thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-08--Rishi Sunak Starts The Long Break-up: Winding Down Furlough As Jobless Fears Loom

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Rishi Sunak ended the day as he began it, to the sound of fellow Tory MPs banging their desks in approval.
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The support given by the Cabinet in the morning was unsurprising, particularly as Boris Johnson was by the chancellor’s side. But even when he flew solo at the early evening meeting of the backbench 1922 Committee, a body not normally in favour of borrowing-fuelled spending sprees, the reception was just as warm.
It’s likely too that Sunak’s summer “update” will go down well with many of the public who take advantage of its 50% midweek meal deal, are hired as apprentices or spared thousands in stamp duty. And even though this wasn’t a full-blown Budget, he managed to pull out the ‘rabbit’ of a six-month VAT cut that cheered many in the hospitality sector.
Yet with confirmation that the furlough scheme was definitely ending in October, this was in many ways a break-up speech with much of the British workforce. Even though it was tempered by “Dishi Rishi”’s soothing voice and long eyelashes, the message on the end of the affair was unmistakable: “It’s not you, it’s me (and my politics).”
To the nine million people currently dependent on the state paying 80% of their wages, he said: “It cannot and should not go on forever. I know that when furlough ends it will be a difficult moment.” But he didn’t want to give “false hope” that it will be possible to return to the jobs they had before.
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There was even a bit of tough love: “The longer people are on furlough, the more likely it is their skills could fade, and they will find it harder to get new opportunities.” That sounded like “it’s better for both of us that we end this”. Anyone who has been on the receiving end of that particular sentiment (in work or relationships) knows that it’s not wholly true.
Still, even as he was effectively saying goodbye, the chancellor wanted to cushion the blow for a few more months. His August “eat out to help out” plan may ensure that he’s a summer boyfriend to those restaurants and pubs that face a tough time from continued social distancing.
Applying the 50% discount to Mondays-to-Wednesdays only was shrewd, as it ensures eateries can spread more evenly through the week their footfall, allowing them to survive without the daily capacity that ekes out a profit margin. The average household spends £19 a week on restaurant and cafe meals, so the £10 maximum discount has also been crafted with that in mind.
Targeting a fiscal stimulus at the lower paid and the sectors that need help most makes sense. The stimulus impact of a stamp duty cut is more debatable, especially if the better off who sell a £500,000 home then decided to simply pocket rather than spend the £15,000 saving. The story of this downturn has been the wealthier actually paying off debts and increasing savings, as the poorest head more into the red.
Shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds pointed out that consumer confidence is vital in regenerating demand in the economy and that ultimately relies on the government sorting out a proper test and trace system. Just as the public were ahead of No.10 in going into lockdown before it was formally imposed, their fears over safety mean that it will take more than a £10 meal deal to venture out and spend. Sunak may have been keen to wait on tables in Wagamama’s today, but he was clearly not so keen on waiting to see if there was a second wave of coronavirus before axeing furlough altogether.
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Are the public more worried about health than wealth? I’m told that some private polling done by the government suggests that the public aren’t scared enough about job losses yet, and they believe the state will step in to help them. A new survey today found a quarter of parents don’t intend to send their children back to school in September.
Maybe that’s why Sunak essentially said today that in fiscal terms there really is no such thing as a free lunch, even as he offered 50% off an actual lunch. “Over the medium-term, we must, and we will, put our public finances back on a sustainable footing,” he said. There was a gaping hole in his speech about how or when he would do that, and we will have to wait until the autumn to find out.
Another unknown is whether firms will be so hard hit by the downturn that no amount of job retention bonuses or training and apprenticeship help will shift them from the simpler strategy of just slashing jobs. The bottom line of business self-preservation, of stemming losses, may make Sunak’s own talk of a return to ‘sustainable’ finances look bitterly ironic.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak serving customers at a Wagamama restaurant in central London after unveiling his "eat out to help out" scheme. Treasury
It’s worth noting that this is a Treasury that is now run in tandem with No.10, not independently from it. Minutes before the statement, Boris Johnson made plain his own impatience, saying the furlough scheme “keeps employees in suspended animation” and “we need to get our economy moving again!” When your boss talks like that, and your predecessor was ousted for not toeing the line, the pressure on the chancellor to follow suit is obvious.
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Johnson asserted his authority this weekend too, breaking convention to rule out any increases in VAT, income tax or national insurance. “I don’t normally talk about fiscal stuff because I leave that to Rishi. But what is in the manifesto is in the manifesto.” So, for all Sunak’s own flashy Twitter graphics, complete with a rockstar signature, it’s the PM’s imprimatur written all over his plans.
If we are not totally sure what Johnsonism is yet, Sunakism is even harder to fathom. But it does involve a sharp political eye (he personally intervened last night to reverse the HMRC move to tax people taking up an employer’s covid test) and a focus on the future (Treasury insiders stressed repeatedly his plans would support young, female, Bame workers in the hospitality sector).
Most of all the chancellor knows he has an almost impossible task to balance competing interests and forces as the UK moves into the next phase of the pandemic. His bluetoothed Ember travel mug sets an exact drinking temperature “so your coffee is never too hot, or too cold”. He clearly wants the public finances neither too hot nor too cold too.
Instinctively a small state Tory, Sunak starts off with backbench goodwill because he backed Brexit (even putting it before a career in George Osborne’s Treasury). But he has proved he is willing to implement policies Gordon Brown would only dream of, and in some cases actually started (the Future Jobs Fund, a targeted VAT cut).
He told Sir Edward Leigh that he “wholeheartedly” agreed that there are no long-term “subsidised jobs”. Sir Des Swayne lavished praise but added a hint of menace too. “After that package and that performance, the only reasonable thing I can say to my right hon. friend is, ‘Remember, O Caesar, you are mortal’”. Sunak gulped and said: “Thank you, I think.”
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When he addressed the 1922 committee at the end of the day, the chancellor flashed his libertarian credentials and his desire to get the state out of people’s lives. However, he then explained that he had been on a political journey forced on him by the pandemic. What he didn’t say was that his Damascene conversion to the merits of government intervention - and now his path out of it - was really him following the gospel according to Boris Johnson.
For all his soaring rhetoric about “turning our national recovery into millions of stories of personal renewal”, and for his belief in “the nobility of work”, he still faces the big charge that he is still not doing enough to help avoid the spectre of mass unemployment. Hard-nosed Tory MPs, some of whom see Sunak as the next Conservative PM, have been urging him to stop being Santa and to turn into Scrooge this winter.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-08--UK's Top Official Sir Mark Sedwill Gets £250,000 Payoff For Standing Down

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Britain’s top civil servant Sir Mark Sedwill will get a near-£250,000 payoff after quitting his dual roles at the top of government as part of Boris Johnson’s overhaul of Whitehall.
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The prime minister confirmed that Sedwill will get a £248,189 pension contribution after stepping down as cabinet secretary and national security adviser.
Johnson issued a ministerial direction to make the payment in a minute to the permanent secretary at the Cabinet Office.
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Sedwill’s “two hats” position at the top of Whitehall has long been controversial among some Tory MPs since the two roles were united and handed to him by Johnson’s predecessor as prime minister, Theresa May.
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But his resignation drew strong criticism from the FDA civil servants’ union, who accused Johnson of forcing him out.
The PM’s decision to promote his chief Brexit negotiator David Frost to national security adviser has also caused angst among senior figures, given his lack of experience in intelligence and security.
Last week, May blasted Johnson for replacing Sedwill with Frost, saying he has “no proven expertise in national security”.
Speaking in the Commons, the former PM made a rare intervention over the controversial appointment of Frost, saying “expert, independent advice” was vital in government.
Sedwill’s departure came amid fears a wider shake-up of the civil service by the PM, spearheaded by Dominic Cummings and Michael Gove, will erode the impartiality of the civil service.
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A search has begun to replace Sedwill as cabinet secretary.
Education secretary Gavin Williamson has acknowledged that Johnson’s appointment for Frost was political, drawing comparisons with the United States.
When Sedwill announced his departure, FDA general secretary David Penman said: “No.10 - or those around it - has sought to undermine Sir Mark and the leadership of the civil service, with a series of anonymous briefings against him over many months. Not only is it a self-defeating and corrosive tactic, it’s also a cowardly one, safe in the knowledge that those who are briefed against are unable to publicly respond.
“How would any potential candidate for cabinet secretary judge their prospective employers, given how the current cadre of leaders has been treated by them?
“The danger here is that No.10 may have won this particular round of their power play, but at what cost?”
He added: “Whatever emerges as fact from the series of briefings that have sought to undermine Sir Mark’s position, this government will emerge weaker as a result.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-08--Fears For Older Workers As Rishi Sunak's Mini-Budget 'Ignores Plight'

