Cable Forum - Starmer’s chronicles

The country needs to raise more taxes due to increasing MoD, NHS spend, etc. But instead of putting an honest penny on income tax, the government has raised the costs of employing people by increasing NI. This makes the country less competitive and dampens growth.

Hugh	17-02-2026 08:20

Re: Starmer’s chronicles

2 Attachment(s)

Someone (a reporter for the Times) once explained to me and a group of colleagues that the way to make a graph look more dramatic in a story was to only show a small section of of the overall chart (the bit that backs up your story), and don’t start the y axis at 0 (as a change from 4% to 5% looks starker/more negative that way…

For instance, in the Sky story

https://www.cableforum.uk/board/atta...7&d=1771319815

From the ONS website

https://www.cableforum.uk/board/atta...8&d=1771319815

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentand...eries/mgsx/lms

Don’t get me wrong, unemployment increasing by 20% since Labour came to office isn’t good, but this level of unemployment in not unusual for any Government…

Sirius

17-02-2026 15:18

Re: Starmer’s chronicles

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sirius (Post 36210685)

The U turn list is getting longer Mr Starmer

Here is a list of the 15 U-turns since 4 July 2024:

July 2024 - Change to fiscal rules Labour campaigned on;
September 2024 - Decided not to compensate Waspi women, despite campaigning in opposition;
October 2024 - Raised employers' national insurance despite election pledge;
April 2025 - Change in position on legal definition of a woman after Supreme Court ruling;
June 2025 - U-turn on the cut to the winter fuel allowance;
June 2025 - U-turn on planned cuts to disability benefits after backbench rebellion;
June 2025 - Announced national inquiry into grooming gangs after saying one wasn't needed;
November 2025 - Increased income tax, despite election pledge not to;
November 2025 - Scrapped the two-child benefit cap, having previously said there was not enough money to;
November 2025 - Changed qualifying period for protection from unfair dismissal to six months, despite manifesto pledge of it being from day one;
December 2025 - U-turned on most of the changes to inheritance tax for farmers;
January 2026 - Announced business rates relief for pubs after budget changes led to huge tax increases;
January 2026 - U-turn on plans to make digital ID mandatory;
February 2026 - Labour backbenchers forced the government to hand sensitive Mandelson documents to a parliamentary committee;
February 2026 - U-turn on plans to delay 30 local elections set for May.

The Ring of U turns

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1233412921698738

Dingbat

17-02-2026 18:04

Re: Starmer’s chronicles

Still got a long, long, way to go to catch up with Boris Johnson. He managed over 40 u-turns.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/b...s-b992056.html

nomadking

17-02-2026 20:03

Re: Starmer’s chronicles

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dingbat (Post 36210742)

Still got a long, long, way to go to catch up with Boris Johnson. He managed over 40 u-turns.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/b...s-b992056.html

A lot of them seem to be covid related, which was a rapidly changing situation.
Not as if there was years in opposition to plan and actually think about policies.

1andrew1

18-02-2026 18:16

Re: Starmer’s chronicles

What's that coming over the Hill? Is it a U-turn? ;)

Quote:

The chancellor has been speaking to broadcasters this morning - and didn't rule out a potential 16th U-turn from the government coming down the tracks.

This centres on the promise from Labour to bring up the minimum wage for 18 to 20 year-olds in line with the rest of the workforce.

However, there are reports this could be delayed or scrapped due to the impact it is having on youth unemployment.

Asked if the government is sticking to its manifesto plans on youth wages, Rachel Reeves dodges answering.

https://news.sky.com/story/politics-...enoch-12593360

To me, if an increase in minimum wage is counter-productive, reacting to the evidence by not increasing it further is a sensible adjustment.

nomadking

18-02-2026 18:23

Re: Starmer’s chronicles

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1andrew1 (Post 36210775)

What's that coming over the Hill? Is it a U-turn? ;)

https://news.sky.com/story/politics-...enoch-12593360

To me, if an increase in minimum wage is counter-productive, reacting to the evidence by not increasing it further is a sensible adjustment.

But as with so many of these u-turns, the evidence was readily apparent long before now.

papa smurf

18-02-2026 18:38

Re: Starmer’s chronicles

gosh that's come as a shock :erm:

Anonymouse

19-02-2026 14:35

Re: Starmer’s chronicles

As much as I agree about Starmer, he is at last talking some sense. In particular, that no-one is above the law.

