Times letters: Welfare reforms and curbing the benefits bill
Write to letters@thetimes.co.ukSir, However disgusted I am at Liz Kendall’s cuts because of the detrimental effect they will have, particularly on disabled people, there is some sense in them: the “young people benefits ban” is as fair as can be (“Where axe will fall to chop £5bn from benefits bill”, Mar 19). Training young people for work rather than letting them accept a life on benefits will ensure that a large percentage of them return to employment (and paying tax), giving them back the freedom to do the best for themselves. If the state was willing to simply give handouts willy-nilly there would be no incentive to go to work at all. Daniel McGuinnessBillericay, EssexSir, The thinking behind Liz Kendall’s
Source:The Times
March 20, 2025 12:43 UTC
Albanian who tried to enter Britain illegally four times before being locked up for cannabis farming avoids deportation after judge rules he is not a 'foreign criminal'
An Albanian man who tried to enter Britain illegally four times before being jailed for cannabis farming has avoided deportation after it was ruled he did not meet the legal definition of a 'foreign criminal'. But after Koka appealed in October 2023, it was ruled he did not actually count as a 'foreign criminal' - and so he was allowed to stay in the country. Under the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002, offenders need to fulfil some of three specific criteria to be given that tag. The proposals would eradicate the threshold, currently set out in the law, which says foreign offenders handed a 12-month jail term or more should face removal. Current law says foreign offenders should automatically face deportation if they have been sentenced to a prison sentence of 12 months or more.
Source:The Times
March 20, 2025 12:30 UTC
Bank of England keeps rates on hold, warns against assumptions for cuts in face of uncertainty
Live Events(You can now subscribe to our(You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channelThe Bank of England held interest rates at 4.5% and warned against assumptions that they would be cut over its next few meetings as it grappled with deep uncertainty hanging over the British and world economies.Noting the escalation of global trade tensions kicked off by the United States, the Monetary Policy Committee voted 8-1 to keep rates on hold with only external member Swati Dhingra voting for a quarter-point cut.Economists polled by Reuters had mostly forecast an 7-2 vote to keep rates on hold. "There's a lot of economic uncertainty at the moment," Governor Andrew Bailey said in a statement.He said the BoE still thought rates were on a gradually declining path but it would look "very closely at how the global and domestic economies are evolving at each of our six-weekly rate-setting meetings. "The Monetary Policy Committee said it still expected inflation pressures would continue to ease but "there was no presumption that monetary policy was on a pre-set path over the next few meetings. "All 61 economists polled by Reuters before the BoE's March meeting had predicted it would keep Bank Rate on hold at 4.5% with the next cut likely in May with further reductions in August and November.The MPC repeated its guidance made in February that it was taking a "gradual and careful approach" to further rate cuts.It said global trade policy uncertainty had intensified after the United States made a range of import tariff announcement which prompted retaliation from some other countries.The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday cut its economic growth forecasts for this year, raised its inflation projection and said the uncertainty hanging over the economy had increased as it kept borrowing costs on hold.The BoE said "other geopolitical uncertainties have also increased" and it noted Germany's huge borrowing plans.At home, the British government's imminent tax hike for employers was probably behind price increases in the services sector, the committee said and it noted surveys suggesting weakness in hiring intentions by businesses.The BoE slightly increased its forecast for a peak in inflation this year which it now put at 3.75% in the third quarter, up slightly from its estimate in February of 3.7%.With UK inflation stuck firmly above its 2% target - it rose to 3% in January - the BoE has cut borrowing costs by less than the European Central Bank and the Fed since last summer, contributing to the country's sluggish growth rate.The central bank also nudged up its estimate for economic growth in Britain in the first three months of 2025 to 0.25% from a previous projection of an increase 0.1%.Also on the MPC's radar is finance minister Rachel Reeves' budget update speech next Wednesday in which she is expected to announce cuts to public spending plans, a big component of Britain's economic growth outlook.Earlier on Thursday, the Swiss National Bank cut rates by 25 basis points as it focused the risk of trade wars for inflation and the global economy. Sweden's central bank kept its policy rate unchanged.
Source:The Times
March 20, 2025 12:18 UTC
Eyes on pacers' workload in IPL with England tour soon after
With a five-Test tour scheduled to start 25 days after the IPL final, all eyes will be on Bumrah, Shami and other prospective pacers over the next two months. Bumrah is yet to obtain a fitness certificate from BCCI medical team at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. The board is in process of overhauling its medical team once incumbent head Nitin Patel finishes his notice period this month. The concern is the medical team has been reluctant to be accountable while declaring a player’s fitness. The franchise’s in-house medical team takes over once the players get into an IPL season.