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A lack of targeted support for older workers was a “massive omission” in the chancellor’s mini-budget, campaigners have warned amid a huge rise in over 50s claiming Universal Credit.
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On Wednesday, Rishi Sunak used his summer statement to unveil a package of aid for young workers hit by the coronavirus pandemic – including a £2bn “kickstart scheme” to give under 25s on Universal Credit six-month job placements.
Employers will also receive grants for taking on trainees and apprentices, he announced, with more cash paid out for staff aged 24 and under.
But the chancellor has been urged to consider workers over the age of 50, with campaigners warning that this group faces long-term unemployment if they are not given targeted support.
“Pre-pandemic, workers aged over 50 were already more likely to be made redundant, to be in long-term unemployment and to have less access to workplace training,” said Stuart Lewis, founder of Rest Less, a jobs and advice site for older people.
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According to analysis of Office for National Statistics (ONS) data by Rest Less, there has been a significant increase in the number of people aged 50 and over claiming Universal Credit since the UK went into lockdown, up from 304,000 in March to 660,000 in May.
Now, people in this age group who have lost their jobs during the pandemic face an up-hill battle to find work, Lewis suggested.
Prostock-Studio via Getty Images
“Following today’s announcement... why would any company create a permanent role and hire a 61-year-old who has just been made redundant, when they could hire a 23-year-old for free on a temporary six month basis?”
“Given the known challenges facing the over 50s in the recruitment process, we expect hundreds of thousands of over 50s to be forced into an early retirement they cannot afford, living off Universal Credit until they reach the state pension age – which could be as long as 10 to15 years.
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“The key thing for us is that this is not one group versus the other.
“Things needed to be done for younger people because they’re facing a real plight as well.
“It’s just this massive omission that nothing is being done for over 50s, especially over 60s.”
The government must invest in training for older people, Lewis said.
“Training is one of the big things,” he explained. “There’s a structural shift taking place in the workplace and Covid has basically accelerated all of those trends.
“How do we re-skill someone who might have been in manufacturing or retail for 30 years if they’re over 50? How do we re-skill and equip them for the jobs of the future?”
Ruth Slack, 56, has worked in marketing for years. She got a new job in digital marketing November – but was let go just days before the UK went into lockdown in March because of coronavirus.
Ruth Slack and her 21-year-old son Ruth Slack/ Rest Less
She has been able to find a temporary role she can do from home – something she said she was lucky to find.
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This stop-gap job “just about covers everything you need”, she said.
“I want to get back into marketing and communications but I haven’t got a role yet and basically every day I’m sitting here looking at all the job listings,” Slack said.
“I’ve got all this experience and I want to work and I enjoy working for the right company with the right people.”
She welcomed Sunak’s announcement of support for young people, with her 21-year-old son looking for an apprenticeship.
But she wants some specialised support for older workers affected by the pandemic.
“It’s hard,” Slack added. “I wish people would pay a bit more attention to older people. There has been nothing about older people from the government at all during this situation.”
Shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds has also called on Sunak to consider the needs of the UK’s older workforce.
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Labour shadow Chancellor Anneliese Dodds speaks in response to the summer economic update. PA
Responding to Sunak’s mini-budget, the Labour MP said: “The government must also recognise the specific challenges faced by older jobseekers, many of whom are becoming unemployed for the first time, and those based in especially hard-hit places.”
But in the Commons, Sunak said the government was introducing a £1,500 payment for businesses who take on an apprentice over the age of 25.
The chancellor said he was doing this “for the simple reason that while most people think of apprentices as young people, some 44% or so of new apprentice starts are actually over the age of 25”.
From August, businesses in England will get a £2,000 grant for hiring an apprentice aged 24 and under. They will get £1,500 for apprentices who are over 25.
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Sunak added: “It is important that we provide that financial incentive at this time of economic distress, to try to create as many new apprenticeships as possible, including for those who are older.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-08--Renters 'Left Out In The Cold' By Rishi Sunak's Coronavirus Mini-Budget

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Renters have been ignored in Rishi Sunak’s mini-budget to kickstart the coronavirus-hit UK despite a string of measures to help those who own their own homes.
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A stamp duty cut was one of the flagship policies within the chancellor’s extra £30bn-worth of spending, which comes on top of the £122bn already shelled out to tackle the crisis.
Housebuilders welcomed the move, which could save buyers up to £15,000.
But the lack of anything to help the one-in-five UK households who live in private rented accommodation comes as campaigners raise concerns over the ban on evictions ending next month.
Housing charity Shelter estimates around a quarter-of-a-million private renters in England could be at risk of losing their homes.
It said on Wednesday that the chancellor’s statement was a “major missed opportunity” and that changes to stamp duty are “just a distraction”.
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“One discounted meal at a restaurant will be cold comfort to those struggling to pay their rent each month and facing the threat of eviction in August.” - Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran
Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: “In the midst of the the biggest economic downturn in living memory, what we needed from the chancellor today was action, not distraction.
“Unfortunately cuts to stamp duty are just another distraction, as we are facing the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs and new homes. Changes to stamp duty are wholly insufficient for the challenge this country is facing.
“Voices from across the political spectrum have been calling for urgent investment in social housing to stimulate housebuilding, protect jobs, and provide urgently needed homes.
“In the face of this mounting crisis we need rapid spending, bringing forward the money already committed to affordable housing to be spent now as a rescue package – not in five years’ time. This is a major missed opportunity by the chancellor.”
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Disappointed @RishiSunak didn’t announce any action to help renters with the rent debt crisis they face today. Hundreds of thousands of renters are choosing between paying for rent or food. For them it less ‘eat out to help out’ they need a ‘pay out to eat in’! @genrentuk — Alicia Kennedy (@aliciakennedy07) July 8, 2020
Liberal Democrat MP and leadership hopeful Layla Moran said the chancellor has “left renters out in the cold” while handing a £3.8bn stamp duty cut that will “benefit wealthy homeowners the most”
She added: “One discounted meal at a restaurant will be cold comfort to those struggling to pay their rent each month and facing the threat of eviction in August.
“Thousands of hard-pressed families are being pushed into poverty by the heartless two child cap on benefits, but will not see any extra support.
“At the start of this crisis, the chancellor said we will be judged by our capacity for compassion. By failing to provide additional support directly to those who do fall on hard times, this mini-budget shows this government has utterly failed that test.”
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Shelter estimates that 227,000 renters across the country have fallen behind with payments and is concerned they could lose their homes when the evictions ban ends on August 23.
People who accrue rent arrears of eight weeks or more can be automatically evicted, in addition to the risk of being subjected to a Section 21 “no fault” eviction.
In his Commons statement, Sunak also unveiled plans for: - Firms which have furloughed staff will be given a £1,000 bonus to keep workers in jobs. – Announced an “eat out to help out” plan for dining out in August to boost the hospitality sector, with a 50% discount per head from Monday to Wednesday up to a maximum discount of £10 per diner. – Slashed VAT on food, accommodation and attractions from 20% to 5% from July 15 until January 12, a tax cut worth up to £4 billion. – Set out a scheme for firms to be given £2,000 for each new apprentice they hire under the age of 25 and a new bonus of £1,500 for apprentices over that age.
Alicia Kennedy, director of campaign group Generation Rent: “While support for jobs is welcome, people are struggling to put food on the table now and face the threat of losing their home when the eviction ban is lifted next month.
“The stamp duty holiday doesn’t help renters whose incomes and savings have been destroyed by the pandemic and face a further setback to their hopes of buying a home. Right now the government is leaving renters to bear the cost of the pandemic – we need Rishi Sunak to increase Local Housing Allowance, remove the restrictions stopping people from accessing it, and end the rent debt crisis before it causes mass homelessness.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-08--Everything You Need To Know About Rishi Sunak's £30bn Coronavirus Mini-Budget

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Coronavirus has changed everything. Make sense of it all with the Waugh Zone, our evening politics briefing. Sign up now.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has outlined an extra £30bn-worth of spending designed to help the UK through what is likely to be the worst recession on record.
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It comes on top of the £122bn already shelled out to tackle the coronavirus crisis and comes as ministers grapple with the possibility of mass unemployment in the months ahead.
So what do you need to know?
The grim challenge ahead
Even while imposing austerity after the financial crash, George Osborne liked to talk about sunlit uplands and crack a few jokes.
But Sunak’s grave tone matched the scale of the crisis with a warning that “hardship lies ahead”.
And who can blame him when he is forced to reveal the grim reality that the UK’s economy got 25% smaller in just two months - the same amount it grew over the previous 18 years.
This will come with “significant job losses”, but Sunak underlined the point of his entire statement by declaring: “I will never accept unemployment as an unavoidable outcome”.
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A bold chancellor
He’s only been chancellor since February, but Sunak has shown he is unafraid to introduce bold, eye-catching measures in response to the coronavirus crisis.
Despite resisting Labour calls for an extension of the furlough scheme for the worst-hit sectors, he unveiled a package of support for hospitality and tourism businesses which have been shuttered by lockdown and remain highly restricted.
Echoing his boss Boris Johnson, Sunak said he wanted to see “bustling” pubs, cafes, restaurants and hotels again while announcing a cut in VAT cut for food, accommodation and attractions from 20% to just 5%, costing £4bn.
The measure will cover eat-in or hot takeaway food from restaurants, cafes and pubs, accommodation in hotels, bed and breakfasts, campsites and caravan sites, and attractions like cinemas, theme parks and zoos - all until next January.
Officials pointed out this would cover attractions like Alton Towers and Longleat safari park, a £100 a night hotel room in Cornwall or a Premier Inn in Manchester, and a meal at Nando’s or Pizza Express.
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Accompanying this was a bold £500m “eat out to help out” plan, offering customers a government-backed 50% discount up to £10 each on dining out between Monday and Wednesday in August.
But perhaps unsurprisingly for the teetotal chancellor, alcoholic drinks were not included in either plan, with the Treasury believing the 80-90% of pubs that serve food can still benefit.
Furlough bonus
Sunak had some home truths for workers on furlough, warning that keeping it going until things return to “normal”, whenever that is, risks giving people “false hope” that they will be able to return to their old jobs.
Instead, the job retention scheme is being wound down to its end in October to ensure people are not “trapped in a job that can only exist because of government subsidy”.
But by far the biggest outlay in his speech was a jobs retention bonus, giving employers £1,000 for each worker taken back from furlough in a move that could cost up to £9.4bn.
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This will apply to all 9m workers who have been furloughed since coronavirus took hold in the UK - if their employers take them back.
Help for the young
Sunak was particularly focused on young people, who are at very low risk of dying from coronavirus but arguably will suffer the biggest consequences from lockdown.
There was a new scheme which will see companies given £2,000 for each new apprentice they hire under the age of 25, and a new bonus of £1,500 for apprentices over that age, worth £1.6bn.
And there was a £2bn “kickstart” scheme to pay the wages of 16-24 year-olds on universal credit and currently at risk of long-term unemployment. The cash will be available for six month work placements and cover 25 hours a week on the minimum wage.
The Treasury was also keen to point out that its package of support for hospitality will help workers who are disproportionately young and more likely to be female or from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.
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Bar staff waits for customers at the Rochester Castle pub in Stoke Newington, north London, as coronavirus lockdown restrictions are eased across England. PA
Something for Tory voters and backbenchers
Sunak needed to have something for traditional Tories worried about all the high spending and he delivered with the abolition of stamp duty on properties worth up to £500,000 in England and Northern Ireland until March 31 next year.
The chancellor pointed out that house buying and selling fell by 50% in May with prices falling for the first time in eight years as he outlined the measure, which will cut the average bill by £4,500 and mean nearly nine out of ten people buying a main home will pay nothing in stamp duty.
The measure will cost the Treasury £3.8bn but Sunak said he needs people to feel “confident to buy, sell, renovate, move and improve”, arguing it will drive growth despite concerns that the move would distort the market.
Plenty of winners, but also some losers
While there were plenty of winners in Sunak’s speech, many will be feeling left out.
Self-employed people who only belatedly got help in a grant scheme which is due to run out in August got nothing.
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And while many of the measures were a big statement about the government’s drive to open up the economy despite public health risks, there was nothing set aside for businesses that will face local lockdowns to combat coronavirus outbreaks often through no fault of their own.
There was also nothing to help with childcare despite many parents facing the prospect of losing their jobs, and nothing for renters.
People walk in Melton Road also known as the Golden Mile in Leicester ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dodds’ debut
The statement was also notable for Anneliese Dodds’ first big Commons moments as Keir Starmer’s shadow chancellor.
The Labour frontbencher renewed calls for the furlough scheme to be continued for “viable” industries that face a disproportionate impact from coronavirus and accused Sunak of putting off the big economic decisions until autumn.
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She also called for an end to the “poverty pay” of social care workers who have played a central frontline role in the crisis and urged ministers to solve the fact that people may be less willing to self isolate if it means going on “low-value” and “limited” statutory sick pay for 14 days.
But Dodds was also forced to confirm that Labour is not proposing a wealth tax after mixed messages in recent days.
And she repeatedly made the link between the government’s approach to the economy and the health response to coronavirus.
Thanks for the meal deal, but we were promised a new deal. #SummerStatement pic.twitter.com/c3AOUhgdGT — The Labour Party (@UKLabour) July 8, 2020
“The best the government can do to boost demand is to give consumers and workers the confidence and psychological security that they can go out to work, to shop, and to socialise in safety,” Dodds said.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-08--Person Dies After Crane Collapses Onto House In Bow, East London

