Anti-migrant demonstrations expected on Friday and Saturday, while councils investigate legal challenges against hotelsDozens of protests outside hotels used as temporary accommodation for asylum seekers are expected over the weekend across Britain amid mounting tensions over the issue.Figures released on Thursday showed there were more than 32,000 asylum seekers in hotels, marking a rise of 8% during Labour’s first year in office. Continue reading…

The alternatives for the UK chancellor are either unworkable or risk losing Labour votes, so here’s what she should tryDepending on whose forecasts you believe, in the autumn budget the UK chancellor needs to find £25-£50bn to cover day-to-day spending, let alone to raise the extra funds needed to turnaround crumbling public services or end the two-child benefit cap. Rachel Reeves is bound by a manifesto commitment not to raise the big three – income tax, national insurance or VAT – and having already slapped businesses with a national insurance rise in her inaugural budget last year, she faces having to think about creative ways to raise revenue.The past few weeks, we have seen a bewildering parade of policies emerging from Treasury sources. These include reforms to inheritance tax, replacing stamp duty with a national proportional property tax for homes worth more than £500,000, replacing council tax with a local proportional property tax levied on house values up to £500,000 with a minimum annual bill of £800 paid by the property owner, and a potential capital gains tax (CGT) on primary residences valued at more than £1.5m.Faiza Shaheen is executive director of Tax Justice UK Continue reading…

Ian Comfort calls for government to recognise cultural importance of event and guarantee its sustainable futureAbout 2 million people are expected to take to the streets this weekend at the annual Notting Hill carnival for its mix of music, food and Caribbean culture, but for the man who runs it, there is a sense of relief to see it taking place at all.The chair of Notting Hill Carnival Ltd, Ian Comfort, told the Guardian that the event needed to secure a sustainable future after a year of funding rows, public disagreements with the Met police, and negative press after violence last year. Continue reading…

High court rejects actor’s claim that accusations against him by more than 20 women were false and part of a conspiracyThe Guardian has successfully defended a libel action brought by the actor Noel Clarke over an investigation in which he was accused of sexual misconduct by more than 20 women.In a landmark high court judgment handed down on Friday, Mrs Justice Steyn rejected Clarke’s claims, and ruled the newspaper had succeeded in both its defences: of truth and public interest. Continue reading…

Services including Royal Mail and DHL say they are suspending deliveries until they have proper systems in place.

News and updates before Premier League weekendFull Forest story | The battle for Eze | Mail BarryHowe has also been asked about the atmosphere at St James’ Park, which might be extra hostile given the circumstances:The first home game is always going to be electric. I love experience those nights with the energy that the crowd bring us and I have no doubt that this will be a really passionate display from the home support. We need to harness that and use it but not be reckless with it, we need to concentrate on the game and not get too emotional.There is always two sides to every story. My job is to support him and care for him, and we will see where we are in a week’s time. I hope I can work with him again and get him back to his best.At the moment [reintegration into the squad] is not an option for us so rather than talk hypotheticals, I’d rather talk when we get to that point and try to get the best for Alex and get the best for the team. Until the point, we are better off focusing on the players we have available for the team.He has done it enough to be able to do the job really well for the team. I have played him there a number of times both as a starter and as a substitute. He plays it differently to other strikers but that can be a positive in the respect that he has devastating pace and a strong work ethic.Of course he’s scored goals historically from wide areas but also from central areas and I think you can over play the change of position and I think he enjoys the role and he played really well last week. He had a lot of chances and a lot of shots so I thought it was a good display from him. Continue reading…