Source:The Times
March 20, 2025 10:32 UTC
Baloci: Birmingham hotel described as ‘pocket of Persia’ named one of the UK's best places to stay by The Times
Compiled by experienced reviewers who stay at hundreds of properties across the country, the list examines excellence in design, facilities and value for money. “Every hotel on this list has something special that makes them a really great place to stay.”While no Wolverhampton hotel made the cut this year, “pocket of Persia” Baloci in Birmingham was named among the best. Baloci in Birmingham is one of the best places in the UK for an overnight stay, according to The Times. The newspaper said: “Cross the threshold of this stucco-fronted Georgian townhouse in affluent Edgbaston Village and things quickly turn unexpectedly exotic. “The Grade II listed building has been reinvented as a pocket of Persia in the UK’s second city by one of Birmingham’s leading hospitality groups, FB Holdings.
Source:The Times
March 20, 2025 06:05 UTC
UK weather: temperatures hit 20C to bring out the blossom
Temperatures reached 20.6C in parts of the UK on Thursday, making it provisionally the hottest day of the year so far. The Met Office said temperatures “have already reached 20C in a few spots”. It means the weather was hotter than in Barcelona and Athens, with highs of 15C and 12C respectively. On Friday, however, temperatures will start to drop and rain pushing in from the south and west is forecast. The National Trust is urging people to enjoy the display of blossom.
Source:The Times
March 20, 2025 04:34 UTC
How George Lewis Made Comedy Gold Imagining Two Toddlers Chatting
Mr. Lewis and Mr. Widdicombe are among the British comics riffing on millennial parenting, in which men are expected to — and want to — play more active roles at home than their fathers or grandfathers did. Yes, the comics say, their kids are wonderful, hilarious, the actual lights of their actual lives. “Failure is funny,” explained Sam Avery, a British comic who has long joked about raising kids. “And parenting is 90 percent failure.”The increasing success of the genre may also be a function of the technology itself, several British comedy critics and experts said. For Mr. Lewis, the dad stuff was kind of an accident (His children — now 6, 5 and almost 2 — were not).
Source:The Times
March 20, 2025 04:10 UTC
Rescuers slam public for 'being on phones' after Nationwide crash
On Friday, March 14, shortly before 2:30pm, a Honda ploughed through the shop window of the Nationwide branch on Castle Street, Trowbridge. Richard Webb and Sheila Smith, who run the Courthouse on Castle Street, said they witnessed the entire scene and rushed to the aid of the driver. Ms Smith said she believes the driver reflexively stepped on the accelerator and could not stop the car from speeding forward. She said: “I came outside and there was about 20 to 40 people outside just taking pictures. A Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: "Firefighters were called to Castle Street, Trowbridge, at 2.26pm on March 14 after a car crashed into a commercial premises.
Source:The Times
March 20, 2025 03:19 UTC
Albanian wins deportation appeal after four attempts to enter UK illegally
An Albanian man who tried to enter the UK illegally four times has been allowed to stay after it was ruled that his drug conviction for “watering cannabis plants” did not cause serious harm. Erind Koka, 33, entered the UK by lorry in 2019 after seven years of trying. Within a year he was convicted for his involvement in class B drug production. Although his deportation had been deemed “conducive to the public good”, a tribunal ruled that Koka’s offence — he had admitted to “the watering, on one occasion, of cannabis plants” — did not qualify him as a “foreign criminal”. Koka first attempted to enter the UK by air in October 2012 using false documents but was denied entry and removed to Finland.
Source:The Times
March 20, 2025 01:54 UTC
An immigration bill could spell trouble for H-1B visa holders & employers
Live EventsRepublicans, led by House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, plan to introduce immigration legislation that may affect H-1B visas. Companies worry that new restrictions, like higher salary requirements for H-1B workers, could make the program less useful. This could be influenced by business leaders like Elon Musk and his support for more skilled workers. However, Republicans will likely need to work with Senate Democrats to pass any legislation, which could result in stricter restrictions rather than an increase in H-1B visas.Senator Richard Durbin has long advocated for limitations on H-1B visas. One proposed amendment, co-sponsored by Senator Bernie Sanders, would require employers to pay H-1B holders much higher wages.