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One person has died and four people have been injured after a 20-metre crane collapsed onto a house in Bow, east London.
London Fire Brigade (LFB) said the structure fell onto a block of flats under development and into two terraced houses on Compton Close on Wednesday afternoon.
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London Ambulance Service (LAS) said one person had sadly died and that crews have treated four people at the scene.
The brigade’s assistant commissioner Graham Ellis, said in a statement: “This is a multi-agency response and is likely to be a protracted incident. I would ask people to avoid the area.”
More video of the crane that fallen in bow (tower Hamlets area) pic.twitter.com/057OZBt79K — London & UK Crime.. (@CrimeLdn) July 8, 2020
Video posted to social media shows the mangled remains of the crane and the damaged roof of a nearby house.
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The Metropolitan Police said officers were called at 2.39pm to Gale Street to a report of a crane that collapsed into a residential property and a building site.
The crane that collapsed was being used by Swan Housing Association and NU living.
A spokesperson for the organisation said: “Swan Housing Association/NU living is aware of an incident that occurred at our Watts Grove development site in Tower Hamlets, east London, this afternoon.
“A full incident response has been implemented and our staff are on site supporting the emergency services in their response.”
Neil Marney, chief executive of Marney Construction, said he could see the crane being erected on Tuesday from the site he was working on, telling the PA news agency: “My project manager on the site called me immediately and said the crane you were looking at yesterday being erected has just collapsed.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-08--Kanye West Reveals He's No Longer A Donald Trump Supporter In New Interview About Presidential Hopes

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Kanye West has said he no longer considers himself a supporter of Donald Trump, in his first interview about his own plans to run for US president.
The controversial rapper has been talking about running for president in 2020 for almost five years, first declaring it during his acceptance speech at the MTV VMAs in 2015.
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Over the weekend, he made headlines when he repeated his intention to run for office on Twitter, and has now spoken to Forbes about his political ambitions, as well as his past endorsement of Donald Trump.
Kanye told the magazine he no longer supports Trump, declaring: “I am taking the red hat off, with this interview.”
Kanye West sporting a Make America Great Again cap in 2018 SAUL LOEB via Getty Images
“One of the main reasons I wore the red hat as a protest to the segregation of votes in the Black community,” he explained. “Also, other than the fact that I like Trump hotels and the saxophones in the lobby.”
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Explaining his past support of Trump, Kanye – who runs weekly Christian gatherings dubbed the Sunday Service – claimed that the US leader is the “closest president we’ve had in years to allowing God to still be part of the conversation”.
Kanye West and Donald Trump embracing in the Oval Office Consolidated News Pictures via Getty Images
In more alarming parts of the interview, Kanye also shared his own anti-vaccine sentiments (“that’s the mark of the beast… they want to do all kinds of things, to make it where we can’t cross the gates of heaven”) and anti-abortion stance (“Planned Parenthoods have been placed inside cities by white supremacists to do the Devil’s work”).
On his political ambitions, Kanye said he’ll be running as an independent candidate under the new banner of the Birthday Party, and has been receiving guidance from Elon Musk, who endorsed his run for president on Twitter on Sunday morning.
He also said that “if Trump wasn’t there”, he would run as a Republican candidate.
Despite having been among Trump’s most vocal supporters, in 2018 Kanye tweeted that he would be “distancing himself from politics”, claiming his name had been used to “spread messages I don’t believe in”.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-08--5 Damning Revelations In Mary Trump’s New Book About The President

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More damning details have emerged from the upcoming book written by Mary Trump about her uncle Donald Trump.
Early copies of the tell-all, obtained by multiple media outlets on Tuesday, reportedly say Trump cheated his way into college, commented on his own niece’s breasts in front of his wife and threatened to disown his son Donald Trump Jr. if he joined the military.
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The White House has refuted many of the claims made by the president’s niece, a clinical psychologist, in “Too Much and Never Enough, How My Family Created The World’s Most Dangerous Man.”
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Tuesday afternoon said she’d “yet to see the book,” but nevertheless said “it’s a book of falsehoods.”
The president’s brother Robert Trump attempted to stop the book from being published. It is scheduled for release on Tuesday.
Mary Trump wrote her uncle’s “penchant for division, and uncertainty about our country’s future have created a perfect storm of catastrophes that no one is less equipped than my uncle to manage.”
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Here are some of the other eyebrow-raising details:
1. Trump cheated his way into college
Trump paid someone to take the SAT on his behalf, according to The New York Times account of the book.
Trump feared his grade point average “would scuttle his efforts to get accepted,” so he paid “a smart kid with a reputation for being a good test taker, to take his SATs for him.”
2. Trump commented on his niece’s breasts in front of his wife
“Holy shit, Mary. You’re stacked,” Trump’s niece alleged he said (in front of his then-wife Marla Maples) after seeing her in a swimsuit at his private Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, in the 1990s, according to The Guardian.
“I was 29 and not easily embarrassed,” wrote Mary Trump. “But my face reddened and I suddenly felt self-conscious. I pulled my towel around my shoulders.”
Trump speculated about his then-one-year-old daughter Tiffany’s breasts during a 1994 interview with Robin Leach.
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3. Trump’s own sister called him ‘a clown’
Trump’s eldest sister, retired judge Maryanne Trump Barry, dismissed her brother’s run for office during a 2015 meal with Mary Trump.
“He’s a clown. This will never happen,” Mary Trump recalled her aunt saying of the presidential bid, reported CNN.
4. Trump is a terrible Christmas gift-giver
Trump one Christmas regifted a food basket to his niece, she said, but only after taking out a tin of caviar, reported CNN. Another year, he gave her a $12 pack of underwear from Bloomingdales, according to The Guardian account of the book. Her brother, meanwhile, received a leather-bound journal — that was out of date.
Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, admitted in a 2018 interview that his father was a notorious regifter. “There was one Christmas where he may or may not have given me the gift I had given him the year before, because I had monogrammed it,” Trump Jr. recalled to Extra. “And I’m like: ‘I know you didn’t get this.’ ‘How do you know that?’ ‘Because I gave it to you last year.’”
5. Trump threatened to disown his son if he joined the military
Trump reportedly told his eldest son Donald Trump Jr. that he would disown him “in a second” if he joined the US Army, according to MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, who read segments from the book on air Tuesday.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-08--'Eat Out To Help Out' Scheme – How To Get 50% Off Food In August

