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The Chagos surrender just got a lot more expensive
What do you call a prime minister who says things that aren’t true? I know, I know, just like all the rest right? But in Keir Starmer’s case, on one issue in particular, his public claims have been revealed to be so far from the truth that it’s either colossal stupidity on his part, or a deliberate attempt to mislead the public.

The prime minister and his government have repeatedly claimed that the humiliating Chagos agreement will cost taxpayers £3.4 billion but new government documents show that the true cost is £35 billion! ([link removed])
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The new figure, which was revealed in documents produced by the Government Actuary’s Department in response to a Conservative Party FOI, is a whopping ten times more than the number pushed by Sir Keir and his ministers.

And what are you getting for all this money? The simple answer is nothing. We’re giving away territory and paying for the privilege. But some taxpayers will be better off. That’s right, the government of Mauritius, who we’re paying that £35 billion to, plans to lift 80 per cent of their citizens out of income tax. ([link removed])

Elliot Keck and William Yarwood could be found in the TPA studio (I promise they didn’t coordinate their outfits) digging into the details and trying to work out just what this government is thinking. From kowtowing to the International Court of Justice to appeasing the “anti-colonial” voices in their party Elliot and William try to get to the bottom of this shameful deal. Give their conversation a watch here ([link removed]) .
There’s simply no getting away from it, this is a disgraceful deal that sees the UK paying to give away territory for highly questionable reasons. Ministers are plotting tax rises in the autumn (more on that later) while pledging £35 billion to see another country free 80 per cent of their citizens from income tax!

There’s still time for ministers to change tack. We don’t have to do this. That’s why we need you to tell your MP to oppose the Chagos surrender. Tens of thousands of you have already written to your parliamentarians through our easy-to-use tool. If you’ve not already done so click here to make your voice heard. ([link removed])
Higher Education - The Real Cost Of The Graduate Premium
With A-Level results having landed on Thursday and GCSEs due next week, education, and specifically universities, are front and centre for the latest edition of a nation of taxpayers. Duncan Barkes was joined by our very own Joanna Marchong, and Paul Wiltshire - education campaigner and author of 'Why Is The Average Graduate Premium Falling? ([link removed]) '
Together they discuss whether students are getting value for money from the country's universities and if the debt incurred in studying for a degree is still worth it when it comes to finding a good job. You can read more about Paul's work on his University Watch ([link removed]) website.

In a similar vein, John O’Connell used an op-ed in City A.M. to highlight the growing burden ([link removed]) falling on taxpayers: “Taxpayers shoulder course subsidies and inevitable loan write-offs when graduates cannot repay. Only 56 per cent of full time graduates starting in 2024-25 are expected to repay their loans in full. Students who might have thrived by starting work at 18 instead spend three years accumulating debt for a qualification that employers may treat merely as a screening device, rather than evidence of specialist skill."

You can listen to this week’s episode of a nation of taxpayers on Apple Podcasts ([link removed]) , Spotify ([link removed]) , and YouTube ([link removed]) .
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The UK must leave the ECHR
Small boat migrant crossings hit 50,000 under Labour earlier this week, setting a new record for this milestone of just 401 days. The prime minister’s plan of “smashing the gangs” has clearly achieved nothing if it was even ever more than a cheap slogan. Successive governments have now failed to get to grips with this growing problem.
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John joined our chairman, Rory McGregor, this week in penning a post ([link removed]) on the TPA website making it clear that the UK must leave the ECHR. John and Rory highlight how articles of the convention are routinely abused by those fighting deportation writing: “As a result of the ECHR, particularly Article 3 - the prohibition of torture or degrading treatment or punishment - and Article 8 - which protects the right to respect for private and family life, it is increasingly difficult to deport those with no right to be in the UK, whether it be because they entered the country illegally, overstayed a visa, committed a crime or a combination. This has led to absurdities like the ECHR ruling that a child’s distaste for foreign chicken nuggets means his family cannot be deported, despite his father being a criminal. Or the ECHR blocking a Nigerian migrant from deportation after they joined an organisation designated by the Nigerian government
as a terrorist group. Or a Pakistani paedophile who couldn’t be deported because it would be “unduly harsh” on his children.”

However noble the ECHR’s intentions may have been, it’s clear that modern interpretations go far beyond anything envisioned by those who drafted it.

Democratic accountability is key to keeping our society functioning and has been a principle of TPA campaigns since our founding. The time has come for the UK to leave the ECHR ([link removed]) .

Read John and Rory’s piece in full here ([link removed])
Desperate Reeves targets inheritance tax again
It seems to be the chancellor’s favourite tax. Rachel Reeves has already come after family farms and businesses with her inheritance tax changes, and now it looks like gifts to children and grandchildren are in her crosshairs ([link removed]) . Yep, not content with waiting until you’re dead, ministers are now seriously considering a crackdown on what you do with your own money and assets while you’re alive.
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Two TPA talking heads (of campaigns and research) Elliot and Darwin Friend, sat down in our studio ([link removed]) to discuss what these latest proposals mean for hard-working Brits. Have a watch of their conversation here ([link removed]) .

Of course, rather than tinkering around the edges and coming up with new ways to squeeze more and more out of Brits, the chancellor should be looking to cut and scrap death duties. Why not join thousands of TPA supporters ([link removed]) by using our tool to tell your MP why it’s time to bury the death tax once and for all.
The gravy train keeps rolling
Tales of excess at HS2 are ten a penny and the pay package for the new chief executive is another we can add to the list. Mark Wild is in line for an eye-watering pay deal of £940,000 ([link removed]) this year. This includes a £600,000 salary, £280,000 bonus if targets are met, and £60,000 in pension contributions. Nice work if you can get it.
John was having none of it ([link removed]) , telling Daily Mail readers: “There has been a high churn of senior managers at this failing project, as senior executives jump on the gravy train to make a quick buck while failing to deliver anything but wasted money and broken promises. Given Rachel Reeves' desperate need to fill the fiscal black hole created by her Budget, scrapping this white elephant would be a good place to start.”

Who knows, maybe Mark Wild is the man to turn this failing project around and will be worth every penny? The history of HS2 doesn’t fill us with confidence.
In the footsteps of Denis
Mike Denham, the TPA’s former chairman and treasury economist, returns with another barnstorming blog ([link removed]) this week where he takes a look at how Rachel Reeves has failed to learn from the mistakes of previous Labour chancellors and the consequences that follow for taxpayers.
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As Mike notes: “Rachel Reeves is by no means the first Labour Chancellor who’s walked us to the fiscal cliff edge. Fifty years ago in the mid-1970s Chancellor Denis Healey did the same thing, eventually being forced to go cap in hand to the IMF for a humiliating bailout loan. It was a catastrophe, or as the Wall Street Journal put it at the time, good-bye Great Britain… The fiscal situation in 1975 was eerily similar to today. Healey had been Chancellor for a year. His economic and fiscal inheritance from the preceding Heath government had been a poor one, but instead of gripping the problems, just like Reeves he’d made things worse.” Take a read of Mike’s blog in full here ([link removed]) .
War on Waste
Ordinarily, I’d say August is way too early to be thinking about Christmas but I couldn’t help sharing this news with you. Perran Moon, the MP for Camborne and Redruth thought it was the right thing to do to have taxpayers pick up the bill for his office Christmas tree ([link removed]) .

It might only have been £32, which isn’t about to pay off our national debt ([link removed]) , but it speaks to a fundamental disrespect for taxpayers’ money that is all too common amongst our political class. And just for reference, the basic salary for MPs in 2024/25 was £91,346.

Benjamin Elks
Grassroots Development Manager

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