Source:The Times
March 19, 2025 22:47 UTC
Snow White review — Disney has trashed its crown jewel and its reputation
Believe the anti-hype. This latest Disney adaptation was yanked from prerelease marketing duties — the London premiere was axed — for good reason. It represents a new low for cultural desecration and for a venerable 102-year-old entertainment company that now looks at its source material with a pinched nose of disgust. When the Snow White star Rachel Zegler, during a now notorious Vanity Fair interview, dismissed the Disney original as a politically retrograde “85-year-old cartoon”, she was merely echoing the same clueless company vandals who had, in previous reboots, made Cruella soppy, Mulan sexless and Maleficent misunderstood. • Disney’s hopes for now White dwarfed by ‘woke’ backlashTangling with the 1937 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is different, though.
Source:The Times
March 19, 2025 19:09 UTC
Times Media announces the launch of a new Parenting Hub
The Times and Sunday Times journalists, columnists and experts provide insight, inspiration, information and support, all in one place. A new destination on The Times website and in the live app will be the home of trusted expert advice and hands-on experience, pulling together the best parenting journalism from across Times Media, including news, advice, and personal stories. Parents can sign up to a new weekly newsletter, as well as watch journalist and parenting expert Lorraine Candy’s new Parenting Pod video series, covering topics including anxiety and how to talk about sex with teenagers. The Sunday Times editor Ben Taylor, says: “Parenting is both the hardest and the most important job any adult will ever do. Our data shows that Times parenting content drives high levels of engagement across our digital platforms, so for brands, this is an exciting opportunity to reach our growing parenting audiences in brand-safe, contextually relevant environments.”
Source:The Times
March 19, 2025 18:14 UTC
Protest Crackdown in Britain Now Amounts to ‘State Repression’ And the Labour Government is Continuing the Trend, Warn Campaigners
To support its work, subscribe to the monthly Byline Times print edition, packed with exclusive investigations, news, and analysis. Netpol, which has supported the rights of frontline protest groups since 2009, has called for urgent action to reverse this trend, which was amplified vigorously by the previous Conservative Government but “continues unabated” under Labour. Universities, too, are increasingly sharing information about student protesters with police, campaigners allege, particularly regarding campus protests against Israel’s war on Gaza. Regular attacks by politicians, their advisors and the press on the legitimacy of protest demands have come alongside attempts to demonise particular protest groups, NetPol argues, and branding groups like Palestine Action as criminal networks. The period covers the ongoing demonstrations against the Government’s policy towards Israel, the jailing of climate campaigners, “culture wars” against protest groups in advance of the general election, and the race riots last summer.
Source:The Times
March 19, 2025 17:55 UTC
Man Utd transfer news: Napoli ready to offer Victor Osimhen as part of Rasmus Hojlund deal - Paper Talk
THE MIRRORAntonio Conte's Napoli are ready to offer Rasmus Hojlund a summer return to Serie A and Victor Osimhen could go to Manchester United as part of the deal. Manchester United are set to watch two prospective new strikers during the international break, including Ipswich star Liam Delap. The Bayer Leverkusen right-back has been linked with replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold at Anfield amid interest from Real Madrid. THE TIMESImage: Arsenal face Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finalsArsenal's prize money and bonuses from the Champions League this season will top £100m should they overcome Real Madrid in the quarter-finals as the club seek to benefit from UEFA's new distribution model. THE SCOTTISH SUNCeltic are lining up a summer move for Guingamp midfield powerhouse Kalidou Sidibe, according to reports.
Source:The Times
March 19, 2025 15:43 UTC
Russian warships escort gunrunners through Channel
A convoy of Russian gunrunners guarded by warships has sailed through the Channel in a “direct challenge” to the UK sanctions regime, The Times can reveal. The Maia-1, a cargo ship sanctioned for transporting thousands of artillery shells from North Korea to Russia, was spotted following a fleet of four other vessels off the British coast on Monday. She was just hours behind Sparta IV and Siyanie Severa, two ships suspected of carrying weapons from Syria to bolster the Kremlin’s war effort in Ukraine. These vessels were escorted by the Severomorsk, a heavily armed Russian destroyer, and the Alexandr Shabalin, a navy landing ship. The Times, aboard a small fishing vessel, intercepted the Maia-1 about 30 miles off Brighton as she headed towards Dover.
Source:The Times
March 19, 2025 14:42 UTC