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You’re reading our series Summer’s Not Cancelled, where we celebrate summer in this new normal. From rediscovering nature and cherishing time with friends and family, to virtual festivals and unforgettable staycations – summer’s still here, it’s just different. People are able to get 50% off meals when dining out in August as part of a government push to get the economy moving again.
Chancellor of the exchequer, Rishi Sunak, announced that for the month of August, everyone in England will be entitled to an ‘Eat Out To Help Out’ discount – to get customers back into restaurants, cafés and pubs, and protect the 1.8 million people who work in them.
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“Meals eaten at any participating business, Monday to Wednesday, will be 50% off up to a maximum discount of £10 per head, for everyone – including children,” he said in a statement.
So, what do you need to do to benefit from the discount? Well, very little actually. Here’s a quick guide to how ‘Eat Out To Help Out’ works.
How does the scheme work?
It’s up to businesses to register for the scheme to encourage customers to visit.
From August 3, businesses can offer customers half price discounts from Monday to Wednesday, and claim the money back from the government – with the funds in their accounts within five working days.
The discount is redeemable on sit-down meals and non-alcoholic drinks and the maximum discount per customer is £10. The scheme will end on August 31.
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Customers don’t need any vouchers to take part, and the half price discount can be used at the same time as other offers and discounts, the government said. People won’t be able to take advantage of the scheme if they live in an area under local lockdown.
Will all restaurants take part?
Participating places include: restaurants, cafés, bars or pubs; work and school canteens; and food halls.
Thousands of restaurants have already signed up to the scheme, including chains such as Ask Italian, Bill’s, Burger King, Five Guys, Franco Manca, M&S Cafe, McDonalds, Nando’s, Pho, Pizza Express, Prezzo, Wagamama, Wetherspoons and YO Sushi.
People can also search for local restaurants and pubs taking part in the scheme within a 2-mile radius of their postcode on the gov.uk website.
“1.8m people work in this industry, they need our support – and with this measure we can all eat out to help out,” said Sunak, when he announced the scheme in July.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-09--Stormzy Surprises Fan By Redecorating His Bedroom In Heartwarming Video

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Stormzy has made a teenage fan’s day after putting in a surprise visit to his home to redecorate his bedroom.
The award-winning rapper teamed up with the decorating company The Good Guys, who use funds from their paid work to offer free decorating to those in need.
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As part of their work, The Good Guys transform the bedroom of a deserving young person every month, free of charge.
In a heartwarming video posted on the BBC’s social media, Stormzy was seen at the home of 15-year-old Ishae, who lives in Croydon, near where the grime star grew up.
Imagine coming home from school to find Stormzy decorating your bedroom. That’s what happened to 15-year-old Ishae. 😂🖌🎤 pic.twitter.com/sXQDICH4Sq — BBC London (@BBCLondonNews) July 9, 2020
The Good Guys founder Cyle Carth told BBC London: “Today’s give-back is for a student at one of the schools that we paint.
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“He was selected because of his positive behaviour that he has demonstrated since starting at the school.”
Ishae had no idea that it would be Stormzy who was painting his room, so got quite the surprise when he opened his front door to find the much-celebrated musician on the other side, greeting him with a “yo, wha gwan fam?”.
“I’m shocked, I’m shocked,” Ishae explained. “Because I do music myself innit, but Stormzy’s just up there innit.”
His mum, Sandra, said: “It means a lot because he’s a good boy, he’s a brilliant boy, I know he’s a brilliant boy and I know there’s a lot of good in him. So to know that other people have seen that as well…”
Cyle added: “I’m happy with today, it couldn’t have went any better, to be honest with you.”
Stormzy surprised 15-year-old at his home BBC
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Since his rise to international fame, Stormzy has repeatedly used his platform to raise awareness of good causes and issues that he believes in.
Last month, it was revealed that he had pledged £10 million to charities and organisations fighting racial inequality over the next decade.
In the BBC’s video, he also voiced his support for the Black Lives Matter movement, saying: “I’ve been cheering. So even, like, we’ve been going to the protest… I haven’t been going there to grab the mic, I’ve just been saying ‘yo, this is sick’, and, like, I’m happy everyone is here.
“I feel like I don’t have any answers. A lot of people don’t have answers, but we’re all just trying, we’re all just getting together, we’re all just standing together cheering.”
Stormzy after winning a Brit Award earlier this year Karwai Tang via Getty Images
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“One thing I really want this movement to do is show what it means to be Black,” he added.
“You hear so much rhetoric you know, ‘all lives matter, why do Black lives matter more?’. And it’s like, ’bruv, do you not understand? If we weren’t oppressed, we wouldn’t be shouting. We would just be living our lives.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-09--Just 70% Of Coronavirus 'Close Contacts' Reached By NHS Test And Trace

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Just 70% of “close contacts” of people with Covid-19 are being reached and asked to self isolate by NHS Test and Trace, new figures have revealed.
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The percentage is the lowest since the scheme began in late May and represents another fall week on week. The figure stood at 90% in week one.
Overall, the test-and-trace system has slightly improved its reach among the number of people who test positive for the virus, but just under a quarter are still not being reached.
It is understood that the reason for the drop in “close contacts” being reached - defined as those who spend more than 15 minutes less than two metres away from a suspected case - is because the virus is now among the wider community rather than just NHS hospitals and care homes.
People living or working in NHS, social care or even prisons - described as “complex cases” - can more easily identify their range of contacts than individuals in the community who contract the virus. Without a fully functioning app, the task of identifying unknown contacts is more difficult.
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The latest figures also appeared to show that Boris Johnson’s ambition of getting most covid tests turned around within 24 hours by the end of June is unlikely to be met.
The proportion of tests done within the one day time frame was 91%, although on the measure of being completed “by the end of the next day” the figure jumped to 97%.
As the figures are compiled for a whole week - between of June 25 and July 1 - it remains unclear what the figure was on June 30. Next week’s statistics will confirm whether the target has been met.
The proportion of tests being completed within 24 hours has improved week on week.
The current average Covid-19 testing turnaround time in the NHS pathology laboratories is 12 hours, up from 14 hours last week. And 97% of NHS labs have an average test turnaround time of under 24 hours, up from 90% last week.
According to the latest figures overall for the week to July 1, of the people who tested positive for covid, some 3,366 people (77.4%) were reached and asked to provide details of recent close contacts.
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Some 2,552 people (75.8%) provided details for one or more recent close contacts and 814 people (24.2%) said that they had no recent close contacts. Some 842 people (19.4%) could not be reached. An additional 139 people (3.2%) could not be reached at all because no communications details were provided for them.
For the whole period since the system first started four weeks ago, 31,421 people had their case transferred to the contact tracing system, of whom 23,796 (75.7%) were reached and asked to provide details of their recent close contacts.
In that period, 144,501(85.1%) close contacts were reached and asked to self-isolate through the contract tracing system out of 169,863 people identified.
Under the system, anyone who tests positive for Covid-19 is advised to give their own details and then to inform tracers of those they have spent more than 15 minutes with at a distance of less than two metres in the previous two days.
When people cannot be reached the reasons are either because their details are incorrect, or there was no response to calls, texts and email.
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The NHS Test and Trace programme, launched in late May, has been hailed by Boris Johnson as a “world-beating” system to contain the spread of coronavirus as lockdown restrictions are eased.
No.10 stressed that fewer people were testing positive overall and fewer contacts therefore identified. The NHS is using reminder text messages and phone calls to increase the number reached.
The prime minister’s official spokesman said: “NHS Test and Trace is a large scale service which has been set up from scratch and designed to help us contain the virus and save lives.
“We have now reached more than 144,000 close contacts who may otherwise have unknowingly spread the virus.
“Test and Trace is doing significant work. As the PM and Baroness Harding have said, this is a service that will improve over time.”
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He added that the government was “making significant progress” with 97.% of in-person tests returned “the next day” and 91% returned within 24 hours.
“This is a huge increase from the first week of the service when 65%..were being returned within 48 hours.”
In the past week Harding has admitted there is a problem with public awareness of the fact that everyone can now get a test.
NHS surveys found that less than half the population are aware they are now eligible for tests, with “financial” worries about lost income among the reasons for people not engaging with self-isolation.
Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran said: “These figures show the Chancellor’s economic recovery plan is built on sand.
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“Having an effective Test and Trace system is absolutely critical to controlling this pandemic and getting the economy moving again. Yet we seem to be going backwards not forwards as hundreds of people with coronavirus are still being missed each week.”
However the government believes that the failing number of cases in the NHS and care homes is a positive development and that the figures reflect the change in mix of cases in the community.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-09--Boots Set To Cut 4,000 Jobs Following Hit To Sales During Coronavirus Pandemic

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High street pharmacy chain Boots has said it expects to cut more than 4,000 jobs in a bit to tackle the “significant impact” of Covid-19.
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The move will affect around 7% of the company’s workforce, bosses said.
Meanwhile, 48 Boots Opticians stores will be closed as part of the restructuring plans.
The news about job cuts at Boots came on the same day John Lewis revealed it would permanently close eight stores, putting 1,300 jobs at risk.
The closures include two full-size department stores in Birmingham and Watford amid a reported shift to online sales.
Cuts by the two high street giants follow redundancies at a number of other companies.
Last week, SSP – the owner of brands including Cafe Ritazza and Upper Crust – said it would cut as many as 5,000 jobs, while Arcadia is due to slash 500 roles.
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The decision by Boots to cut jobs came after retail sales tumbled by 48% during lockdown, despite the chain keeping swathes of its stores open to customers.
Meanwhile, its opticians business saw sales dive by 72% compared to the same quarter last year as people stayed at home.
Boots said that the cuts represent an “acceleration” of its transformation plans to improve profitably across the business.
Managing director Sebastian James said: “The proposals announced today are decisive actions to accelerate our transformation plan, allow Boots to continue its vital role as part of the UK health system, and ensure profitable long-term growth.
“I am so very grateful to all our colleagues for their dedication during the last few challenging months.
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“They have stepped forward to support their communities, our customers and the NHS during this time, and I am extremely proud to be serving alongside them.”
“In doing this, we are building a stronger and more modern Boots for our customers, patients and colleagues.
“We recognise that today’s proposals will be very difficult for the remarkable people who make up the heart of our business, and we will do everything in our power to provide the fullest support during this time.”
No.10 said the job losses were “very worrying” for employees.
The prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “This will be very worrying news for Boots employees and we stand ready to support those workers and their families in any way possible.
“The chancellor has said that sadly we won’t be able to protect every job but we have put in place a very substantial package which allows businesses to draw upon a range of financial support during this challenging time including loans, tax deferrals and cash grants.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-09--Labour Brands Plan To End Free BBC TV Licence For Over 75s A 'Betrayal' By Government

