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Trade Union Boss Criticises Unite General Secretary Over Keir Starmer Attack

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A trade union boss has hit out at the general secretary of Unite over her criticism of Keir Starmer.

Paddy Lillis, the general secretary of Usdaw, said Sharon Graham should train her fire on the Tory government rather than the Labour leader.

Graham has been an outspoken critic of Starmer, and yesterday told him to “get a spine” and “stick up for workers”.

She also previously criticised the Labour leader’s decision to sack Sam Tarry from the party’s frontbench after he appeared on a picket line.

But Lillis told Radio Four’s World At One programme that a “degree of silence” was needed from his fellow trade union boss.

Asked what he thought of her criticisms of Starmer, he said: “I don’t think it is fair, I think it’s actually unfair.

“I think Keir Starmer has demonstrated time and time again that he’s on the side of workers. He understands the industrial action that’s taking place at the minute.

“We have seen over 12/13 years now of wage stagnation across the economy from the 2008/2009 financial tsunami and we’ve seen employers squeeze employees and squeeze wages down. We need to be, as a trade union and Labour movement, putting the blame squarely where it belongs, and that’s with this Tory government, who have been missing in action.”

Lillis added: “Anyone that’s doing the Labour Party down isn’t doing us a favour.

“If you look over history, we’ve had six Labour prime ministers in our history and each time we turn on each other.

“This is a shadow cabinet that’s worked with the trade union leaders to come up with an employment rights green paper, looking at what they will introduce in power. So to turn round and say Keir Starmer’s not supportive of workers is not true.

“I think there’s a degree of silence needed sometimes and let the Labour leadership get on with taking the fight to the Tories and holding them to account for what’s wrong in this country.”

HuffPost UK revealed how Starmer has put Labour on a war footing in case the new prime minister – who will be announced in a week’s time – calls a snap election.

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Liz Truss ‘Rules Out’ Direct Help For Everyone To Pay Soaring Energy Bills

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Liz Truss does not want to provide more direct help for everyone to pay energy bills if she becomes prime minister according to her allies, despite warnings millions face a “catastrophe” this winter.

The foreign secretary, who is the clear frontrunner to take over as prime minister on September 6, has promised “decisive action” to help with the cost of living crisis.

From October people will receive £400 off their energy bills in six instalments, a policy introduced by Rishi Sunak when he was chancellor.

But according to the BBC, Truss has “ruled out” building on that approach with more help that would see people receive direct assistance regardless of their wealth. Truss’ campaign did not reject the report when asked.

According to The Sunday Telegraph, Truss could instead cut 20% headline rate of VAT could by up to 5% or cut to income tax.

Sunak’s campaign has said cutting VAT would be “incredibly regressive” and help the richest more than the poorest.

Truss has not set out details of her plans, with a campaign source saying it would be wrong to make commitments before she is elected prime minister or pre-empt the so-called fiscal event – in which her proposals will be formally announced – expected in mid-September.

Nadhim Zahawi, the current chancellor and Truss supporter, has suggested people earning as much as £45,000 per year could be among those struggling to cope with soaring living costs.

Energy regulator Ofgem warned the government on Friday that it must act urgently to “match the scale of the crisis we have before us” as Britain faced the news that the average household’s yearly bill will rise from £1,971 to £3,549.

Martin Lewis, the well regarded consumer expert, has warned there is a “genuine social and financial catastrophe that is putting lives at risk”.

Pat McFadden, Labour’s shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, said on Sunday people faced a financial “shockwave” and repeated his party’s call for bills to be frozen for six months..

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Cutting VAT To Tackle Cost Of Living Crisis ‘Regressive’, Says Rishi Sunak’s Campaign

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Cutting VAT by 5% across the board would be a “regressive” move costing tens of billions of pounds, Rishi Sunak’s campaign team has warned.

According to The Sunday Times, Liz Truss is considering slashing VAT as part of an emergency package to help households cope with rising prices if she wins the Tory leadership race.

The newspaper said the 20% headline rate of VAT could be cut by up to 5%, saving the average household more than £1,300 per year.

