Babak Belurs

Jumat, 14 Oktober 2022

Liz Truss insists she won't resign after making Jeremy Hunt chancellor - The Times

Liz Truss has vowed to carry on as prime minister after scrapping a key campaign pledge not to raise corporation tax and sacking her chancellor.

She replaced Kwasi Kwarteng, her long-term ally and friend, with Jeremy Hunt, the former cabinet minister who ran against her in the summer’s leadership race and eventually supported Rishi Sunak.

But in a televised press conference this afternoon, she insisted: “The mission remains the same.”

Jeremy Hunt leaves No 10 after his first meeting as chancellor. He was informed of his new role by phone

TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE

Liz Truss holds a press conference as Jeremy Hunt becomes chancellor

Truss confirmed that her plan to freeze corporation tax would not go ahead and it would rise to 25 per cent next year, as was originally planned by Sunak. She said this would raise £18 billion per year.

She told a Downing Street press conference lasting just over eight minutes: “It is clear that parts

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2022-10-14 17:25:00Z
1607505298

Leah Croucher: Suspect in teen murder case is dead - BBC

A sex offender who killed himself while on-the-run from police is suspected of murdering teenager Leah Croucher.

This week, unidentified human remains and personal items belonging to the 19-year-old were found in the loft of a house in Milton Keynes.

Thames Valley Police said Neil Maxwell, 49, who was found dead two months after Miss Croucher's disappearance, had a history of offences against women.

It said he was the only person to have keys to the house when she vanished.

Det Ch Supt Ian Hunter said: "If Maxwell were alive today, we would be seeking his arrest in connection with this investigation, so he could be interviewed under caution to provide his account."

The teenager was last seen on CCTV in the Buckinghamshire city on Friday, 15 February 2019.

Police began searching the house on Loxbeare Drive in Furzton on Monday evening, following a tip-off phone call from a member of the public.

The quiet teenager who vanished on her way to work

In the loft they discovered human remains and a rucksack containing personal items belonging to Miss Croucher.

A post-mortem examination is taking place on Friday and formal identification of the remains and forensic analysis of the property could "take some time", police said.

The property is less than half-a-mile (0.8km) from where Miss Croucher was last seen on Buzzacott Lane, Furzton, walking in the direction of Loxbeare Drive and Chaffron Way.

Det Ch Supt Ian Hunter at the press conference

At a press conference on Friday, Det Ch Supt Hunter said: "Sadly, the call from the member of the public that we received on Monday was the first occasion that information was made available to enable the investigation team to provide any link between that address in Loxbeare Drive and Leah."

He confirmed that number two Loxbeare Drive, where the remains were discovered, was visited on at least two occasions during door-to-door inquiries in the search for the teenager, but there was no response.

A map showing the various locations connected to Leah Croucher investigation

"Therefore, we dropped a leaflet through the letterbox, requesting a call back if the occupants of the property had any information," he said.

Since Monday, the force said it discovered the house was owned by someone who lived overseas who rarely visited the UK and was not in the UK at the time Miss Croucher went missing. It said the house was unoccupied when officers attended.

The force said it also learned this week that during the time of the disappearance, Neil Maxwell was the only person to have keys to the property.

He had been employed by the home owner to carry out maintenance at the house. He was found dead on 20 April 2019, having taken his own life.

Mr Hunter said the person who contacted the force on Monday was doing some other work at the address and "informed us of some concerns that led to the call to police and further investigations".

Drone footage shows a blue screen at the end of a path leading to the garden of a house being searched in Loxbeare Drive, Milton Keynes

He said the suspect - who had previous convictions for sexual offences against women - had keys to the home since November 2018 and was wanted in connection with a sexual assault in Newport Pagnell in the same month.

Officers first attempted to arrest him in connection with the offence on 30 November 2018, at an address in central Milton Keynes, but he was not there, he said.

Thames Valley Police shared his name with other forces on the Police National Computer in December 2018 and attempted to arrest him 18 times at addresses across the UK.

The force said it would keep "an open mind" as the investigation continued and would gather more evidence to establish what happened.