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Labour has describes plans to end free TV licences for most over-75s a “betrayal” that could deprive people of an “invaluable source of company during the pandemic”.
The free TV licence for over-75s will be means-tested from August 1, the BBC said on Thursday.
The broadcaster agreed to take on responsibility for funding the scheme as part of the charter agreement hammered out with the government in 2015.
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It was due to introduce means-testing at the start of last month, but it was delayed until August because of the coronavirus, PA Media reports.
Leon Neal via Getty Images
Labour’s shadow culture secretary Jo Stevens said: “The refusal of the government to fund this vital service after promising to do so is nothing short of betrayal.
“Many over-75s have spent months at home with TV providing an invaluable source of company during the pandemic. For the government to blame the BBC who are having to contend with huge cuts is simply passing the buck.”
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The BBC said in a statement that the new scheme would cost “around £250 million by 2021/22” and that it would mean the corporation had to “divert some spending on programmes and services”.
It said the continuation of the government scheme would have cost £745m, which would have “in practice” lead to closures of, it says, BBC Two, BBC Four, the BBC News Channel, BBC Scotland channel and Radio 5 Live, as well as a “number of local radio stations”.
BBC chairman Sir David Clementi said: “The decision to commence the new scheme in August has not been easy, but implementation of the new scheme will be Covid-19 safe. The BBC could not continue delaying the scheme without impacting on programmes and services.
“Around 1.5 million households could get free TV licences if someone is over 75 and receives Pension Credit, and 450,000 of them have already applied. And critically it is not the BBC making that judgment about poverty. It is the Government who sets and controls that measure.
“Like most organisations the BBC is under severe financial pressure due to the pandemic, yet we have continued to put the public first in all our decisions. I believe continuing to fund some free TV licences is the fairest decision for the public, as we will be supporting the poorest oldest pensioners without impacting the programmes and services that all audiences love.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-09--Javicia Leslie 'Extremely Proud' To Become First Black Actor To Play Batwoman On TV

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Javicia Leslie has said she is “extremely proud” to be the first Black actor to play Batwoman on TV, after it was announced she will take over from Ruby Rose as the superhero.
Javicia was cast in the role after Ruby announced in May she was making the “very difficult decision” to step down from the Batwoman TV series after just one season.
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Javicia Leslie Supplied
In a statement, Javica said of her casting: “I am extremely proud to be the first Black actress to play the iconic role of Batwoman on television, and as a bisexual woman, I am honoured to join this groundbreaking show which has been such a trailblazer for the LGBTQ+ community.”
In a post on Instagram, she added: “For all of the little black girls dreaming to be a superhero one day... it’s possible!”
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Javica is best known for starring in two seasons of TV comedy God Friended Me.
In Batwoman, she will not take over as Ruby’s character Kate Kane.
Instead, she will portray a new character named Ryan Wilder, who becomes the superhero.
Ruby Rose quit Batwoman after just one series The CW
Ruby congratulated Javicia on the role, writing on Instagram: “OMG!! This is amazing!! I am so glad Batwoman will be played by an amazing Black woman. I want to congratulate Javicia Leslie on taking over the bat cape.
“You are walking into an amazing cast and crew. I can’t wait to watch season 2 you are going to be amazing!”
Following Ruby’s departure, network The CW, Warner Bros Television and Berlanti Productions said they were “firmly committed” to Batwoman, confirming they would re-cast the role with another member of the LGBTQ+ community.
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In a statement announcing she would not return to the show, Ruby said: “This was not a decision I made lightly as I have the utmost respect for the cast, crew and everyone involved with the show in both Vancouver and in Los Angeles.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-09--High-Risk Workers To Be Tested For Covid-19 Even If They Have No Symptoms

A medical worker takes a swab at a drive-in coronavirus testing facility at the Chessington World of Adventures Resort in Chessington. ASSOCIATED PRESS
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People who work in jobs where they are at higher risk of Covid-19 will be tested for the disease regardless of whether they have symptoms.
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The new pilot scheme, announced by the Department of Health on Thursday, will see thousands of workers, including taxi drivers, cleaners and shop workers checked for coronavirus.
It comes amid widespread criticism that the government’s testing regime is not reaching enough people or building a clear enough picture of the contagion in the UK.
Focus has also shifted in recent days to Leicester, the first area subject to a local lockdown, where cases have spiked in recent weeks and local leaders have complained huge gaps in testing data left the city exposed.
Meanwhile, despite emergency measures for the hospitality sector and housing market in chancellor Rishi Sunak’s mini-budget on Wednesday, critics point out that consumer confidence will not recover unless the government’s track and testing system is ramped up.
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New government figures on Thursday also revealed that a total of 31,421 people who tested positive for Covid-19 in England had their case transferred to the NHS Test and Trace contact tracing system during the first five weeks of its operation.
Of this total, 23,796 people (76%) were reached and asked to provide details of recent contacts, while 6,645 people (21%) were not reached.
A further 980 people (3%) could not be reached because their communication details had not been provided.
The figures cover the period May 28 to July 1.
Executive chair of NHS Test and Trace, Dido Harding, said: “We are committed to continually improving NHS Test and Trace, to reach more people at risk of passing the virus on as quickly as possible. This week we have seen test turnaround times improve further, with the majority of positive cases reached by contact tracers in under 24 hours. Anyone with symptoms can easily book a test, expect rapid results, and will hear promptly from NHS Test and Trace if they are tested positive.
“I continue to applaud all those who have played their part, got a test after experiencing symptoms, and responded to the service. I urge anyone contacted by NHS Test and Trace to follow the advice they receive to protect their families and communities.”
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For tests taken at regional test sites, which includes drive-through and walk-through testing centres, 91.8% of people received their result within 24 hours in the week ending July 1, up from 70.2% in the previous week.
For tests taken at mobile testing units – which test essential workers at sites including care homes, police stations and prisons – 89.6% of people received their result within 24 hours, up from 57.6%.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-09--Bikini-Clad Sacha Baron Cohen Pranks Rudy Giuliani, Who Calls Police

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Rudy Giuliani arrived Tuesday at a Manhattan hotel for what he thought was a serious interview about the coronavirus – but ended up calling the police on bikini-wearing prankster Sacha Baron Cohen.
Giuliani, President Donald Trump’s attorney and the former New York mayor, told the New York Post’s Page Six that he settled in for a sit-down about the White House response to the pandemic.
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A woman began to ask questions and then, Giuliani said, “This guy comes running in, wearing a crazy, what I would say was a pink transgender outfit. It was a pink bikini, with lace, underneath a translucent mesh top, it looked absurd. He had the beard, bare legs, and wasn’t what I would call distractingly attractive.”
Giuliani said he didn’t immediately recognise the “screaming and yelling” actor. “I thought this must be a scam or a shake-down, so I reported it to the police,” he told the gossip section. “He then ran away.”
Rudy Giuliani realized later he had been pranked by Sacha Baron Cohen in a pretend interview that quickly went off the rails. Getty
Witnesses saw Cohen bolt from the Mark Hotel in a bathrobe, the tabloid noted. Cops arrived, but didn’t seek to apprehend Cohen, who recently infiltrated a far-right rally in Olympia, Washington, and goaded the crowd into a racist singalong.
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Giuliani told Page Six he realised later that it must have been Cohen. “I felt good about myself because he didn’t get me,” he said.
Giuliani said he’s a fan of Cohen’s movie Borat and even quoted one of his favourite lines.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-09--June Harvey, 85, Named As Person Killed When Crane Collapsed On Her House In Bow, East London

The scene in Bow where a 20-metre crane collapsed on to a property leaving people trapped inside, in east London, Wednesday. ASSOCIATED PRESS
The woman who died after a crane collapsed onto houses in east London has been named by her family as 85-year-old June Harvey.
London Fire Brigade (LFB) said the structure fell onto a block of flats under development and into two terraced houses in Compton Close, Bow, on Wednesday afternoon.
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Specialist firefighters are working to safely recover her body and her next of kin have been informed.
A joint investigation is underway involving officers from the Met’s Central East Command Unit and Specialist Crime, the Health and Safety Executive, and the London Fire Brigade. Tower Hamlets Council is providing support.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-09--12 Brilliant Before And After Pics Of People's Post-Lockdown Haircuts

Simon Dawson / Reuters Claire Neal
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Hair salons reopened in July and for those able to secure one of the coveted appointments, it was relief to finally neaten up those lockdown locks.
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Photographer Simon Dawson was on hand to capture the transformations, taking fun before and after pictures of people visiting two London salons: HairForce One barbers in Romford and Butchers Salon in Shoreditch.
Barbers and salons reopened with new social distancing measures on July 4, with screens, temperature checks and face masks becoming the norm. These pics have persuaded us it’s time to embrace the new experience, ditch the DIY cuts and reunite with our much-missed professionals.
Here are some of our favourite snaps from the collection.
Simon Dawson / Reuters Cohl S
Simon Dawson / Reuters Tanya Foxe
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Simon Dawson / Reuters Daniel Cambridge
Simon Dawson / Reuters Jordan Anwar
Simon Dawson / Reuters Theo Adams
Simon Dawson / Reuters Antony Greghukh
Simon Dawson / Reuters Dennis Akinniyi
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Simon Dawson / Reuters Jordan Westfield
Simon Dawson / Reuters Helen Abrams
Simon Dawson / Reuters Denis Wild
Simon Dawson / Reuters Jon Guttridge


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-09--Sharon Osbourne Urges Billionaire Kanye West To Give Back Government Loan

