heated television interview.
The UK Prime Minister also conceded there would be no quick solution to Britain’s chronic labour shortages, which have led to a fuel crisis with difficult economic consequences.
On the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, he said Britain’s lorry driver shortage could continue until Christmas.
Despite the ruling Conservatives traditionally being the party of low taxation, the government has been criticised for increasing National Insurance taxation to pay off some of the £407 billion ($551.29bn) in pandemic borrowing.
But it will be a concern to the party that Mr Johnson, 57, refused to rule out tax increases.
“You have no fiercer and more zealous opponent of unnecessary tax rises than me, but we have had to deal with a pandemic on a scale which this country has not seen before in our lifetimes,” the Prime Minister said. “If I can possibly avoid it, I do not want to raise taxes again.”
He said the former prime minister Margaret Thatcher would not have increased government borrowing any further despite being a stalwart of lower taxation. Some have advocated higher borrowing to avoid the National Insurance tax rise.
But, worryingly for Mr Johnson’s party, a new poll has shown that 34 per cent of people place more trust the main opposition party, Labour, to keep taxes low for “people like you”, compared with 31 per cent for the Tories.
Mr Johnson said Britain, which has a record one million vacancies, would have to go through a “period of adjustment” owing to Brexit, ended free movement of EU citizens within its borders.
It has one million vacancies, a record, owing to Britain’s exit from the EU
“What we can’t do is … simply go back to the tired, failed old model, reach for the lever called ‘uncontrolled immigration’, get people in at low wages,” he said.
Mr Johnson said salaries were going up at last “after more than 10 years of flatlining”.
He accepted that the government had known about the dearth of lorry drivers since June this year, but said even China had a driver shortage, as did many EU countries.
“We’ve known about shortages in road haulage long before then,” he said. “They’ve been a chronic feature of the way in which the road haulage industry has worked. What needs to happen now is people need to be decently paid and you need to have investment in their conditions.”
During one exchange, the Prime Minister was told only 10 days were left until 120,000 pigs would have to be slaughtered and incinerated owing to a lack of abattoir workers.
“The great hecatomb [mass sacrifice] of pigs that you describe has not yet taken place,” he said. “Let’s see what happens.”
It also has been a week of soul-searching among London’s police force following the jailing of former Metropolitan Police Constable Wayne Couzens for the kidnap, rape and murder of 33-year-old Sarah Everard. Mr Johnson did not commit to a public inquiry into the case but said rape prosecutions took too long and the conviction rate was too low.
“We will stop at nothing to make sure that we get more rapists behind bars and we have more successful prosecutions for rape and for sexual violence,” he said.
What is Genes in Space?
Genes in Space is an annual competition first launched by the UAE Space Agency, The National and Boeing in 2015.
It challenges school pupils to design experiments to be conducted in space and it aims to encourage future talent for the UAE’s fledgling space industry. It is the first of its kind in the UAE and, as well as encouraging talent, it also aims to raise interest and awareness among the general population about space exploration.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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Match info
Liverpool 3
Hoedt (10' og), Matip (21'), Salah (45 3')
Southampton 0
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EResults%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EHong%20Kong%2052-5%20UAE%3Cbr%3ESouth%20Korea%2055-5%20Malaysia%3Cbr%3EMalaysia%206-70%20Hong%20Kong%3Cbr%3EUAE%2036-32%20South%20Korea%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFixtures%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EFriday%2C%20June%2021%2C%207.30pm%20kick-off%3A%20UAE%20v%20Malaysia%3Cbr%3EAt%20The%20Sevens%2C%20Dubai%20(admission%20is%20free).%3Cbr%3ESaturday%3A%20Hong%20Kong%20v%20South%20Korea%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