In this country, that includes His Majesty (well, at least partly, and in principle, as I discovered to my surprise when it occurred to me to check), and so it should.

This only confirms that Reform must not get in - even if we end up with the damn Tories again. I'm inclined to employ my 'vote against' policy and vote for any party but Reform (and there's still no sign of None Of The Above, is there?).

Ladies especially: do you want this Nazi, a.k.a. Farage, telling you to go back to the kitchen and stay there? To provide a husband's "marital rights" - a.k.a. his right to screw, i.e. rape, his wife, whether she wants it or not (yes, kids, there was a time when a wife could not charge her husband with rape or even assault)? Do you want a return to the days as depicted in Remembrance Of The Daleks, where Ace had to take down a sign saying 'No Coloureds'?

Well, do you?!

Sephiroth

19-02-2026 14:51

Re: Starmer’s chronicles

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anonymouse (Post 36210828)

As much as I agree about Starmer, he is at last talking some sense. In particular, that no-one is above the law.

In this country, that includes His Majesty, and so it should.

This only confirms that Reform must not get in - even if we end up with the damn Tories again. I'm inclined to employ my 'vote against' policy and vote for any party but Reform (and there's still no sign of None Of The Above, is there?).

Ladies especially: do you want this Nazi, a.k.a. Farage, telling you to go back to the kitchen and stay there? To provide a husband's "marital rights" - a.k.a. his right to screw, i.e. rape, his wife, whether she wants it or not (yes, kids, there was a time when a wife could not charge her husband with rape or even assault)? Do you want a return to the days as depicted in Remembrance Of The Daleks, where Ace had to take down a sign saying 'No Coloureds'?

Well, do you?!

You've taken leave of your senses.

Anonymouse

20-02-2026 06:44

Re: Starmer’s chronicles

Uh, no, I don't think I have (though I admit after my stroke anything goes!). That is what Farage is implying. Starmer, at least, realises this.

1andrew1

20-02-2026 08:42

Re: Starmer’s chronicles

Two bits of good news for the government in figures for January 2026 which exceeded predictions.

January saw the biggest budget surplus since records began in 1993. The government received £30.4bn more money than it spent.
Retail sales saw a far better than expected January, increasing by 1.8% . It was the largest increase since May 2024.This data gave "further evidence that economic growth picked up smartly in the New Year as budget uncertainty fades", Pantheon's chief UK economist Rob Wood said.

https://news.sky.com/story/record-br...rises-13509835

papa smurf

20-02-2026 08:47

Re: Starmer’s chronicles

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1andrew1 (Post 36210920)

Two bits of good news for the government in figures for January 2026 which exceeded predictions.

January saw the biggest budget surplus since records began in 1993. The government received £30.4bn more money than it spent.
Retail sales saw a far better than expected January, increasing by 1.8% . It was the largest increase since May 2024.This data gave "further evidence that economic growth picked up smartly in the New Year as budget uncertainty fades", Pantheon's chief UK economist Rob Wood said.

https://news.sky.com/story/record-br...rises-13509835

That's what happens when you over tax the public and business

1andrew1

20-02-2026 08:51

Re: Starmer’s chronicles

Quote:

Originally Posted by papa smurf (Post 36210921)

That's what happens when you over tax the public and business

Or when/as well as you have lots of successful self-employed people doing their tax returns. It could be a lucky blip.

Sephiroth

20-02-2026 10:23

Re: Starmer’s chronicles

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1andrew1 (Post 36210920)

Two bits of good news for the government in figures for January 2026 which exceeded predictions.

January saw the biggest budget surplus since records began in 1993. The government received £30.4bn more money than it spent.
Retail sales saw a far better than expected January, increasing by 1.8% . It was the largest increase since May 2024.This data gave "further evidence that economic growth picked up smartly in the New Year as budget uncertainty fades", Pantheon's chief UK economist Rob Wood said.

https://news.sky.com/story/record-br...rises-13509835

As mentioned already, self-assessment receipts. It’s only good news if they are higher than last year.

On retail sales - was that number for the Chrimbo period?

There’s nothing good news for the government. Their policies are causing joblessness.

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