"This may or may not implicate or exonerate Maxwell or any other persons from the investigation," police said.

However, he was the only suspect at this stage, they added.

Leah Croucher's father John, mother Claire and sister Jade looking at flowers outside the house

On Thursday evening, Miss Croucher's parents and her sister Jade visited the house and left flowers with a message, saying: "We will cherish your memories forever."

Leah Croucher: A timeline

14 February 2019: Leah Croucher is last seen by her parents at the family home in Quantock Crescent, Milton Keynes at 22:00 GMT
15 February 2019: CCTV footage shows her walking down Buzzacott Lane in Furzton at 08:16. She was thought to be going to her job at a finance company, but she never arrived
April 2019: Thames Valley Police says three people had reported possible sightings of Miss Croucher near Furzton Lake between 09:30 and 11:15, on the day she went missing
October 2019: A two-week search by Thames Valley Police of a lake and surrounding area at the Blue Lagoon nature reserve in Bletchley finds nothing
15 February 2021: On the second anniversary of her disappearance, police say there are "no significant leads" and the case is "bewildering and frustrating"
12 October 2022: Police open a murder investigation after unidentified human remains and a rucksack containing personal possessions belonging to Leah are found in the loft of a home on Loxbeare Drive in Furzton
14 October 2022: Neil Maxwell, a deceased sex offender, is named as the prime suspect in the case by police

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk

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Ms Truss's supporters are urging her to stick to the course she set just 39 days ago when she became PM.

Sir Christopher Chope told the BBC Two's Newsnight: "If we were to increase corporation tax having said that we're not going to, that would be totally inconsistent with the prime minister's policy of promoting growth, growth and growth."

He added that a U-turn would be a "complete betrayal" of what she believed in.

When asked if changes to the mini-budget were coming on Friday, trade minister Greg Hands told the BBC's Today programme "I'm not expecting that".

Mr Hands said it was now time for the Conservative Party to unite behind the prime minister, who won the Tory leadership contest in the summer.

But other Tory MPs say further U-turns are inevitable and should come immediately to calm market jitters.

Former minister Johnny Mercer called for a "course correction" from No 10, describing the impact of rising mortgage rates on people who want to buy a home as "politically unsurvivable".

Mel Stride, the chairman of the Treasury Select Committee, called on the chancellor to make a "significant" announcement "sooner rather than later".

However, he told BBC Breakfast that he did not back a change in leadership, saying "the last thing we need is more market turbulence".

The tense atmosphere in Westminster was apparent as the BBC spoke to dozens of sources across Parliament and the government on Thursday.

"It's checkmate, we're screwed," one Tory MP remarked.

"There is no question in my mind, they'll have to junk loads of this stuff and U-turn," another said.

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2022-10-14 08:47:43Z
1607505298

Mini-budget U-turn on table as Kwasi Kwarteng flies home - BBC

By Faisal Islam, economics editor in Washington DC, Chris Mason, political editor, & Becky Morton, political reporter

BBC News

Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng has cut short his visit to the US for urgent talks in Downing Street, with a U-turn over the mini-budget on the table.

Mr Kwarteng is flying home early from Washington DC after days of open revolt among Tory MPs over his economic plan.

Prime Minister Liz Truss is facing calls to change her plan to calm market turbulence and reassure her party.

No 10 downplayed speculation of imminent changes to the plan after reports suggested parts may be ditched.

A Downing Street source told the BBC the prime minister thinks the chancellor is "doing an excellent job and they are in lockstep".

Many Tory MPs think a further change of plan is inevitable, following a previous U-turn on Ms Truss's plan to scrap the top rate of income tax.

A mini-budget announced by Mr Kwarteng last month - featuring a £45bn raft of tax cuts, funded by borrowing - spooked financial markets and prompted a drop in the value of the pound.

The continuing turmoil prompted an intervention from the Bank of England, which involved buying government bonds to stabilise their value.

Mr Kwarteng had been in Washington DC for a meeting of global finance ministers.