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Sharon Osbourne has called on Kanye West to return the government loan he received to ensure his Yeezy employees continued to be paid during the coronavirus pandemic.
According to Forbes, Yeezy received between $2 million and $5 million through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and said it saved 106 jobs, according to a report disclosed by the U.S. Treasury’s Small Business Administration (SBA).
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Kanye owns 100% of the company which Forbes estimates brought in close to $1.3 billion in 2019.
Appearing on the US chat show The Talk on Tuesday, Sharon discussed the sum, branding the rapper “embarrassing” for accepting hand-outs despite his apparent wealth.
Sharon Osbourne appearing on Loose Women last year Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock
“I thought it was like mama and papa type companies that really don’t have that much profit in the bank [who received those loans]... [who] need help to keep people’s jobs and everybody going,” she said.
“I just think that when you have that sort of cash, it’s embarrassing to ask when you have it yourself. You have it, you have more than enough to keep 100 people going, so why ask the government, take from the government?”
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She added: “I just don’t get that. When you are so wealthy, your family, everybody in your family is so wealthy, why are you doing this? I think he should give the money back.”
Kanye West Gregory Pace/Shutterstock
Sharon also took issue with this at the time, admitting it made her “cringe” when people spoke about their wealth, particularly during the pandemic.
She said: “It isn’t the right time to show off your wealth but, hey, some people, that is what they do.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-09--Women's Health Has Always Been Bottom Of Our Priorities

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How is a medical procedure just like a flight on a budget airline? In both cases, we’ll sacrifice our comfort and happiness in pursuit of the bigger goal. We’ll end up feeling grateful for all the discomforts along the way, because they got us to where we are now. Yes, it was hellish, but the job’s been done. One major difference, though, is the moment you hit the tarmac, the misery of that budget flight is behind you. The pain of a botched medical treatment can last, however, forever.
That’s what many brave women told The Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety (IMMDS) review. It details the causes of three major scandals affecting up to thousands of women, whose health and wellbeing was harmed by “dismissive”, “defensive” and “arrogant” healthcare professionals and untested procedures.
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Female healthcare worker explaining medical records to young patient in office Maskot via Getty Images
Expectant mothers had taken Primodos, a hormonal pregnancy test which gave newborns deformed limbs and the livers of alcoholics. Epileptics on sodium valproate to allay seizures gave birth to children with developmental disorders. And for mothers with labour-induced problems such as incontinence (which affects 40% of new mums), synthetic polypropylene mesh was inserted into their pelvises. Life-changing problems caused by the treatment include organ damage, chronic pain “like razors in the body” and the very incontinence the treatment was purported to cure.
These women underwent such treatment because they trusted a medical establishment that, in return, refused to trust these women when they said they were in pain. Containing the most powerful, inimitable process of human science within their bodies, these women deferred to others’ navigation. There’s nothing wrong with expert help, the problem is when experts refuse to acknowledge their patient’s expertise. Unless women are respected by the medical establishment and women sustain their courage in speaking out, scandals like this will happen again and again.
Clinical research is still being conducted, disproportionately, on male bodies – women’s menstrual cycles make us too complicated to do tests on, apparently. That has to change. As for the medical treatment we put our trust in: unobtrusive smear tests are a possibility that must become reality. And what are the long-term side effects of the contraceptive pill? The same question applies to off-label drugs, given to us precisely for their side-effects. Take – or maybe don’t take – Metformin, a diabetes drug prescribed by GPs to some of the one in three women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Abortion should be decriminalised so it is truly a woman’s choice, and miscarriages should be officially recorded. IVF practitioners must start providing data on hormone dosages, so patients can get the treatment needed rather than whatever the private healthcare accounts team wants. Science has helped women have control over our reproductive function and facilitated the births of happy, healthy babies. But no human trauma comparable to labour happens without an inquest, and all new mothers should be offered postpartum debriefs and counselling. As for Black women, who are five times more likely to die in labour than white women, the government must commission research into this appalling statistic.
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“Expertise is a responsibility that we’re willing to hand over to whoever hears our pain, and the medical establishment has a duty to show it’s listening.”
Sexist bias gets in the way of these interventions, though, and while the IMMDS review notes surgeons’ arrogance, it doesn’t delve into where it comes from. Could there be a link between the disregard of women’s pain and the fact surgery is (second only to neurology) the last old boys’ club of medicine? Only 12.9% of consultant surgeons are women. Whether this is down to prohibitive training structures, lack of mentorship, family-unfriendly working hours or on-the-job harassment, it’s a problem in need of more solutions. How can even the most skilled male surgeons know, deep-down, how their work will impact a female body? How can medical developments take into account women’s bodies when they’re more likely to present conked out on operating tables than alert at the meeting tables?
The burden of change should lie with the medical establishment. Culturally, though, today’s women need to feel confident knowing their own bodies. Writing off the victims of the three harrowing scandals as middle-aged mums whose bodies bear scars of the past alone, is not fair to them or us. Though their traumas are specific, the attitudes they face are either now, or sadly soon, familiar to so many women.
The body positivity movement has been instrumental in helping people of all shapes and sizes embrace their bodies, no matter how they look. Something similar needs to be said for the way bodies feel. From childhood, we have to get good at talking about what’s going wrong and what’s going right, inside and out.
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Offering an alternative to the medical mainstream, it’s no wonder wellness – so often derided – has attracted so many women. Expertise is a responsibility that we’re willing to hand over to whoever hears our pain, and the medical establishment has a duty to show it’s listening. They’re the experts of bodies, but only we alone are the experts of our own flesh and blood. Medical intervention has long been built around mankind’s survival, it must now re-focus on women’s wellbeing. That’s a flight of fancy I’d love to take.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-09--Top HMRC Civil Servant Tells Rishi Sunak Benefits Of £1,000 Bonus Plan Are 'Highly Uncertain'

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The most senior civil servant at HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) did not support two of Rishi Sunak’s key economic recovery policies amid concerns over value for money.
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The chancellor yesterday unveiled a £30billion package of spending designed to boost the economy as the coronavirus lockdown lifts.
Sunak unveiled a Job Retention Bonus programme that will see employers receive £1,000 for every worker they bring back from furlough.
He also announced an “eat out to help out” plan for dining out in August to boost the hospitality sector, with a 50% discount per head from Monday to Wednesday up to a maximum discount of £10 per diner.
But Jim Harra, the HMRC’s permanent secretary, wrote to Sunak requesting a ministerial direction – a formal order to go ahead with a scheme.
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Harra said while there was a “sound policy rationale” for the bonus programme, “the advice that we have both received highlights uncertainty around the value for money of this proposal”.
He said it was “currently highly uncertain” how many extra jobs it would protect.
Harra also said the “eat out to help out” scheme designed to incentivise people to return to restaurants had “particular value for money risks”.
A Treasury spokesman said: “The system of ministerial directions is a normal part of business where the managing public money rules for one reason or another can’t be met.
“So for example, the same thing happened with the launch of the furlough scheme back in March and April. There is nothing unusual about that.
“What the head of HMRC said was that there was a clear policy rationale for this policy, but that both because of timing, i.e. this has all been worked out very fast like all the work during the crisis has, and because of the uncertainty about take-up in the policy, in formal terms he asked for a direction on it.
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“We have been very transparent about that, including in the fact that we said up to £9.4 billion was the cost because it would entirely depend on take-up, but we are confident it is the right policy to help make sure as many of those million jobs are protected as we reopen.”
Sunak admitted this morning the bonus scheme would inevitably lead to some waste of taxpayer’s money, but he said this was unavoidable.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4′s Today programme, he said “without question there will be deadweight”.
“Throughout this crisis I’ve had decisions to make and whether to act in a broad way at scale and at speed or to act in a more targeted and nuanced way,” he said.
The Resolution Foundation said the policy would have a “significant deadweight cost” as most payments would “mainly going to firms who would have brought back those workers anyway”.
The think-tank said it would “not make a major difference to employment levels”.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) think-tank also said today a lot of the money spent on the programme would effectively be wasted.
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IFS director Paul Johnson said: “A lot, probably a majority, of the job retention bonus money will go in respect of jobs that would have been, indeed already have been, returned from furlough anyway.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-09--Florence Pugh Says Criticism Over Zach Braff Age Gap Made Her 'Feel Like S***'

Florence Pugh has admitted that criticism over her relationship with Zach Braff has made her “feel like shit” in the past.
The Oscar-nominated actor has been with the Scrubs star for just over a year, during which time some have made negative comments about their 21-year age gap.
Discussing the criticism during an interview on Sue Perkins’ podcast An Hour Or So With, Florence said: “I’ve always found it funny, how I can be good enough for people to watch my work and support my work and pay for tickets and I’m old enough to be an adult and pay taxes but I’m not old enough to know who I should and should not have sex with.”
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Florence at an Oscars after-party earlier this year Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
“Once again, it’s making a young woman feel like shit for no reason,” she continued.
“I think I did feel shit for a while... and then I thought ‘how ridiculous is that?’. I’m 24 and I can’t choose who I love.”
Taking on her detractors, Florence added: “There’s a reason why I’m not with someone my age. It hasn’t worked, so who are you trying to match me up with?”
Florence and Zach began dating in April 2019 Toni Anne Barson via Getty Images
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The Midsommar star first addressed the criticism in an interview with Elle earlier this year, saying: “It’s bizarre that normal folk are allowed to display such hate and opinions on a part of my life that I’m not putting out there.
“It’s a strange side of fame that you’re allowed to be torn apart by thousands of people even though you didn’t put that piece of you out there.
“My point to all this is that isn’t it odd that a stranger can totally tear apart someone’s relationship and it’s allowed?”
Florence and Zach have been on lockdown together in Los Angeles, and when she recently shared a post in honour of her birthday, it was pointed out that she had disabled comments on the pictures.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-09--How Millie Mackintosh Feels About Her Body, 10 Weeks After Giving Birth

