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It’s not over yet
This week began with Blue Monday, supposedly the most depressing day of the year. For Keir Starmer, it may have actually been the high point of his week. From a new potential rival in Westminster to rising inflation to poor public finances data (more on that later), this probably wasn’t a week he’ll look back on with fondness when it comes to writing his memoirs.
But perhaps the most important development came right at the end when the government pulled their Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory bill aka the Chagos surrender bill. Far from being signed, sealed, and delivered, the bill and Starmer’s “deal” to pay to give away British territory looks like it might finally be defeated. After months of campaigning, research, and pressure on MPs, an intervention from the US president could finally kill off this disgraceful agreement [[link removed]].
The TPA team has been unrelenting in our efforts to help defeat this ridiculous scheme. As our research showed, the plan could end up costing British taxpayers an eye-watering £47 billion [[link removed]] while the government in Mauritius plans to use that cash to pay off their national debt (our own stands at over £2.8 trillion [[link removed]]) and cut taxes (while Brits deal with the highest tax burden since the Second World War). With your help, tens of thousands of people have written to their MPs [[link removed]] demanding the deal be stopped. And now with president Trump’s intervention the game may finally be up for the Chagos deal.
Of course, it’s ridiculous that things have gotten this far and as Elliot Keck pointed out [[link removed]] on X it’s an: “absolute disgrace that a US president who a few days ago was contemplating using force to seize territory off a NATO ally still cares more about the UK national interest than our pathetic excuse for a prime minister.” Hard to argue with that. Now we just need this wretched government to wake up and smell the coffee and abandon this absurd surrender deal once and for all.
Help the TPA continue standing up for British taxpayers by clicking here to donate [[link removed]].
Can Britain's Democracy Survive Mass Immigration?
For this week’s episode of a nation of taxpayers (and the second videoed which you can watch on YouTube), Duncan Barkes is joined by Elliot and Emma Trimble - writer, broadcaster and fellow at The New Culture Forum [[link removed]].
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Together they discuss the impact that mass immigration has had on Britain's culture, society and institutions. Along the way, they ponder whether woke is dead or not and wonder if it is too late to get Britain back on track.
Listen to the latest episode of a nation of taxpayers now on Apple Podcasts [[link removed]] and Spotify [[link removed]], or watch now on YouTube [[link removed]].
No taxation without representation
Well, it’s now confirmed. Twenty nine councils [[link removed]] have been given permission to cancel elections this year, denying around 4.5 million voters their chance to pass judgement on the performance of their councillors. Having endured years of tax rises from almost all of the authorities involved, residents now face another battering as councils set their rates for the year ahead. Only now, they won’t get to choose whether to boot them out or not.
While not true of every council, as John O’Connell told the Telegraph [[link removed]]: “There is a growing pattern of councils with the worst financial records and governance failures being the ones postponing elections.”
It is simply unacceptable to have democracy dodging councils who then slap their residents with tax increases and you can rest assured that the TPA team will be hitting the road to speak up for taxpayers in towns across the country. We’re putting the finishing touches to our campaign plans but if you’re in one of the affected areas and want to get involved, get in touch!
More tax. More borrowing. More debt.
The latest public sector finances covering December 2025 were released earlier this week and they makes grim reading for taxpayers. Borrowing stood at £11.6 billion, debt interest hit £9.1 billion, while the amount extracted from taxpayers rose by £7.7 billion!
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In an excellent explainer thread [[link removed]] on X, Darwin Friend ran through the numbers and what it all means for hard-working Brits: “The picture is clear from the ONS: Record tax levels; Borrowing still running at unsustainable levels; Debt rising; Billions wasted on interest before a single public service is funded. This is the cost of failing to control spending, and taxpayers are the ones left paying for it.”
The four-day week is still a bad idea
Like something from a horror film, just when you think it’s nearly over and the four-day week will soon be defeated it rears its ugly head for one more go. With the Four Day Week campaign calling for its rollout across the country, Elliot was on hand to call out the crazy idea [[link removed]].
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Giving the proposals both barrels [[link removed]], Elliot told Talk listeners: “We’re seeing this crop up in some local councils and bits of the Scottish government and the evidence that we’re seeing is not very convincing at all. We’re seeing drops in productivity, drops in performance and we know that public sector productivity is already at crisis point, it hasn’t grown for decades and the last thing we should be doing is removing 20 per cent of working hours and 20 per cent of capacity.”
A green budget that leaves Wales in the red
Tuesday saw the Welsh Government present their budget for 2026-27. While not enjoying the same devolved powers we find in Scotland, the administration in Cardiff exercises considerable control over vast swathes of Welsh public services and finances. And the deal cooked up between the minority Labour government and Plaid Cymru since the draft budget in November gives a helpful insight into where their priorities lie [[link removed]].
Far from focussing on keeping costs down or lowering taxes, vast sums are being spent in pursuit of Wales’ unrealistic and unaffordable Net Zero plans. As I wrote in this week’s blog [[link removed]]: “The £600 million being spent on climate change and various Net Zero measures this year would be more than enough to knock a penny off income tax, which would be a real boost for struggling Welsh households. The indirect costs of their Net Zero ambitions will dwarf even this, estimated to knock an extraordinary £9.75 billion off the Welsh economy… Politicians raiding reserves to fund a green agenda with little to no scrutiny is a tragedy for Welsh taxpayers.” Have a read of the full blog here [[link removed]].
We’ll be doing everything we can to hold politicians in Wales to account for their Net Zero zealotry. Let me know if you’d like to help out.
War on Waste
In a spending spree that would make Marie Antoinette blush, officials at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office have splashed almost £29,000 on furniture [[link removed]] in the Paris office.
From sofas and footstools to cushions and a rug, no expense was spared by the out of touch mandarins. It’s high time ministers crack down on wasteful spending and treat taxpayers’ cash with the respect it deserves.
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