Speaking about the change in his travel plans, a source close to the chancellor said he "really wants to engage not only with government colleagues, but also MPs" over the financial plans.

No 11 dismissed a comparison to the Greek financial crisis of 2011, when its finance minister was hauled back from an international meeting to meet the country's prime minister.

Trade Minister Greg Hands told Sky News it was "not unusual" for a minister to cut short an international visit by a day.

A car carrying the chancellor leaves a building in Washington DC

The tense atmosphere in Westminster was apparent as the BBC spoke to dozens of sources across Parliament and the government on Thursday.

"It's checkmate, we're screwed," one Tory MP remarked.

"There is no question in my mind, they'll have to junk loads of this stuff and U-turn," another said.

If the government does announce changes to its plans it is not clear when this might happen.

Mr Kwarteng has said he was "not going anywhere" and when asked if he and Ms Truss would still be in their jobs this time next month, replied: "Absolutely, 100%."

The chancellor is set to spell out how he will pay for the government's £43bn package of tax cuts and get the UK's national debt falling in a statement on 31 October, alongside an independent economic forecast.

Although the government has already scrapped its plan to scrap the top rate of income tax, this only made up £2bn of the tax cuts announced by the chancellor last month.

While some Tory MPs think the government's tax-cutting plans should be reversed, others believe the help with energy bills should be more targeted.

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Among the possible U-turns, there has been speculation the government could reverse its plan for corporation tax.

Ms Truss has pledged to scrap a planned rise to the tax, which was set to increase from 19% to 25% in 2023.

When asked about the positive market response to the speculation of a U-turn on corporation tax, Mr Kwarteng told the Daily Telegraph: "Let's see."

However, he added that he still thought ensuring "competitive" tax rates for businesses was a "great idea".

Former home secretary Priti Patel told Sky News the market would now "dictate" the prime minister's decision on corporation tax "primarily because we want to see stability".

Other scenarios being discussed by some Tory MPs include the chancellor resigning or the prime minister being ousted.

But there is little agreement on what should happen next or who should replace Ms Truss if she is removed.

According to the Times, senior Conservatives are holding talks about replacing Ms Truss with a joint ticket of Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt, who both ran for the leadership this summer.

Unlike the summer leadership contest, MPs would propose just one person to succeed the PM, with the other individual taking a senior cabinet role, the paper reported.

Senior Tories are continuing to call for the government to change course.

Mel Stride, the chairman of the Treasury Select Committee, called on the chancellor to make a "significant" announcement "sooner rather than later".

However, he told BBC Breakfast that he did not back a change in leadership, saying "the last thing we need is more market turbulence".

Former minister Johnny Mercer called for a "course correction" from No 10, describing the impact of rising mortgage rates on people who want to buy a home as "politically unsurvivable".

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross called on the prime minister and chancellor to "get a grip" on the economy.

But, asked whether he believed Ms Truss could win the next general election, he replied: "Yes."

Other Tory MPs expressed support for the prime minister and said she must not reverse her plans.

Sir Christopher Chope, a Truss backer, told the BBC Two's Newsnight: "If we were to increase corporation tax having said that we're not going to, that would be totally inconsistent with the prime minister's policy of promoting growth, growth and growth."

He added that a U-turn would be a "complete betrayal" of what she believed in, saying he did not think it would not happen.

Wales Office Minister David Davies said the government had to be "flexible" in what he described as an economic "storm", adding that Mr Kwarteng should remain chancellor.

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Mini-budget U-turn on table as Kwasi Kwarteng flies home - BBC

By Faisal Islam, economics editor in Washington DC, Chris Mason, political editor, & Becky Morton, political reporter

BBC News

Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng has cut short his visit to the US for urgent talks in Downing Street, with a U-turn over the mini-budget on the table.

Prime Minister Liz Truss is facing calls to change her plan to calm market turbulence and reassure her party.

Mr Kwarteng is flying home early from Washington DC for discussions with the prime minister and Conservative MPs.

Reports on Thursday suggested the government was looking at which parts of its tax-cutting plans to ditch.