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Brexit
Original poster

Andrea Leadsom - please stand for leadership!

684 replies

Millyonthefloss2 · 29/06/2016 10:46

Anyone agree?

OP posts:
HPFA · 05/07/2016 15:58

Really, really don't want this woman to win. Although I suppose we Remainers would have one more reason to say "I told you so"...

www.politics.co.uk/news/2016/07/05/minimum-wage-maternity-pay-scrapped-plans-andrea-leadsom

HPFA · 05/07/2016 15:59

Suzey You just beat me to it!!

Vri123 · 05/07/2016 16:08

One of the reasons I like her is because she is hot on women's employment rights, having been discriminated against herself.

ManonLescaut · 05/07/2016 16:13

The inheritance tax 7 year rule (and taper relief) is in accordance with UK law and has been done for centuries.

UnderTheGreenwoodTree · 05/07/2016 16:17

Vri, what, wanting deregulation of employment rights for small business? How does that help women's rights?

From Hanard 2012: "no minimum wage, maternity leave, paternity leave, pension rights".

Original poster
Millyonthefloss2 · 05/07/2016 16:23

Anyone seen that she is backing plans to scrap the minimum wage and maternity pay for small businesses? Still want her to win OP?

I actually run a medium sized business which used to be a small business and so I agree with her on this one. I don't think I will be able to explain why it is necessary to allow small businesses to opt out of these employment rights on here without being shouted down ... but here goes:

Very small businesses in more deprived areas often cannot afford to pay the national minimum wage. So they avoid hiring anyone at all. Or they hire illegally. They also cannot afford to hire someone and then pay for them for months while they take maternity leave. So they avoid hiring women of a certain age. An unintended consequence of universally applied employment rights.

Small businesses are necessary for the economy. They should be encouraged to grow. They should be encouraged to hire people - and to hire women. At the moment this is difficult for them to do. These are tricky issues that need to be discussed frankly.

(There was a good video piece on this on the BBC a while ago featuring 2 women. One was a young working mum whose wages were going to increase (because of the increase in the living wage). The other was the owner of the small nursery where the young mum's toddler went who was going to have to close down (because of the increase in the living wage).

In most southern EU countries there are now amazing employment rights ... in theory. In practice, hardly anyone in the private sector is legally employed - it is mainly cash in hand. (Can we really believe that there is 50% unemployment in these countries?)

OP posts:
ManonLescaut · 05/07/2016 16:24

I didn't see Leadstrom standing up for women's employment rights when women were disproportionately affected by public spending cuts, and were discriminated against by Jeremy Hunt's junior doctor contracts.

Original poster
Millyonthefloss2 · 05/07/2016 16:31

This is the BBC video about the national living wage - and the problems it causes to small businesses - if anyone is interested.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-35837712

OP posts:
Vri123 · 05/07/2016 16:32

All tax management is in accordance with the law, but the law and public opinion are not the same thing... just ask Gary Barlow or Amazon and Starbucks. None of them did anything illegal, but the public found them to be immoral.
Didn't Amazon end up making another payment, that wasn't legally due, just to get the criticism to stop?

UnderTheGreenwoodTree · 05/07/2016 16:36

That's exactly the problem vri - the public found them immoral - because it takes money out of govt coffers that could go into the NHS (the irony!!) rather than into the fragrant Ms Leadsom's pocket. So not a good idea for the new PM to have dubious tax affairs. If I was a Tory member, I would be wanting the details before the vote. She's under pressure to publish her tax return.

roundaboutthetown · 05/07/2016 16:36

Tax avoidance. It would be far more legitimate if you sold your house to strangers, rented back from said strangers but gave the cash from the sale to your children in the hope you didn't die for another 7 years. The law wants it to be difficult for you to avoid inheritance tax and wants you to prove genuine generosity, not self-protection, when you give your assets away prior to your death.

roundaboutthetown · 05/07/2016 16:42

(That was in response to Vri123's question at the bottom of the previous page!)

RepentAtLeisure · 05/07/2016 16:51

Leadsom is exactly the kind of Tory we don't want in power. Stripping workers of their rights will be a seductive option when we are trying to convince companies to stay here. I think she would go for it.

Vri123 · 05/07/2016 16:55

The method I outlined is standard advice - its completely legal as long as the parent pays a market rent. The point I am trying to make is that attitudes to what constitutes tax evasion vary, from person to person and depending on whether you know and like the person who is doing it.
AL hasn't broken the law, but it won't stop her being treated as if she has by those who dislike her.

I do wonder if she's fighting a losing battle?

Girlgonewild · 05/07/2016 17:04

The public are very confused over tax avoidance and tax evasaion at present. Most mumsnetters or their husbands pay into a pension - that avoids tax - wicked mumsnetters for depriving the state of tax revenues....

Inkanta · 05/07/2016 17:09

'I do wonder if she's fighting a losing battle?'

Vri

No it's not easy when there will be those wanting to find dirt on her.

She's on top of the polls though currently - so she must be doing something right.

I don't think the

nauticant · 05/07/2016 17:11

We need to learn more about Leadsom's glorious City career:

reaction.life/was-andrea-leadsom-really-such-a-city-hotshot/

ManonLescaut · 05/07/2016 17:14

Amazon's tax evasion was not in accordance with UK law because its sales were booked in Luxembourg, so tax was paid according to Luxembourg law.

It is one of the cases that prompted the 'diverted profits tax' which came into law in 2015 to stop companies artificially routing profits abroad.

Barlow invested in pretend music industry investment schemes that were simply tax evasion setups and were not legitimate enterprises. He had to pay the money back to HMRC. (Not sure if he has it was quite a big bill).

The the 7 year inheritance tax rule is a straightforward gift. Parents have the right to gift stuff to their children. It's not about channelling funds out of the UK or setting up companies that are not companies.

JudyCoolibar · 05/07/2016 17:15

So, another lying Conservative then.

The one thing in her favour is that she would probably make Jeremy Corbyn eminently electable. Well, to be honest, she'd make anyone else electable.

ManonLescaut · 05/07/2016 17:15

The public are very confused over tax avoidance and tax evasaion at present

ManonLescaut · 05/07/2016 17:16

Agreed

ManonLescaut · 05/07/2016 17:17

The best thing I can say about Leadstrom is that if she gets it, there will likely be an immediate GE.

nauticant · 05/07/2016 17:22

The one thing in her favour is that she would probably make Jeremy Corbyn eminently electable

I think it goes the other way around. Because Corbyn isn't electable, the danger is that someone like Leadsom would have free rein for all kinds of hard Right ideas. (Actually, free reign also works here.)

Inkanta · 05/07/2016 17:30

'Anyone seen that she is backing plans to scrap the minimum wage and maternity pay for small businesses?'

Where has she said that?

Not seen it.