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Millie Mackintosh has shared her fears and feelings about her postpartum body in a candid social media post.
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The Made in Chelsea star, 30, who gave birth to her first child Sienna 10 weeks ago, recently revealed how she feels about herself on Instagram.
She wrote how she’d found her “purpose” being a mum, “knowing that a small life depends entirely on me to feed and nourish her as she grows”.
Living “a healthy, balanced lifestyle” is important to her, she said, adding that she’d always identified as “body confident” – until she became a mother. Now, she admitted, she’s looking at her body “in a totally new light”.
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“Fitting into my pre-pregnancy clothes seems a long way off and I have no intention of rushing into ‘getting my body back’,” she wrote, “but it would be a lie if I said I feel totally happy and at one with my body, post-pregnancy.
“I’m in awe of what my body has achieved over the last year, but I find it hard not seeing the girl I know to be me looking back at me in the mirror.”
Mackintosh, who married her reality TV co-star Hugo Taylor two years ago, said looking at photos of herself before she was pregnant had taught her how “critical” she is of herself. And she put out a plea – to herself and to other women – to “learn to let ourselves off the hook”.
“Sienna is worth every extra inch, pound and stretch mark,” she added. “My body made me a mother and for that I’ll always be grateful.”
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Her honesty about her conflicted feelings went down well with fans, who praised her for telling it like it is. “Felt and feel exactly the same, well said,” one mum wrote.
Another said posts like Mackintosh’s were needed from celebrity mums.
“Finally, a celeb post body that resembles the rest of us mere mortals,” she commented. “You look incredible, a super fit, strong mumma. How your body is supposed to look, 10 weeks later... well done.”
And one mum simply wrote: “Omg this” - with the queen emoji.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-09--Former Kasabian Singer Tom Meighan Issues Apology For Assaulting Ex-Fiancée After Conviction

The singer pleaded guilty to assaulting Vikki Ager in April at Leicester Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
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In court, it was heard how Ms Ager suffered bruising to her knees, left elbow, outer ankle and big toe as well as a reddening around the neck, which she confirmed to officers was as a result of the assault.
Prosecutor Naeem Valli told the court the offence “could be argued to be relatively serious”, describing it as a “sustained assault”.
Tom Meighan outside court on Tuesday ASSOCIATED PRESS
In a statement on Twitter, Meighan has now said: “I would like to make a statement about recent events and publicly apologise to my partner Vikki, my band-mates, my friends, family and fans.
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“I am very sorry and deeply regret my recent behaviour. In no way am I trying to condone my actions or make excuses. I am completely to blame and accept all responsibility.”
The musician said he had “struggled for many years with alcohol addiction” and claimed the assault was “a wake-up call for me, for who I was, and what I was becoming”.
I would like to make a statement following recent events. Full statement below. pic.twitter.com/GFIt6lqPjg — Tom Meighan (@MeighanOfficial) July 8, 2020
He continued: “I was spiralling out of control. My mental health was becoming more and more unstable and I was at breaking point.
“I booked myself into a rehabilitation programme for alcoholism. It’s been well documented I’ve undergone treatment before, but in truth I’ve never actually been completely sober.
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“This time has been different. I left the programme 3 weeks ago and with the support of my family and friends, I’ve been taking every day as it comes, getting through each day completely clean and sober.
“This time I actually really want to do it, not just for those I care about, but also for myself.”
Meighan said he had recently been diagnosed with ADHD, which had helped him “understand more about my behavioural issues”.
He also said he and Ms Ager were “very much in love and we are looking forward to rebuilding our life together”.
Kasabian announced they had parted ways with Meighan on Monday, with the band citing his “personal issues” as the reason at the time.
Following his conviction, the band – made up of guitarist Serge Pizzorno and bassist Chris Edwards and drummer Ian Matthews – publicly condemned his “totally unacceptable” behaviour and suggested his statement released by him on Monday ahead of the trial misled fans.
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Now that the legal proceedings have been concluded, we can comment on the departure of Tom Meighan from the band. Full statement below. Kasabian x pic.twitter.com/vP7Y61sxQA — KasabianHQ (@KasabianHQ) July 7, 2020
They said they were “led to believe that Tom would hold his hands up and in his statement tell everyone what he’d done but he chose not to, misleading a lot of fans”.
Meighan responded, saying he had only sought to assure fans and acquaintances that he was in a “good place” mentally.
He added: “At which point, I wasn’t able to acknowledge the pending case. I would never knowingly mislead fans and appreciate them greatly.”
Domestic abuse charity Women’s Aid criticised the sentence of 200 hours of unpaid work Meighan received following his conviction, calling it “inappropriate”.
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Acting chief executive Nicki Norman told the Guardian: “Robust sentencing is important for ensuring abusers are brought to justice and for improving survivors’ confidence in the criminal justice system – which far too often they tell us fails to protect them.”
If you, or someone you know, is in immediate danger, call 999 and ask for the police. If you are not in immediate danger, you can contact:


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-09--7 Habits Of Highly Emotionally Intelligent Kids

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Many parents end up focusing more on their child’s academic achievements than they do on their emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence — or “EQ,” as it’s sometimes called — is made up of five components: self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, social skills and intrinsic motivation, according to psychologist and journalist Daniel Goleman, who popularised the concept in his 1995 book “Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ.”
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“The great news is that emotional intelligence is not just a ‘gift,’” Michele Borba, educational psychologist and author of “UnSelfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World,” told HuffPost. “It’s actually a skill, one that can be taught to children, starting when they’re as young as toddlers, though the seeds are planted even earlier in how we relate and respond to our infants.”
Parents who model and encourage emotional intelligence at home can help their kids cultivate these skills, too.
“A child needs an environment where they can feel comfortable expressing their inner worlds,” said child psychologist Dustin Plattner. “Parents get the wonderful job of being curious and ready to allow them space for expression. This sets the stage.”
We asked experts to share the habits of kids with high EQs. Here’s what they said:
1. They use their vocabulary to identify their emotions.
Children with high emotional intelligence are adept at recognising and verbally labelling their emotions beyond just “good” and “bad.”
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“For example, ‘I feel sad I cannot hang out with my friends,’ ‘I feel so excited I got a new bike,’ ‘I feel really mad at my teacher,’ or ‘I feel scared when dad travels overnight,’” Plattner said.
2. And they recognise those emotions in others, too.
asiseeit via Getty Images Emotionally attuned kids are good at picking up on how others might be feeling.
Emotionally intelligent children can accurately sense how other people are feeling, often by picking up on nonverbal cues.
“Before you can empathise, you have to be able to read someone else’s emotions,” Borba said. “For example: ‘She is smiling — I bet she’s happy,’ ‘Her body is slumped over — maybe she’s tired’ or ‘He’s crying: maybe I should help’ so you can tune into their feelings.”
3. They see things from other people’s points of view.
Youngsters with higher levels of emotional intelligence are able to step into another person’s shoes, feel what they’re feeling and see the world from their perspective, Borba said.
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“Mastering perspective-taking is an important part of instilling a deep, caring connection with others,” she said. “It’s also a habit that children need for every part of life — from handling playground disputes today to mastering boardroom debates tomorrow.”
“When kids can grasp another’s perspective, they are more likely to be empathetic, handle conflicts peacefully, be less judgmental, value differences, speak up for those who are victimised and act in ways that are more helpful, comforting and supportive of others,” Borba added.
4. They’re quick to help others.
Kids with high emotional intelligence tend to be more considerate of others and look for ways they can help, whether that means lending a hand around the house, befriending the new kid in their class or spending time volunteering on the weekends. They focus more on the “we” than the “me.”
“Of course, there are the boys and girls this comes naturally to. But many American children — especially those of privilege — benefit from doing service projects whether it’s raising money for the less fortunate, baking a cake for an elderly neighbour or making cards for people in assisted living,” said educator Maureen Healy, founder of Growing Happy Kids and author of “The Emotionally Healthy Child.” “Habits of helping others also include doing chores around the house, and being part of the family team versus a solo player.”
5. They use tools to manage their emotions.
Westend61 via Getty Images Kids with high emotional intelligence tend to be better at regulating strong emotions in healthy ways.
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Even adults have trouble self-soothing when stressful, upsetting or frustrating situations arise. Kids with high emotional intelligence are better able to regulate their feelings in more productive ways so they don’t spiral out of control.
“Children begin highly reactive, but with guidance, instruction and practice, boys and girls begin to use tools of positive emotional health,” Healy said. “Some of those tools may be taking deep breaths, walking away when agitated or learning to use their words to say, ‘I need a break’ versus yelling when angry.”
Children with higher EQs are also generally less reactive and impulsive than their peers. They’re able to pause before they act on their emotions.
“They can recognise their feelings — happy, sad, mad, scared and shame — and understand what their need is in the moment,” Plattner said. “Action then comes from this emotional understanding rather than acting based on an in-the-moment impulse.”
6. They’re comfortable saying “no” to their peers.
Children with high emotional intelligence are more capable of setting and enforcing personal boundaries. If, for example, they don’t want to roughhouse with a friend, they can speak up and express that wish in a firm but kind way.
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“Typically, these youths can maintain reasonable limits, [show] proper respect of others, are assertive and listen to their emotions,” said psychotherapist Brandon Jones.
7. They practise gratitude.
Emotionally intelligent kiddos learn to be grateful for what they have. They don’t just say “thank you” reflexively because it’s polite — they get specific about what they’re thankful for and why.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-09--Most Women Support Self-Identification For Trans People, Study Finds

