Sunak - created by AI? Thread 36

[BIossomtoes]

I’ve taken the liberty again.

Old thread here..

KS did a good job of focusing on Phil from Iceland in PMQs - same mortgage problem but was it a quarter of GFs salary?

"As I said, someone on a typical mortgage of about £140,000 with 17 years left is currently paying around £800. As a result of the ability to extend their mortgage term or switch to a six-month interest-only mortgage, someone on the average mortgage will be able to save hundreds of pounds"

So basically - if you extend your mortgage, or switch to interest only, you are saving hundreds of pounds?

I am not sure that's how it works. You are either paying for longer or you have an interest only mortgage which creates its own issues

Yeah interesting economics there. Extend your mortgage so you have to pay longer anyway, which means paying more, or switch to interest only so you can't afford the house at the end of the mortgage and have to sell it.

I wish at that point - Starmer had listened and then asked that question - so you are saying that Phil is going to save money by paying his mortgage for longer ? How does that save money in the long term?

But isn’t the very small amount of money from the NI cut supposed to cover the increased cost of everything?

I had an interesting conversation with someone the other day (director of a reasonably sized company, so you would think able to grasp issues).

I was talking about my concerns that young people, and there are a lot in the company, will never be able to afford housing. I don't like leasehold, you are tied to someone else so don't have full autonomy, the cheapest house in our area+5 miles is £200,000 and renting is more expensive. Their responses:

Longer mortgages over 35 years
Intergenerational mortgages
Leasehold is fine
Buy with friends/siblings
Inheritance

Housing is broken, the young people need a solution, a proper solution, not the sticking plaster attempts above. Council houses for life used to give the security needed to enable you to bring up children in a stable environment, now the only way to achieve this is to buy.

Would the person you were speaking with would be perfectly happy to have any or all of those himself, or for his children? I suspect not.

The Tory benches laughing at Phil from Iceland will have a bigger impact than Starmer asking Sunak further questions

That was my question.

I haven't followed what is happening with Ben Houchen and Teeswork but it looks like another scandal is brewing.

https://x.com/AndyMcDonaldMP/status/1752776877486248369?s=20

According to Private Eye, the publicly owned South Tees Development Corp. chaired by @BenHouchen made a deal with Teesworks (90% owned by private developers) seemingly WITH NO CONTRACTUAL DOCUMENTATION to buy back its own rubble at a cost of £20m.

off to read up on it

Yeah, the rest is politics podcast thought that would be another big scandal like the post office.
It made me roll my eyes. Did anyone seriously thing freeports were for anything other than making Tories rich by not having to follow pesky rules? Or am I just cynical and jaded?

Do you remember which episode it was?

Maybe this one or the next one

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3kd184v53X8cwZYrHI6sD5?si=kFDH8CpXSOWvsS4KAstisg

(Episode 207 or 208)?

Generally TRIP is a great listen, lots of global issues and analysis

https://www.politico.eu/article/kemi-badenoch-accusation-cover-up-canada-trade-export-cliff-edge/

Kemi Badenoch stands accused of misleading parliament over an upcoming cliff edge in car exports to Canada.

Badenoch told MPs talks are "ongoing" while Canadian officials say that isn't the case.

https://twitter.com/ElectionMapsUK/status/1752310135546888428

Latest election map

From the same thread:

Thank you @pointythings I've just saved that to randomnly quote it on Twitter when necessary!

That sea of red is a joy to behold.

Sir Keir Starmer has set out Labour's "plan for business" in a major speech to hundreds of business leaders and investors.

Here are the key points:

The Labour leader says the attendance of business leaders in the room is "testament to the changes we've made" since Jeremy Corbyn's departure;
Sir Keir says there will be "new expectations" on businesses under Labour, with a five-step plan to fix "unprecedented stagnation" in productivity and achieve "the highest sustained growth in the G7";

The first of five steps is to reform the planning system, build infrastructure, and 1.5 million new homes;

Secondly, Labour will "kickstart a skills revolution";

Thirdly, the party will "make work pay" by scrapping zero hours contracts, banning fire and rehire, and a "genuine living wage";

Fourth, he will launch a new industrial strategy "that can maximise our distinctive strengths";

Finally, he pledges economic stability, hitting out at 26 changes to corporation tax since 2019;

He acknowledges these plans "may not please" business leaders present, but says his Labour will be "pro-worker and pro-business".

Desmond Swayne appears to have called for fly tippers to be hanged by their own intestines. I assumed that was misreporting but it was in the HoC so presume it will end up in Hansard.

He absolutely did not!

(He wants them garotted with their own intestines)

https://hansard.parliament.uk/search/MemberContributions?house=Commons&memberId=55

My mistake.

He’s not technically wrong. There would be fewer offenders if you garrotted them with their own intestines. I’m not entirely sure if the garrotting part is going to be necessary though.

Well Mr Swayne, if the criminal justice system was properly funded and functioning you might at least see flytippers punished (although not in the performative way you'd like)

“The criminal justice system is heading towards the point of collapse, two senior judges have warned.
@Telegraph
“Lord Justice Singh and Mr Justice Jay issued their warning as they ruled that the Government acted unlawfully after it failed to fully fund a legal aid shake-up.
In their judgment on the legal action brought by the Law Society, the judges said the evidence from solicitors working at grass-roots level was that the system was “slowly coming apart at the seams”.

x.com/thecriminalbar/status/1752958395181617497?s=46&t=Uw4lJNwxFZFnX0Xs3doHYg

Will be an interesting battle where I am , in last 20+ years has swung between Tory & Lib Dem mainly due to quality of the candidates.

It’s Tory at moment with an actually quite decent MP who had no love for Boris or the party right, but LDs posted a newsletter in every door announcing a very strong local candidate.