Member Info for Gate13Boy

“One of Britain’s oldest department stores has announced that it will be closing its doors after more than 140 years because of Rachel Reeves’ tax rises.

Beales, which opened in Bournemouth in 1881, will close its last remaining store in Poole’s Dolphin Centre at the end of May.

Tony Brown, the chief executive, said increases in employers’ National Insurance contributions and the higher minimum wage announced in October’s Budget meant the business had become “unviable”.

Mr Brown said: “This, coupled with the risks and uncertainty of further tax increases in the coming years, have left us no other option. We have been working with the Dolphin Centre, who have been supportive, along with our investors to ensure an orderly exit.

“Our team has been informed, as have our suppliers. We will ensure the exit is managed and no one will be left with a financial loss.”

Mr Brown backed comments by Stuart Machin, the chief executive of Marks & Spencer, who has said the retail sector is being “raided like a piggy bank”.

Cheers. I’m sure there’s nothing untoward going on. I use to Div Max to get the declaration date. They’ve obviously got it wrong this month.

Mine too. Bought at 85p. Just recently taken out my stake. The rest pure profit. Looking forward to the resumption of dividends there.

These go ex-Div on Thursday. The Div declaration was supposed to Feb 6th. No RNS. Hope they haven’t forgot us this month 🤔

Ollerdeekid,

“I will pop back later in the month when I am bored”

Can’t you make it a bit longer ?

DCB, have you managed to remember anymore of your multiple IDs you’ve used on here. Surely it wasn’t just the 85 ? 😂

Or maybe he’s had his epiphany moment over his politics and is too embarrassed to show his face here anymore.

😂🤔

I know which one I wouldn’t have in charge Ant…….

“Britain’s biggest retailers have warned that the high street will shed at least 300,000 jobs over the next three years in a blow to the Chancellor’s hopes of reviving local town and city centres.

Retailers including Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s and Tesco have fired a warning shot over the future of the industry, saying a “perfect storm” of higher costs and red tape meant they expected one in 10 shop floor workers to leave retail by 2028.

The Retail Jobs Alliance (RJA), a campaign group whose members also include Asda, Primark, B&Q owner Kingfisher and Morrisons, said the number of people leaving the sector could be even higher than its 300,000 forecast.

It said this was because the group’s estimates did not take into account changes announced in the Budget, which pushed up costs for retailers.

The retailers which are part of the RJA employ just under a third of those working in the sector, equal to almost 1m people.

It comes as the campaign group re-established itself amid fears over looming higher property taxes for many large city centre stores, on top of rising worker costs.”

Labour delivering for the country 🤦‍♂️

I think it’s quite likely Bloomers. Can you imagine that cringeworthy peasant representing the UK on the global stage ? 🤮

Roll on by-elections to unseat these Trotskyites.

Mid 80s STP.

You couldn’t make it up 🤡

Can you add a few to get yourself over the century mark ?

What a load of 💩 DCB talks. This will be a one term government. Sounds like he’s partaking in wishful thinking. I seemed to remember him saying the country wouldn’t vote to leave the EU. He got that wrong too

Carltt/Lloydslandlord I’m afraid has a huge hole in his logic. He wants landlords removed full stop. When I challenged him last night, he wouldn’t/couldn’t give answers. Most of us have probably rented at some point in our lives. By his logic, we’d be sleeping on the streets instead.

Exactly geofrey,

And what is equally as galling is Rachel Thieves is now going to effectively double tax unspent direct constribution pension pots. She didn’t touch her own gold-plated scheme. These schemes need suspending to further accrual as the taxpayer can no longer afford their long term liabilty.

Have you seen your list of handles you’ve used DCB ? I bet you have. I counted 80 odd. I guess the mods have given up pulling your plug.

IHT tax should be abolished full stop. Labour are just thieving the assets of those who don’t vote for them to give to their union paymasters and public sector workers. The biggest redistribution of wealth in my lifetime. Communism laid bare.

That’s pleasant STP. Are you in that Labour WhatsApp group ? If not, you should be.

What lies were they Ant ? He actually said farming would suffer initially from Brexit from memory.

You can’t support Labour shafting the farmers surely ?

“Taxpayers are set to spend an extra £2bn on public sector pensions next year as higher inflation doubles the pay rise for members of “gold-plated” schemes.

The Bank of England now expects inflation to peak at 3.7pc this year, nearly 1pc higher than its 2.75pc previous forecast.

The pensions of retired public sector workers rise every April in line with the previous September’s inflation figure.

It raises the prospect of Britain’s public sector pensions bill hitting £57.3bn in 2026-27, even as Rachel Reeves faces intense pressure to raise revenue and cut spending.

Lucrative salary-linked schemes are enjoyed by around five million of Britain’s public sector workers and most provide a guaranteed income for life.

Public sector pensions are already forecast to cost the Treasury £54.3bn in 2024-25.

Taxpayers are already paying an extra £1bn a year towards pensions following the Government’s inflation-busting 2.8pc pay bumps awarded in December.

Experts have warned that this level of spending is “unsustainable” and will widen the pension divide between public and private sector workers.

Mr Record said the £2bn figure was “very conservative” as public sector pension expenditure has been rising more quickly than inflation in recent years.”

Farmers will stage another tractor protest outside Parliament on Monday as they continue their campaign against changes to inheritance tax rules. The tractor rally, organised by Save British Farming, comes as MPs debate an e-petition with more than 148,000 signatures calling to keep the current inheritance tax exemptions for working farms.

Labour has insisted it will not make a U-turn on its plans to introduce a 20% inheritance tax rate on farms worth more than £1 million. The changes announced in the Budget are due to come into force in April 2026 and scrap an exemption which meant no inheritance tax was paid to pass down family farms.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is expected to address farmers making a pit stop on their way into London on Monday morning.

Good on you Nigel 👍