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Most women are in favour of trans people self-identifying as a gender other than which they were assigned at birth, according to a new poll.
The survey, conducted by YouGov for PinkNews, found that out of 1,677 UK adults, 57% of women surveyed supported self-ID for trans people, compared with 43% of men.
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As a whole, 50% of the UK population were in favour of trans people self-identifying – a drop from 57% in 2019.
Twenty-seven percent of respondents said they opposed the issue, while 23% said they did not know how they felt about trans people being able to self-identify.
PinkNews said the poll showed the majority of women believe trans people should be able to self-identify as their chosen gender despite the “ferocious efforts of anti-trans activists trying to conflate the progress of trans rights with a threat to women’s rights.”
Vic Parsons, PinkNews’ gender and identity reporter, described the latest poll findings as “somewhat of a relief”.
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They said: “Transgender and non-binary people know that we are who we say we are.
“Public support for self-identification doesn’t change this – but it is still somewhat of a relief, given the horrifying levels of anti-trans rhetoric in the media, to see that a clear majority of the public back us continuing to self-identify as who we are without the need for medical evidence of our transness.”
The findings could help boost support for trans rights groups campaigning for reform of the Gender Recognition Act (GRA).
In June, leaked plans showed the government planning to abandon reforms to the act. The leak, first reported in the Sunday Times, stated that ministers have “ditched” plans to allow trans people to change their birth certificates without a medical diagnosis.
Currently under the GRA, trans people must undergo a long process in order to change their birth certificates. For this reason, many do not and instead rely on the protection of the Equality Act 2010.
Amnesty International said the U-turn would “send a chilling message that the UK is a hostile place for trans people” and send the nation plummeting down the LGBTQ equality rankings.
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PinkNews’ chief executive, Benjamin Cohen, added: “Despite all of the negative coverage on trans issues in the mainstream media over the past year, it is reassuring to see that the majority of the population still agree with the rights of a person to self-identify their defined gender.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-09--John Lewis To Permanently Close Eight Stores, Putting 1,300 Jobs At Risk

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John Lewis has announced it will permanently close eight of its shops, including two full-size department stores in Birmingham and Watford, putting a total of 1,300 workers at risk.
The company said the other closures will be four At Home shops in Croydon, Newbury, Swindon and Tamworth, and two travel hub outlets at Heathrow and St Pancras.
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It said the eight shops were already “financially challenged before the coronavirus pandemic, which has ramped up the shift towards online shopping, PA Media report.
The group estimated that between 60% and 70% of John Lewis sales are set to be made online this year and next, compared with 40% before the coronavirus crisis.
Back in April, John Lewis had already announced it was “highly unlikely” that all 50 of its stores would remain open once the coronavirus lockdown ended fully.
The store in Birmingham had only opened in 2015 as part of the city’s massive regeneration of Grand Central shopping centre above New Street station.
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The John Lewis shop in Birmingham's Grand Central Station. PA
Birmingham mayor Andy Street said the closure “risks being a dreadful mistake” and said he “will be making the case for why the company should not give up this tremendous opportunity” in the city.
The proposed closure of Birmingham’s John Lewis store risks being a dreadful mistake. My reaction to this morning’s deeply disappointing news: pic.twitter.com/JWLhPHBafw — Andy Street (@andy4wm) July 9, 2020
Sharon White, chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, said: “Closing a shop is always incredibly difficult and today’s announcement will come as very sad news to customers and partners.
“However, we believe closures are necessary to help us secure the sustainability of the partnership – and continue to meet the needs of our customers however and wherever they want to shop.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-09--Work From... Holiday? Remote Workers Could Get A Year-Long Pass To Barbados

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You’re reading our series Summer’s Not Cancelled, celebrating summer in this new normal. From rediscovering nature and cherishing time with friends and family, to virtual festivals and unforgettable staycations – summer’s still here, it’s just different.
Forget working from home, what if you could work from holiday instead? Yes, that means clocking off for the day and heading to gorgeous beaches and crystal clear waters.
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Barbados plans to launch a 12-month ‘Welcome Stamp’ to encourage visitors from overseas to stay there for a year and work remotely.
The Caribbean island’s prime minister, Mia Amor Mottley, revealed plans for the scheme last week and said it’s currently being refined for promotion.
The hope is that it’ll bring more people to the island to grow the economy, given that tourism makes up an estimated 40% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
A year-long pass would make it easier for people to visit the idyllic island, it’s thought, as short-term travel is harder due to testing and quarantine. “You can come here and work for a couple months at a time; go back and come back,” said Mottley.
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Simon Dannhauer via Getty Images Bottom Bay, Barbados.
The scheme is currently being drawn up – but the Barbados government didn’t give a date on when travellers would be able to take up the offer.
Those rubbing their palms together with glee should note that the Foreign & Commonwealth Office still advises Brits against all but essential international travel – as we’re still considered a high risk country.
Barbados plans to officially reopen its borders to international travel on July 12. Current guidance states people travelling there need to have a Covid-19 test 72 hours before travel and must submit an Embarkation/Disembarkation (ED) card 24 hours prior to travel.
Anyone who arrives in Barbados without being tested will have to have a mandatory test on arrival. If you test positive, you’ll be placed in isolation until you’ve recovered.
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As it stands, British passport holders don’t need a visa to visit Barbados. On entry, you’re normally granted a specified period to stay (usually six months). But if you wish to stay longer, you must apply and pay for an extension of stay through the Barbados Immigration Department.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-09--Everything You Wanted To Know About Money But Were Afraid To Ask...

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Us Brits feel it’s easier to talk about mental health than money. According to a recent survey, 25% of people questioned said they wouldn’t discuss personal finances because it made them feel nervous and anxious. 20% wouldn’t disclose their salary to friends and most wouldn’t talk about money at work.
It’s a tricky topic that’s up for discussion in the third episode of the new podcast Deal With It, brought to you by Corsodyl Toothpaste, who are on a mission to get us all talking about those uncomfortable issues we choose to ignore – whether that’s your attitude to money or your oral health!
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Lianna Brinded chats to Ellie Taylor on Deal With It. Also listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Exploring exactly why money is still such a taboo subject Lianna Brinded, Head of Yahoo Finance UK offered her insights to Ellie on some of the more awkward financial issues we face.
Lianna talks money
Money attitude - what type are you?
Attitudes to money vary wildly, but people generally fall into four categories:
Spenders Money goes out almost as fast as it comes in. Spenders often have lavish lifestyles, lovely homes and a shopping habit. They find it hard to save money and are in danger of racking up big debts.
Builders Money is a tool, made to work, perhaps building a business, investing in talent or financing expensive hobbies. Builders are often risk takers; ventures often succeed, but they can sometimes fail.
Givers Generous and charitable, givers love lavishing gifts and money on friends, family, causes and the wider community. They are sometimes so busy looking after others that they forget their own needs.
Savers Money comes in and stays in. Savers often have modest lifestyles, dislike wasting money, and may be risk averse. Sometimes, they forget to enjoy their money and miss out on the fun things it can buy.
Money and work
Work is the source of most of our money, and some of the trickier money issues to address.
Getting a pay rise: One of the things we’re notoriously afraid of asking for is a pay rise, even when we know we deserve one. Lianna’s advice is simple: “You have to be willing to talk about it. If you think you deserve a pay rise, you should ask for one.” She advocates a two-pronged, methodical and strategic approach:
Firstly, be confident– go into a meeting and say why you deserve your rise by showing your impact on the business – exceeded targets, bringing in new business, customer testimonials.
Then, big yourself up as much as you big your friends up. Imagine you are talking about your friends. We’re always so much more enthusiastic and positive and will raise our friends up to the sky as absolute queens - otherwise we can be a little bit meek.
You may well get your rise, and the worst thing that can happen is a no, which is not the end of the world.
The gender pay gap: This is the difference between the average hourly wages for men and women in the same company. “When you look into the data, it’s much more nuanced because it shows the reason why there’s a pay gap isn’t because of pay equity,” says Lianna, “it’s because there are fewer female workers at senior level, so therefore those positions that pay more, there are fewer women having that pay”. Flexible working to accommodate the needs of working mums, and promoting and developing women for senior roles can close the gap. To see if your company is doing enough about closing the gender pay gap (and it has more than 250 workers) you can search it on the Government Equalities Office website.
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Money and personal finances
Dealing with debt: In the UK, there are 8.3 million adults with problem debt and many people are too embarrassed to discuss it. Lianna is reassuring: “Debt is normal, so don’t be fearful of it”. Some debts are even helpful, such as a personal loan for a new kitchen that will increase the value of your home, or one that consolidates all your credit card debts at a lower interest rate.
It’s important to acknowledge debt. “People get into trouble when they ignore it, accumulate it and hope it will go away,” says Lianna. She advocates budgeting as the key to avoiding debt in the first place, and getting out of it. Work out how much money you need each month to pay off your debts and essential living expenses, and if there’s little or none left over, double your efforts to pay the debt, otherwise it will accumulate.
Finally, don’t be ashamed about debt. “Be kind to yourself and recognise that if you do need help there’s a lot of organisations and free helplines out there…but you need to speak up”’ says Lianna.
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Pensions: Between debt management and keeping up with living expenses, many people can’t even begin to think about making pension provision. The usual advice is to make paying debts a priority, but it’s slightly different with pensions: the earlier you put some money aside for retirement, the more it will pay dividends in the future: “There are ways to start putting little bits (£10 or £20) away, even if you feel a bit squeezed, that can add up after 30 years,” advises Lianna.
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Lending money: We want to help our friends and family out, but is it a good idea to lend them money? “It can go wrong, but that’s doesn’t mean it always goes wrong,” says Lianna, “there needs to be very clear communication, parameters set down, and don’t feel pressured into it. The only way you can help other people is by making sure that you also look after yourself”.
By being able to talk about awkward money matters, you’ll realise you’re not alone. Plenty of people have the same stresses and worries, and there’s lots of help and advice out there. Lianna believes even children should be encouraged to be money-savvy: “It’s never too early to start,” she says.
Check out this latest episode of the Deal With It podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts