Both left and right agree taxes must rise. Time for Labour to get creative | Polly Toynbee

The faux row will be ear-splitting whether Rachel Reeves takes a lot or a little. Scepticism about a wealth tax is rising, but there are many ways to skin fat catsParoxysms of glee among Labour’s many enemies greeted last week’s forecast of a £41.2bn black hole awaiting Rachel Reeves’s autumn budget, from influential thinktank the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR). Expect another three months of bone-rattling warnings about imminent tax raids crushing every family. She is in a doom loop; no way out; ha, ha, ha!Voices in the Treasury sound sanguine, pointing out that NIESR has a record of eccentric forecasts. Before the spring statement, it predicted that Reeves needed £57bn just to keep her fiscal rules: actually, it was £4.1bn. For Jeremy Hunt as chancellor in 2023, it generously forecast he had £97.5bn to spend: on the day, that shrunk to £6.5bn.Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Comments

Opinions

Young Albo would be proud of himself. But the Albo of today owes two people an apology for what he said at the Cabinet table: Political insider PETER VAN ONSELEN on what lies behind PM's Palestine call

PETER HITCHENS: I'm pleased public sentiment on Lucy Letby has shifted - but there's still one puzzle in this case that would baffle even Sherlock Holmes

NADINE DORRIES: My daughters were publicly humiliated after I kept a huge secret from them. Here's what it taught me about how Beatrice and Eugenie can recover from Prince Andrew scandals

Washington, DC has only itself to blame for Trump’s law-and-order takeover

Back in the ‘60s I got all dolled up — with my very own lookalike toy

To fix gender relations, log off, winning by losing slowly and other commentary

New York’s huge budget gaps leave no dough for Mamdani’s big-spending dreams

If Eric Adams gets ousted in November, say goodbye to progress on NYC subway safety

Trump’s takeover of DC policing is entirely sensible and a win for the people of Washington

NYC schools are still failing to teach over 40% of kids — and it may soon get WORSE

Privileged Zohran Mamdani’s sweet rent deal exposes the brutal truth about NYC’s housing crisis

CHRISTOPHER STEVENS reviews Celebs Go Dating on E4: Television hits the most wretched abyss with this atrocity of a series

EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Erin finds the jewel in her Crown - a new leading lady

AG Tish and Sen. Schiff’s alleged fraud peril: Letters to the Editor — Aug. 12, 2025

Zohran Mamdani’s $2,300 rent scandal exposes who this ‘socialist’ is really looking after first —himself

At Alaska summit, Trump has one play for Ukraine peace: Call Putin’s bluff

RICHARD LITTLEJOHN: In Lawless Britain the 'rights' of scumbags are put ahead of innocent shopkeepers and abused Jewish women

Letters to the Editor: Family lines are nice, but John Wayne Airport has a more pressing concern

Contributor: Six decades after the Watts riots, too little has changed

Doctor warns common medication could put patients at risk of organ damage - and the vital test that can detect dysfunction

Should I buy an immediate needs annuity to pay my 86-year-old mother's care fees? STEVE WEBB replies

Miranda Devine: Trump turns tables on Democrats after years of lawfare — now it’s time to hold them accountable

A Trump-Putin peace deal would mean nothing without Ukraine at the table

Andrew Cuomo is posing as the city’s savior after years of dumping on NYC

Kathy Hochul’s attacks on Mike Lawler only highlight her own failures

Chicago’s ill omens for Mamdani, let the kids play and other commentary

First Nick Clegg lost his seat, now he's on the public-speaking circuit and can't fill them: ANDREW PIERCE

FDNY commissioner on what New Yorkers must have to keep themselves safe: ‘Bare minimum’

In using terror laws to pursue the deluded protesters of Palestine Action, Yvette Cooper is the REAL extremist: STEPHEN GLOVER

ALEX BRUMMER: Pound's mixed blessing in a world with higher trade barriers

NYC’s next mayor could make schools even worse — unless Kathy Hochul steps up for kids

From 'exosomes' to 'PDRN', I've found EVERY buzzy skincare ingredient you need to know about in 2025: POLISHED with Elise Wilson

Goodbye to DEI, crushed by the weight of its own hypocrisies

Texas Dems’ vote skip: Letters to the Editor — Aug. 11, 2025

KENNEDY: Howard Stern's fixation with my rock-and-roll sex life humiliated me... I'm not the only obsessed fan he bitterly betrayed

New Jersey’s electric bills tripled this summer — and could cost Dems the state

Babylon fire chief’s outburst and more: Letters to the Editor — Aug. 10, 2025

Mamdani’s vow to wage war on Trump WILL be a nightmare — for New York City

The US and India could have plenty in common. But the Cold War put geopolitical alliance on ice — and made harsh tariffs look unavoidable

Eight decades after Hiroshima, nuclear weapons continue to haunt global politics — and the world needs calm, pragmatic debate

DEAR JANE: As I watched the satanic nanny cam footage, chills went down my spine. Will we ever be safe?

Progressives are stopping progress when it comes to addressing NYC’s housing shortage

My toenails have gone hard, crusty and frighteningly yellow. Is there ANYTHING I can do? DR ELLIE has the most ingenious solution

Abcarian: The Venice canals were dog heaven. Now they're a dog danger

Michael Goodwin: Netanyahu taking control of Gaza will end the Israel-Hamas war for good

FLOURISHING AFTER 50: I inherited a fortune - but keeping it secret is tearing me apart

Insufferable Sarah Jessica Parker just got caught in a big fat lie. She's seething... but it couldn't be happening to a more deserving Mean Girl: MAUREEN CALLAHAN

JEFF PRESTRIDGE: Neil Woodford must pay for his failures

QUENTIN LETTS: How CAN today's kids experience the summers of adventure we did if Mum is spying on them with trackers in their trainers?

TONY HETHERINGTON: I had to warn TSB twice that my 'new' account was a fraud

Why racial discrimination is so deeply institutionalized in US higher education

My fiancée has started using that toxic phrase every woman says before cheating… We get married in three months' time - should I call it off? ASK JANA

NY state courts are blocking Children’s Services in domestic violence cases — and that needs to change

PETER HITCHENS: ADHD is a fake diagnosis that doesn't exist. I see exactly where this pandemic of idiocy is leading us all...

DAN HODGES: Starmer needs to admit the truth: migrants DO commit more crime than native Brits. This is a national crisis - and the PM's silence isn't good enough

Why Gavin Newsom’s wild plans for mid-decade congressional redistricting may blow up in his face

Contributor: It's no wonder Angelenos are painting crosswalks themselves

My wife had an affair and the pain is killing me. I'm worried the sadness is going to take over... BEL MOONEY reveals the only possible solution

JESSICA BOULTON: Ibiza Final Boss can make millions - but must exploit unlikely asset

I know the truth about the revolting sex smear spat between the Fox starlet and MAGA tradwife... nobody is going to be happy to hear this: KENNEDY