Maybe the chancellor should consider revoking lunches at the House of Lords? (Picture: Getty)
Have your say on these MetroTalk topics and more in the comments.
Were there other options than scrapping winter fuel allowance for those on pension credit?
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Rather than scrapping the winter fuel allowance for pensioners not receiving pension credit, why isn’t Labour chancellor Rachel Reeves stopping MPs claiming payment for utility bills on second homes they don’t live in?
Or stopping the £361 a day paid to Lords just for turning up getting cheap lunch and drinks subsidised by the taxpayer?
I am just over limit for pension credit but I, like many others, need the heating allowance, M Brown Liverpool
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Isn’t this what Brexit was all about?
Isn’t this us doing things our own way? (Credits: Getty Images)
Jim from London (MetroTalk, Mon) equates Sir Keir Starmer’s plans for a treaty with Germany with ‘undoing’ Brexit. It’s nothing of the sort. In fact, it’s precisely the opposite – the UK is pursuing its own treaties, independent of the EU.
Post-Brexit, the UK needs to re-establish relationships and enter negotiations on various matters with other countries.
Does Jim really expect us to ignore our nearest neighbours in this regard? The proposed treaty with Germany is intended to benefit both countries in areas such as science, technology and trade.
No doubt Jim will point to any perceived ‘concessions’ on the part of the UK as giving in to Europe, rather than being the free choice of an independent nation. Ann Smith, London
Gone are the one-word Ofsted ratings, now replace the different exam boards
There are slight differences in how each exam board structure their exams (Credits: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
While Labour has scrapped one-word Ofsted ratings for schools (Metro, Mon), unfairness remains in the school system.
The government needs to replace the different exams boards (AQA, OCR, Edexcel) with just one. What’s the point of having exam boards with different grade boundaries that favour one over others? Mori, London
Labour must overcome NIMBYism to fix the housing crisis
Will Labour be able to persuade residents to build on ‘grey belt’ land? (Credits: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Under Rachel Reeves, Labour is set on reshaping Britain’s economy, with a strong focus on the housing crisis.
She is reinstating local housebuilding targets and easing green-belt restrictions.
Labour aims to build 1.5million homes over the next five years, targeting underused areas of the green belt rebranded as the ‘grey belt’.
However, it must overcome nimbyism. Reeves insists that communities can’t always say no, even as they maintain input on where homes are built.
Labour’s plan includes appointing hundreds of planning officers to ensure progress, but the real test will be in regions where green-belt protections are strongly defended.
Success will require balancing national housing goals with local concerns and building essential infrastructure.
Labour’s task is to align its vision with market trends such as Build-to-Rent and co-living models, which emphasise flexibility, connectivity and community.
It must communicate its strategy, focus on responsible development and involve local communities from the outset. Daniel Austin, CEO ASK Partners, London
The perils of tech queue and don’t underestimate the Spice Girls
The Spice Girls even opened the Olympics in 2012 (Credits: Getty Images)
Martin (MetroTalk, Tue) tries to claim Status Quo’s music will outlast that of The Spice Girls. The girl band are far bigger than Quo and far more popular.
They’ve had numerous No.1s that maybe Martin is too old to remember.
At festivals like Pride and Boogietown, you’ll hear far more of them than the ancient history of Status Quo. Bob Jones, Kidbrooke
A in Cheltenham (MetroTalk, Mon) says of the proposed ban on smoking in pub gardens that non-smokers can get cancer. True, but you’re about 20 times more likely if you smoke! John, Oxford
I witnessed friends and colleagues frantically trying to secure tickets last Saturday for the Oasis gigs next summer only for most of them to be left angry after spending hours on websites and be cruelly dumped from the queue, often at the checkout stage.
It reinforces my view that the old ways are best – when you would queue at the venue’s box office or go in person to a ticket agency, hand over your money and cherish those all-important tickets.
The fans must come first because the current system to get tickets seems unworkable and unfair. G Gordon-Wilkin, London