But Sunak’s campaign said the move would “incredibly regressive” and cost more than £30bn.

Another option reportedly being weighed up by Truss is a cut to income tax, with proposals including increasing the level above which people start paying the levy.

Truss could also raise the tipping point for the higher rate of 40% and cut the basic rate below 20%.

Boris Johnson has said whoever succeeds him in No.10 would announce “another huge package of financial support” amid soaring energy bills.

The outgoing prime minister has refused to act again himself, deciding the country must wait until a new PM is in office to provide any new help.

The Treasury has said it is making the “necessary preparations” to ensure the next government has options to deliver extra help “as quickly as possible”.

Energy regulator Ofgem warned the government on Friday that it must act urgently to “match the scale of the crisis we have before us” as Britain faced the news that the average household’s yearly bill will rise from £1,971 to £3,549.

Sunak has already said he will provide additional support targeted at the most vulnerable.

Truss has promised “decisive action” to deliver “immediate support” if she wins the contest.

But she has so far been vague about what form this assistance might take apart from slashing green levies on energy bills and reversing the controversial National Insurance hike.

In an article for Mail+, Johnson acknowledged that the next few months will be difficult – “perhaps very tough” – as “eye-watering” energy bills take their toll, but he forecast the UK will emerge “stronger and more prosperous (on) the other side”.

He said “colossal sums of taxpayers’ money” have already been committed to assisting people with their bills.

But he added: “Next month – whoever takes over from me – the government will announce another huge package of financial support.”

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Union Leader Tells Keir Starmer To ‘Get A Spine’ And ‘Stick Up For’ Workers

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Labour needs to “get a spine” and stand up for working people, the general secretary of the Unite union has said.

Sharon Graham told Keir Starmer he is more likely to win the next election if he did more to back workers seeking pay rises as employers make big profits.

“There isn’t really a very strong voice for workers in parliament currently,” she told BBC Radio 4′s Broadcasting House on Sunday.

“It is more likely they (Labour) would get elected more if they spoke up for workers more.”

“I think that if they came out now strongly and said `hang on a second, these abhorrent profits that are going on and what’s happening with the cost of living, this is what we think should happen’ – then I think they would very much get elected.

“From my point of view, I think we are doing Labour a favour actually by saying `look, get a spine, stick up for workers’. Graham told the programme “you cannot defend workers by being silent”.

Starmer has been under pressure from unions and Labour’s left to do more to show support for striking workers across the country.

Starmer has said Labour needs to move away from being a “party of protest” and instead act like a “government in waiting” with an emphasis on negotiating with unions.

Speaking this morning, Pat McFadden, Labour’s shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, said he did not support a general strike but understands why people are pressing for pay increases.

“Our call on government ministers would be to stop being an absent government and to help resolve these disputes to ensure that people get a decent pay rise, but to do that around the negotiating table,” he told Sky News.

“Nobody wants to see industrial action but it is understandable why people at work want a decent pay rise given the inflationary pressures that they’re feeling right now.”

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Danny DeVito Spills The Beans On Saving Michael Douglas From Poisonous Snake

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Danny DeVito is revealing the truth behind his heroic tale about saving Michael Douglas from a poisonous snake in Mexico.

DeVito told The Talk four years ago that Douglas allowed a snake to go onto his arm while filming the 1984 flick Romancing The Stone, People reported. Douglas, he said, claimed the snake was “no big deal.”

Then it bit him on the hand.

Michael Douglas (L) and Danny DeVito
Michael Douglas (L) and Danny DeVito

Allen Berezovsky via Getty Images

“And I always heard the best thing to do is suck the poison out, right away, so I did,” DeVito claimed. “I grabbed his hand and I’m spitting all over the place, and I say, ‘Boy, it’s a good thing this didn’t bite you on the balls man — you would be a dead man.’”

A lie detector test, however, determined that was a lie.

Actor Lucy DeVito asked her father about the story in a video posted by Vanity Fair on Thursday.

Samantha Barrios, who was operating a lie detector, told DeVito her dad wasn’t being honest and that’s when he fessed up.

You can watch the father-daughter interview, with lie detector tests, below.

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